Although, in making my pre parations I had felt sorely tempted to bring away at least a few treasured articles, I knew it was out of the question, and religiously abstained from taking in my pockets, any unnecessary weight whatever. I. only had with me, my compass, map, and a notebook, two tins of Brand's essence and a small bottle, each, of "Forced March tabloids' (containing cocaine) and of malted milk tablets. The camp lay scattered down a wooded left which carried its. only water supply in a tiny stream. On the opposite side of this stream was a very steep wooded hill, apparently rising to about 1,000 feet above the camp. Beyond this hill, so far as I could see, was an open grass valley, and across its narrow floor rose a wooded limestone ridge. The top of this range which apparently provided cover and a view for miles around, was the objective, which I hoped to attain, before daylight. The ordinary way there, would have been down the path, by the stream running through the camp, but as this would be an obvious line of pursuit, in the event of discovery, and as I should have had to pass several occupied tents, I decided on the almost vertical hill opposite, as it would probably be ruled out by the brigands as a possibility for me. Nor would they have been far wrong in this supposition.
On leaving my "tent" I went as quietly and swiftly as I could, and, never even looking back, I passed the last tent far up the stream, almost running into it, the fire was out and the occupants asleep or drugged with opium—in fact, a solitary opium lamp inside, was my only guide. I crossed the steep little ravine above this tent, and immediately came on to the face of the precipitous bank which, to my con-stomation, I found, was covered with a dense growth of stout rhododendron bushes. Slowly, and using my arms almost more than my legs, I gradually worked my way diagonally up the hill, but so slowly that it did not seem as if I should ever reach the top. After frequent, rests and an occasional '"'cocaine" tal void, I found by experimenting that the best way to negotiate the hill was by moving along almost flat on my face, in which posture, it was easier to worm one's way through the stubborn stems. Several times I thought I heard a great hubbub in the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.