Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-10

CROSS the great, dusty Slnu
! ~ Desert, two days journey by
"A train from Karachi, the Man
i \ chester-Port Said" of British
India, lies Lahore. One hun
bred and fifty miles beyond is Rawal
Pindi, the "Aldershot" of the East.
Two days farther travel, this time
in a motor car. brings one to the
happy valley of Kashmir. where the
chenar trees of the Shalimar Bagll
sweep down to the lotus lake that
merges on the Jhelum River.
Here is Sringar, the city Of the sun
the mecca Of the explorer and big
game hunter in the Western Hima
layas. There, in a Kashmir garden
my wife and I pitched our first camp
while we made the necessary arrange
mentS for our journey to the End OF
the World" and beyond.
We did not plan to take the Yarkand
route into the hinterland. but to trek
up to Amarnath, which is the venue
each August. of a great pilgrimage
the attraction being weird. ice bound
cave, 10 900 feet above sea level, called
by the Hindus the END of the World.
From there we intended to push on
across the mountains and join our
Yarkandi friends on the road to Leh
the western capital of Lamaism and
the headquarters of the devil dancers
X X
A last all our arrangements We're
completed and we started on our
journey.
1t was impossible for the coolies tC
remain with us in our laboriouS ascent
of the Bairagi Chat. The way leads
through narrow tunnels, along which
the pilgrim crawls slowly and pain
fully in the belief that his burden OF
sin will be swept away. We had tC
send the coolies by a detour over a
glacier to the Amarnath Ravine till
we made a camping ground beyond
the cave.
A hundred and fifty feet high and
the same distance wide, and deePNsunlS
in the mighty Amarnath peak, is the
famous cave that forms the pilgrim S
mecca. It Is the reputed dwelling.
place of SILVA the Destroyer. the
manifestation of the deity being a
frozen spring that bursts from the
rock. 1t is priestless shrine save
at the pilgrimage season, for the ap-
proaches are fast frozen for six
months in the year and no worshipers
dwell anywhere near.
In August, however, the melting
waters of the spring spread a carpet
of verdTe at the cave mouth. and we
found the edelweiss growing there.
Above US lowered a vast wall of rock,
eliminating in great seventeen-thou-
sand-foot crags, ribbed with eternal
SHOWS that effectively bar farther prog.
ress and enable one to understand
how this sinister spot got it's name of
the END Of the World" The title is
apt. indeed, for here both the pilgrim
and the traveller must turn back.
That afternoon we scaled the rocky
wall that seals the ravine, only to
find ourselves in a cul-de-sac.
Path-finding was pure guesswork.
Uncertain as to whether way existed
at all we took the porters up a noun.
tain spur in the hope of finding a
path along the summit. We climbed
steadily for about 3 hours up terrific
slope. following a goat-track that
struggled up the precipitous mountain
face, the porters grumbling at every
step, muttering among themselves
that we were mad to drag them
through such dangers when, by retrac-
ing our steps. we should be assured of
q safe return. Surely we had seen
all there was to see.
We thought we had reached the
limit of our worries when a coolie,
making a false step, lost his foothold
and went sliding down over the rocks.
We picked him up and rendered first
aid. Fortunately, his injuries were
slight.
Our shikari was the first to reach
the top. and once there he gave a cry
Of dismay, for he found himself over.