128 Report of the Magnetic Survey of India. [No. %. 



the cold mountains near the Sutlej. We lost no time in making 

 the best use of the few days granted to us. On the 26th we arrived 

 on the Chako La, and placed our camp as close as possible under 

 the pass itself. 



On the 27th in the early morning, we went away. Numerous 

 Bhutias (who all did what they could to assist us) and Hunias were 

 constantly crossing the pass with their sheep. To avoid suspicion, 

 we left our little tent and the greater part of our baggage, and one 

 of our Bhutia servants behind ; one Hunia, who knew exactly where 

 we wanted to go, accompanied us ; two horses carried our theodolite, 

 hypsometric apparatus, and some provisions. "We told the people 

 that we only wanted to go to a mountain near the pass, to look at 

 the "compass." After crossing the pass, we left the usual track, 

 and went on through a lateral valley. To our great astonishment, 

 we found that the lower part of the valley was filled with more than 

 a hundred of armed Hunias, and our people got much frightened^ 

 saying that these men were sent out by the Garpon or resident of 

 Garfeok, to catch us, &c. We lay down in a small hole and despatched 

 one of our men to get information. He was soon, however, disco- 

 vered and surrounded by the Hunias. 



We saw with our large telescope that much crying and quarrel- 

 ling was going on below ; they searched his horse and got hold of 

 his gun. After some time, however, they let him go. He had- 

 found among these people, who came from Chumurti and were going 

 to the seat of war, one old friend, who had settled every thing. He 

 had told them that we were Gurhwal people and had been afraid of 

 being plundered if we went down into the valley. In the evening 

 we went down a little lower along a small valley, just on the limit 

 of the highest shrubs. The night was unhappily a very bad one. 

 Without a tent, and with only a few blankets, we lay down as close 

 together as possible ; in the morning, we were covered with snow 

 more than three inches deep. The sun, however, melted away the 

 snow from the ground, and we were glad to find that the greater 

 part of the troublesome Hunias had gone on early in the morning. 

 We rode as far as we could across the valley where their camp had 

 been, and upon a mountain on the other side of it. The weather 

 had become beautifully clear, and in the afternoon we had the 



