The Orpiment Mines of Ckitral 145 



stream joins the Turikho river, I determined to 

 devote a day to visiting the mines, which had 

 never previously been seen by any European, or 

 even by any Chitrali other than those whose 

 occupation it was to delve for the yellow stone. 

 The latter information was given to clinch the 

 arguments that had previously been brought to 

 bear why I should not visit the mines, and great 

 was the surprise of my naive informant when he 

 found it had the opposite effect. Starting early 

 from camp, the village of lower Tirich was reached 

 after four hours in the saddle, at a walk bien 

 entendu, as Chitrali roads are not adapted for 

 more rapid progression one foot of the horseman 

 occasionally hanging over a precipice. A tent 

 had been pitched in the deep shade of a garden, 

 as unnecessary an insult to the magnificent 

 chestnut and mulberry trees whose branches 

 formed a canopy overhead as was the spreading 

 of a carpet to the smooth turf under foot. Here 

 breakfast, and after breakfast a pipe, with which, 

 stretched at full length under the giant chestnuts, 

 I lay " a thinkynge, a thinkynge." 



My thoughts had travelled far when my Afridi 

 orderly, whom I had brought with me as much 

 for his philosophic remarks as for his general 

 utility, came and said that if I wanted to see 

 the orpiment mines that day it was time to be 



K 



