XIV PANDRAS to KARGIL ^li-^ 



one else out, and soon had a gang of fifty or sixty men 

 at work, carrying stones, piling sods, etc. By 2.30 p.m. 

 the job was complete, and all my baggage across. 



Notwithstanding the loss necessitated by the delay, 

 the greater number of the men we found encamped 

 were prepared to sit idle where they were, till the Dras 

 gang of half a dozen coolies had effected the repairs, 

 although it was apparent that if all had chosen to assist 

 the business was only a matter of a couple of hours. 



We reached Pandras by dusk that evening and 

 camped there, having covered some 20 miles. But for 

 the delay at the broken bridge we should probably have 

 got to Dras. 



The 2nd was a long day. Arriving at Dras early, 

 I changed a note for Rs.ioo with the local shopkeeper, 

 and walked on, I breakfasted at Duldul, and took a 

 photograph of the premises the Rentons and I had 

 occupied that snowy day in April when we were last 

 there. Little Kharbu was reached just before dusk, 

 after a journey of some 32 miles. 



On the 3rd we started as usual by dawn, Abdulla 

 riding ahead to Kargil, where ponies had to be changed, 

 to have fresh animals ready. The latter part of this 

 walk, which ended about 9.30 a.m., was exceedingly hot. 

 The Indus valley in the summer, notwithstanding its 

 elevation, is apparently nowhere cool outside of Tibet. 



I found a sportsman here, Mr. Willcox of the 5th 

 Lancers, waiting for his things to turn up. He was re- 

 turning to India from shooting in one of the nalas on the 

 road to Leh, and had done well, having got twelve ibex. 



A large number of letters and papers awaited me at 



