THE JOURNEY INTO KASHMIR 115 



the pure delight of it, and felt at once capable of 

 starting off for a twenty-mile tramp across country, 

 though heaven knew it was to be many days before 

 our limbs were to get into trim for the hard work 

 ahead. Never before had we been in the supreme 

 physical condition of those months, with every 

 muscle at its highest possible efficiency and every 

 nerve under the perfect control so necessary for ne- 

 gotiating some ticklish climb or so indispensable for 

 a long, steady shot. Those were days which it is plea- 

 sant to look back upon, and remember what it was 

 to be not simply in good, but in absolutely perfect 

 health, the wonderful morning awakenings with 

 the tired muscles of the previous evening made over 

 anew, the icy bucket-bath, the cup of steaming cof- 

 fee, the all-day tramp or stalk across vast ranges, 

 and then the satisfaction of the return to camp, the 

 evening spent in front of the roaring pine-log fire, 

 and finally the long ten-hour sleep in preparation 

 for another glorious day. 



A hot breakfast was prepared and served by the 

 chowkidar of the rest-house at Baramulla, and then, 

 climbing once more into the tonga, we dashed off 

 down the long poplar-lined road which leads to the 

 capital of Kashmir. 



It is a gay sight that greets the traveller as he rat- 

 tles over the bridge into Srinagar that delightful 



