1848.] Narrative of a Journey to Cho Lagan, fyc. 181 



severe, only with proper arrangements and precaution. It was rather 

 from the want of such arrangements than from absolute extremity of 

 climate, that the Sikhs under Bashti Sing suffered so much damage to 

 life and limb in their winter-retreat from Pruang by this pass. The 

 commander, obliging his men to carry him in a Dooly, escaped unhurt, 

 and those who were maimed by the frost accused him, perhaps justly, 

 of imposing on them more than a fair share of exposure. 



The cattle came in 2 or 3 hours after me, all foot sore, I suppose 

 from the abominable stony ground of Pruang ; the ponies, as usual the 

 least enduring, were dead lame. 



In the abscence of Kumaonis, who had hitherto cooked my dinner 

 for me, when I had any, I was obliged to divide the kitchen operations 

 between Rechu and myself, and the result was not much worse than 

 the average of the last 10 days from the hands of Bhauna and Anand. 

 I regaled the Bhotias with all that remained, which was nineteen-twen- 

 tieths, of my wine and spirits in the wooden bottles ; Rechu had pru- 

 dently declined my offers of it in Hundes, because " when the wine is 

 in, the wit is out," and they had then great need to keep their wits, 

 (such as they were) well about them. 



9th October. — I enjoyed such luxurious rest in the little mansion of 

 Yirkha, that I was not on foot till 10 a. m., after my last breakfast of 

 greased tea and biscuits. 



We crossed over to the left bank of the Kali under Yirkha, a mile 

 below which is a good-sized stream coming through a deep ravine from 

 the eastward, with plots of cultivated ground at the confluence, very 

 similar to Yirkha ; thence recrossing the river, the road lay over a great 

 landslip which, for some years past, has quite obliterated the former hot 

 spring of Kalapani : the name however has been transferred to another 

 spring further down on the left bank of the Kali, (to which the road 

 crosses again,) but the water here is neither black nor hot, nor any way 

 remarkable. Below this the valley begins to expand, and gives room for 

 Sliangduma, a very pleasant little maidan on the left bank of the river, 

 beautifully planted with Pines. It was here that the Commissioner 

 (Lushington) had his interview with Bashti-Ram Sing in September or 

 October, 1841, 3 months before the Sikh discomfiture and flight from 

 Pruang. Close below Shangduma, is the hamlet of Mala-Kawa. The 



