6o THE FORESTS OF UPPER INDIA 



good gunpowder which the ' Dipty ' sahib had given him , 

 The gun, too, had received such injuries that it could not 

 be used at present, and, in short, he wanted a new gun, 

 or a rifle, which he hoped the sahib, who was a bara achcha 

 sahib and a good shot, would kindly give him, not for- 

 getting a tin of powder and some properly fitting real 

 leaden bullets. He would take the sahib to a jungle 

 where were hundreds of big fat thar, all old bucks with 

 very fine horns. 



The night was now fine, and the air clear and cold. The 

 view from the edge of the precipice was immensely grand. 

 It extended across the deep valley, dark with pine forest and 

 crag, at the head of which rose great tiers of snow-fields and 

 glaciers. The summits shone out clear and white, lighted 

 by a crescent moon against a luminous dark blue sky in 

 which the stars sparkled with the intense brilhancy only 

 seen at high altitudes. The air was still, and not a sound 

 was heard save the faint murmur of the rivers which flowed 

 far below. The precipice went sheer down from the edge 

 of the rock, a fearful chasm. Occasional rumblings and 

 crashings came with ominous reports on the ear from the 

 glacier movements, but nothing like so frequently as in 

 the day-time, when the ice would be melting under the 

 sun's rays. All was now bound in frost, which was felt 

 at the altitude of our cave. But a good warm at the fire 

 which the natives kept up at the cave's mouth, with pine 

 branches and the roots which dead fallen trees afforded, 

 made the place look cheerful, and ' tired nature's sweet 

 restorer, balmy sleep,' soon wrapped us in oblivion. 

 Dreams of gigantic thar stalked successfuU}' but never 

 bagged, because the rifle would not go off though the 

 trigger was frantically pulled, were the last sensations. 

 Sleeping on juniper boughs with a good blanket wrapped 

 round one is not so uncomfortable, but an odd point of 



