FORESTS AND RANGES OF THE MIDDLE ZONE 83 



view against the sky ; but on reaching it there was another 

 height above it, and then another, and so on for five or 

 six times. 



Suddenly there was a revelation. There stood over 

 the stream-bed on a grassy slope a pine-tree, the like of 

 which I had never before seen. Every pine and fir in the 

 hills I was absolutely familiar with, but here was a strange 

 and new and beautiful pine-tree like the old familiar 

 Scotch fir, but black in the stem and with much shorter 

 spines, and with cones much smaller even than the Scotch 

 fir and oval in shape. Was this a new discovery in forest- 

 ology ? The thought was too exciting, and forgetting 

 the weariness of the tired limbs, I proceeded to climb up 

 and get specimens of leaves and cones, and to make notes 

 of the new discovery. Hurrah ! Here was a grand 

 reward for a hard day's work : before us there stood an 

 entire forest of the new pine-tree, and at last the real 

 summit of the pass. We sat down to rest and watch the 

 last rays of the setting sun shining on the Nari Danda 

 and the stems of these new wonders. I had already 

 decided to christen them and make a name among 

 botanists, but, alas for the vanity of human ambitions ! 

 the trees turned out to be the Pinus Brunoniana, inhabit- 

 ing Nepal, of which this was the western limit. But the 

 finding of it on Chipula Hill did freshen up my weary 

 limbs and make me feel quite rested. In a short time our 

 shikaris came up, who were as anxious as we were to 

 reach the next village and get food and water. 



Luckily, there was a good path leading down the pass 

 to the village of Guladi, where we expected to find our 

 servants and camp pitched, and we started again wearily 

 on the downward tramp. The height of the pass was 

 fully 4,000 feet above the village, and we could see lights 

 below us some four or five miles off. Strange to say, on 



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