Relief From the Heat of India’s Plains
By MRS. MYRTLE LEECH
[From the continued heat of the plains in India, our workers can find no reprieve other than a trip to the mountains. This is really necessary to preserve their health. The following is a letter written home by Sister Myrtle Leech, describing a camping expedition she and her husband, in company with other workers from Bengal, recently made into Kashmir, the northernmost province of India. So far as we know, this visit is the first made by our workers into this part of India. Very likely some seeds of truth were sown along the way by literature left with the people. As this is a personal letter to friends, we leave it in the familiar style, which the reader will appreciate and enjoy.] Now about our trip. No need to say it was grand. We left home September 6, and were joined at Madhupur by Elder French and family. As there were four of us, we got missionary concessions and went second class. Our first stop was at Cawnpore, where we visited Sister Sheen. That same night we went on to Agra. Arriving there at midnight, we spent the remainder of the night in the station. After breakfast the next morning we took gharries and went out to see the city and visit the Taj Mehal [the noted tomb built by one of the kings for his wife]. It was grand. I’ll try to describe it, but I cannot do it justice, it must be seen. The grounds around it are beautiful. There are two or three hundred fountains playing along the path leading up to it. It is made of marble, and presents a grand and imposing sight glistening in the sun. At the stairs we were met by a keeper who wiped the dust from our shoes before we were allowed to enter. The tombs are in the center, and are surrounded by great marble screens cut and carved with the most exquisite flowers and designs, as if they were of some soft stone instead of marble. I had never seen anything so beautiful. The staves themselves are beautiful pieces of work. At one time these were set in all manner of precious stones, and the screens surrounding them were of solid gold, but those have been carried away, and these marble ones were made to take their place. The walls are also beautifully carved in marble. We enjoyed hearing the echoes as they sounded and resounded through the great dome. We then went through a long, narrow, dark passage down to the real graves. They also are beautifully inlaid, and incense is kept burning day and night; offerings of sweetmeats and flowers are made daily, and beautiful big lamps made of gold and silver are kept burning constantly. On account of the war the fort was closed, so we could not see the pearl mosque. But we drove out ten miles into the country and saw another famous mosque, surrounded by beautiful big grounds. The mosque itself is overlaid in white and black marble on the outside. At one time this, too, was overlaid with gold inside. But the gold has been carried away. The English have done over one of the wall panels in gold and silver gilt, so visitors can get an idea of the grandeur of the original work. It gave us a faint idea of what Solomon’s temple must have been. We went to the top and saw the marble pillars carved in beautiful designs at the head of one of the graves. From this pillar was taken the famous diamond, half of which now rests in the crown of King George and the other in that of Queen Mary. When we were in London, we saw them in the tower with the other jewels. We surely enjoyed our visit at Agra, and reluctantly turned our steps back to the station. We should have enjoyed spending hours among those grand old mosques, but our watches reminded us that we must hasten, for Elder and Mrs. Pettit were due on the three o’clock train from Bombay to join us. We certainly were glad to meet Brother and Sister Pettit, whom we had not seen for two years. The next day found us at Delhi, and here we spent several more interesting hours viewing the sights of the new capital and the ruins of the old. It is really a beautiful place, and we were charmed with it. That evening found us again on the train, bound for Lahore, where we were to meet Dr. Mann and Professor Salisbury for a committee meeting. We reached there the next morning at eight o’clock, in a drizzling rain, and were met by Dr. Mann, who took us at once to the mission house and made us welcome. Professor Salisbury came a little later from Lucknow, and the men all hurried off to attend to some business and to look over the work in general. Friday was spent in seeing the city and in holding committee meetings. We enjoyed the Sabbath together; but as soon as it was over, we had to rush to get our things together to catch the nine-thirty train. Professor Salisbury left at eight o’clock. Sunday at eleven-thirty found us at Rawalpindi, where we left the train and procured two gharries for the next part of the trip. These gharries were four-wheeled and accommodated four each. We had our dinner at the station, and started out about three o’clock. It was a