JULY 6th.--Got up at 4 o'clock and marched on to Bugnoota, a distance
of thirteen miles. The first four miles a slight rise, and then a rapid
descent all the rest of the way. The road is much narrower, only a mule
track in fact, I walked twelve miles, and then felt tired, and had a
headache afterwards. Pitched my tent in a tope, (a grove of trees) in
company with Dr. and Mrs. Holmes, of Rohat, whom I did not know. Slight
rain in the middle of the day, but it cleared off towards evening. Felt
all right after an hour's sleep and took a stroll before dinner. Scenery
grand, tent pitched on the edge of a deep gorge at the bottom of which
is a mountain stream, the hills rising abruptly on the opposite side.


JULY 7th.--Marched on to Abbottabad at sunrise, down hill to the river,
and then along its course for two miles over very rough and fatiguing
ground, the river having to be forded twice. In rainy weather this is
very dangerous as its rush is so impetuous. Up hill again then down into
the plain of Abbottabad, 4,000 feet above the sea. Distance twelve miles
though only put down eight in the route. Met the General at the bottom
of the hill. Put up at the Dâk Bungalow, and met Ford, 88th, and De
Marylski, R.A., returning from Kashmir, got some hints from them.
Abbottabad is a small cantonment on a large plain surrounded by bare
mountains, a notice is posted in my room warning travellers not to go
unarmed; so I'll gird on my Kookery to-morrow. A Kookery is a formidable
native knife, about eighteen inches long and over two inches wide,
carried in a peculiar way, sheep and goats heads come off very easily at
a single blow from it. Much hotter down here, the sun powerful after 10
o'clock, but Punkahs not necessary. This is the Head-Quarters of the
Punjab Frontier force. A pity they do not have an English Regiment