THE BARA SING. 305 



Soonamurgh. The traps arrived in good time, coolies 

 having been provided, 



5th October. The people all astir unusually early, 

 long before dawn. I turned out by moonlight a severe 

 frost, and so fine and fresh and tramped away merrily 

 over the frosty, ringing ground, and crossed many 

 an ice-bound stream ; and after some eight miles or 

 so, during which I had left all my followers far 

 behind, I reached a hamlet called Pendras, and send- 

 ing for the head man (mukadam) requested fresh 

 milk and firewood, shewing a ' jo ' as the com- 

 pensation, which I always find assists my vocal appeals 

 admirably, and invariably succeeds in obtaining the trifles 

 I require. After a bit, Mooktoo and others came up ; 

 and then, on again. Ere long a signal from Subhan, 

 close behind me, brought to notice three fowl below us in 

 the river, a duck and two teal. I stole down upon them, 

 and dropped the duck as it neared the opposite bank, 

 and the two teal with the other barrel. Further on I 

 spied half a dozen teal across the river. We rode down 

 to cross at a shallow, when a couple of ducks rose, and, 

 having gone down stream, returned and were passing high 

 over head, when aiming well forward I fired and down 

 whirled the leader, falling into some bushes. On reaching 

 him I found Sara already in full possession. I thought 

 the teal seen were still undisturbed. Syces, Subhan, and 

 moonshi came up and reported them still visible from 

 above ; so, cautiously stealing to the place, I found three 

 remaining, and waiting till their dabbling brought them 

 together knocked them all over. Sara, at the discharge, 

 rushed into the stream, and dragged a struggling victim 

 to shore. ' Sha-bash ! Sara/ 



We had a stiff pull up a hill abutting into the valley, 

 at the base of which two streams, issuing severally from 



