ASCENT OF THARKOT (20,010 feet) The college was the scene of hectic activity at an unearthly hour on a clear morning

of 19th May. Numerous loads inspected and weighed the previous day lay around. Everyone was tense and ready to be off on high adventure. We ate our breakfast after a special service conducted by the principal. He handed over a telegram of good wishes sent by Commander John Atkinson who had led a reconnaissance. expedition during the previous autumn. After a grand send-off we started on the first leg of the 80-mile journey via Almora and Bageshwar to Brari. Those who took part in this expedition were six boys from the College Mountaineering Club, Mr. B. B. Ambastha, leading sick berth assistant in the Navy and a member of the successful Naval Expedition to Nanda Kot (22,510 feet), Mr. K. S. Thappa, physical training mstructor and a graduate of the basic course in H.M.I., Darjeeling, Mr. J. Gardner, a master from Sherwood, and Lhakpa

42 Sungre and Hisse, two Sherpas from the Sherpa Climbers Association. Of the boys, S. S. Sohal and Sukhdev Singh (15 years) were able members of the reconnaissance expedition the previous year. A. S. Pal (17-!-years), S. Chakraborty (14 years 7 months), A. K. Shukla and A. Gill (15! years) were inexperienced but extremely keen about climbing. Mr. Ambastha was assigned the duties of the , doctor' of the expedition and his fine sense of humour soon made him extremely popular. Mr. K. S. Thappa proved his ability as a cook and a tough load carrier, Mr. Gardner, who accompanied us as an observer, decided almost immediately that watching us from the side lines was not his idea of fun. By the time we reached Base Camp he had convinced me that the higher he climbed the better his observation would be, and he did not stop till he had almost climbed the top of Tharkot and started the descent on the other side! Of the two Sherpas, Lhakpa Sungre was a veteran of half a dozen major expeditions, and Hisse, though comparatively new to the mountains, was a strong Sherpa. I, a sailor, have been divorced from my first love, the sea, for over four years now, and during this period I have: been associated with mountains either as secretary of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, or as a member on different expeditions including Nanda Kot, Annapurna Ill, the Second Indian Expedition to Mount Everest and a reconnaissance of the Sukeram glacier. My little experience has perhaps contributed to the honour of leading the Sherwood College Team on Tharkot. Brari was the last bus terminus, and there we were greeted by about forty porters and enjoyed a hot meal prepared by Thappa and the excellent cook, Lachi Ram. About a third of our porters decided to desert us but, fortunately, Ambastha's and Thappa's rear party were able to engage four mules and they were not too long in catching up with us. ' The march on the 21st commenced at 5 a.m. with packed breakfast. It involved a 5-!--mUe climb to Dhakuri and then a 2!mile descent to Saran which we reached at to-30. Here we bought a goat for fresh meat but got so attached to it that it became the expedition's mascot, and was taken back to Sherwood. Saran to Jaitoli at an altitude of 7,800 feet was an easy march of five hours. Now that we were only eleven miles from the acclimatization camp of Sunderdhunga (11,000 feet), it was essential to plan for the mountain in such a way that the training and climbing should both go on together without any undue strain. It was therefore decided that Thappa, Ambastha, Hisse and Pan Singh with six strong porters should make straight for the beautiful meadow of Sunderdhunga, while the rest of us were to follow up a day later, after spending the night at Dhungyadond. Because of the unpro~sing weather warning from All-India Radio, it was agreed that while I took the boys to the Maiktoli glacier for a day's climbing, the rest with fifteen selected porters would take the first ferry of loads to

-The photos show Mr. K. P. Sharma, LN., and Sherpa Lhakpa, flying the Indian ational flag, the Indian Naval Ensign, and the Sherwood College flag, at the summit of Tharkot (20,010 feet) which they climbed with Mr. K. S. Thappa, College Physical Training Instructor, on 1st June. Mr. B. B. Ambastha, who acted as doctor to the party, and Sherpa Hisse also climbed the peak later in the day 3

