218 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



one day from Sankil ; so it can be understood how 

 tremendous was the day's journey, and how great the 

 mistake into which I was led. 



So we started from Omba, and began to ascend a 

 hill. I do not say " a hill " sarcastically, because had 

 I seen, soon after starting, what a mountain this hill 

 was, I should immediately have turned back and 

 camped at Omba ; but, though immense mountains 

 rose before us, they did so in such a manner as to 

 make it appear likely that a low pass ran between 

 them. It was not until we had laboured up steadily 

 for about a couple of hours that the horrible truth 

 began to dawn upon my mind that there was no 

 pass, and that it was up the face of one of those 

 gigantic mountains that we were now going by a 

 corkscrew path. There really appeared to be no end 

 either of the path or of the mountain, and we soon 

 got involved in large patches of snow, though this 

 was the south side of "the pass." It was like going 

 up, not to Kashmir, but to heaven ; and I should 

 even then have returned to Omba but for the con- 

 sideration that the ligarries Avere from Sankii, and 

 that it might be difficult to supply their places or to 

 get them to go on next day. Meanwhile they began 

 to show symptoms of distress, and two or three at- 

 tempted to leave their luggage and bolt. One man 

 nearly effected his escape by getting leave to go down 

 a little way to a snow rivulet to drink. Whenever 

 he got there he took to his heels down the pass, but 



