Shortly after, when climbing round the spur of one of the mountains, the dense clouds separated and exposed to view right before me the “Snowy Range” towering up so majestically to the skies! The full moon was shining upon it, and imparting to it that purple tint which makes it look so lovely and so unearthly! It was the grandest natural sight I ever beheld, and to me was brilliantly suggestive of that “land of rest,” where the sun shall no more go down, neither shall the moon withdraw itself; but the Lord shall be unto us an everlasting light, and the days of our mourning shall be ended!
I resumed my weary way, our pace being now about one mile an hour, and at nearly eleven o'clock came to the summit of a high mountain, where there seemed to be two paths, which increased my perplexity; but on looking off to the right I could make out that the hills rounded into a crescent, on the far point of which I discovered a light, which I knew must be from the window of the dak Bungalow! After all my anxiety I had been guided in safety by a way I knew not. On reaching the Bungalow, I found that neither bed nor food was to be had. However, I was too tired to care much for food, so the privation was little felt. I could have relished a comfortable bed had it been available, but the floor and shelter of a roof were mercies. The ladies had safely and duly arrived, and were stretched, some on the ground and others on charpoys, and thus the night wore over.
Next morning there was no sign of the coolies, so we resumed our march, my poor horse being obliged to remain where he was, and by evening we were overtaken at the next Bungalow by our bedding and food, both of which were very welcome indeed. We arrived at Almorah next day, tired enough, and were accommodated with a couple of rooms in a little house near the fort. Some of our friends would smile could they see the humble accommodations, for which we felt no small amount of gratitude. The floor was of clay; we had two camp tables, three chairs, and two charpoys—that was the extent of our furniture! But “necessity is the mother of invention,” and we soon found out that a trunk lid could be
