TO THE KARAKORUM. 215 



reached the requisite height, and I posted the shikarries 

 Subhan and the guns with me commanding the passes, 

 Phuttoo and Mooktoo guarding the two ends. A bitter 

 keen wind nearly blew Subhan and me off our perch, to 

 which we had climbed with difficulty. Here we waited 

 perhaps two hours, and then, neither hearing nor seeing 

 anything, descended; which was not effected without 

 danger. Indeed, I was [nearly coming to grief getting 

 up, as Subhan ahead of me detached a large stone which, 

 by a convulsive effort, I avoided : had it struck me, it 

 must have hurled me down below, when nothing less 

 than a broken limb would have resulted. 



We made our way down the stony ravine, Subhan and 

 Mooktoo having their sandals cut off their feet, and com- 

 pleting the day barefooted. We went back by the river 

 bank, the sand of which better suited the shoeless pair, 

 and on the way fell in with some ten pair of napu horns, 

 some very fine ones, the animals supposed to have 

 perished in the snows. 



It was a bitter cold night, snow and sleet driven by a 

 furious blast sweeping over the encampment. The poor 

 coolies, how I pitied them ! It was lucky they had a 

 good feast of flesh to keep them in heart. 



15th August. To Moorgaby: a march of some twelve 

 miles, rendered very uncomfortable by having to cross 

 the river which came up to my knees on my horse, and 

 was very rapid, nearly carrying the horse off his legs. 

 The shikarries' tattoos, with supporters, got through with 

 difficulty. The water was as cold as ice, and my extremi- 

 ties being saturated I dismounted, and tried in vain to 

 recover a pleasant warmth ; so sat down and wrung the 

 water from my socks, and then got on better ; but had 

 soon to remount as the path lay between the two huge 

 black mountains, up a narrow, savage gorge down which 



