224 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



derful steed, equalled only by that of the Shigri 

 valley ; but by this time the night had become dark, 

 the crescent moon was disappearing behind the moun- 

 tains, and there were long slopes of snow to be trav- 

 ersed. Here the pony absolutely refused to move a 

 step without my allowing it to put its nose down close 

 to the snow; and though, when it was in such an 

 attitude on a steep slope, there was considerable diffi- 

 culty in keeping on its back, I found it could be 

 trusted to go down safely in that way ; and carry me 

 down it did, until we got into a deep and excessively 

 dark gorge, where it was impossible to ride. It was so 

 dark here that we could hardly see a step before us, and 

 I scrambled through in a manner that I could hardly 

 have believed possible. Our way lay along the bed 

 of a stream full of great stones, over which we often 

 fell. Then we would break through ice into pools 

 of ice-cold water, and come to falls where we had to 

 let one man down and descend upon his shoulders. 

 The pony meanwhile followed us, obedient to the 

 voice of its owner ; and it seemed to have more power 

 of finding its way than we possessed, for it got round 

 descents which it could hardly have jumped, and 

 which we could find no way of avoiding. 



After that frightful passage we came on more gentle 

 and easy descents ; but it was with intense relief that 

 I saw the flames of a large fire of thorn-bushes which 

 Chota Khan and the sowar had kindled for oiir 

 guidance at a hamlet opposite to Dras, on our side 



