Ill ENERG Y OF THE COOK 35 



the shelter of the wall of the hut, and on my asking him 

 what he was going to give us, he said, with much pride, 

 that he would give us a "complete dinner just as usual." 

 It was always a source of astonishment to me how this 

 man, after a fatiguing march, with hardly any materials or 

 appliances, and no proper cooking arrangements, would 

 turn out a respectable dinner. It was almost a point of 

 honour with him not to allow difficulties to interfere with 

 his work. A hot dinner, he considered, should always be 

 sent up, and all the time he was with me I do not think I 

 ever had a cold meal unless from my own deliberate choice. 



The Rentons were just going down from their airy 

 seat, when I went round to speak to them. They had 

 caused one of their small tents to be put up on a dry spot 

 in the room they had selected, and proposed in this way 

 to protect themselves from the wet. Mr. Renton declared, 

 that, had he realised the character of the rest-houses and 

 what the journey involved, he would never have brought 

 his wife. Any one of us that night would willingly have 

 given a long sum for a clean, dry room with a fireplace 

 that would not smoke, and a boarded floor ; and it seemed 

 hard to understand why the Durbar could not see its way 

 to constructing decent rest-houses along this route, and 

 charging sufficient rent to pay for their upkeep. Indeed, 

 if it had even made the roofs of those that we saw, 

 sloping instead of flat, dryness could have been secured, 

 but to make flat-roofed structures, which must hold up 

 the snow, and into which when it melts the water 

 must drip, seemed entirely incomprehensible. 



At 2 A.M. on the morning of the 30th Abdulla woke 

 us, and our companions at the other end of the room 



