276 



THE RETURN. 



breakfast, to give the horses more time to get a bite of 

 grass. 



llth September. On turning out I found a very 

 severe frost, as I had expected from my experience within. 

 Abdoolah proposed to give me an omelet for breakfast, 

 but produced chops instead, explaining that the eggs were 

 frozen into stones, and he had hard work to separate the 

 meat. 



We had to cross the elevated table-land, before described, 

 now just covered with a thin layer of snow. A bitter 

 wind blew in our teeth, putting all enjoyment of the 

 scenery, or any pleasing train of meditation, out of the 

 question. All was silent endurance, grinning discomfort. 

 Yet I did give a glance, and sentiment or so of admiration, 

 to some magnificent forms of mountains in their pure 

 and brilliant garb of snow. But I was glad to be rid of 

 their frozen features, and descend into a narrow ravine, 

 where, screened from the wind, and cheered by the sun, 

 my temperature and temper regained their customary 

 tone. Here we met a party conveying goods of Bella 

 Shah's dyed leather to Yarkand; and one of them 

 was the unfortunate owner of the horses with me, a 

 merchant who had been long in prison at Leh, and recently 

 released. On gaining freedom, he, of course, looked for 

 his horses, and was very glad to hear that they had been 

 engaged for me. He now collected his clothes, and 

 turned back with my party, much questioning and 

 answering going on between him and the shikarries ; he 

 had read my first note to the kardar at Panamik for 

 supplies, and had pointed out to that individual the 

 necessity of implicit compliance ; had met Kamal on the 

 hill over Chanloong, now six days back. This was 

 satisfactory. We need now have no apprehensions, but 

 of a day's scarcity perhaps, a half ration. We con- 



