FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE HIMALAYAN FOREST 9 



it is at present. It had only recently been adopted as a 

 sanatorium for troops. The Commissioner of Kumaon, 

 Colonel Ramsay, C.B., had some years previously dis- 

 covered it. There was in those days only a vague report 

 of a beautiful and sacred valley high up in the mountains, 

 uninhabited by any save a few jogis, or priests, but no 

 path was known leading to it. Colonel Ramsay had gone 

 on an expedition to explore the lofty peak of China Pahar, 

 and came suddenly upon the lake nestled in the secluded 

 valley close under the summit. It is not a crater, being 

 on stratified shaly rock, and was probably formed by a 

 gigantic slip down of half the mountain. There is no 

 decided stream running into it, except a small one which 

 comes out of Sukha Tal, a now ' dry lake ' basin, and there 

 is no proper overflow from it except in the rains. The 

 water goes out in a subterranean passage, bursting forth 

 in a good-sized torrent among the precipices at the lower 

 end of the basin. It is surrounded by steep hiUs on every 

 side, apparently clothed with dense jungle of evergreen 

 oaks with silvery under-sides to their shiny leaves, and 

 other beautiful evergreens. The forest was then a 

 favourite haunt of wild animals, sambur deer and gooral 

 (the Himalayan chamois), bears and tigers. Colonel 

 Ramsay used to say he had seen a herd of wild elephants 

 climbing the steep slopes of China, and that he had had 

 such shooting as he had nowhere else found the equal of. 

 In those early days a very steep path had been engineered 

 up the face of the precipice from the Juli side, up which 

 everything had to be carried on coolies' heads. Now 

 there was a native bazaar and a number of fine level roads 

 winding about the hill slopes, and about fifty picturesque 

 bungalows had been built, all roofed with sheet iron, and 

 barracks built of stone. Timber was plentiful, and lime 

 was burnt on the spot. Colonel Ramsay, who had built 



