sary before we can rejoin the direct road. Learned that Ming suffered severely about six months ago from the Maha-murrie, no less than forty individuals having fallen victims; while another village on the opposite side of the road, and on the same level, had not a case of it.

not get to the summit of the ridge till nearly eight. Road pretty good, but too damp and slippery from the last night's dew to ride upon. However, I found the ponies very useful, by holding on by the tail; a vis at ergo not to be despised in difficult ascents. After a very long descent, too steep for the saddle and sorely trying to the hamstrings, got down to Pulany about nine, and had breakfast.

I am glad to get away from the roaring, raging, impetuous, irresistible torrent of the Pindar; where an elephant could not maintain his footing for a second, nor stand the On the opposite side of the valley stands most remote chance of making his way to the Loba, a lovely little hermitage, built by the other side; where pine trees entire, both commissioner of Kumaon, far away from the root and branch, are swept away like straws haunts of Europeans, where he sought reupon a rivulet; where whole estates are tirement after heavy domestic bereavements.* washed away in land slips; where rocks, and A very perfect site for a European caneven mountains themselves, are undermined, tonment might be selected about Loba, but their fragments being hurled along the bot- its distance from the plains would render it tom like thunder, and piled up in gigantic inconvenient in a strategic sense. About boulders that excite our wonder and surprise. ten started again, and soon got to the banks I have already travelled down its margin of the river Ramgunga, as promising looking about twenty miles, and seen only one pool a trout stream as any angler would wish to of smooth water, near Koolsary, but large cast a hook into, and about noon got to the as a lake, and fit to quarter a whale in. The ridge of the great chain of mountains called Pindar is fed by the Pinduree glaciers, and Doodatallah, the highest point of which is during the recent rainy season must have ten thousand feet above the sea. After a been twenty feet higher than it is at present. weary descent along a little rivulet, prolonged At Ming we began the ascent of the range far beyond expectation, and the utmost of mountains that wall in the river; road stretch of patience, got to the halting place, excessively steep, craggy, and precipitous, Athbudree, about two in the afternoon, exoften attenuated to a mere sheep track, fre- cessively tired, in fact I had made a double quently cut across the almost perpendicular march of it, while the coolies had taken a rocks, requiring a good head and a steady short cut across the mountains, but impractifoot to urge one's weary way. Riding on cable for horses. horseback was totally out of the question, where a false step, or a false alarm of the pony, might send man and rider tumbling over a precipice two or three hundred feet high. Self-preservation makes one nervously independent in such positions, and a good bamboo pikestaff is the only assistant one feels disposed to trust to.

About eight o'clock, halted for breakfast at a little village called Khob, the kettle being placed upon three stones and boiled with a handful of wood, the tea infused in due form, a jug of freshly drawn milk was got from the village, the tablecloth was spread upon the ground, and, squatting down a la Mussulman, a very excellent breakfast was made from the contents of the petarahs, quite al fresco.

Athbudree takes its name from eight little temples or shrines, standing together, sheltered by two or three noble trees, and presided over by a few Brahmins. It is on the great pilgrim road to the two most sacred temples of Hindoo worship, Kedarnath and Budrinath.

Near the head of the Ramgunga river, at an elevation of probably eight thousand feet, stands the village of Sarkote, which I was told had recently suffered from the Mahamurrie. According to all our doctrines of hygiene, no position could possibly enjoy a more healthy climate; but yet this fatal disease here found its victims.

8th October.-Continued to descend the Athbudree River, through very beautiful scenery, by a road most skilfully made, and Renewed the march about ten, and con- at great labor, I believe partly at governtinued to ascend for many miles through the ment expense, partly by pilgrim-tax, a gentle, most sublime scenery to Kimoolee, a large rideable descent being kept up the whole village, lately depopulated by the Maha-way; and about ten again met the turbid, murrie, and still partly in ruins. This is the outrageous Pindar, still more formidable highest encampment we have yet had, and judging from the size of the rhododendrons and oaks, and the absence of the pines, its elevation cannot be less than seven thousand feet.

