364 SPORT IN THE HIGHLANDS OF KASHMIR chap. 



granite. We passed about 4 p.m. the village of Gaik, 

 most curiously situated on a flat-topped shoulder of the 

 mountain, with very precipitous sides and high above 

 the road. 



About dusk we arrived opposite the opening of the 

 Tiri gorge, but seeing from the map that the village of 

 Kyungyam was only some 2 or 3 miles further on, I would 

 not stop, though grass and wood were available. I went 

 on ahead, and reached Kyungyam about an hour or so 

 after dark, and sent my pony-man up to the houses to 

 get wood, against the arrival of the baggage ponies. It 

 was brilliant moonlight, so it was not difficult to select 

 places for the tents, or to pitch them when they arrived, 

 which they did about half an hour after me. Here I got 

 my mail from Leh, sent out by my wife on the 15th. 

 Owing to the difficulties of the road, which involved a good 

 deal of ascent and descent, we had only done 24 miles. 



We had a regular scene with some new ponies we 

 were given next morning. The villagers vowed they 

 could only supply two fresh ponies. One of these, 

 when loaded and started, promptly kicked his load off. 

 Luckily it consisted of the two tents, and no harm was 

 done. The pony brought for Abdulla would not let 

 him go near it, so it was taken away. Then we put a 

 saddle on the pony which had kicked off its load, and 

 one of the men rode it about ; but as soon as the shikari 

 got on its back, it made for its stable, and refused 

 to go along the path it was wanted for. So I put on 

 a rope-twitch, and after some violence the animal got 

 quiet. A villager rode it out of the village, when the 

 shikari got up and it gave no further trouble. 



