54 SHIKAR 



We had now come to the end of our beat in this direction, 

 further progress being forbidden by the snows : so we 

 descended, and took possession of a mass of rock, isolated 

 in an extensive tract of snow, filling the valley from side 

 to side. Here we breakfasted. 



Rain came on. I wrapped myself in my 'choga/ 

 warm Cashmere over coat, and lay down, falling into a 

 disturbed and restless sleep, every now and then waking 

 from the rain on my face, rapidly getting wet through, 

 and this in the midst of snow. At length up got Subhan, 

 who with the others had been sitting closely wrapped up 

 in their blankets over a fire they had contrived to light, 

 and proposed that I should remove below the rock. I 

 had previously asked him, if there was no better place to 

 put the guns than on the rock, and he had answered ' ISTo ' ; 

 so, surprised at this proposal, I followed him, and found 

 a comparatively comfortable habitation formed by the 

 projecting ledge of this massive rock, in which, late in 

 the season, lambs are sheltered. There, in much hampered 

 attitudes, the height being only three or four feet, and 

 the floor formed of large pieces of rock that had fallen 

 down, I endeavoured to make the best of things. A 

 small fire, the space only admitting of a very small one, 

 was lighted, and thereat we tried to warm our chilled 

 limbs, and dry our dripping clothes. I had no idea that 

 I could endure so much smoke : I sat right in the middle 

 of it, there being no help for it. I chatted with the 

 shikarries, who related anecdotes of the sahebs with 

 whom they had hunted before. After a time they went to 

 sleep, some sitting on the snow, others lying on the pieces 

 of stone. The rain poured. I should have been quite 

 dry, had I only come here at first : however, with an 

 occasional shudder, more, I believe, from the knowledge 

 that my outer garment was wet, and the extremely 