7th October.-Started at six A.M., and did

than when I left it at Ming, but more majestic in its strength. I felt sorry to see my favorite little stream, the Athbudree, annihilated all at once, and absorbed in the tempestuous roll of the Pindar. Within the space of about twenty miles I had seen it

making a sketch of it. What a glorious river is the Aliknunda, here running in rapids half a mile long, where one might fish for mahaseer; there spreading out into spacious pools where a navy might ride at anchor: here drowning the human voice in its roar, there so calm and silent that one could hear the plunge of an acorn in its bosom from the trees that mirrored themselves on its surface.

spring into existence from a miniature oasis, | means of which they lash themselves bea dropping moss bank; then it became a tween the two horns of this dilemma, and tinkling rill, fighting its way through dry by manual exertion drag themselves over. leaves, fordable for an ant, and liable to be This is the most nervous mode of crossing a drunk up by a thirsty bear; then receiving mighty river that was probably ever concontributions as it trundled along, peopled structed, and fortunately for our party, we by minnows, supplying food for the king- had no occasion to cross it, for I believe our fisher, flies for the water-wag-tail, and water trip onwards would have been suspended. for the flocks that grazed upon its banks; Here we killed one of the fat sheep, and had then courted by man, invited into his fields a jolly feast all round, even the dogs enjoyto fertilize his crops and grind his corn; ing themselves to their hearts' content. then rising in the estimation of the world as 9th October.-Travelled up the left bank it descended, leaping over cataracts, expand- of the Aliknunda by a very good road, ing into placid pools, unfordable and bridged shaded with fine forest trees; halted for over, fit to turn the machinery of a manu- breakfast under one of the most alarming facturing town, or deluge the camp of an in- headlands I have ever seen, the road mountvading army. I bade adieu to its crystal ing by a long, steep series of steps, and streams with regret, and felt as I have often overlooking the river far below, while the done on parting with a fellow-traveller on a overhanging mountains, hundreds of feet continental tour-the one about to lose its overhead, seemed so loosely held together, individuality in the tumultuous world of that a pigeon settling upon them alarmed the waters of the Pindar, the other in the no loiterer below for the consequences. Neverless tumultuous current of the world. After theless, I could not resist the temptation of descending the main stream of the Pindar for an hour, arrived at the town of Kurnpray, at the junction of the Pindar and the Aliknunda Rivers. Large as the Pindar is, the Aliknunda is much larger, and a much finer river, and I felt well pleased to see the tyrannical waters of the Pindar jostled and pushed aside by the clear blue tide of the Aliknunda, as it had lately done the stream of the Athbudree. Kurnpray is about the last place in the world I should select as a The mahaseer abounds in this river in place of residence; it is so overhung by common with most first-class rivers in the mountains as not to have more than six or Himmalayah, and jumps readily at a fly, eight hours of sunshine; the roar of the when in the humor. It is a great ugly creameeting rivers is stunning, and the tempera- ture, like a codfish, and hence its name mature is almost as high as in the plains; palm haseer, or great head, but is very delicious trees grow to a height of twenty feet, and to eat. However none of my efforts to catch yet I found oaks in full acorn in their neigh- one was successful. In low altitudes such borhood. Yet the residents like their cli- as this, a most venomous fly prevails, whose mate, live and die there contented, and sing bite surpasses that of any insect I am ac"There's no place like home!" It now be- quainted with in virulence; it resembles the came imperative to cross over the Pindar, and common domestic fly, but is only about a this was easily done by a splendid specimen sixth part of the size of one; so venomous of a grass rope bridge, spanning the mighty is its bite, that the bitten part swells to an stream like an inverted rainhow; the ponies enormous size, and resembles a piece of a were coaxed into the river, and pulled across muffin laid upon the part; a bite on the nose by a long rope from the opposite side, while or cheek would swell up the eye for some their courage was kept up, and their heads days; these wretches do not reach above kept in the right direction, by two natives four or five thousand feet of elevation. At swimming alongside of them, buoyed up by Nundprag, a second-class stream called the gourds tied round their loins. A still more Nundaknee, joins the Aliknunda, it is crossed extraordinary bridge was carried across the by a narrow wooden bridge, once the scene Aliknunda, being a single rope tightly of a very melancholy tragedy. A young stretched from bank to bank, a basket, suspended on a rude sort of pulley, traverses upon the tight rope, by means of which light goods are ferried over. The natives cross by means of a forked piece of timber, the angle of which rests upon the tight rope; an eyelet hole is made at the two ends, by

lady, one of a party of tourists, to show her courage, stood up alone on the bridge and began to make it vibrate, when it suddenly broke down, and she was drowned. Herc met by appointment Captain R., the magistrate of the district, who had a fresh set of coolies ready to relieve the Kurnpragites, and as

