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470 ADVENTURES IN TIBET.
degree of solemnity. The twinkle of the lights in the
Christmas tree, and the soft, soothing tones of the organ
—
what a host of memories they awakened within me ! How
much I had to be thankful for !
On Christmas Day the caravan arrived, the last nine
camels threading the noisy streets with shy and wondering
eyes. At the same time I allowed Sirkin, who was longing
to get home to his wife and children, to ride direct to
Kashgar. But the rest of the caravan were to wait in Leh,
whilst I, accompanied by Shagdur, paid a short visit to
India. Two hundred and forty miles we had to ride to
reach Srinagar, the capital of the Maharajah of Kashmir,
and after that to drive i8o miles.
On the ist January, 1902, we set off with a couple of
attendants, all mounted on small Ladak ponies, and rode
down beside the Indus, crossed the river, andatKalachi
we plunged into the mountain defiles. Our entry into
the little town of Mulbekh was quite a triumph, for we
were preceded by a procession of torch-bearers scattering
clouds of sparks around them, and making the branches
of the apricot-trees gleam out fiery red against the black
sky. At Kargil we were welcomed by forty young girls
in festal attire, who offered us various dishes of fruits
and other delicacies. On the 9th we crossed on foot the
Himalayan pass of Zoji-la, which, although only 11,485 feet
high, is a remarkably difiicult pass. This time there was
indeed little danger ; but a couple of months later, when
we returned, it was decidedly ticklish work traversing
the gorge, owing to the avalanches which kept constantly
falling. After that we descended rapidly ; but who
can describe the lovel}^ scenery of the last two days—the
dark green woods, the picturesque villages with their happy
people, the foaming rivers spanned by light, graceful bridges,
with the glittering snowfields behind them, and above the
whole the dome-like span of the turquoise sky ?
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