SEARCHING FOR A PASS 9B3 
narrow portal, and on the other side probably bent away 
towards the north-east. 
The longitudinal valley became narrower and steeper. 
We travelled along the left bank of the stream, and had 
to cross over a long series of chapps (ravines). The 
largest of them, thirty to thirty -five feet deep, with 
perpendicular sides in many places, contained a little 
water ; and there was a scanty supply of grass in the 
immediate neighbourhood. It was therefore a lucky 
accident that, just when we reached the spot, the weather 
forced us to stop and encamp, notwithstanding we had 
done only a very short day s march (ten miles). 
About noon thick clouds gathered in the west and raced 
at a terrific pace towards the east ; and yet close down 
upon the earth the wind blew towards the north-east. 
They speedily encircled us, and closed in upon us. In 
the east alone there was a patch of glorious blue, but it 
was rapidly dwindling. On every other side we were 
hemmed in by dark threatening clouds of a steel-blue 
colour. Then we heard a faint soughing and moaning 
behind us. The sound approached nearer, waxed louder. 
The wind began to blow furiously from the west ; and 
down upon us burst a hailstorm of unparalleled violence, 
pelting the earth and the mountain-sides till they appeared 
to smoke again. All at once we were enshrouded in 
gloom. The thunder crashed deafeningly, and, as it 
seemed, immediately above our heads ; but there was not 
a single flash of lightning. The landscape was blotted 
out by the thick driving hail ; we could see nothing but 
the white line of hailstones along the ground close at our 
feet. They were no bigger than grains of maize, but 
the wind drove them with such force that I distinctly felt 
them through my fur coat and cap. U nder this undeserved 
punishment the horses became restive. We were obliged 
to .stand still for a quarter of an hour or so just where we 
were ; it was impossible to see where we were going. 
There we sat in our saddles, with our backs turned towards 
the wind, and our cloaks drawn up over our ears, whilst 
the hail rattled about us. In two or three minutes the 
