Himalayan Times (1954)

..Might if.imnlrt^Bii i?»,nc« January It, 1H54

the diverting scenery out- After .mother half steal ..Strength left to walk

side is swallowed up in hour of relentless climbing, further. The little motive

darkness an.l • the only ' when I had resigned my power provided by the

feeling to which tho self to never reaching the hjpe of finding the Dak

senses are keenly alive crest of the. hill, the path bungalow close to the

every second is that of a began to slope down life crest of the hill on which

dull maddening pain in crest, had b -en reached. I had been moving, was

the call'and thigh muscles. It was a great relief for also destroyed by this

The , path seemed endless me and even more so for piece of information. After

and ever rising. When my porters. They assured " a step or two I collapsed

we reached a sharp bend me that Chakung had on the path. The rain

in the path on the side of been reached and the Dak was beating down on mo

the hill my heart fluttered bungalow could not be mercilessly while rain water

with hope thai, the top far away. Hut they had and slush coursed through

had been reached, but no idea bow far away it my half pant and over

when I flashed the torch was and where it was my legs. The palms of

on the other side of tho located. The path soon my hand lay flat on the

bend its ray 6f light pic- became, level But the mud and my body roniai-

ked out the path winding rain showed no signs of ned propped against, my

up and. losing itself into abating and the''path had elbows My porters camo

dense forests. We stood become a mess of slush, rushing towards me to

at the bend dripping wet rainwater, decayed vegeta- help me to my feet. They

and looking into the empty , tion and stones. The hill were profusely sorry for

dark space beyqnd the fell aw'ay' in a precipice my sad condition and said

side of . the hill Our to the right and our pro- they were solely to blame

breath was short and gress on the.slippery path for it. My torch had gone

quick. Phurba '.pointed and? in ' the- insufficiently out, the b.dh having fused

his ' finger towards the lit ''darkness necessarily in' the shock of its fall

horizon and said 'that is had to be slow andean- from my hand So in the

Datjeelfbg'. Through \the tioui We could see dim . light ol a single kerosine

raindrops I could see the lights on the slopes to lamp we ambled on with

lights of Darjeeling far the right Phurba stopped Phurba and Angki suppor-

away spread out on a at a. point on the- edge ' ting me by my elbows

sprawling hill like aeons of the path and hailed on either side My irpa.

tellation df stars in the to the nearest lisht in a pination created link bun

shape of a horse shoo. high pitched voice, 'o-o-o- galows at every bend ai

1 looked on fascinated for i-i-i'. We waited tensely the path and one by one

the. while forgetting .ray for a reply and stir, enough they' vatvshed on my

fatigue. ' .The, . night-'. Was a voice came back in , approach. After plodding

cold and iv sharp wind answer. Phurbi then en- on for what seemed an

blew across my face .sen- 'quired bow far away the interminable time we eame

ding my whole body, into Dak bungalow was. Three to two wood-n structures

a shiver. *.' I'looked at my miles', came the reply. on the edge of the path,

watch in the light of the • This/ information was a the first sign of human

torch. It was 8 p. m.' seyefe blow to my morale. inhabitation,
ami there was''no time . I was so weak with bun

to stand and stare.- ' ■ ger that f had no phy- (OonrtaneiJ on ;»jy> |0)

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