Part 4

SEPTEMBER 7th.--Got up at daybreak and marched on Chikar, distance ten miles. For three miles the road continued along the valley of the Jhelum, and then turned to the south, and crossed several ranges of hills, each range rising higher than the one before, very hard work it was, the ascents being so steep and long--I can't keep my breath going up hill; it is far more fatiguing than any roughness of road. Chikar is a good sized village with a fort and is situated on the summit of a mountain at least two thousand feet above the Jhelum. There is a fine view of the surrounding hills from the Barahduree. Shortly after our arrival it began to rain, and has turned out a wet day. I had half my crockery broken by the coolie dropping the basket instead of putting it carefully down at the conclusion of the march.

SEPTEMBER 8th.--To Meira, seven and a half miles, a toilsome hill for half the distance, and then a descent the rest of the way. Scenery very pretty, the valleys being much larger and the mountains higher. The Murree ridge is now visible. From this bungalow we can see the next halting place, half way up a hill on the opposite side of an extensive valley deeply cut by ravines. The view is really very grand--much the finest on this road--in some parts it slightly resembles the scenery around Darjeeling with, of course, pine trees taking the place of magnolias and rhododendrons. The mere mention of those trees--magnolias and rhododendrons I mean--will only give you a misconception of the Sikin forests, because your ideas will be turned to the stunted shrubs of our northern latitudes. The magnolias and rhododendrons I speak of, are huge towering trees, taller than the largest oaks. How well I remember the magnificent spectacle they presented when in blossom! I have never seen mountains or forests that could compare in grandeur with those of the eastern Himalayas. Can you imagine Kishun-gunga twenty-nine thousand feet high? No! it is impossible; it is a sight that produces the most intense awe, and when I first looked upon it I did not know how to contain my feelings; but enough, or I shall be giving you a chapter quite irrevelant to my journey from Kashmir. By the side of this bungalow stands a large cypress; a very beautiful and by no means a common tree. There is something peculiarly rich in its dark green foliage, and withal, melancholy look, but that is doubtless owing to its tomb--stone associations. Ince in his "Guide," calls it a sycamore. He could hardly have named a tree more widely different.

SEPTEMBER 9th.--To Dunee, eight and a half miles; first half, down hill, second up: both very steep and rough. A bad fatiguing march. The barahduree here has been lately white-washed and looks quite refreshing after the other dirty ones; but the rooms are ridiculously small. This is the last halt in Kashmirian territory; to-morrow we shall be in a dâk bungalow. I had a lesson to-day. The same lesson that the spider taught Bruce--never to cease striving to obtain any desired object; and not despair even if frequent failures attend the attempt. Ever since I left Baramula I have been endeavouring to catch another of the green butterflies, as beetles had eaten my first specimen. But they are very alert on the wing, and I could not get near one. The last two or three marches I had not seen any, having got out of their locality, but to-day a solitary one flew by me and I knocked it down, caught it, and secured it in my toper. Success will eventually crown all constant endeavours, it is a slight peg on which to hang a moral, but let it pass. Life is made up of trifles, and I desire my book to represent my life. A number of people--ladies, men, and children--came into the bungalow at 2 o'clock, having made a double march and overtaken us; so we are very closely packed, even the verandah being occupied.

SEPTEMBER 10th.--To Kohala, six miles, nearly all the way down a terribly steep and rough hill to the banks of the Jhelum--which river has taken a great bend among the mountains and now runs at right angles to its former course. A ferry boat crosses the torrent at this spot and the passage during the summer is attended with considerable danger, as the stream runs at the rate of twenty miles an hour. I got my baggage in it and landed upon British soil at the other side. The Dâk bungalow is just above, but we were very much crowded as all the other people remained for the night. After dinner a great thunderstorm took place accompanied with very heavy rain.

SEPTEMBER 11th.--Marched to Dargwal, twelve miles, up hill all the way, but the road is broad and smooth, so that the march was quickly and easily accomplished. M---- and his wife did not come in till the middle of the day as they could not get coolies in time to start early. There is a good furnished bungalow here, our other fellow travellers have gone on to Murree, so we have the house to ourselves.

