only come up from Poshana the day before, and which we had not had
time to see the inside of even, ere it was thus lost to us for ever,
and made over as a poetical reparation to the bears of the country for
the ruthless murder we had committed on one of their number. Found the
hut at Poshana empty, and were glad to get into its shelter again. The
rain seeming quite set in, we determined to discharge our shikarees,
and after paying them three rupees each for their week's work, we
sent them away perfectly happy, with a few copper caps and a good
character apiece.

JUNE 27. -- Left Poshana at five A.M., and made for the Peer
Punjal pass. A sharp struggle brought us to the summit, where we
found a polygon tower erected, apparently as a landmark and also
a resting-place for travellers to recover themselves after their
exertions.[5] At the Cashmere side of the pass I had expected to see
something of the far-famed valley, but nothing met the eye but a wild
waste of land, bounded on all sides by snow, while a few straggling
coolies toiled up towards us with some itinerant Englishman's baggage
like our own.

This turned out to belong to a party returning to Sealkote, and
we were rather elated by seeing among their possessions several
enormous antlers, which promised well for sport at the other side
of the valley. They turned out, however, to have been bought, and,
as their owners informed us, there was no chance of meeting such game
until October or November. About two miles down the pass we reached
the old serai of Aliabad, and found the only habitable part of it
in possession of a clergyman and a young Bengal artilleryman bound
for the shooting-grounds we had just left. With much difficulty we
obtained a few eggs, and a little milk with which we washed down the