CHAP. XXII THE SONAMERG GORGE IN AUTUMN 4U 



Stabled there, evidently, from the appearance of the place, 

 in some numbers. The coolies' room, in which Jebb and 

 I and the two other sportsmen had slept on the night 

 of the 29th of March, was in the same condition as the 

 verandah. None of our servants would occupy any part 

 of this rest-house, although rain came on at dusk, and 

 there was a strong wind blowing. 



On the 1 3th we camped near Shitkuri, a couple of miles 

 below Sonamerg, where the scenery all round was very 

 pretty, dark pines mixed with gold and red tinted trees 

 clothing the northern sides of the hills. The colour of the 

 water was most peculiar, a sort of grayish greenish blue. 



The 14th took us through some of the prettiest 

 scenery in the Sind valley, if not in Kashmir. The river, 

 with its lovely colour, wound along between rocky hills 

 standing sheer in many places over the stream, mostly 

 thickly wooded on both sides, quite to the top on the 

 sides facing the north, and about a quarter of the way up 

 on the opposite bank. The autumn colours were wonder- 

 fully vivid and bright, shades of gold and red predomi- 

 nating, and contrasting brilliantly with the dark green of 

 the pines and cedars. The celebrated Sonamerg Gorge 

 probably never looked better than it did that day, as the 

 autumn tints on the trees lent a wealth of colour to the 

 scene, which it wanted when I passed up in the "leafy 

 month of June." I took a photograph of one pretty spot 

 in the middle,^ and another of the view up the lowest part 

 from a little above Gagangair.' Three days later, on 

 the 17th, we marched into Srinagar and camped in the 

 Munshi Bagh. 



^ See illustration on p. 409. ^ See illustration on p. 417. 