SEPTEMBER 12th.--To Murree, ten miles, road the same as yesterday. Went to Woodcot, and found Spurgeon, Gordon, and Egerton, of the 36th; Hensma and Beadnell, 77th; and Dalrymple, 88th. Put up with them sharing Spurgeon's room. Spent a pleasant time at Murree, doing very little--a long rest of ten days after my labours--and on the 22nd, at 1 o'clock, I took my seat in the mail cart with Redan Massy for my companion, and started on my journey to Peshawur. Arrived at Rawul Birder at 6 in the evening, and went on at once by the Government van. Had no time for food. Got to Peshawur at 7 o'clock next morning, and thus ended my three months sick leave. And now I go back to the din and bustle of life, the empty conventionalities of society, the noise and glitter of mess; to the re-pursuit of my profession, and to learn again by the bedside of many a dying man how weak and powerless is that profession to combat the ills that flesh is heir to. I sometimes wish I could exchange my present calling. Terrible thoughts often assail me, after the death of any of my patients. Questions as to whether I am at all responsible for the fatal issue. Whether by lack of knowledge that I should possess or by careless observation during the progress of the disease, I have allowed a man to die who might have been saved, or pushed into the grave one who was only trembling with uncertainty upon its brink. Yet as a set off against these feelings there is the satisfaction experienced when sufferings are relieved or health restored by the interposition of my aid. The profession of medicine is potent for good and evil. For good in the hands of him who makes it his lifelong study; for evil in his hands who adopts it merely as a respectable means of obtaining his livelihood. It is noble in the one case; detestable in the other. You do not know how detestable. If the vail could be raised, if you could see the vast amount of misery and suffering caused, the many hearts broken that God would not have made sad; and the many unprepared souls hurried out of this life into eternity by the ignorance of men who are "licensed to kill," you would cry out against the whole body of the profession with a bitter hatred, that even the army of noble and devoted minds amongst us would be unable to appease. Am I too severe? I fear not. There are charlatans and know nothings in every pursuit, but in mine they effect so seriously the temporal and may be eternal welfare of mankind that their existence is awful to contemplate. Shall I, in conclusion, write an apology for having nothing better than the foregoing to offer for your perusal "devil a bit." If I have written folly and you have read it all, why, you are the greater simpleton. To me it was an occupation when I had nothing better to do, on your part it was a foolish waste of time, which might have been more profitably employed. If I have written folly and you have not read it, what necessity is there for me to apologize to you? If I have written sense and you consider it nonsense, you owe me an apology for your erroneous opinion. But if I have written sense and you have derived pleasure from the perusal of it, then we are both content, and I need neither forefend your criticism nor beg your excuses. Thus then I have proved that though it may possibly be necessary for you to apologize to me, it cannot under any circumstance be needful for me to apologize to you. But there is a small class to whom the above remarks do not apply. I mean those few who I delight to think will read my book diligently and admiringly, merely because I wrote it. Whose judgment is warped by their affection, and who will be unconscious of the weary yawn my pages may often produce. Shall I apologize to them? No! let them read, let them yawn; T'is a labour of love on their part, a labour which love has prepared for them--and for them alone--or mine.

And now farewell. May your shadow never grow less! May you live for a thousand years.

HAZOR SALAAM.

JANUARY 16th, 1869.--If these notes should ever be written out by my relations after my death--for I am now like to die, let me beg that the many mistakes in spelling, consequent upon the hurry and roughness of the writing, may by corrected and not set down to ignorance.

LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS.

Prince Frederic of Schleswig Holstein. His Excellency Lieut.-General E. Frome, R.E., Governor of Guernsey. Sir P. Stafford Carey, Bailiff of Guernsey. Edgar MacCulloch, Esq., Lieutenant-Bailiff. William Wallace Armstrong, Esq., San Francisco. A.B. Mrs. Boucaut, Guernsey. General Sir George Brooke, K.C.B., R.H.A. Lieut.-Col. H.J. Buchanan, 2-9th Regiment. Major Henry L. Brownrigg, 84th Regiment. Henry S.R. Bagenal, Esq., Control Department. Captain George P. Beamish, 36th Regiment. Mr. George Beedle, Quarter-Master 6th Regiment. A. Brown, Esq., National Provincial Bank of England. J. P. Bainbrigge, Esq., Bank of England, Liverpool. J. Banckes, Esq., Shipwrecked Mariners' Society. Mrs. Crawford, Guernsey. Mrs. Cunnynghame, Edinburgh. W. Collins, Esq., M.D., Scots Fusilier Guards. Mrs. Cave, Hartley Whitney, Hants. Captain G. Collis, 6th Regiment. Colonel Conran, Fitzroy, Melbourne. H. Couling, Esq., Brighton. H. Cuppaidge, Esq. Miss Dugdale, 75, Gloucester Terrace, Hyde Park, W. Miss E. Donne, Grove Terrace Highgate. Miss Donne, Salisbury. James D'Altera, Esq., M.D. James Deane, Esq., Queenstown, Cork. W.G. Don, Esq., M.D. Dr. Drewitt, Wimborne, Dorset. Dr. Dudfield, 8, Upper Phillimore Place, Kensington, W. B. De Marylski, Esq., Royal Artillery. Captain P. De Saumarez, Guernsey. Captain D.K. Evans, 6th Regiment. Mrs. W. Foster, 7, Lower Berkeley Street, London. Mrs. E. Foster, 10, Chester Terrace, Regent's Park. Mrs. Feilden, Isle of Herm. Major-Gen. Sampson Freeth, late Royal Engineers. Major-Gen. James H. Freeth, late Royal Engineers. Colonel Foster, late 16th Lancers. The Rev. W. Foran, Guernsey. Walter Freeth Esq., Croydon. Henry Foster Esq., Victoria Road, Kensington. Patterson Foster, Esq. Kingsly, O. Foster, Esq. Mrs. F.W. Gosselin, Guernsey. Rev. F. Giffard, The Vicarage, Hartley Wintney. John C. Guerin, Esq., Guernsey. S.M. Gully, Esq., 9th Regiment. F.L. Grundy, Esq., 6th Regiment. M. Garnier, Guernsey. Mrs. Horridge. Lieut.-Col. Fitzwilliam Hunter, 36th Regiment. T. Holmes, Esq., 18, Great Cumberland Place, Hyde Park. Captain J.B. Hopkins, 6th Regiment. Reginald Hollingworth, Esq., late 77th Regiment. T. Husband, Esq., 34, Argyle Road, Kensington. Charles Hogge, Esq., 6th Regiment.

