CHAP. XIV FOIVLS 235 



hill over Leh, there was a huge image of the Buddha made 

 of wicker-work, covered with painted plaster, seated in 

 the orthodox cross-kneed attitude. The figure was over 

 20 feet high as it sat. The foot which I measured was 

 5 feet long. 



On the 13th of July we started for Ovis ammon ground 

 by marching 1 1 miles to Rombiabagh in the Indus valley. 

 Our transport consisted of fifteen ponies. My wife, who 

 of course had her own saddle with her, rode this and all 

 subsequent marches. I walked that morning and indeed 

 almost always, but occasionally took a pony, when the 

 road was peculiarly monotonous or long. My wife had 

 collected with some difficulty sixteen fowls to bring on 

 with us, as none are procurable after leaving Leh. To 

 carry them I had had a wooden crate constructed by a 

 Leh carpenter, but the workmanship was so very bad 

 that the thing broke, about 3 miles out of Leh, while 

 being carried by a coolie, and in a few minutes all the 

 fowls were running about amongst the rocks. After 

 some trouble and delay, and with the aid of most of our 

 servants and pony-men, they were caught. Some were 

 put into a spare basket, and the remainder distributed to 

 different men to carry in their hands. As it happened, 

 all this trouble was for nothing. The fowls proved 

 unable to stand the cold of the higher altitudes they 

 were taken to, and got so thin, that it became apparent, 

 to adopt an Irish way of putting it, they would die if 

 they were not killed ; so the lot were sacrificed one day, 

 and tougher fowls we never tried to get through. 



We reached Rombiabagh about half-past eleven, and 

 found the last hour exceedingly hot. Church, who was 



