Three Months of My Life | Page 6

trusting my own
legs to being carried in the dandy over such bad ground. Curran,
Assistant-Surgeon, 88th Connaught Rangers, is one march in front of
me. He has left his pony here till he returns. I suppose the last march
was too much for him. I am very glad I did not bring my horse with me;
I was strongly advised to do so, but I am afraid advice has not much
weight with me; in this instance anyhow, my own opinion has proved
the best. All the men I meet coming back have horses with them, but
they are nearly all shoeless, lame and sick, and have not been ridden for
weeks.
JULY 11th.--Marched on Hultian, distant seventeen miles. Much better
road than yesterday, but many ups and downs and short rough bits.
Started two hours before sunrise, by the light of the moon. The road

soon reached the right bank of the Jhelum and continued the whole
distance alongside of that river. It is a rapid river apparently not so deep
and often not so wide as the Kishun-gunga, its bed strewn with huge
boulders over which the water breaks in great waves of foam. It runs in
a narrow rocky channel the precipitous sides of which are a great height.
How many ages must it have taken to cut this channel in the solid rock?
The valley is bounded by high hills, very narrow, the road so bare of
trees, that the latter half of the march became hot and wearying, so I
had recourse to the dandy for four or five miles. But it was rare
gymnastic exercise as swinging from my pole I had to dodge the great
stones on either side of me and keep a sharp look out to avoid hard
bumps. My dog was again very much fatigued. His tail is a good token
of his state, for when fresh it is stiff along his back, and gradually drops
as he goes along until he is quite exhausted, when it hangs straight
down. Stopped at a Barahduree (not so good a one as the last) a few
feet above the Jhelum in which I bathed. There is a rope bridge
opposite, a much older one than the other I crossed, but not more than
half as long, and not high above the water, some of the ropes are
broken, and it seems very shaky. However, I must cross it to-morrow
and get into the Murree road, which runs parallel to this one, on the
other bank, and is on the shady side and much cooler. It has been very
hot all day. The reason I could not come the direct road from Murree is
because the ferry over the Jhelum lower down, was recently carried
away and twenty-six natives drowned. Sir G. Larpent's (of the 88th)
baggage was in the boat, and he lost it all. He had not crossed and had
to go back to Murree minus everything including servants. There is
excellent Mahseer fishing in this river, the fish attain the enormous size
of 80lbs. weight and afford exciting sport; but I have no tackle with me,
and did not even bring a gun, as I thought I should be too seedy to do
anything but moon about. I did not then know the great exertion
necessary to reach Kashmir, an exertion which any man with bodily
infirmity would hardly venture on without first providing himself with
an undertaker. Upon making enquiries I find that all the Coolies and
supplies on the other road, have been sent over to this side, so I must
keep to it and not cross as I intended. In the evening a slim young
native came to me and offered to swim across the river for Bakhshish,
"a present." I promised it to him, and he ran a quarter of a mile up, and

plunged into the torrent, landing on the opposite side a little below the
bungalow. He then went up the river again, and swam down to this side,
no mean feat in turbulent water running as it did with tremendous
velocity. I gave him eight annas for it.
JULY 12th, "Sunday."--In the middle of last night a storm came on, I
was sleeping in the open air, and the lightning awoke me, it was
beginning to rain, and I had to move into the house. It was broad
daylight when I was called, and I felt disinclined to proceed. I said it
would rain, and I would halt. My boy said, "No Sir, no rain." I said the
sun would come out and it would be burning hot. He said, "No Sir, no
sun." I felt it was useless continuing the argument, so I got up and
marched to Kunda, eighteen miles, walking all