Climbing on the Himalaya and Other Mountain RangesCollie, Norman
History
Climbing on the Himalaya and Other Mountain Ranges
Collie, Norman
Himalaya Mountains; Mountaineering
been robbing us, but also all the coolies as well. We in our ignorance
thought that if the coolies were paid with our own hands, the money at
least would be safe. In the East this is by no means the case, for the
moment we were out of sight, this wily old ruffian would return to the
coolies, telling them that they had been overpaid, and that the Sahibs
commanded them instantly to give back half of the money. Our coolies
were mostly Baltis from the Astor district. These poor Baltis have
been a downtrodden race for centuries, harried by their more warlike
and courageous neighbours--the Chilasis and the robbers of Gilgit and
Hunza. So the shikari has no difficulty in making them yield to his
extortion.
Mummery for some time listened to his obvious lying, but soon lost
his temper. A coolie anxious to go to his home in the Rupal nullah
here served our purpose. The shikari was told to return to the Rupal
nullah with him, and at the same time we gave him a letter to Hastings.
In that letter, which he could not read, we explained the situation,
and instructed Hastings to pay the shikari off and send him about his
business.
The route we were following soon turned away to the left, leaving the
Diamirai nullah on the right. It was afterwards that we found out the
reason for this. It seems to be impossible to descend or ascend this
portion of the Diamirai nullah direct. The valley narrows in below the
bottom of the glacier, and finally becomes a deep gorge with cliffs
thousands of feet high on either side. Our change in direction soon
showed us that we should have to cross the tributary Lubar nullah.
This meant that we had to climb down a very steep rocky face of about
3000 feet. At about four in the afternoon we arrived at the bottom,
finding an impassable glacier torrent thundering over great boulders
and swollen by the melted snows of the morning. Walls of rock barred
our way either up or down the stream, but Lor Khan said we were at
the ford. In vain we tried to place pine trunks across--they were
swept away one by one. It was a fine sight to see Lor Khan, stripped
to the waist, struggling in the icy water with the great pine stems,
a magnificent specimen of fearlessness, muscle, and activity.
Fortunately we had insisted on roping him, for once he was carried off
his feet and had to be brought back to land half drowned but laughing.
It soon became perfectly evident that we could not cross till early
next morning, when the frost on the glaciers above would have frozen
up the sources of this turbulent stream. As we were wondering where
we could possibly find room to lie down for the night, high above us
on the opposite bank a stone came bounding down a precipitous gully.
Who had started it? Some goat or other wild animal; or was it our cook
returning with provisions? Shouting was useless, for the roar of the
torrent drowned every noise. Five minutes passed, then ten, finally a
quarter of an hour, but we were not destined to be disappointed; at
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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