Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-13
At kASHMI[R|:| AT LAST
49, bGa
After Four Days by Rail and
Two Days"by Tonga.
ysei
Observation-Disclosures
y
SURROUNDINGS AND ATTEND
ANTS HELPED OUT.
A Dunga Home for Month, With a
Handsome Kashmiri to We'll
come Travellers.
Written for The EVENING Ster

Kashmir at last! But only after a jour
ney of five days by train with a rest of
two days at Rawal Pindi and then a drive
by tonga of two days of twelve hours
each. We left beautiful Darjeeing at
eleven in the morning and had
delightful day on the little two-foot gauge
line with views indescribable on all sides
during the first half day, and enchanting
Jungles the rest of the way, of wild banana
trees, bamboo orchids on every tree, huge,
brilliantly colored flowers and everything
that one fmagines to be in ones ideal
jungle. The forest was full of a leaf1ess
tree literally clothed in small, brilliantly
crimson flower, very gorgeous sight. We
mad decided to come up as far as Luck
now by rather slow and unfrequented line
as the engineer of the railway was on his
way home and suggested our going at the
same time, and very pleasant he made the
Journey for US, as, being a great person
age, the train could not leave any station
without him, so we fingered at our meals
and took short walks now and again. AS
no train in India ever runs on time it was
not SO surprising to us as 1t might have
Deen Our tickets from Darjeeling to Raw
al Pindi-a journey of four nights and five
Gays, with a large compartment or draw
ing room to ourselves and big bath room
IN connection cost us thirty-three dollars
~>AA iOOO, dUOul thirty live QOl-
lars. The meals were primitive of course
ana were to be had only at the station
eating rooms, but were plentiful and much
better than those we had suffered from
on the journey up from Bombay. We had
three changes Of train, but made close con-
nections and at comfortable times and
reached Pindi, which is the largest mill
tary station In India, as well being the
starung point for Kashmir at the season.
able hour Of $3.50 or thereabouts We spent
as little time as possible there one day
being sufnc1ent to make preparations for
the drive OF one hundred and ninety-five
miles, ana started forth at 10 o'clock one
brilliant morning-our tonga loaded to the
roof. The tonga we found to be most
comfortable mode of conveyance and the
first days drive of sixty-four miles was
made with very little fatigue and very
much pleasure. Our driver was the most
picturesque Of beings quite our idea of
bandit of the mountains, very dark and
ruddy and heavily bearded, with high
boots or soft leather, baggy dirty white
trousers and a long white wool coat of
loosely woven native cloth. a dark blue
sash or bund' and dirty white turban.
In his sash he carried a huge, curved knife
and in his hands whip with short ham
die and long leather lash His eyelashes
were Of an amazing length and gave to
his fierce countenance a. peculiarly child
like expression. He spoke very little Hin
duStanee, as he was KaShmiri, and our
bearer, after starting several conversa-
tons with him and finding him impossible
to understand, gaveit up and relapsed into
silence.
On the Road.
The tonga being like very low very
broad dog cart. we sat in the back seat
back back with the driver and bearer
with our feet on a tpped-up step. The
drive reminded us in many ways of that
across the Caucasus. especially I regret to
say, in the condition of the poor thin ILL
used horses. but two in place Of three are
used with each tonga, and the changes are
more frequent. for in place of a wild gal
lop of fifteen miles with three horses har-
messed abreast in the Caucasus in the HI
malayas the same mad pace endures for
only six miles.
The horses are trained to stand quietly
while the extremely primitive-looking har-
ness is put on and then to start off madly,
rearing. kicking and plunging at great
rate. Our first stop, Just as we had left
the plain OF Rawal Pindi and began the
ascent Of the lower hills. was at tiny
"bustf' or native village. where we had our
lunch at a rough little table placed under
the shelter of a matched roof The floor
was as clean as possible having had fresh
clay laid down shortly before, and we
were separated from the hook-smoking
owners Of the place by a narrow partition
of carved wood. AS usual the whole popu-
lation assembled in front of US to watch
and criticise. and we longed to understand
their remarks. They seemed to regard
US in serious light and to be especially
Interested In a pet nongoose. which had
been presented to us by a friend at Luck
now. which we kept In round cane
basket during the drive. and released for
few moments at each stop. The little
creature, about the size Of large squirrel,
was and is the delight of our lives as II
Is SO very playful. no trouble at all and in
terested in everything. 1t wears a tiny
harness. a red leather collar and belt with
a long red card attached and it Is hardly
that If ia In honda Va
named 1t "Bud-mash." which means
rogue" in Hindustanee. and a veritabIe
rogue 1t Is. for 1t pokes it's inquisitive nose
into our ink stands. with disastrous results
crawls into every possible hole gets shut
up in bureau drawers where 1t is quietly
carrying on an investigation, and tears up
every paper that 1t sees, to hear the noise
its delight and one of them is forever being
concealed in some dark corner. where the
ayah or bearer discovers 1t after lengthy
search.
A Mongoose Menu.
1t eats raw egg with great ease and
grace. first playing with 1t by rolling it
all over the floor, and finally cracking in
the top against chair or some hard SUBJ
stance and sucking the contents in such a
way that little escapes. On our drive
across the mountains at each stop the
funny little thing would at once begin
digging a hole for the pure pleasure of
exercise, as far as we could discover. and
it was that which gave the natives so much
enjoyment.
At the second stop, where the stony, bare
hills made a rather unattractive scene a
young boy came up twatging guitar-like
instrument, which was most beautifully
carved and hung from bis neck by cord
Of grass braided. He twanged out a meIan-
choly little air and sang the same words
apparently, over and over again, for the
small sum of quarterly cent, but sud
denly. at sight of the mongoose, he stopped
in the middle of heqine, and with dropped
Jaw regarded our funny pet, who had until
then been on a very busy tour of inyestiga-
ton in the bottom Of the tonga.
AS the evening came ON the snow noun
tains began to show themselves, and as we
tore UP the hill leading TO the we'll known
hill station, Murree, we ipassed snow drifts
and frozen streamsst AS natives. are always
on the lookout for gain, 1t is necessary to
keep a close watch opy ones belongings.
and as at Murree we found that we must
have our countless things transferred to
another tonga, we waited and watched and
counted and we said "Jeldi" (quick) in de-
termined tones, and we frowned when a
native among the crowd Of fifty dirty. he
turbaned and inquisitive dark beings all
conversing at the tops Of their voices came