,q t

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Base Camp at 13,700 feet between the ridges of Dhanoti and Chakurijhaba. The route selected was through the rock face on the right of the river. . Base Camp was established on the 27th. The weather was perfect and I could not resist the temptation of going further on the glacier to have a glimpse of the possible route up the mountain. Soon Thappa, Lhakpa and I got on our feet and trudged a mile from where the summit of Tharkot and the approach route from this side could be viewed. What we saw was rather alarming-a series o'f lateral moraines to reach the main glacier again, no firewood in the vicinity, immense snow-fields interspersed with jagged rock and a very long crevasse about 1,000 feet below the summit. We were not equipped to undertake this kind of route and an alternative route had to be found. While Ambastha took the boys for climbing and snow work, Lhakpa, Gardner and I explored the possibilities. The route lay on the left of the Sukeram glacier. We reached the previous year's camp and saw that the route further on, through snow-fields and crevasses, was negotiable. It was greatly satisfying that the boys were taking the altitude extremely well. The next day (28th) Thappa, Ambastha and both the Sherpas took a ferry of loads to dump at our proposed Camp I site at about 15,700 feet. Chakraborty and I stayed behind to sort out loads for higher camps and the others went to complete their acclimatization phase. I had anticipated the return of the Camp I party by 2 p.m., but by 3 o'clock they had not returned, and the skies were overcast while light snowfall began. At 3-30, Chakraborty and I started with tea in flasks, water, a first-aid kit and some warm clothing. Gardner was to follow us an hour later with all available torches, some more tea and snacks. Fortunately, there was no need for this and much to our relief we met them glissading back to camp ten minutes after our departure. They had pitched a tent at about 15,700 feet, safe from avalanches. On the 29th Thappa, the two Sherpas, Gill, Shukla, Chakraborty and I with eight porters reached Camp I. The rest of the members enjoyed a day's well-earned rest. How exciting it was fat the boys at that altitude! The clouds cleared away during the evening for a short while and we enjoyed a magnificent panorama; the summit of Nanda Devi with its outer sanctuary, Nanda Kat and Kaiktoli almost in front of us and the frozen Nandkund lake towards our right. A chain of unidentifiable snow-covered peaks was visible on the distant horizon. The next day Gill, who felt the effect of altitude, was sent down with the porters who came up with-a ferry from Base Camp. Lhakpa, Hisse and I with two porters set out for Camp 11 with fixed rope, pitons and some camp equipment. At about 17,600 feet we came across a 70-foot rock patch with loose rock slabs on which the rope was fixed. A disaster, which might have been fatal, was

44 averted here. Shyam Singh, an inexperienced porter, held on to a loose slab of rock instead of using the fixed rope, and consequently a huge rock dislodged itself and hit Pan Singh on his thigh. This brave man had the presence of mind to hold the fixed rope firmly and so saved all three men from certain death, I thanked God for sparing our lives. However, the injured man and his companion, who was badly shaken, soon revived after a hot cup of tea and biscuits and we continued our trek in knee-deep snow leaving Pan Singh behind. We crossed a deceptive ridge of about 35 degrees. It was hard work kicking steps on this kind of snow but we were anxious to make our camp as high as possible. By 1p.m. we reached a spot at about 18,600 feet just below the ridge of the' Queenly snow peak of Tharkot '. We made a platform and pitched a two-man tent on rather a,steep slope and returned to Camp I at 3-15 p.m. Gardn~r, Sukhdev and Pal had also come up there from Base Camp, while Pan Singh, the injured man, was sent down after first-aid treatment. With the establishment of Camp II, it ~as time to start thinking of the summit parties and it was decided that two teams would make the attempts. Thappa, Gardner, Chakraborty and Lhakpa were to form the first party; and Ambastha, Shukla and Hisse the second. I was to support both the parties and attempt the summit with them. On the 31st, the first summit party supported by Hisse and Shyam Singh reached Camp II. These two men returned to Camp I with instructions to return the following day with Ambastha and Shukla 'as early as possible. Lhakpa and I climbed up to investigate two crevasses, the larger of which we had seen from the glacier on the day of our arrival at Base Camp. The other crevasse was about 200 feet below and across a couloir which was the only possible approach to the base of the ridge leading to the summit. After climbing about 600 feet in deep snow we jumped across the first crevasse easily. We were fortunate, too, to find a snow bridge, almost made to order, across the second and larger crevasse. From there onwards the climb was very steep. We climbed a zigzagging route to the heavily corniced east ridge from where we looked down on a superb view. There was a sheer drop of 3,000 feet to the glacier below. To the north, East Trisul could be glimpsed just behind an unnamed 20,720 sentinel. The summit of our peak appeared very close. The route ahead along this sharp east ridge, apart from being longer, was dangerous, too. A shorter route which would eliminate the zigzag from the crevasse was also seen but this would involve a 400-foot stretch of rock. 'At this stage I had to take the decision to drop Chakraborty and Shukla, as they were too inexperienced for the hazardous journey ahead. . We were up at about 4 a.m. the next morning-1st June, when Gardner apologetically announced that he wasn't feeling up to

