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



size, hurled together in wild confusion from their original position on 

 the heights above by the combined effects of frost and heat, each 

 succeeding year apparently adding something to the general wreck 

 produced by the wintery warring of the elements since the world 

 began. Over these disjointed masses was spread an almost unbroken 

 sheet of driven snow, which concealing alike the rocks and chasms 

 beneath, proved a difficult and somewhat treacherous path. 



"Whilst pausing here to take breath, we espied something red lying 

 beneath a ledge of rock at no great distance from us, and sending a 

 man to reconnoitre, found it to be a human body rolled up in a red 

 rezai and frozen to death! 



Our guide now without speaking, resumed the path at a quick pace 

 as much as to say " make haste, or you see what might happen." 

 We followed and a very few paces again brought us to another frozen 

 victim lying on our path. 



His head was bound up in his waistband and part of it drawn 

 across his eyes, as if to protect them from the driving snow, and he 

 had fallen apparently exhausted on his back, with the left arm out- 

 stretched and the hand clenched ; one leg was drawn up and much 

 cut by the stones among which he lay, while the other was extended. 

 The mouth was open, but the eyes were partly closed, probably from 

 the pressure of the bandage over them. These two poor wretches were 

 part of Dr. Powell's attendants of whose loss we had heard at Cahul. 

 Soaring round above the body were a pair of vulture- eagles 6 , who 

 seemed waiting for some assurance that life was extinct ere they 

 ventured to descend to their repast. The body was still fresh and 

 emitted no stench whatever, owing to the coldness and elevation of 

 this desolate region, although it must have lain there for at least a 

 fortnight, the party having been overtaken by a snow storm about 

 the 26th of the previous month (September) at which time we had rain 

 at Ndgkunda and remarked the unsettled appearance of the weather 

 over the snowy range. The bearded vulture waited but for some 

 token of decomposition to pounce upon his prey, and until such took 

 place, (so healthy appeared the body) he could not distinguish be- 

 tween sleep and death ! 



Is not this additional evidence that, " sight and scent combined," 

 are the means by which the vulture is directed to his prey ? His 

 quick eye had rested on the prostrate form below, but effluvium was 

 wanting to assure him that the banquet was prepared. 



The sight of these poor frozen wretches, apparently in rude health 

 at the time of their death, damped our spirits a good deal and we 



