TRANSPORT DIFFICULTY 



left with ninety coolies to cross the Zogi La, and that 

 consequently no more coolies were to be had. 



The difficulty about getting coolies at Gund lies in 

 the fact that the men are obliged to go through the Pass 

 to Dras, as no change of men is obtainable before 

 reaching the last - named place. There are only six 

 miserably small villages (Rezin, Gagangair, Shitkuri, 

 Sonamerg, Mataiyun, and Pandras) between Gund and 

 Dras — a distance of about 55 miles — and the inhabitants 

 of these are too few to supply coolies. Consequently 

 all the requisite transport for the next five stages has to 

 be obtained at Gund going up, and at Dras when coming 

 down. 



The rates fixed by the Kashmir authorities for the 

 five days' journey to Dras amount to Rs.2.8 for each 

 coolie during the winter, or while snow is on the 

 ground. But travellers who are anxious to get through 

 quickly have occasionally made much higher payments, 

 and Abdulla told me that as much as Rs.7.8 a coolie 

 had more than once been given. It seemed as if the 

 village headman was making difficulties in order to get 

 for the men a higher tariff than that fixed by the Govern- 

 ment, and as he and the coolies were all Kashmiris, 

 Abdulla, according to his wont, took their side, and 

 endeavoured to induce me to promise payment at Rs, 5 

 a head. Towards evening stray coolies began to come 

 in, who tried to get Jebb and me to compete with each 

 other for them, but though our shikaris were ready 

 enough to humour them, we refused to do so, and agreed 

 that whatever happened we would pay exactly the same. 

 Meantime our loads had come in, our tents had been 



