NO MAN'S LAND i6l 



valley below, where was some space among the rocks to 

 camp on, and some roots of bushes for firewood. The poor 

 ponies sank in the snow and had to be helped to get 

 across. The men certainly showed great mountaineering 

 qualities, and worked splendidly with ropes, and by 

 carrying the loads they got everything down to camp. 



The change from the almost rainless climate of Tibet 

 to a damp atmosphere, with clouds and dropping rain, 

 showed that we were now south of the main range ; and 

 our camp was both cold and uncomfortable. We had 

 still, however, a third high ghat, said to be over 18,000 

 feet, to surmount before leaving this ' no man's land,' and 

 descending into the British pargana of Juhar and the 

 Bhotia town of Milam. The path is called the Unta 

 Dhura, and is not the same as the Milam ghat, which 

 is the more frequented trade route. We met a large party 

 of Hunia traders with about 2,000 sheep and goats lower 

 down, who had come across by the other pass. They 

 had been nearly thirty hours doing the passage, as they 

 are afraid to camp on the trip for fear of being snowed up. 

 Many pack-sheep and travellers have been lost on this 

 pass, and the carcases of the poor dead sheep are seen in 

 melting snow-drifts with the flesh still on the bones. 

 The sheep were fine strong ones, with the long straight- 

 out horns, mostly shaped like the Ovis Poli. They carry 

 packs of salt and borax weighing twenty to twenty-four 

 pounds each. They looked very weary and footsore. 

 The men had big sheepskin coats, and were prepared for 

 bad weather. They cannot count more than a score, and 

 do not know how many sheep they possess ; but they 

 know if they miss any. 



We were now so inured to high elevations that we did 

 not feel any ill effects during the passage of these ghats, 

 not even the usual headache ; and we tramped mostly on 



II 



