280 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



sword, shouting to the sentries to ask what was up. 

 After considerable talking, it was said that the 

 sentries had long watched some jackals prowling 

 round the remains of the night's meal, and being 

 unable longer to restrain their sporting proclivities, 

 they had fired at these animals. Of course we pre- 

 tended to accept this explanation undoubtingly, it 

 was as likely to be true as any other solution, and 

 went to sleep again till daylight. We were early 

 up, and after a hasty meal were again trudging on 

 briskly, invigorated by the crisp morning breeze, 

 through the mighty forests that now thickly clothed 

 the mountain -slopes. Giant pines, some rising to 

 1 30 and more feet, of four kinds : the Deodar or 

 Ulmunza (Cedrus deodarus), Nakhthar (Pinus ex- 

 celsa), Sarup (Abies Webbiana), and Chilgoza (edible 

 pine). The nuts of this last species are sent in 

 hundreds of camel-loads to the Indian market yearly; 

 but as they are roasted as soon as collected, they 

 cannot be utilised for sowing. Unfortunately, when 

 we were among them, all that had not been collected 

 had fallen and had sprouted, or had rotted on the 

 ground. Among the wild flowers to be found here 

 is a beautiful tiger-lily with six flowers on each stem. 

 All day we tramped through the splendid forests 

 without seeing a single wild animal, few birds, and 

 the only reptiles two small turtles. How they got 

 here we cannot say, but they are said to be numer- 

 ous among these hills. After passing the elevation 