In Memoriam. Miss B.S.H. Coventry Jeffery. Captain A.H. Josselyn, 9th Regiment. J.W. Jones, Esq., 5th Dragoon Guards. The Rev. Charles Kingsley, M.A. Mr. J. Kenwood, Hartley Wintney. Mrs. Le Marchant Thomas Le Marchant, Guernsey. Miss Lefebvre, Guernsey. Mrs. La Serre, Guernsey. Sir T. Galbraith Logan, K.C.B., Director General. Thomas Lacy, Esq., Guernsey. Major R.B. Lloyd, 36th Regiment. "Library," Officers, 36th Regiment. Mr. Thomas Lenfestey, Guernsey. Mrs. MacPherson, Guernsey. Mrs. Mogg, Clifton. Mrs. Peter Martin, Guernsey. Mrs. Myers, Guernsey. A.D. MacGregor, Esq., Guernsey. Capt. A.E. Morgan, late 71st Highland Lt. Inf. Captain J.W. Massey, 9th Regiment. J.W. Morgan, Esq., 6th Regiment. James E. Macdonnel, Esq., 9th Regiment. W.H. Marriot, Esq., 36th Regiment. S.M. Maxwell, Esq., 36th Regiment. A. Morgan, Esq., Treasurer, S.W. Railway. The Mess, 36th Regiment. W. Moullin, Esq., Clifton. Miss A.M. Newman, Cheltenham. The Rev. E.J. Ozanne, M.A., Guernsey. Captain J. Osmer, 36th Regiment. E.F. O'Leary, Esq., 6th Regiment. Mrs. Joshua Priaulx, Guernsey. Mr. Charles Palmer, Hartley Wintney. Miss M. Pittard Guernsey. Colonel Priaulx, Guernsey. Colonel Lewis Peyton. G. Pollock, Esq., 36, Grosvenor Street, London, W. C.W. Poulton, Esq., 35th Regiment. G. Pound; Esq., Odiham, Hants. Mrs. Ramsay, Isle of Sark. John Roberts, Esq., M.D., Guernsey. George M. Richmond, Esq., 36th Regiment. J.L. Rose, Esq., 36th Regiment. Mrs. Sandes, St. John's Hill, London, S.W. Mrs. R. Smith, Guernsey. Lieut.-Col. R. Scott, Fort George, Aberdeen. Major Charles Stirling, late Royal Artillery. Dr. Fowler Smith, District Recruiting Office, Peterborough. Capt. C. Spurgeon, 36th Regiment. Capt. H. Stopford, 36th Regiment. W. Smail, Esq., 36th Regiment. R.B. Smyth, Esq., M.B. 102d Regiment. Mrs. Threllfall, Ferryside, South Wales. Capt. C. Townsend, Royal Artillery. D. Thorburn, Esq., M.D., 8th Hussars. Mrs. Wren, 3 Paris Square, Bayswater. Charles Williams, Esq., Guernsey. Watkin S. Whylock, Esq., M.D., Assist.-Surgeon. Capt. H. Webb, 36th Regiment. Mr Wetheral, Oak Lodge, Winchfield. Netley Library. And "Others received too late for publication."

LE LIEVRE, PRINTER, STAR-OFFICE, BORDAGE-STREET.