TO THE KARAKORUM. 223 



saving us a long round : we then continued our route 

 towards the mountains, and on arriving at their lower 

 spurs connecting them with this table-land we descended 

 to an extensive valley, watered by a rapid and a wide, 

 but shallow, river. Some patches of grass were visible, 

 on which were some animals grazing here and there. 

 The ground was too level and void of covert to admit of 

 much hope of stalking them; but I made the attempt 

 with Subhan, and in spite of every precaution of tactics 

 experience lent us crawling a long distance on all fours, 

 much to our personal inconvenience the wary creatures 

 (antelope) kept out of reach of harm, contenting them- 

 selves with keeping us at arm's length, as it were. Thus 

 baffled, we rejoined our party, and pursued our journey, I 

 resolving after these repeated discomfitures not to attempt 

 again to approach these knowing inhabitants of the 

 desert, they being as wild as though they had been hunted 

 every day the last six months. 



A gradual ascent crossing two shallow rivers brought 

 us to Pulu, where on a bare plain, under a spur projecting 

 into it, and under its angle abutting on the bed of a 

 stream, are three rude huts ; all around which are closely 

 strewed the bones of horses, of which I counted fifty 

 from one spot. A whole caravan must have perished 

 here in the snow, I should think. The baggage 

 (equestrian) arrived about five, but there was no hope of 

 the coolies for hours. Abdoolah, however, had provided 

 against such a contingency, having with him a reserved 

 portion of the game killed the other day, and the canteen 

 for cooking ; so I fared excellently well, the chops being 

 exceedingly good and tender. I ordered each horse two 

 seers of grain, and one in the morning, this being the 

 second day without a bit of grass. The cold was 

 excessive ; the huts a great comfort to my retinue. 



