n8 A Sportswoman in India 



upwards, and for the first time seemed to be getting 

 really near the snow mountains. The scenery was 

 becoming grander. We met very few natives, chiefly 

 shepherds with herds of goats and bullocks. 



All our butter now was made of buffalo's milk 

 in an untempting fashion ; we had little unleavened 

 cakes instead of bread, yeast not being procurable ; 

 but on the whole Bhuri Singh's cook did us royally, 

 and mutton, chickens, eggs, and sardines never failed. 

 The poor man was always on the march, too ! 



Alwas, our last dak bungalow, was at last reached. 

 Beyond this it was quite impossible for any horse to 

 go. Sphai was therefore left behind with his syce, 

 to be picked up again on our return journey. He 

 had indeed come wonderfully well, climbing over 

 almost incredible places and creeping round hair- 

 curling corners which were not pleasant to cross upon 

 one's own feet. On some ground, where it was 

 particularly bad, we led him ; but he was to be trusted 

 almost anywhere, in spite of being really too big for 

 such work. 



Alwas was a perfect spot. The isolation of those 

 magnificent wilds appealed to one strongly, and the 

 lonely little bungalow, right down in a sheltered glen 

 beside a torrent which tumbled through a precipitous 

 nullah between mountains no longer bare and open but 

 clothed with forest and crowned with snow, was a 

 striking example. 



A rough wooden bridge was thrown over the stream 

 upon gigantic boulders, which cut the torrent into 



