1862.] Notes of a trip from Simla to the Spiti Valley. 497 



23rd, Chini. — A stiff march, the road often steep and difficult, es- 

 pecially near Chini where it is in some places carried along very 

 precipitous ground by means of stairs and scaffolding. Near Chini 

 saw two bears in the valley beneath the road, but sport must have 

 greatly deteriorated since Col. Markham saw bears in the Busha valley, 

 (across the Sutlej,) feeding literally by dozens on the hill sides. At 

 Chini there is a large, but unfinished and comfortless bungalow, and 

 close to it some fine old poplar trees. The village is wretchedly 

 small, though there is a very large spread of cultivation near, and 

 supplies are dear and with difficulty procurable. Height 909G feet, 

 the village being about 3000 feet above the river. 



25th, Pengi. — A short and uninteresting march, the trees in places 

 dwarfed from the close proximity of the uppermost limit of their 

 growth. On the hills across the Sutlej, the highest limit of trees is 

 sharply defined and is somewhere about 12,500 feet. Poplars, apricots 

 and walnuts plentiful and thriving round Pengi, and also excellent 

 blackberries, or the Kunawar representative of that home fruit, which 

 with the addition of a little sugar formed a very palatable desert. In 

 the vestibule of the temple of Devi at this place, I noticed some fine 

 apricots hung up, which called to mind the ancient Roman custom. 

 of votive offerings to the rural deities — 



" Flava Ceres, tibi sit nostro de rure corona 

 Spicea, quae templi pendent ante fores." Tibullus, El. I. 

 One of my Hindustani servants, who let no opportunity slip of exhi- 

 biting their own superiority and contempt for the unsophisticated 

 inhabitants of the hills, enquired of the headman somewhat superci- 

 liously, of what use the apricots were to Devi — " Did she eat them ?.',' 

 His reply rather pleased me, for instead of returning an abusive an- 

 swer, as any Hindustani would have done in the plains under such 

 provocation, he quietly asked who it was that caused those same 

 apricots to grow. " If you" he continued " can make so much as 

 one such apricot grow, I myself will give you five rupees for it." 

 This reply, made with much dignity and without any temper, was 

 evidently not what my servant expected, and completely silenced 

 him, for he had sense to perceive that his sarcasm had failed to pro- 

 duce any irritation, and that he was getting the worst of the discus- 

 sion. 



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