beautiful drive right through the valley. About five o’clock we came to the foothills, and from there it was a steady climb. The road wound in and out, and was very steep. We had procured a little one-horse cart to take the luggage we could not put on our big gharries. As it was growing dark, we began to inquire where the other gharri was, and were told that it would catch up soon. So we told the men to stop at the next good camping place for the night; but each one at which we wished to stop was not good enough, there was a better just ahead. They kept on this way until after nine o’clock, when we told them it was time to stop, and it didn’t make any difference what kind of place it was. So they stopped: They had started late, and their horses were fresh, so they wanted to go as far as possible. Well, to make a long story short, that gharri didn’t come up, and the men knew it wouldn’t all the time. Our folding cots and most of our bedding were on the missing gharri, and the night was cold. We pitched the tent, spread the fly on the ground, and slept in our clothes, getting along fairly well, though some of us took cold. The next day we were up and off early. It was grand, for we soon began to get up among the firs and the maples. They looked like old friends. How we did enjoy this drive, although it was a steady climb most of the way, and we walked a good part of the time. At twelve o’clock we came to the divide. Oh, it was grand! On one side we could look away down and see the Jumna River flowing through such a pretty valley, and could see our road winding in and out far down the mountain side; on the other side we could see away down the valley, and could just make out Rawalpindi in the distance. Here is situated the pretty little hill station of Murree; we passed through just the outskirts of it. Sitting on the summit, a little over 9,000 feet high, we ate our dinner. After dinner the men tied on logs for brakes, and we started down. The roads were fine, and our horses just flew as we went down that mountain. It was one of the most delightful rides I had ever had. The scenery was grand, for all the mountain sides are cultivated, and the low little rock14houses dotting them look so pretty. We camped in a small village that night, and were up and off good and early the next morning, although it was raining. I forgot to say that when we reached the divide, what was our surprise to find our cart waiting for us. It had passed us in the night. From here on it kept up with us. We hadn’t gone far when we had a breakdown, and were detained about an hour. We had to go carefully, too, for there were a great many landslides. By noon we reached the foot of the mountain and followed the Jumna River on up to Srinagar. This river is the dividing line between Kashmir and the Punjab,—the two northern provinces of India,—and is crossed by a bridge. We camped in Kashmir for dinner. From here our road was for the most part cut out of the mountain side, and was a gradual ascent. The Jumna River is a very swift and treacherous stream. We followed it all the way, now hundreds of feet above it, then again almost on a level. The scenery is grand and wild, and here we saw the Kashmir goats. They are beauties—large, and of different colors. We did not tire of watching them. Wednesday and Thursday were about the same, if anything the scenery growing more wild, with many pretty little waterfalls, and beautiful ferns, grasses, and flowers. We passed through great groves of walnut trees, and how we enjoyed the walnuts, gathering them right from the trees! We never tired of looking at those fir-clad hills, and first one and then another of us would exclaim, as we suddenly turned a curve and came upon some beautiful scene, “Oh, look! That’s just like home!” We could almost imagine we were back in old Oregon again. Thursday night we camped at the head of Kashmir Valley, thirty-five miles from Srinagar, the capital. As we were anxious to get in and get settled before the Sabbath, we started early. We reached Srinagar at twelve-thirty, and went at once to look for house boats. Such a time we had! On account of the war there were many idle boats, as the army people did not go up this year as usual. We were surrounded by a crowd, each one clamoring for us to go to see his boat, and shouting its merits. We looked at a number, but did not decide on any then, but went back to our gharries and drove out to a nice camping place and put off our stuff. The women cooked dinner while the men went again to see about a boat. Just as we had dinner ready, they came back and said they had secured a nice boat with four rooms and two bathrooms at a very reasonable rental. It was at the landing, and we could move in at once. So while we ate our dinner, the boat crew and our boys took things down and put them on the boat. We were not long in eating, as we were anxious to get settled before the Sabbath, for it was now getting late, and we were dusty, tired, and dirty after our long journey.