204 WANDEBINGS OF A 



goose-grass, shepherd's purse, were all plentiful ; besides the 

 wild thyme, which sent forth its sweetest fragrance. A vibur- 

 num, differing in several respects from the English Guelder 

 rose, bloomed sweetly by the sides of streams and in shady 

 places ; the wood geranium, with its white variety, was 

 abundant. The meadow grass and ribwort plantain covered 

 the fields, whilst in " humble bowers " the Cashmere blue- 

 bell " lurked lowly unseen." There was, however, something 

 wanting to complete the floral picture of home — ^the " wee, 

 modest crimson-tipped flower" was not there — no "daisy 

 decked the green." 



Following up our explorations of the southern portion of 

 the valley, we kept along the base of the Puti Pinjal, whose 

 tops were stiU covered with snow, whilst lower down the dark 

 forest and rich green vegetation clad their prominent ridges 

 and gradually retiring slopes, at the bottom of which great 

 banks of alluvium stretched into the valley. The wheat was 

 springing up, and ready for the deluging rains of the S.E. 

 monsoon, and already masses of cloud were accumulating on 

 the mountain-tops. The rainy season commences about the 

 end of May, when vegetation attains its maximum in the course 

 of a week ; the climate is then very relaxing, and it is perhaps 

 the preponderance of wet over dry which is the great objec- 

 tion to the valley being used as a sanitarium during the sum- 

 mer months. Ague is not uncommon, but the other diseases 

 peculiar to India are seldom observed. Small-pox has left its 

 fearful traces on many a cheek ; and ophthalmia, the nursling 

 of poverty and filth, is rife among the lower classes. The 

 ignorance of their doctors is in keeping with the wretchedness 

 of everything intellectual in the Cashmerian character, and, 

 as in India, the wandering vagrant or fanatic fakir serves all 

 sanative demands. My small stock of medicines was soon 



