458 SPORT IN THE HIGHLANDS OF KASHMIR chap. 



Kashmiri, like other natives of India, is a slave to pre- 

 judices, and that it is rarely of any use trying to run 

 counter to them ; that is, the game is not worth the 

 candle. For instance, he will not use a Warren's 

 cooking-pot if he can help it. I had one, which Ram- 

 zana succeeded in breaking almost immediately after I 

 started for Baltistan. 



But on one point his prejudices must be fought 

 against, whatever the cost. He likes best of all cooking 

 in a copper vessel called a degchi, the inside of which 

 has been whitened with a solder-like substance called 

 kalai. This wears off, and cannot be renewed away 

 from Srinagar, unless perhaps in Leh, and the result 

 is copper poisoning to the European stomach. The 

 sportsman should refuse absolutely to have any of his 

 cooking-vessels made of copper. A nest of saucepans, 

 fitting into each other, made of block tin, was what I used 

 when my Warren's cooking-pot was destroyed. I had 

 to obtain them from Rawal Pindi, as they were not to 

 be bought in Srinagar. These saucepans can now be 

 obtained of aluminium, and must be a great improve- 

 ment on the old kind. 



The list given by K. C. A. J. is ample, but I would, 

 as in the matter of stores, venture to suggest certain 

 changes. 



The Warren's cooking-pot I would leave out for the 

 reasons given above. The gridiron, too, is useless, 

 unless a man wishes to cook his ov\^n dinner. The 

 Kashmiri simply will not use it while he has a frying- 

 pan by. 



Then I would add the following : — 



^jLiik 



