1837.] Journal of a Trip to the Burenda Pass in 1836. 913 



sun, halted at a village called Yachli or Einchli, in the perguna of 

 Rdjghar. 



From this place we had a splendid view of the Rowal ghat or 

 pass, covered with snow and distant as a crow flies, about 12 miles. 

 It lay to the left of our route. This pass attains an elevation of 

 15,555 feet. Some fine horse-chestnut trees and elms overhang this 

 village. The latter trees were sadly disfigured, being little better 

 than tall trunks with knots of young shoots springing out here and 

 there ; this is occasioned by the practice of cutting the tender branches 

 and young shoots for sheep and cattle during the winter and other 

 seasons when pasture is scarce. 



A few chicores and college pheasants were all the game we could 

 find. 



On the 6th we descended into a khad, at the bottom of which ran a 

 deep and rapid mountain torrent called the Undraiti river, which 

 runs down and joins the Pabbar at Shergaon. This foaming torrent 

 we were obliged to cross on what seemed to us inexperienced travel- 

 lers a very rude and frightful bridge. It was merely the trunk of a 

 tree with one side shaved flat, thrown across the river at a height of 

 between 40 and 50 feet above the water, which ran roaring and boiling 

 along between two enormous masses of rock. A fall from this rude 

 bridge would in all probability have been fatal, for should a person 

 escape falling on the rock, he would inevitably be carried down by the 

 torrent, and probably receive some stunning blow in his rapid descent, 

 and be drowned before he could make an effort to save himself. 



We hesitated for a short time, but finding no place to cross the 

 river except at this bridge, we of necessity took courage and passed 

 over one after the other, by holding the hand of a shikari who pre- 

 ceded us. Even our hill people hesitated and one man did actually 

 trust himself to the stream in preference. Two sheep attempted to cross 

 but one of them slipping fell over, and was carried down a long way 

 before he could get out again ; the other one seeing his companion 

 fall, turned back, jumped into the stream and swam across with some 

 difficulty. The one that fell would not make a second attempt and 

 was carried over on a man's back. Some of our dogs even were car- 

 ried over ! 



After crossing this stream we climbed a hill for a few miles, till we 

 came to a spring of water, where we stopped to breakfast and after- 

 wards continued our route to a village called Cabal or Khdbar where 

 we encamped. 



The natives of this place differed much in appearance from those of 



