n8 SPORT AND TRAVEL 



their recommendations in our faces and squabbling 

 for their prey, when a spic-and-span dog-cart dashed 

 up, an Indian gentleman, neatly and well dressed, 

 descended, salaamed, and in the best of English 

 asked permission to rescue us from the crowd. Of 

 course we got in without delay, and were driven in 

 style to his house, where we were served with a good 

 Kashmir breakfast in a sunny little room overlook- 

 ing the Jhelum, and then were shown through his 

 shawl-parlors. It was neatly done, and resulted in 

 Mr. Bahar Shah's securing the greater part of our 

 custom during our stay in Srinagar. 



What a week of purchases that was ! I should like 

 to see the man, quite needless to add the woman, 

 who could pass through the shops of those mer- 

 chants, with their embroideries and silks and push- 

 mina shawls, and come out unscathed. Nor was this 

 all, by any means. There were thick suits of home- 

 spun puttoo to be bought, pushmina blankets of 

 silk and ibex hair, luis y and scarfs, caps, gloves, chap- 

 lis, stockings, colored glasses; and then kiltas for 

 the provisions, and folding-beds, and a thousand 

 other things which would be needed during the three 

 months of mountain-work ahead. With all this, 

 there were the shikaris to choose, and a dozen or so 

 naukar or servant-coolies to weed out of the hun- 

 dreds who besieged us daily at the hotel with their 



