190 A Sportswoman in India 



mountains, covered at the tops with snow. Indeed, 

 we could see little else above the river banks, the vale 

 was so flat. One might, as I have said before, easily 

 spend a summer in this way on the Jhelum and its 

 tributaries, mooring the doongha, and making ex- 

 peditions up into the hills from any place which took 

 one's fancy, such as Manasbal and a thousand others. 



If only impecunious friends at home could be trans- 

 ferred to this land of plenty, of ideal climate, of ideal 

 scenery, and ideal bills ! Our first week's expenses 

 for living, for two people, are worth recording. We 

 were said to have got through six chickens, one goose, 

 one duck, and one leg of mutton ; pears and apples 

 for cooking every day, as many eggs and vegetables 

 every day, and as much butter and milk every day, 

 as we could possibly consume ; the whole of this, 

 together with firewood and little etceteras, cost us not 

 quite nine shillings. Add to this the trifling hire of 

 a doongha and the small pittance of wages to two or 

 three servants ; take a tent, some books, sketching 

 materials, and a gun ; and one might roam over the 

 Vale of Kashmir, and into its glorious mountains, 

 from April to November, living upon a mere nothing 

 and thoroughly enjoying the life. 



This time in our doongha was a capital one for 

 writing letters and for reading newspapers ; but the 

 day soon passed, and the hill close to Srinagar, our 

 destination, known as Takht-i-Suliman, grew nearer 

 and nearer, until at last we found ourselves in a wide 

 reach of water, gaily painted house-boats moored on 



