Black Bears 239 



nullahs near. And the misty breath of frost, piercing 

 through the deepest water, striking into the ground, 

 lay in our tents and froze stiff everything round us. 

 I took off none of my clothes, and lay wrapt in my 

 bedding, trying to keep warm. 



Next morning, in bright, dazzling sunlight, the tents 

 were taken down and all our baggage loaded on 

 the coolies. We got them off with all possible speed. 

 Our little camp-table was left till last, and while 

 the tents were being packed, we sat at breakfast 

 out in the snow. It was strange how accustomed 

 one grew to it, being always in it. The table was 

 then folded and tied to the back of the last coolie, 

 and we set off. 



It was hard work walking, and we were soon wet 

 to our knees. The pony, which we rode between 

 us, kept its feet and made its way through the 

 drifts ; but it was so bitterly cold sitting and riding 

 it, that we both chose rather to walk until from very 

 weariness we were forced to accept a lift for a time. 

 Food, on these marches, we ate as we walked ; it 

 was too cold to stop. 



Crossing the Kishenganga River was a work of 

 difficulty. Once we got over by an immense pine- 

 tree trunk which had fallen across it and had been 

 lopped of all its branches. Even a plain tree trunk 

 is not the bridge one would select of all others ; 

 but covered with more than a foot of snow, it 

 was " blind " going, slippery and perilous. We 

 went over on our hands and knees, and the pony 