45 the mark and as he didn't want to be a hindrance to the team, he decided to drop out-a very noble gesture indeed. Thappa, Lhakpa and I set out from Camp II at 5-50 a.m. and made for the shorter rather dangerous route. By 8 o'clock we had crossed this patch and were once again on such deep snow that our tracks were clearly visible far below. Our progress was being observed by those in Camps I and II and the porters who were coming up from Base Camp. At 9-22 a.m. we stepped on the summit which nineteen years ago hadbeen climbed by two Britons, the late C. W. F. Noyce and Geoffrey Rawlinson, whose interesting account of the climb had inspired us to attempt this peak. It was a great achievement for the eight good climbers of Sherwood's Rock Climbing Club, started by Brig. Gyan Singh only eighteen months ago. We hoisted the national flag, the naval ensign and the college flag on the summit and took some photographs. The faint echo of the rejoicing of those in Camp 11 and the distant cheers of Ambastha and Hisse could be heard on the summit. It was a bright, sunny day with practically no wind. The view was glorious. We could see Trisul, Nanda Kot, Maiktoli with its sheer south wall and the Nanda Devi range. Towards the south, the lower hills were a carpet of deep green with playful clouds giving a wonderful effect. The whole route from the Sukeram glacier onwards was visible from the top, too. We enjoyed some tinned fruit before descending those dizzy heights. About 200 feet below we met the second party who had very thoughtfully brought food provisions for us. We spent about fifteen minutes on the slope sitting on bucket steps and anchored on ice-axes. The second party reached the summit at 10-40. At noon, Ambastha and Hisse joined the rest of us at Camp 11. When we reached Base Camp at 6 p.m., tired but delighted, there was great rejoicing and an excellent dinner. Our plans for further training on snow were cancelled due to bad weather. Sherwood College received the news of our successful climb on 4th June, Founder's Day-our glad contribution to the festivities of the occasion. On. our return to Delhi, Ambastha and I had the honour of being invited to tea by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral B. S. Soman, and here we were greeted with pride by Captain S. D. Kale, Director of Naval Training, and by the principal staff officers. We gave the naval ensign which was hoisted on Tharkot Peak to the C.N.S. as a token of gratitude. I must acknowledge my debt of gratitude to the principal and to all who contributed in making the expedition so enjoyable, the staff of the college, Cdr. John Atkinson, the various firms who so generously donated food and equipment, the H.M.I., Darjeeling, and Mr. H. C. Sarin, member of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, who made it possible for me to take part in the expedition.

