2i8 SPORl^ IN THE HIGHLANDS OF KASHMIR chap. 



Mitchell had kindly promised to lend me ponies, and I 

 did not want to get to Bandipur till evening. Taking it 

 easy, I rode over the Rajdiangan Pass (ii,8oo feet), and 

 then walked down, leading the pony, to Tragbal, a summer 

 resort of some residents of Kashmir. Here I arrived 

 about 4 P.M., and looked up an old school - fellow in 

 Major Yielding, the commissariat officer. As we had 

 not met since we were boys there was a good deal to 

 say, but time was limited, and, promising ourselves a 

 longer talk when we met in Srinagar, I hastened on. 



By evening I reached Sunerwein, '^2) iTiiles from 

 Gurais, and i|- miles short of Bandipur. Here I found 

 that my things had only just arrived. On the previous 

 day I had told the shikari and cook to get ponies, and go 

 on quickly to their homes, and then meet me at Bandipur 

 on the Woolar Lake in the evening, and have a boat 

 ready to start that night for Manasbal, where the 

 road to Leh leaves the neighbourhood of the Jhelum 

 river. When I arrived, however, I found that, though 

 the boat had been engaged, the two men had not been 

 to their homes, or said they had not been, and wanted 

 leave to go then. This disobedience of orders was very 

 annoying, and I saw that they wanted to force me to 

 halt for the night. But I was resolved not to do so, and 

 finally told them that, if they went to their homes, they 

 must make their own arrangements to meet me at 

 Manasbal at dawn next day. To this they reluctantly 

 agreed and departed. 



I here dismissed Chand and three of the other per- 

 manent coolies, keeping Jamala, whom I had sent on 

 to Srinagar for some things, and Mahamdu, whose 



