24 SPORT IN THE HIGHLANDS OF KASHMIR chap. 



put up, and we had each got a change. I produced my 

 parwanas and threatened to make a report to Srinagar 

 if transport was not supplied. The headman appeared 

 impressed, but said he was helpless. However, as the 

 coolies Abdulla had bespoken on the road had by this 

 time arrived, and the headman saw we had parwanas, 

 and were not to be cajoled or blackmailed into pro- 

 mising more than the regular rate, he threw up the 

 sponge, and intimating in some way to the coolies around 

 that it was no use to oppose us, took himself off. The 

 men then came forward and began arranging such of the 

 loads as were available, each man leaving his own rope 

 round whatever package he had selected. To lighten the 

 loads I redistributed some of my things, thus making 

 them up to require twenty instead of sixteen men. 



The tents were pitched on a charming grassy spot 

 close to some large trees, by the side of a wide and fair- 

 sized stream clear as crystal and cold as ice, an affluent 

 of the Sind river below. I did not think I had ever 

 before enjoyed water at dinner so much, and Jebb said 

 the same thing. 



Rain came on during the night, and it was raining 

 hard when we woke in the morning. As the march to 

 Sonamerg was a short one, we resolved to delay our 

 start till after breakfast, by which time we hoped it 

 would clear up. We were not disappointed, and started 

 off about half-past twelve. 



At Rezin, which we reached about 2 p.m., and where 

 we were told the travellers ahead of us had halted the 

 previous night, we found the first patches of snow we 

 had so far encountered. Here we were shown the room 



