1837.] Journal of a Trip to the Burenda Pass in 1836. 919 



For this purpose we took a guide and started. The path from Liti 

 wound along the side of a bare hill through a glen, which gradually 

 became more confined and rugged, as we n eared the Pass. On either 

 hand, steep precipitous rocks towered above us to the height of about 

 3000 feet ; near their base on the left of the Pabbar a few straggling 

 birches were seen, and not far above them commenced the snow which 

 became gradually deeper towards the summit of the cliffs. Along the 

 bottom of this narrow glen, ran the Pabbar river, roaring and foaming 

 as it dashed along over the rocks and stones, in its rapid and head- 

 long descent from an immensely thick field of snow, to the left of 

 the Pass, from which it takes its source. The end of this frightful 

 glen is closed by the Burenda or Bruang Pass, whose highest peaks 

 tower up to the height of 1 6,000 feet above the level of the sea. 



Our guide watched the sky very narrowly during our approach to 

 the gorge, and did not seem to think we had chosen a very favorable 

 day for our ascent. Every thing was calm and still as death, and 

 not a living creature was seen save the little marmot darting into its 

 hole and the vulture-eagle roaring aloft over the snow- clad rocks. 

 As we advanced however we heard the heavy sound which in moun- 

 tainous countries often foretells a storm, and which I had heard on 

 the preceding day. Similar sounds are emitted by some of the Scotch 

 hills as Bein-douran in Glenorchy, and even the great falls on the 

 river Tummel north of Shichallain are said to give warning of the 

 approaching tempest*. The highlanders call this the " spirit of the 

 mountain shrieking," and our guide seemed to entertain some idea of 

 the kind, for he stopped and, turning to us, said something in his 

 unintelligible hill patois, which to us sounded like, mallah banch 

 bolta naif." 



Far above us, among the snows that crested the rocks to our left, 

 we saw some of the Bharal* or wild sheep which are only found in the 

 most inaccessible places. 



"We had now ascended some way and our breathing began to be 

 affected, obliging us occasionally to pause and rest. 



Before us lay the Pass now plainly laid open, and beneath it, to our 

 very feet, was spread a bed of broken and disjointed rocks of every 



* Stewart's History of the Highlanders. 



t Although we made him repeat the words several times, we could make 

 nothing of it, and therefore construed them after our own fashion, viz. that 

 "Mother Bunch was speaking ! 1" The guides declared that when these sounds 

 were heard thrice during the day, i. e. morning, noon and evening, it was a sure 

 sign of a storm or bad weather. [Quere" Himdla ' bach' boltd hai, ' the mountain 

 cries 'escape.' — Ed.] 



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