KASHMIR. 221 



before seven in the morning, Avas a distasteful and 

 exceedingly hazardous thing to do. 



On the other hand, it occurred to me very forcibly 

 that if I did camp there I should find in the morning 

 that all the coolies had disappeared. It could hardly 

 be supposed that they had led me into this position 

 merely for the pleasure of doing three days' journey 

 in one, or of themselves spending a night unpro- 

 tected from the cold and with empty stomachs, in 

 the Twajeh valley. The most rational supposition 

 was that they wanted to give me the slip, and so I 

 determined to proceed at all risks. It was most for- 

 tunate I did so, because next day a tremendous snow- 

 storm fell over these mountains. If we had remained 

 in this elevated valley all night, we certainly could 

 not have got over to Dras the next day, or for several 

 days, and it is almost as certain that we could not 

 have got back to Omba. The most of the party must 

 have perished ; and hence I really was indebted 

 to the imaginary Dnuualtah ; though, from the ex- 

 posure of that evening, I suffered for months. 



But having determined to proceed, it was abso- 

 lutely necessary to secure that the bearers of my bag- 

 gage should do so likewise. Fortunately all my ser- 

 vants were mounted, so I broke up our party into three 

 divisions, in order that the coolies might more easily 

 be kept in hand. I sent on my most valuable articles 

 in front, carried by coolies xinder charge of the violent 

 Chota Khan, and a sowar, or trooper, who had been 



