XIV LAMAYURU TO PHYANG SERAI 225 



We reached Lamayuru at a quarter to seven, 8 miles 

 from HIniscoot, and tried to get fresh ponies, but failed. 

 So we gave a feed to the animals we had, and rode on to 

 Nurla, 13 miles further. 



There we got fresh animals, while I had breakfast 

 under a tree. At two o'clock we went on, and reached 

 Saspul, 13 miles from Nurla, by dusk. 



Here I put up in a room which is said to be reserved 

 for European travellers. It looked on to the ordinary 

 Serai, which was full of native travellers and ponies 

 and bales of goods, but was clean, being the first rest- 

 house I had seen since leaving Srinagar which could be 

 so described. The man in charge of the Serai gave me 

 some chopped straw, on which I spread my bedding, and 

 brought me some cold water in an inverted " tao " (iron 

 pan used for cooking chupatties), in which I washed my 

 hands and face. The room boasted a table and rickety 

 chair, and these I used at my dinner which consisted 

 of a tin of army rations, chupatties, and jam. I had 

 brought a couple of pieces of candle, so was well off 

 in the matter of light. Curious to relate, though the 

 room was on an upper story, the floor was baked 

 mud. 



Next morning (the 6th) we were off by 3 a.m. The 

 road lay up a narrow defile and the moon was conse- 

 quently of little use. By the time we reached Bazgo, 

 9 miles on, day had broken, and we got into Nimu about 

 7 A.M. Here we tried to change ponies, but the animals 

 produced were so miserable, that we preferred to keep 

 those we had ; so we took them a further stage to 

 Phyang Serai, where we arrived about 10 a.m. Here 



Q 



