338 - COURSE AND LEVELS 



the first village of Ladak. It is small, consisting of not more than eight or 

 ten families ; the houses are built of unburnt bricks ; such is the extreme 

 dryness of the climate. In fact, scarcely any rain falls ; in May and June, 

 a very little, but during the rest of the year the heavens yield only snow; 

 vapour or dew must be totally unknown under a temperature generally 

 below the freezing point. 



The shawl goat is said to be bred here. I saw none however, and I rather 

 suspect from their answers to my cross examination, that they were impos- 

 ing on me. Certainly they are not to be seen in any village to the south- 

 ward of this, nor has the Bissahir government, however anxious, been yet 

 able to introduce the breed either into Kanawer or Hangarang. Spiti is the 

 name of the Purgunnah which extends to the Losar village, and Spino is 

 the next Purgunnah. At Dankar, which is a fort, beneath which the two 

 branches of the Spiti river unite, a Kamdar resides, to whom they pay their 

 assessment. Dankar is about thirteen miles from Lari, and in a westerly 

 direction. The left branch of the Spiti is the larger, and comes from the 



Purgunnah of Spino ; the other has its origin near Lossar or Losar ; they 

 had not heard they said of the establishment of the Sikh authority ; they 

 had never been at Leh, nor did they know how far it was from Lari ; they 

 shewed considerable disinclination to answer any of my questions, and 

 their answers were not satisfactory by any means. 



I left Lari early in the morning on my return, and got to Sumra by nine 

 o'clock. In fording the river, which I attempted without any assistance, I 

 was very near being carried away by the current, having slipped in placing 

 my foot on one of the large smooth stones with which the bottom was co- 

 vered. The temperature of the water I found to be 36° 3". By evening 1 

 arrived at Skalkar, where I found my companion had marched for L'io. I 

 put up in one of the huts, which I found empty, and attempted to defend 

 myself from the cold by lighting a fire, but the annoyance of the smoke 

 made the remedy as bad as the evil. 



