Eighteen

Sat 14th Sept. Neve began stirring up the camp at 5.20. Washed in stream. Rather cold. Temp 22°. Coolies rather loathe to leave their fire but got away at 6.50
The sun soon rose over the hills to cheer us.
Ascent up undulating grass land, on the right a glacier running along the foot of the great rock wall. Got into fresh-fallen snow. Looking down the valley, we saw distant snow peaks coming into view, and Haramosh (24,000 ft).
We reached the top of the pass at 9.20, just a sharp ridge. The height is about 16,200 ft. We sat for a bit under a cairn of stones, but it was too cold to stay long.
Looking down the further side, we could see an easy valley with grass slopes on the left, and on the right a range of rocky peaks with small glaciers between them. The first one was larger, and reached the valley bottom, and spread right across it. Above and beyond the ridge on the left were broken rocky ridges with a good deal of snow. It was a lovely bright day with a cloudless blue sky.
I started down at 9.45 and walked about 4 miles, descending 2500 feet and then sat down to mend my chapplis (sandals) and write my diary and collect fire wood. Neve waited at the col to bring on the khansamah and the tiffin coolie. They came along at about 12, and we had breakfast. The coolies didn’t come along till past 2. They were a slow lot, and had to be got along with threats of fines and promises of backsheesh..
The valley was now rich with autumnal greens, yellows and gold.
From a side nullah on the left an old moraine protruded, extending a mile down our valley on the further side, and the stream has worn it into a cliff. Up the nullah was a glacier coming down from a large basin of snow.
Further down, we reached cultivated land, fields of ripe barley interspersed with rose bushes. and other shrubbery.
Passed some small villages and the track became some sort of road, flanked by walls or banks overgrown with roses and berberie.
Gustaveson was walking ahead; Neve was behind driving the coolies. About 7 o’clock reached a village where we expected to camp, but Gustaveson and the khansamah had gone on to another village. It was getting dark, and for some distance the road was a bit difficult, a narrow path along a very steep moraine slope a hundred or so feet above the stream. It was quite dark before we got to the village of Daltiti, and men came with torches to meet us. They lighted our way down to the stream, to a bridge, and up a rough path beyond to the village,. They led as to the Lambadar’s house, inside and up some stone steps to an upstairs room. It was full of people, and when the coolies came in with their loads, there wasn’t room to move, and as there were likely to be plenty of other inhabitants, we cleared out and pitched our tent in a freshly-reaped corn field, by the light of torches and native lamps.
It was 12 o’clock when we had last fed, so were very ready for dinner when it came. The march was about 16 miles. The coolies had taken 13 hours.