Twenty two

Thursday 24 Sept. Continued our way down the right side of the Indus, along debris slopes and over piris, or on sand at the river’s edge. On one piri the path was carried along a cliff face and round a corner on scaffolding, the path of rough planks about 3 feet wide, no parapet and a clear drop of 44 feet to the river. A giddy bit.
At the end of the march, the mountain fell back from the left side of the river about ½ a mile.
The Indus here ran through a very narrow cleft which must have been very deep, as the stream was slow and the surface perfectly calm.

We crossed it here on a wooden cantilever bridge which was only 18 feet long.
On the further side, nestling under the cliffs were the orchards, fields and village of Sunestsi, where we camped.

Wednesday 25th. A bright sunny day. Started from camp at 6.45. The path - now on the left side of the Indus led along and up a slope of debris of large rocks. In about 3 miles from camp we had come up about 1000 feet, and then turned out of the Indus valley, up a side nullah to the left. There was another road on the opposite side of the nullah that was carried along the cliffs and crossing from one rock to another along single poles, apparently.
The rocks on either side of the nullah rose to some 2000 feet above us. The stream was at first in a deep ravine below us, but we gradually descended and crossed it 2 miles up. Stopped at the village of Tisarmo for breakfast. There were trees and irrigated patches all along by the stream.
Unlike the Baltis, these people were not curious about strangers and did not come out to stare at us. In fact we could hardly find a man to get some fire wood.
The coolies from Sunetsi were a different type of people from those at Hanu and Dah - more pukka Buddhist. They wore pigtails, bracelets, strings of red beads suspended from their ears, had flint and steel instruments and knives in their girdles, but were not quite so dirty as the Dah people. They smoked by mud pipes on the ground.
After breakfast, continued up the valley and at last came out onto a plain surrounded by hills of rounded outline, but with rocky summits. Here on the side of a hill was the large village of Lalu. Well built houses, some with an upper storey, corn and fodder put to dry on the roofs. Work going on the threshing floors. Here we camped. had a good wash in the stream. The people here Mahomaden. They came round, and Neve and Gustaveson did their services to soul and body. They were an interested audience.

Thursday 26th Sept. Began moving extra early. 10 degrees of frost in the morning. Neve attended to some patients before starting at 7.15.
Neve, Gustaveson, his boy and the coolies started off up gentle slopes westward for a pass to Kargil. I, with the khansamah and 4 coolies went south for a pass to Latsun. Glad when the sun came over the hills to warm our bones. The country here rather like Dartmoor, and of the same granite formation. I passed what was apparently a polo ground; at least, there were 4 white stones set up in the position of 2 goals. Saw extraordinary hoar frost effects on the ground, the ice being formed into what looked like bands of white silk ribbon an inch or more wide.
A very gradual ascent from Lalu for 3 miles, then up an easy grass spur to the top of the Bud Pass, 13700ft. On the further side a broad valley descended in successive undulations, bounded on the left by brown, velvety looking hills falling in many rounded spurs.
The ridge I was on ran up to a rocky-headed height on my right. Above the nearer hills rose snowy ranges and peaks, some very distant. When the coolies reached the top, I started on down. The valley gradually narrowed, and 4 miles down, at Charit, became more or less of a ravine, which was very windy. Crossed the stream a good many times, the gorge opening out at last into a wider and fertile valley which, a little way down, joined another. On the spur between the 2 valleys, up the steep slopes of it was the village of Tutsar (11400ft). Here I rested under some willow trees by the stream and waited for the men to turn up and for breakfast.
The valley closed again further on, and the path went along slopes of fine, loose debris. The valley very pretty here. A fine rocky mountain face came into view in front on the further side of the larger valley into which mine finally emerged when I came out into the Lah/Srinegar road, and to the village of Lotsun (Buddhist). Coolies didn’t turn up till 4.20, so I was glad |I had stopped for breakfast. camped below the village in a grove of willows by the river, where I had a bathe. Excellent dinner of pea soup and chicken. A bright, moon-lit night, and much warmer than at Lalu.