IN THE WURDWAN. 103 



I determined to try another entire day on the same 

 mountain on Monday, and then to move forward hy the 

 Sooroo Pass towards Ladak, supposing the sepoy to arrive 

 to-morrow. With him I expect a hullet mould for the 

 Whitworth, having sent in one of the smooth cylindrical 

 bolts as a pattern, the easiest of the two to manufacture, 

 and which Phuttoo and the others assure me can he easily 

 made in the city ; so I left the matter in their hands. I 

 did not bring a mould, thinking I had bolts enough with 

 me for that weapon, but had not calculated on the aston- 

 ishing vitality of the bears. 



17th June. Sunday. A walk in the morning ; and a 

 delightful one it proved. On returning, the long absent 

 sepoy and some coolies were in sight on the opposite 

 side of the river, and in due time arrived with letters, 

 newspapers, supplies, &c. 



18th June. We made a very early start to carry out 

 a plan arranged on Saturday night, to hunt a mountain 

 on which we had seen bara sing. But, from some 

 whimsical notion or other, the shikarries 'had altered 

 their minds, and, passing by this spot, went on to where 

 we stalked the deer on Saturday, attended by such bad 

 luck. They are queer fellows, possessed of remarkably 

 odd notions on hunting, quite at variance with the true 

 science of the chase. They trust so much to luck, to 

 'kizmet.' I suppose, being Mahomedans, and hence 

 fatalists, influences them on these points. I cannot say 

 there is any charm in the character of these men, such 

 as one might, perhaps, be disposed to attribute to the 

 hunters of the Cashmere mountains. They are too 

 strongly imbued with the duplicity and covetousness of 

 their race, and they are deficient in those characteristics 

 one loves to ascribe to the mountaineer and hunter 

 courage, truth, and candour. They do not ever like to 