ever travelled, got to Tongnath temple about sunrise, an antiquated building of moderate size and pretensions; and, after half an hour's hard climbing, we stood upon the summit of Tongnath, twelve thousand feet above the sea, with an amphitheatre of the sublimest scenery in the whole world, to describe which all language and all powers of the pencil are infinitely inadequate, so I shall not attempt either the one or the other. The ground was covered with white hoar frost, and the thick carpet of moss and lichens required careful footing to prevent falling. We had now got above all herbage. A dwarf species of rhododendron formed the last link in the chain of herbage, and next to it grew the dog rose, the birch, and the mountain ash, all of them dwarfed to a miniature size before they ceased to exist. I expected to have been more affected by the highly rarified atmosphere of so elevated a position, but felt no inconvenience from it. Here Captain R. and I separated for a time, he in pursuit of heavy game, I after the beautiful Monal pheasants. Captain R. is an enthusiastic sportsman, gifted with a strength of sinew and length of wind, that seem indefatigable, with a certainty of aim that makes every shot tell. I found the Monal numerous, but exceedingly wild and wary, either running through the jungle like hares, or flying overhead like flashes of light from a reflecting mirror, all downhill. The cock pheasant is a very superb bird, and I did my best to bag one, but could not, but was obliged to content myself with a young hen, and returned to my tent intensely pleased with the scenery.

gled with orchidea. After crossing a little stream, entered upon the most wretched road possible, at best a more footpath, cut across nearly perpendicular mountains, and sometimes carried round precipices, and over fearful ravines by mere scaffolds laid from rock to rock, so rudely constructed that I quaked for my ponies a dozen times as they were most carefully led along by one man at the head and two at the tail, to prevent their slipping. The custom in these hills is not to shoe ponies, the naked hoof being much more secure; and it is worthy of remark, that the want of iron shoes is never felt as an inconvenience. As we got lower down we met a whole army of white monkeys, or langoors, with black faces, and long prehensile tails, the most sagacious brutes possible. They jumped from branch to branch, and from tree to tree with wonderful agility, and kept us company for part of the way as easily as if they had been on the ground. They are held very sacred by the natives, and it is reckoned a crime, second only to homicide, to kill one.

Arrived at Okeemath about three in the afternoon, having been on the march nearly all day.

Okeemath is the seat of the rawul of Kedarnath, who holds a place in Hindoo religion corresponding with that of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The palace is a large, irregular pile of substantial masonry, with a very neat, gilded temple in the courtyard. There is little bustle and no pomp about it, with nothing of the picturesque, and without a road better than a cow-path. Soon after the tent was pitched I had a message from the rawul, stating that he wished to pay me a visit. Soon after he arrived, led by the hand by one of his subordinates, a deacon or vicar, as if he had been blind. He is a native of Madras, a little fat man, very dark compared with the natives of the hills, intelligent, and very good-natured and chatty, wore a profusion of gold earrings, fingerrings, and bracelets, and had lived in those parts for the last twenty-five years. He brought me a lot of presents, a bag of musk, nine cocoanuts, a large tray of almonds and raisins, and lumps of sugar, a jar of honey, a piece of fine muslin, and two large dried everlasting flowers. We had a long chat. I asked him if he intended returning to end 14th October.-Here took leave of Captain his days in Madras; but he replied he inR., with my larder well replenished with tended dying at his post. Though he had part of a fat sheep that he had killed at a large train of followers, he had only two Chopta. Descended for two hours by a very natives of Madras along with him, showing fair bridle road, through a forest of yew that nepotism is not one of his failings, but trees, box and cedar; and as we got lower that he distributes the loaves and fishes of the oak, rhododendron, walnut, and chestnut his office amongst the people among whom became most numerous, many of the trees he lives.

About 2 P.M., Captain R. returned, after an unsuccessful hunt for wild goats and wild sheep, amongst precipices where even they paused before they leaped. When about to give up the chase a large bear made his appearance, and, without perceiving R., gradually advanced uphill towards the spot where he sat; now grubbing up roots, upsetting stones to get at the beetles, and grunting forth his disgust at finding so scanty a breakfast, when a two-ounce bullet was lodged in his chest, which floored him; but in his dying struggles the bear rolled over a precipice some hundred feet high, to form a feast for the golden eagles that abound in these mountains.

being festooned with fleecy moss, or span- Here I parted with my ponies for a time,

and all the heavy baggage possible, so as to more shaggy; but the wool of the sheep was travel lightly; besides, the road onward is of superior quality, very different from the not fit for horses. The usual mode of con- hairy coat of the plains. The dress of the veyance on a grand scale is by the common men consisted of a scanty chintz skull-cap, sheep; two little canvas bags, connected by a tunic of coarse woollen cloth descending a strip of cloth, are thrown across their to the knee, and secured with a girdle of backs, each sheep carrying a load of about straw rope, with trousers, somewhat short twenty pounds. All the traffic from Thibet of measure, of the same material as the tunic. is conveyed in this way, in large droves. Half a dozen goats are posted at the head of each drove, like pioneers at the head of a marching regiment, and the whole drove of several hundreds, or thousands, trudge uphill and downhill, with as much order as so many human beings. Towards the afternoon they halt for the day to rest and graze, and at night are gathered close together, protected by immense dogs, which keep up a bark of defiance all night long.