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To my team of members, Sherpas and porters a humble' thank you' for their unswerving loyalty and good humour. K. P. SHARMA (Chief Yeoman of Signals, I.N.) THE PINDARI GLACIER TREK In April, Mr. Dutt and Mr. Johnson thought of takin~ a party of boys to the Pindari glacier. This idea soon materialized and a party, some thirteen strong, were to go to the glacier during the Founder's holidays. Thus, after extensive preparation, on 5th June, Mr. Dutt, Mr. Johnson, Mahendra Patel, Harshad Patel, Ashok Patel, Kiran Patel, Pravin Patel, Bipin R. Patel, J. Raina, D. Ezekiel, A. Banerjee, O. Imam and Anish Mathai left for the Pindari glacier. From Naini Tal we went by bus to Brari via Bhowali, Khairna, Almora, Bageshwar and numerous other small villages. At Brari, the bus road ends, and we had to get down and start trekking. At Brari, we hired some porters to carry the heavier part of our loads until we had crossed our largest hurdle, the trek to Dhakuri. Our intention was to reach Loharkhet, which is about .ten miles from Brari, and spend our first night out there. But, unfortunately, wewere unable to reach Loharkhet before dusk, and so we stopped for the night at a shop about two miles short of it. We woke up early the next day and after a hasty snack of tea and biscuits left for Loharkhet even before the sun was up. We reached Loharkhet in an hour or so, and without halting we pushed on to Dhakuri. Loharkhet is only 4,500 feet above sea-level, and Dhakuri 10,000 feet. Even though these places are only about seven miles apart it is a very steep and stiff climb, and it was only round about two in the afternoon that our whole party assembled there. We now dismissed the porters and had a bit of rest. While we were here we met the homeward-bound mountaineers returning from Tharkot, which they had climbed. We were very happy to see each other and were busily engaged in exchanging our news when Mr. Johnson decided to set out for Khati, five miles away, to stop for the night there. Our cooks, H. C. Patel and P, G. Patel, set to work at once, and so pretty soon we had a steaming hot supper before us. The next day saw us up bright and early, and we set off on the last lap of our trek. Purkiya, our destination, was eleven miles from Khati, and we expected to get there in three hours or so. But after passing Dwali, which is only eight miles from Khati, we found the remaining distance seemed endless. We walked and walked, and our 50-lb. loads on our backs didn't make it any easier. Then, at last, as we were about to despair of ever seeing Purkiya, it suddenly popped up in front of us. We were overjoyed at the sight of the Dak Bungalow, and one and all charged with

Photograph taken by Mr. K. P. Sharma's party at about 19,700 feet while descending from Tharkot. Mr. B. B. Ambastha, I.N., and Sherpa Hisse can be seen in the centre reaching the shoulder. The track along the shoulder was made by a reconnaissance party the previous day, Mr. Sharma's party having taken another route to the summit

This composite photograph, made up of four snapshots, shows the Pindari glacier as seen by a party of eleven boys who, under the charge of Mr. Dutt and Mr. Johnson, trekked there in:the June break. With the help of equipment borrowed from the mountaineering party whom they met on their return journey, nine of the party climbed to 15,500feet on the glacier

