240 SPORT IX THE HIGHLANDS OF KASHMIR chap. 



was to brine back whatever micrht have accumulated 

 in Leh between the 15th and the date of his arrival 

 there. 



During the day we examined some of the nomads' 

 huts. These are made of black cloth woven from the 

 hair of the yak. Each has a hole in the centre of the 

 roof, for the escape of smoke from the fire, which is 

 always lighted in the middle of the floor. Each is 

 also provided with a sort of shrine opposite the entrance, 

 before which in many tents a light is kept burning. As 

 far as I could see there were no images on the shrines, 

 only brass plates with apparently engravings or etchings, 

 probably of the Buddha. 



The dogs round the tents of the Champas seemed to 

 be rather savage, for their owners seized them and held 

 them down when we came near. The animals are about 

 the size of a large retriever, with long black, shaggy hair. 



The cold wind both at Gya and the first night at 

 Debring, had found its way in through the lacing which 

 united the walls of our tent to the inner fly, and it was 

 evident that the tent would be much warmer if the two 

 were stitched together. Accordingly I set Rupsang to 

 work. He, like all Ladakis, had a sailmaker's needle 

 always about him, and with the aid of one of the servants 

 and some twine very quickly had the sewing done. This 

 proved the greatest comfort to us on the expedition, as 

 cold wind was about the worst thing we had to face. 



On the 1 8th we were out about 6.30 a.m. and saw 

 our things loaded up. The thermometer when we rose 

 stood at 43°, the lowest to which it had fallen during 

 the night. Two of the yaks proved very obstreperous. 



