92 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



work is so much more severe, compared with the six 

 francs a-day we have to give to a Swiss portatina or 

 cliaise a porteur, with three francs for back fare, and 

 the six or eight francs for a guide on ordinary excur- 

 sions. Meanwhile, the individual suspended from 

 the bamboo was in scarcely a happier plight. I 

 could not help remembering a prediction of Lieu- 

 tenant-Colonel Moore's, that if I ever did reach 

 Kashmir, or anywhere, it would be suspended by the 

 heels and neck from a bamboo, with tongue hanging 

 out of my mouth, and eyes starting from their sockets. 

 Things certainly had an unpleasant appearance of 

 coming to that pass, and this reflection enabled me to 

 endure the suffering of the dandywallahs with some 

 equanimity. Fortunately, till we got near to Siig- 

 nam, there was no precipice for them to drop me 

 over ; and when we at last reached one, and had 

 to pass along the edge of it, I got out and walked 

 as well as I could, for I felt convinced that outraged 

 human nature could not have resisted the temptation ; 

 and I also took the precaution of keeping the most 

 valuable-looking man of the party in front of me 

 with my hand resting on his shoulder. 



There is a route from Siignam to Pii, by Lio and 

 Change, which takes over two 14,000 feet passes, 

 and probably would have been the best for me ; but 

 we had had enough of 14,000 feet for the time being, 

 and so I chose another route by Shaso, which was 

 represented as shorter, but hard. It was a very small 



