916 Journal of a Trip to the Burenda Pass in 1836. [Nov. 



spread over the open tracts between Janglig and Liti, bearing seeds, 

 and afterwards at an elevation little short of 14,000 feet, among- the 

 snows above Liti, w,|iere it was also abundant and in seed. 



On this march the traces of bears were frequent. Near Liti, we 

 passed one of the " cairns " above alluded to, and our servants placed 

 a stone on it, passing on the right side of it, which we were informed 

 was always the custom, it being considered unlucky to go the left 

 side. 



At Liti is a bungalow, or rather an apology for one, there being 

 windows without glass or shutters, and the two rooms wanting floors 

 and ceilings. It is evident however that the planks of the ceiling have 

 been torn down to furnish fuel for travellers. We arrived late in the 

 afternoon at this drear and desolate abode, which stands in a wild 

 and totally uninhabited valley at the foot of the Burenda Pass*. The 

 neighbouring and surrounding hills were covered with snow, and rose 

 frowning above us to a great height. 



All cultivation and houses cease long before the entrance to the 

 forest, and for seven or eight miles from Liti no traces of inhabitants 

 are seen. The place is well calculated to strike a chill into the breast of 

 a traveller, and tired as we were, with all our coolies in the rear, and 

 with some fear lest they should not come up that night, we looked 

 around us on the still cold scene, with no pleasant feelings. 



The sun too, beginning to get low and the sharp cold of evening 

 coming on, with still no signs of our coolies and baggage, we began to 

 think of retracing our steps till we should meet them, and had actually 

 commenced a retrograde movement, when some of the servants came 

 up and told us that the coolies were not far behind, so we went back 

 to the horrid looking bungalow. 



Our people at last coming up, we got the tents pitched and gave up 

 the bungalow to our servants, as the night promised to be bitter cold. 



The water froze before 9 o'clock at night in our goglets and at 

 daybreak the next morning the thermometer stood at 25 g . 



The day broke on the morning of the 9th October, with thin fleecy 

 clouds flying about and the villagers who had come on with us from 

 Janglig with supplies of ottah, and who were in the habit of crossing 

 the Pass, advised us not to attempt it that day, as it is always dan- 

 gerous when clouds are about. We therefore deferred our journey, 



* This pass, generally known to Europeans as the ' Burenda Pass, 1 is 

 called by the natives Booren ghitti and Bruoang gh&tti. The last name is 

 derived from that of a village on the Kan&war side. 



