CHAP. XX EEK TO SHERA 369 



this. So I told the shikari to wait behind and bring 

 on what animals he could get, while I went ahead with 

 the loads and two of the beasts we had. The lambardar 

 thereupon disappeared, and when the shikari caught me 

 up again, he said that the man had hidden himself, and 

 that consequently no fresh animals had been obtained. 



The path after leaving Likcha turned up a gorge 

 between two granite hills, and then went zigzagging up 

 the one to the west, which must have been some 1500 feet 

 above the level of the river. It was about the worst bit 

 of track I have ever seen ponies climb, and was pretty 

 severe on all of us. The descent on the other side was 

 equally steep, and almost as trying, and I was astonished 

 to see the ponies do it. When we got down we found 

 ourselves near the village of Eek (or Ikpadok, as it is 

 marked on the map), and as it was then fast getting dusk, 

 I resolved to camp here for the night, though the actual 

 distance we had come in the day was only 15 miles. 



The delays, however, owing to the character of the 

 track, had been very great, and I saw I should probably 

 have come faster if I had returned by Gya and the 

 Tagalang La. Most of the trouble was caused by 

 the absence of a bridge at the upper end of Himmi, of 

 one below Likcha, and of a third above Eek. I was 

 informed that the villagers regularly construct these 

 bridges every year when the water falls, but the work 

 had not been done at the time I passed, and I suffered 

 in consequence. 



As next morning it was clear that I could not get 

 into Leh that day, I resolved to go to the celebrated 

 Himis Monastery for the night, to see the place and take 



2 B 



