A Day after Urial 61 



strayed into the infernal regions is heightened 

 by the sulphurous fumes arising from boiling 

 springs. Enough, however, of these torments, 

 which were not our portion on this occasion. 



We started next morning while the stars were 

 blinking, on what turned out to be a long day. 

 After crossing the Lechir stream, we began 

 climbing for a spot above where we had seen 

 the rams disappear, timing ourselves to arrive 

 after the sun had struck the hillside and 

 started the usual upward current of air. After 

 scrambling over a broad mass of rock fragments 

 stretching up in a straight line far above us, 

 we got on to the hard clay slope known as the 

 Lechir slip. It was not steep enough to be 

 difficult, but the danger of falling stones from 

 above made the breadth of the shoot a glacis 

 to be got over as quickly as possible. This 

 slip is the bugbear of the engineer in charge 

 of the Chilas road. All sorts of different align- 

 ments have been tried, down by the water and 

 high up ; but wherever the road is made, and 

 whatever precautions are taken to maintain it 

 with walls and suchlike, a week is sufficient to 

 see it swept clean away without a trace remaining. 

 Past the slip, we got among a succession of steep 

 ravines treacherous walking and requiring great 

 care. The ridges were none too good, but the 



