Page:Littell's Living Age - Volume 125.djvu/198

184 source of mighty sacred rivers: the very centre of the Himáliya; the Himmel, or heaven of the Teuton Aryans as well as of Hindu mythology. Mount Meru itself may be regarded as raising there its golden front against the sapphire sky; the Kailas, or "Seat of Happiness," is the cæliun of the Latins; and there is the fitting, unapproachable abode of Brahma and of his attendant gods, Gandharvas and Rishis.

But I now felt determined to make a closer acquaintance with these wondrous peaks — to move among them, upon them, and behind them — so I hurried from Masúri to Simla by the shortest route, that of the carriage-road from the foot of the hills through the Sewaliks to Saharunpore; by rail from thence to Ambála, by carriage to Kalka, and from Kalka to Simla in a jhampan, by the old road, which, however, is not the shortest way for that last section, because a mail-cart now runs along the new road. Ambala, and the roads from thence to Simla present a very lively scene in April, when the governor-general, the commander-in-chief, the heads of the supreme government, their baggage and attendants, and the clerks of the different departments, are on their way up to the summer retreat of the government of India. It is highly expedient for the traveller to avoid the days of the great rush, when it is impossible for him to find conveyance of any kind at any price — and I did so; but even coming in among the ragtag and bobtail, — if deputy-commissioners and colonels commanding regiments — men so tremendous in their own spheres — may be thus profanely spoken of, — there was some difficulty in procuring carriage and bungalow accommodation; and there was plenty of amusing company, — from the ton weight of the post-office official, who required twenty groaning coolies to carry him, to the dapper little lieutenant or assistant deputy-commissioner who cantered lightly along parapetless roads skirting precipices; and from the heavy-browed sultana of some Gangetic station, whose stern look palpably interrogates the amount of your monthly paggár, to the more lily-like young Anglo-Indian dame or damsel, who darts at you a Parthian yet gentle glance, though shown "more in the eyelids than the eyes," as she trips from her jhampan or Bareilly dandy into the travellers' bungalow.

In the neighbourhood of Simla there is quite a collection of sanitariums, which are passed, or seen, by the visitors to that more famous place. The first of these, and usually the first stopping-place for the night of those who go by the old bridle-road from Kalka, is Kussowli, famous for its Himáliyan beer, which is not unlike the ordinary beer of Munich. It is more rainy than Simla, more windy, and rather warmer, though as high or a little higher, and is chiefly occupied as a depot for the convalescents of European regiments. Close to it rises the barren hill of Sonawur, where there is the (Sir Henry) Lawrence Asylum, for boys and girls of European or mixed parentage, between four hundred and five hundred being usually supported and educated there at the expense of government. Two other sanitariums, Dagshai (Dugshaie) and Subáthu (Subathoo), are also military depots; the latter having large barracks, and houses with fine gardens and orchards. The British soldier improves greatly in strength and appearance on these heights; but it is said he does not appreciate the advantages of being placed upon them. He does not like having to do so much for himself as falls to his lot when he is sent to the mountains. He misses the Indian camp-followers, who treat him below as a Chota Lord Sahib; and, above all, he misses the varied life of the plains, and the amusement of the bazaar. I am afraid, too, mountains fail to afford him much gratification after his first burst of pleasure on finding himself among and upon them. "Sure, and I've been three times round that big hill to-day, and not another blessed thing is there to do up here!" I heard an Irish corporal indignantly exclaim. To the officers and their families the hills are a delightful change; but to the undeveloped mind of Tommy Atkins they soon become exceedingly tiresome, though I believe the soldiers enjoy much being employed in the working parties upon the roads, where they have the opportunity of laying by a little money.

The mountains between Kalka and Simla are wild and picturesque enough, but they give no idea of either the grandeur or the beauty of the Himáliya; and the traveller should be warned against being disappointed with them. No ranges of eternal snow are in sight; no forests of lofty deodar; no thick jungle, like that of the Terai; no smiling valleys, such as the Dehra Doon. We have only the ascending of steep bare mountain-sides, in order to go down them on the other side, or to wind along bare 