FOR THE HIMALAYAS. 57 



tea-cupful into the teapot ; put on the cosy and let it warm up 

 thoroughly. Then pour out the water, put in the tea, and put the 

 cosy on again, letting it remain so for five minutes. Then pour in 

 the boiling water, let it draw for five minutes, and you will have a 

 cup of tea of delicious fragrance. The tea-leaves get softened by 

 the steaming at first, and so part with all their best quality of 

 flavours within five minutes of the water having been poured over 

 them. To make cold tea, place the tea in a bottle, pour in the 

 amount of cold water you wish to have as tea, and let it remain for 

 three or four hours ; then pour it off into your water bottle, and 

 throw away the leaves. If this does not seem strong enough, the 

 soaking may be allowed to go on all night, and the tea poured off 

 in the morning before starting. Hot water cannot make good cold 

 tea ; it draws out too much of the rank astringent properties of the 

 leaves. 



Time is of so much importance that expense must not be spared 

 in making marches as rapidly as possible. Out of six months' 

 leave, between one and two are spent travelling ; and it is not 

 interesting work when passing along plains or bare hills destitute 

 of game. Where any of the latter exists, either it is worth halting 

 for, or should be ignored and passed by. The gun may be kept 

 handy to assist the larder, but attention should be paid to the 

 season, and no winged game killed till the latter months. 



Vegetables may be obtained at many places, but some districts 

 are very bad in supplies, and recourse must then be had to the 

 compressed kind. Potatoes, onions, cucumbers, spinach, haricot 

 beans, and pumpkins may be obtained from time to time. In some 

 places the young shoots of a particular fern are a very good 

 substitute ; they much resemble asparagus, and should be cooked 

 in a similar way, by gentle simmering over the fire, and served 

 with white sauce. 



Weather is the great friend or enemy to the sportsman's efforts. 

 If wet and showery, probably no amount of work will pay ; but if 

 fine and bracing, no day will be too long, no work too hard. From 

 April to June, the days are often mild and showery in the lower 

 hills. From the time the rains commence till even the end of 

 September it is rain and fog, fog and rain, and camp-life is very 

 trying. But when the rains cease, so bright and crisp a season 

 comes that everything looks inviting, except the enormous height 

 of all herbage, which conceals game on even open ground. On 



