CASHMERE. 329 



he has hundreds, and takes much pleasure in exhibiting 

 them to any saheb who may have sufficient patience and 

 good temper to humour him. With a friendly farewell 

 I set off on foot, and enjoyed a delightful march to 

 Heerpoor, where I mounted Yarkandi who was full of 

 spirits, and when in such a mood is very absurd with his 

 clumsy frisking. The weather was lovely and scenery 

 beautiful, admiring which and often dismounting from 

 the very rocky and steep nature of the ground, I reached 

 Alliahabad. My servants and coolies had been there 

 some time. I ordered out my tent, but had better have 

 put up in the old serai, for the wind outside was biting. 

 The season, though, is much less advanced than last year, 

 when the ground was covered with snow, and the under- 

 growth in the forests dead and prostrate as in mid- winter. 

 Now the vegetation is only beginning to yield to the 

 remorseless gripe of Jack Frost, enough still remaining 

 to shelter a bear ; though I saw none of those animals 

 now, whereas last year I spied three on the bare ground. 



The wind was wondrous shrewd, and put me in mind 

 of Karakorum. I gave orders to halt here to-morrow, 

 Sunday. 



21st October. A severe frost, and bitter cold wind. I 

 kept my tent, and breakfasted within. Finding I had 

 no less than forty coolies just fifteen more than I re- 

 quired in coming up, with my full supply of liquors, 

 stores, lead,. shot, and books, &c. in spite of Abdoolah's 

 reluctance, I ordered all the baggage together, and ex- 

 amined the contents of the kheltas, when I found that I 

 could with ease reduce the number of loads to thirty-five. 

 Such a lot of rubbish of Abdoolah's stowed away ; some 

 in every khelta, I think. Excepting the above slight 

 disturbance, I passed a pleasant, cheerful day. 



22nd October. Much fuss and bawling at a very 



