KASHMIR. 235 



mountain Xanga Parbat. Mary means a " meadow," 

 and seems to be applied specially to elevated 

 meadows ; sona stands for " golden " : and this place 

 is a favourite resort, in the hot malarious months of 

 July and August, both for the Europeans in Kashmir 

 and for natives of rank. The village, being com- 

 posed of four houses and three outlying ones, cannot 

 produce much in the way of either coolies or supplies. 

 Its commercial ideas may be gathered from the fact 

 that I was here asked seven rupees for a pound of 

 tea which was nothing but the refuse of tea-chests 

 mixed with all sorts of dirt. In the matter of coolies 

 I was independent, for the biyarries who had taken 

 my effects over the Zoji La were so afraid of being 

 impressed for the service of the Yarkand envoy, that 

 they had entreated me to engage them as far as Gan- 

 derbahl, near the capital, hoping that by the time 

 they reached that place the fierce demand for coolies 

 might have ceased. 



At Ganderbahl I was fairly in the great valley of 

 Kashmir, and encamped under some enormous c/iundr 

 or sycamore trees ; the girth of one was so great that 

 its trunk kept my little mountain-tent quite sheltered 

 from the furious blasts. Truly 



" There was a roaring in the wind all night, 

 The rain fell heavily, and fell in floods ; " 



but that gigantic chundr kept off both wind and rain 

 wonderfully. Xext day a small but convenient and 



