54 SPORT IN THE HIGHLANDS OF KASHMIR chap. 



march from Olthingthang — a wonderful bit of endurance 

 on Mrs. Renton's part — arrived about sundown, and there 

 was some difficulty the following morning in arranging 

 for the large number of coolies required for the double 

 party. Though I was up at 3.15 a.m., we did not get 

 away till three hours later. 



A five hours' walk took us 10 miles to Tolti, where 

 we breakfasted while the coolies were changed. On the 

 way we passed through several villages, with the long 

 lines of poplars, which are so often seen, both in these 

 oases by the Indus and in the neighbourhood of Srina- 

 gar.^ Here, too, the barley and wheat were above the 

 ground, and the apricot-trees white with blossom. At 

 Tolti, tired of the monotonous walking, I hired a pony, 

 and occasionally rode him on the 12-mile stretch to 

 Parkutta, where we camped for the night in an apricot 

 grove, arranging with the headman to have ready for us 

 in the morninof the number of coolies we should want. 

 There was no difficulty about carriage here. Indeed, 

 many of the coolies appeared in the evening, and, after 

 their peculiar custom, put their ropes round our boxes, so 

 as to secure for themselves the particular loads they 

 wanted. 



At 3 A.M. on the morning of the 7th I was called as 

 usual. The procedure was the same every day. I 

 dressed by candle light, and then went outside and sat 

 down, with my back against a tree, while my tent was 

 struck and its contents packed up. A fire was always 

 lighted near my tent, for light as well as warmth, the 

 first thing in the morning, and I generally sat down near 



1 See illustration on p. 15. 



