78 TRAVEL, ADVENTUEE, AND SPORT. 



has remained there ever since, or, as my coolies 

 averred, granite avalanches are in the habit of coming 

 down on that particular piece of road, I cannot say ; 

 but either explanation is quite sufficient to account for 

 the result. The whole mountain-side was covered 

 for a long way with huge blocks of gneiss and granite, 

 over which we had to scramble as best we could, in- 

 spired by the conviction that where these came from 

 there might be more in reserve. At one point we had 

 to wind round the corner of a precipice on two long 

 poles which rested on a niche at the corner of the 

 precipice which had to be turned, and which there 

 met two corresponding poles from the opposite side. 

 This could only have been avoided by making a detour 

 of some hours over the granite blocks, so we were all 

 glad to risk it ; and the only dangerous part of the 

 operation was getting round the corner and passing 

 from the first two poles to the second two, which 

 were on a lower level. As these two movements 

 had to be performed simultaneously, and could only 

 be accomplished by hugging the rock as closely as 

 possible, the passage there was really ticklish ; and 

 even the sure-footed and experienced hillmen had to 

 take our baggage round it in the smallest possible 

 instalments. 



At Jangi there was a beautiful camping-place, be- 

 tween some great rocks and under some very fine wal- 

 nut and gneio (edible pine) trees. The village close 

 by, though small, had all the marks of moderate afflu- 



