292 WANDEEINGS OF A 



spread a mat on the green, on which we all sat down and 

 chatted together until after dusk. Whilst our host was in- 

 tently narrating to us a story eulogistic of his lord and master 

 Goulab Singh, some one by mistake let off the water in a 

 garden close by, so that before we knew what had taken place 

 the whole green was inundated. My companion and myself 

 were soon on our feet, but the commandant, being very portly, 

 required assistance, which, however, arrived too late to save 

 his nether garments from a thorough soaking. To us the scene 

 was ludicrous in the extreme, especially on seeing the fat 

 little man waddling like a duck through the wet in his drip- 

 ping tights, with his heavy sword dangling by his side, and 

 the large shield (i^art of his state costume) slung on his 

 shoulders like a tortoise-shelL The dignity of our friend had 

 evidently received a serious blow, for he fumed and swore 

 most vehemently at some imaginary enemy, for none could 

 persuade him but that the whole affair had not been done on 

 purposa 



The Suru valley narrows in some parts ; at others spreads 

 out into prairies clad with dense and luxuriant vegetation, 

 like that of the Sonamurg. It was delightful to wander 

 through the long grass and pluck wild flowers, after the 

 dismal sterility of the country we had just left. Several 

 mountain-torrents had to be crossed on the way, and a few by 

 means of rope-bridges made from the twisted branches of 

 wiUows. A few miserable-looking stone hovels were seen in 

 clusters on the ridges, and in situations where they were not 

 likely to receive injury from snow-drifts and avalanches. 



iTie green sandpiper, roseate finch, hoopoe, and chough 

 were observed, also a whinchat of a species I had seen on one 

 occasion near the Poogah Lake. Several colonies of red mar- 

 mots occupied the hiU-sides and valleys, whilst on the Kartse 



