154 Sport and Life in the Further Himalaya 



of various hues, my soul began to long for the 

 upper air. My guide proposed further researches, 

 as we had not yet come to the end of the mine, 

 but I had seen enough, and the air was intoler- 

 ably close and dust -laden. So we commenced 

 the ascent from Avernus, which on this oc- 

 casion, I was pleased to find, was considerably 

 easier than the descent. We had reached the 

 first chamber, and I was making a dive into 

 the passage through which the white daylight 

 came streaming, when my guide stopped me 

 and insisted on our going out through the hole 

 in the roof. As this passage had the merit 

 of leading out above the difficult rock face I 

 had traversed in coming, and which, not being 

 after a long -horned markhor, I was not anx- 

 ious to cross again, I agreed, and after another 

 period of mole -like progression in the dark, 

 we emerged into the dazzling light and drank in 

 the sweet fresh air. Covered with red, yellow, 

 and black dust, we must have presented an 

 extraordinary appearance. 



It was now getting late, and the aksakal, 

 no doubt thinking of the fairy -haunted gorge, 

 wanted to be off; so after lightening the hearts 

 of the wan miners, who were to spend their 

 next few months in these dreary caverns, with 



