1839.] Journal of a trip through Kunawur. 921 



About three miles from Chini we came to a place where the whole 

 hill-side had slipped away into the Sutledge, forming a mural precipice 

 of several thousand feet from its base to the summit. The rock was 

 thus a prependicular cliff, and the road which leads along the face 

 of it is a mere scaffolding, somewhat resembling that used by builders 

 against the side of a house. Looking down from this exalted station 

 the Sutledge is seen, narrowed by the distance to a stream, as it winds 

 along below at the perpendicular depth of 4,000 feet. This though an 

 awkward place to look at, and somewhat like walking in the gutter 

 of a fourteen storied house in the " gude town o' auld Reekie," is 

 nevertheless perfectly strong and safe, and almost capable of allowing 

 two people to walk abreast, so that unless one wishes to look below 

 into the yawning abyss, it may be passed over without having been 

 once seen. That it is safe, may be gathered from the fact that flocks 

 of sheep and goats laden with attah and grain, pass over it almost daily 

 during the summer months, as also men ; in fact it is the high road in 

 every sense of the term between Rampore and Tartary. 



Much has been said and written concerning the dangers of the way, 

 but the road, taking it on an average, has hitherto been excellent, and 

 though here and there, from stress of weather, it is at times a little 

 broken and perilous, yet those places are so few, and continue for such 

 short distances, that they cannot be allowed to characterise it, or to 

 admit of its being called dangerous or even bad. 



True enough it is, that one of these bad places may be the means of 

 breaking a man's neck if he chance to slip, but the answer to that 

 is, that he who cannot keep his feet, or who grows giddy at the sight of 

 the depths below, has no business to travel over " bank and brae." 

 The road is kept in repair by the zemindars of villages, by order of 

 the Rajah, and much credit is, I think, due to them for the manner in 

 which they perform the task ; for with very little additional care 

 to that which is now bestowed upon it, it might vie with any of those 

 of the lower hills, and is even now superior to them in many parts. 



There is no spot, in fact, even the worst, which a man ought to 

 turn away from, and though I would not recommend a lady to try 

 them, I can safely say, that I have crossed many a worse place in the 

 khuds near Simla, while in search of objects of natural history. But 

 after all, the difficulties of a road will be always estimated according 

 to the imagination or temperament of the traveller; for he who is 

 accustomed to mountain scenes, or to scramble over all places as 

 they may occur, will laugh at that from which another man would 

 turn away; habit is a great thing even here, and that which seems 



