44 TO THE WURDWAN. 



ineffectually. The animal was about fifty yards off only, 

 and I found the sight at two hundred yards, which ac- 

 counted for the ball passing over his head. He hastened 

 rapidly out of danger. Then we returned to camp. 



loth May. Up and away, to mount the pass leading 

 into the Wurdwan. It was laborious climbing, but after 

 some half-dozen pauses, I reached the summit glorious 

 scenery all around, and a magnificent backward and down- 

 ward view into the valley of Cashmere, passing over which 

 the eye rested on the Pir Panjal range, which formed a 

 fitting background to so splendid a picture. There was 

 an extensive tract of snow to traverse, leading with a 

 slight downward slope into the Wurdwan, which soon 

 was partly indicated, rather than revealed, by the system 

 of snowy mountains. 



I had two shots with the Whitworth at a small animal, 

 the natives call ' drin,' which I suppose from its habits to 

 be the marmot. It is of a dark red-brown, burrows, sits 

 on a stone close to its hole, and chatters. The little ani- 

 mal was about one hundred and twenty yards from me : 

 the first bullet passed about an inch over it. It soon took 

 up the same position again, and the second missile struck 

 the stone close under it ; so that the fragments must have 

 struck him. He made a precipitate dive, and we saw no 

 more of him. 



I halted to breakfast ; then pushed on, the path a tolera- 

 ble one, following the windings of the hills on whose sides 

 it hung the scenery wild, and romantic, and full of 

 interest. We crossed many ravines and snowdrifts. We 

 met two coolies who had accompanied my late guest of 

 the 79th, returning : they informed the shikarries that 

 the saheb had not gone down the valley, but up to the 

 ground that we had hoped to secure. Wrath of shikar- 

 ries excessive unmeasured abuse heaped upon conflicting 



