XII DESERTION OF COOLIES 199 



the upper part of the Banji nala was searched, but 

 nothing seen. No doubt it had already been shot out. 

 The same day while in the nala, Abdulla told me he 

 had overheard our coolies talking about deserting. It 

 seems that they had not really got over their objection 

 to oroina: as far as Astor. And in the nalas before 

 us — Astor Mishkin, Sheltar, Astor Ditchil, Garhi, and 

 others — there was no chance, he said, of getting fresh 

 men. This was a serious matter, as of course without 

 coolies we should be entirely helpless. 



When we got back to the tents further bad news 

 awaited us. The post coolie had arrived from Bunji, 

 and he brought word that eleven out of the twelve men 

 who had carried my things out of Sarsal had refused to 

 go any further than Bunji, and had gone back on the 

 9th. This was very bad news indeed, and following on 

 what Abdulla had told me in the afternoon, necessitated 

 an alteration of my plans. I got up the eleven Hara- 

 mosh men who were with me, and took down their 

 names, and then got them to tell me the names of the 

 twelve men who had gone to Bunji. By the shikari's 

 advice I changed my route, and settled to go down on 

 the Rondu side of the range we were on, so that we 

 might be able to get fresh coolies, who were said to be 

 obtainable at Balchu. We could then, Abdulla said, 

 get over to the Astor side by the Ditchil Pass, and 

 thence, as originally arranged, to the Deosai plateau. 

 Our coolies were visibly gratified by the change in our 

 plans, so I felt satisfied about them. To get on the 

 things at Bunji, I settled to send Mahamdu there 

 next day to make what arrangements he could in the 



