DECEPTIVE PEAKS. 223 



Xo one spoke for the first hour or so ; the 

 men were smoking and ploddmg steadily 

 upwards, one just above me, the other below. 

 It was early morning when we got to the top 

 of the fells above our camp, and along the 

 edges of the jDrecipices on the other side 

 several coveys of snow partridges were whist- 

 ling lustily. 



For another hour we kept along the top of 

 the fells, and then we branched off on to a 

 spur of mountains which led to and termi- 

 nated in the peak and district of Lukhan. 

 Good heavens ! what Hars those Lukhan peaks 

 are! Every slope along whose narrow edge 

 we toiled painfully upwards promised to be 

 the last, but were we ever so strong, ever 

 so patient, were the peak ever so high, another 

 peak higher more wearisome was always ready 

 to rise with painful regularity to rej)lace the 

 one we had just topped. 



About noon we sat down and ate a maize 



