terrible to be imagined. Stinging nettles abound here, of the tall sort
that grow so rankly on old earth heaps and in dry ditches. I placed my
hand among them, delighted to be stung again by English friends; the
sensation is so far preferable to mosquito bites. Besides it took me
back to "childhood's happy hours," when with bramble torn breeches and
urticarious shin, I forced the hedges, apple stealing--I have stolen
apples to-day for a tart which is now baking--robbed the trees of them
for they are no man's property. Just above here on the other side of the
valley is a very perfect crater (of course extinct) for there are now no
volcanoes in the Himalayas. Its lips are rugged and serrated like the
teeth of a saw, and form a very perfect circle I cannot tell the depth
of the basin, but on the further side I can see that the edge rises
perpendicularly to a considerable height, and at the bottom of it I just
got a glimpse of a steeply sloping floor. On its exterior are deep
grooves containing strong blocks, which at this distance appear to show
by contrast of colour their igneous origin, but I cannot speak
positively on this point. My Bheistie to whom I gave three days leave to
visit his family, came in saying he had walked one hundred miles. He
does not look any the worse for it.


JULY 30th.--Another short march of five miles to Soorapra, a small
village around which stand several enormous hills, half obscured by
clouds, for it is a thoroughly wet day, drizzling rain having fallen
ever since my arrival. It is very cool and pleasant, but I have got up
too far and am now in the rainy region, so to-morrow I shall retrace my
steps, three or four marches would take me over the Himalayas into
Ladâk. This would be an interesting trip, but there still remains much
for me to see in Kashmir, and I have not time to do both. Passed
another, but smaller and less perfect crater. Some natives brought a