THE HKTURX. ^7 



all rents my hands became so painful I could no longer 

 keep poor little Sara under my cloak before me, so set 

 him down ; and, soon after, we made a turn to the left, 

 opening the pass, from the snowy peaks of which came 

 rushing an icy blast that quite curdled my blood. My 

 oycs ached, my brain seemed congealed, and a pain in 

 my back and side, and every now and then a gasping for 

 breath, completed my misery. I was soon obliged to 

 dismount, in spite of sore feet, to endeavour to restore 

 the circulation by walking as rapidly as possible. But 

 the difficulty of breathing was terrible. On I struggled, 

 until a bend to the right into a narrow ravine presented 

 itself, whose lofty banks gave some promise of shelter 

 from this killing blast. For this I hastened ; and, find- 

 ing a little nook in a bank, down I threw myself, lifting 

 my face to the sun, and so sought, and soon found, partial 

 relief. 



The shikarries came up, and we were all, I should 

 think, half an hour before attempting a remark. Then, 

 having thawed a little, we could find an objurgation or 

 two against the country and climate. My breakfast 

 bundle unfolded displayed milk frozen in bottle to a lump 

 tea, ditto. This was enveloped in a thick blanket, and 

 carried on a man's shoulder. It was soon liquidized in 

 the sun. I remained an hour or so basking : then, the 

 worst over, away and up over the pass, and down, down 

 into the valley beyond, where the temperature under the 

 sun's increased power was tolerable. We passed the 

 former halting-place, Pulu, and, after resting an hour, 

 continued our course to Dupsang, where we chose our 

 camp on an extensive plain, with a scanty patch or two 

 of grass. The effects came up late, coolies later ; but all 

 got in. I determined to start the coolies very early, 

 and leave, myself and mounted party, at 8.30, after 



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