THE DAWAN-URTANG. 41 



ever ; for their drivers said if they were loosed 

 for a moment they would be off to their last 

 camp, and so, like Tantalus, they were tied up 

 with food under their noses, of which they could 

 not partake. 



A long but gradual ascent took us up the 

 Dawan-Urtang, 15,000 feet. The view from the 

 top was the same as usual everlasting parallel 

 ridges. Descending about the same distance, we 

 camped on turf. I was rather exercised, when 

 the caravan came in, to find that Jaffer, our in- 

 terpreter and general servant, the most useful 

 man we had, had been taken ill. He came up 

 soon after, riding one of the ponies, looking very 

 sick. I promised him a pill or two, which gave 

 him some comfort, and he said that no doubt my 

 all-powerful medicine would soon put him right. 



Again we crossed a pass of 15,000 feet, then 

 wound our way by a stony ravine, the sides rising 

 in precipitous cliffs, very nearly meeting overhead 

 in places. At about 3 P.M. we began to look out 

 for a camping-ground ; but as the stream which 

 we had followed for some time had disappeared 

 underground, there was nothing for it but to 

 follow on until it vouchsafed to reappear. The 

 valley gradually opened out ; several branch 



