Although we had
made a longish march, we managed, with the aid of the kettle and the
brandy, to sit up by the light of a roaring pine fire until late, in
the hopes of some news arriving of our searching party. None however
came, and we went to bed HOPING that the man had lost his way, and
FEARING that he had fallen either over the slippery snow-bridge or
down one of the many precipices into the torrent.
SEPTEMBER 6. -- Morning came, but neither news of our cook nor of
the party who went out in his search, and, after breakfast, donning
a pair of grass shoes, and provided with some matches and a small
bottle of cherry-brandy, I sallied out with the mate on a voyage of
discovery. Outside the village I met the searching party, who had
been out all through the bitter night, but had found no traces of
the object of their search.
Sending a note to F. to dispatch all the coolies to search, I pressed
on to the most dangerous precipice of our yesterday's route, and,
descending to the torrent, searched about the grass and weeds at the
bottom, but without finding any traces.
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