130 SPORT AND TRAVEL 



room we were to use. It lay on the edge of a deep 

 ravine, with great stretches of snow, leafless trees, 

 and high, jagged mountains rising before it, a 

 dreary and desolate scene after the beautiful valley 

 we had just left. In front of the house was a sort 

 of floorless verandah, where the remains of several 

 camp-fires showed that travelling coolies had re- 

 cently been there ; and as we entered the room I 

 should call it a shed we were blinded by a stifling 

 cloud of smoke which evidently came through from 

 one of the adjoining sheds, already occupied by 

 natives. Within, it was pitch-dark, except for the 

 smoky glimmer that came through the low door- 

 way. 



Clearly it was impossible to sleep there ; hence, as 

 the tents could not be pitched conveniently in the 

 snow, we decided to have our beds placed outside 

 and endure the cold rather than the smoke and filth. 

 We then spread our luis (rugs) in the dirt in front 

 of the house, and had lunch from the baskets, with a 

 pipe afterwards to cheer things up a bit, as a cold 

 rain was driving in. Meanwhile the shikaris had re- 

 moved our grass-shoes and socks, which were soaked, 

 and, as usual, washed our feet off with a rag which 

 looked suspiciously like the dish-cloth. Knowing the 

 habits of the Kashmiri, we watched the further 

 movements of the rag; and, sure enough, before the 



