998 
THROUGH ASIA 
Fo-day again it began to hail about one o’clock. The 
wind was our most insufferable enemy. Every day, day 
after day, it visited us, bringing the hail in its train, and 
almost always at the same time, and it continued until 
evening, sometimes indeed all night long. It chilled the 
atmosphere and penetrated into the tent, making the 
candle flicker and flare, no matter how closely I drew 
the felts. And then my bed got so chilled, that when 
I crept In, It was like putting my feet into half -thawed 
ice, and there I lay, shivering and shaking, with chattering 
teeth until I got warm. 
August 23rd. I was awakened early in the morning by 
a violent fall of snow. Winter was upon us again. The 
horses’ backs were white, and as they stood tossing their 
empty nose-bags, they looked both wearied and disgusted. 
1 called the men up, and they made haste to get the 
caravan ready for a start, for I expected we should have a 
long, hard day of it : we hoped to cross over the Arka- 
tagh by the pass which Littledale discovered, and which 
Hamdan Bal had undertaken to guide us to. 
d'he long string of caravan animals filed slowly off 
up the valley, which soon contracted, whilst the bordering 
mountains decreased in relative altitude, and at the same 
time assumed rounder forms. The rocks were only ex- 
posed in the ravine which the river had eroded. Every- 
where else the surface was covered with soil. The stream 
was in some places broad and shallow, and increased in 
velocity the higher we ascended. The water, as bright 
and clear as crystal, tumbled merrily along among the 
fine gravel with which its channel was strewn. The rocks 
were composed of a hard crystalline slate of a dark green 
colour. Then we came to an expansion of the valley, 
the gathering-basin of the river, in which it received a 
great number of small tributaries from the mountain-slopes 
around. 
After being compelled to wait a considerable time by 
a blinding snowstorm, we went on again towards the 
south-east, up a strongly accentuated valley through which 
[lowed one of the largest affluents of the river. This 
