140 LADAK. 



instead of that colour being confined to the yolk. This 

 was pitched into the stream. Another with a slight 

 touch of the jaundice I devoured reluctantly, and re- 

 pented having done so afterwards. And from the 

 condition of my dough cakes I think Ali Bucks must be 

 moulting, the black hairs are so numerous, and being 

 long they cannot be extracted. Small matters these to 

 an old campaigner. I got some good fresh milk, and 

 the fine air was 'edibles/ After a while, I noticed the 

 arrival of a sepoy with a native who remained discussing 

 something with the shikarries, Mr. Phuttoo being prin- 

 cipal. This lasted some time, and they, perceiving that 

 I noticed what was going on, moved away. I called 

 Subhan, and asked him what the sepoy wanted, and what 

 they discussed. Nothing at all, he assured me. Shortly 

 after, a Thibetan came rushing down to me, vociferating 

 and claiming protection; and it turned out that these 

 rascally shikarries had pressed his tattoos by some 

 connivance of the moonshi at Kargyl. I directed them 

 to be given up at once, and turned away in disgust from 

 these lying knaves. It is no use saying any thing. 

 They tell you that it is the ' dustoor,' the custom of the 

 country ; and they all practise oppression over each other, 

 whenever they possibly can. 



I forgot to record before, that the shikarries told me 

 on the morning I left the camp before reaching Sooroo, a 

 place where they had assured me we should have two or 

 three days' good sport with ibex, that a man, a friend of 

 Subhan' s, tending ponies pasturing there, had confided 

 to him the previous night, that the Sooroo kardar, hear- 

 ing that a ' burra saheb' was coming to ' shikar,' and ap- 

 prehending that if he found sport he would stop some 

 days and would be troublesome to him for supplies, had 

 sent men with guns and dogs to hunt and scare away the 



