268 EAST NEPAL. Chap. XI. 



with torrents that were just visible like threads of silver 

 coursing down broad landslips. It was a dead calm, and 

 nothing broke the awful silence but the low hoarse 

 murmur of many torrents, whose mingled voices rose 

 and fell as if with the pulsations of the atmosphere ; the 

 undulations of which appeared thus to be marked by 

 the ear alone. Sometimes it was the faintest possible 

 murmur, and then it rose swelling and filling the air 

 with sound : the effect was that of being raised from 

 the earth's surface, and again lowered to it ; or that of 

 waters advancing and retiring. In such scenes and with 

 such accompaniments, the mind wanders from the real 

 to the ideal, the larger and brighter lamps of heaven lead 

 us to imagine that we have risen from the surface of our 

 globe and are floating through the regions of space, and 

 that the ceaseless murmur of the waters is the Music of 

 the Spheres. 



Contemplation amid such soothing sounds and impressive 

 scenes is very seductive, and withal very dangerous, for the 

 temperature was at freezing-point, my feet and legs were 

 wet through, and it was well that I was soon roused from 

 my reveries by the monosyllabic exclamations of my 

 coolies. They were quite knocked up, and came along 

 grunting, and halting every minute to rest, by supporting 

 their loads, still hanging to their backs, on their stout 

 staves. I had still one bottle of brandy left, with 

 which to splice the main brace. It had been repeatedly 

 begged for in vain, and being no longer expected, was 

 received with unfeigned joy. Fortunately with these 

 people a little spirits goes a long way, and I kept half for 

 future emergencies. 



We camped at 13,290 feet, the air was calm and mild 

 to the feeling, though the temperature fell to 22f°. On 



