28o SPORT IN THE HIGHLANDS OF KASHMIR chap, xvi 



Streams, and had burst the ropes tying on his load. A 

 kilta was broken and some stores, including tea and 

 sugar, lost, as well as an electro-plate flask and three 

 tumblers, which unluckily were with them. 



As my wife generally carried a white umbrella when 

 riding, it was usual, on a new pony being brought up for 

 her, for one of the men to mount it, and try whether it 

 would shy at the umbrella or not. On the morning of 

 the 7th, Rupsang tried the new pony, and it was most 

 amusing watching him, with his burly figure in its huge 

 bundle of leather clothes, on the little rat of a pony, trotting 

 up and down, as he waved a white umbrella all round 

 the animal's head. This precaution had been adopted, 

 because on one occasion, in a nasty place on the Leh road, 

 a pony bolted with my wife, frightened by that umbrella. 



While the tent was being struck, I took the oppor- 

 tunity to photograph the Champa yak men at their 

 morning meal of sattoo ^ and water. They sat in a circle 

 round a large bowl of the stuff, which the lady who 

 looked after our goats ladled out into the wooden, saucer- 

 like cup every Ladaki habitually carries. 



That day we crossed the pass entered in the map 

 as the Sildat La, and went down the valley marked as 

 Shingda. Neither name is locally known, and I was 

 puzzled at first to find out where exactly we were. We 

 struck the Puga stream where the Chuldi river flows into 

 it from the south, and then marched down the Puga 

 valley, very nearly to the point where its river joins 

 the Indus. About a mile above the junction we found 

 a stretch of grass and a quantity of tamarisk bushes, 



1 Bailey-meal, of which thick chupatties are also made. 