47
renewed energy for it, almost like sprinters. The scenery all the way had been beautiful, but here at Purkiya it was almost breathtaking. The Pindar River flowed about a mile below the bungalow; there were small glaciers formed when waterfalls froze in winter, and in the distance was the picturesque snow-capped Nanda Kot. Purkiya was about 10,500 feet high. We had reached Purkiya in a very short time indeed, and had spent only two nights on the trek, and this was the shortest time anyone who had ever come to Pindari had taken to reach Purkiya. It .was therefore no wonder that all of us fell asleep the moment we had crawled into our sleeping-bags. The next day was Saturday, and the fourth day since we had left school. We were to go climbing Pindari that day, so at 6 a.m. with our lunch of chocolates, toffees and dried fruits in our pockets, we set off for the glacier. On the way we saw Nanda Kat with her neighbours. It was truly a beautiful sight. Going to Purkiya we had passed another large party returning from Pindari, They had told us that it was all covered in mist and that it was impossible to go up to the glacier due to landslides. We were therefore not very hopeful of climbing Pindari but mainly hoped that it would be a fine clear day. Fortune was with us; it turned out to be the most perfect day we could have wished for. Pindari was absolutely clear and not a cloud was to be seen anywhere near the glacier. But we found the way blocked by a landslide. After having come all this way we thought it would be a pity if we did not attempt the climb to the glacier itself; we were then standing almost a mile from it. Mr. Johnson reconnoitred a bit and then told us that he thought he could lead us across the landslides to the glacier. Nine of us started with him at once. It was very difficult and dangerous going, but we got down to the river bed at last and started to climb on to the ice itself. As a result of the landslides all the stones had been loosened and we had to be careful not to tread on boulders that might start rolling down. At last, with great difficulty, we got to the top of the climb and on to the snow. Here we had to use the iee-axes, the wind-breaker jackets and goggles we had borrowed from the mountaineers at Dhakuri. We climbed steadily for more than an hour. On our way up we had several tricky patches of rock to cross, but we managed to pass all these areas safely. At about one o'clock we stopped for lunch and took a number of snaps. Traill's Pass, the highest point on the glacier, is 17,500 feet, and we were only about 2,000 feet below it. We stayed here for half an hour and then started going down again. On the way up we had had to move a lot on ice, and Mr. Johnson had constantly to cut steps, Some of us now tried our hand at this but we were unsuccessful. Hence we had to go down again. There was a lot of snow there, and as Mr. Dutt was climbing he suddenly found himself waist-deep in snow.
4

48 We now decided to climb down to the river and go back to Purkiya along the river. It was a long way down, mainly through shale, but at long last we got there without any mishaps. While trying to cross the river an ice-axe accidentally fell into the water. We were all upset and were trying to locate it when A. K. D. Patel stripped and got into the water on a rope. Luckily he soon found the axe and came out with it. But he was half frozen by the time he got out as the water was icy cold. When we got back to our base, we talked over our climb with two Indian Air Force mountaineers and were exhilarated to be told-whether correctly, who can say?-that we had reached a point which had not 'been reached before from the Indian side since G. W. Traill, first Commissioner of Garhwal and Kumaon, had in 1830 crossed the pass which bears his name. We had a steaming hot supper and g?t ~.!p our sleeping-bags as quickly as possible as we were dead tired. The next day the nine of us who had gone on the glacier the day before got up very late. Mr. Dutt and Mr. Johnson had taken Ezekiel, B. R. Patel, K. J. Patel and Raina to the edge of the glacier to show them where we had climbed to and the route we had taken. Meanwhile those of us at Purkiya washed all the dishes and generally cleaned the place up. When the others got back we had lunch and then all of us rested for a while. Near the rest-house was a miniature glacier, and in the afternoon we went on to this ice and snow and began skating. We had many tosses, though none of us was hurt. Mr. Johnson now had a bright idea; he fetched a plank and slid down the snow on it. Unfortunately, he and the plank parted company almost at once and he continued for a little distance on his bottom. M. K. Patel also ventured to do this but with no better success. - After supper we went to sleep early as we were getting up at dawn next day to leave on our return trip. We said good-bye to Purkiya on the IOth, and left for Khati. It was all downhill and we reached Khati in the afternoon. We stayed the remainder of the day at Khati and the nex-tday left for Dhakuri. It was quite a stiff climb, but we managed it without much difficulty. On the way we passed a corn-field and stopped to pluck some ears of corn. There is an abundance of strawberries in these hills and we feasted on them while going to Dhakuri. We reached Dhakuri at noon and spent the next day there as well. It was a much-needed rest, for we had to recuperate before returning to civilization. We managed the fifteen-mile walk from Dhakuri to Brari with some difficulty. Most of the way was downhill. At Brari we had a swim in the river and cleaned ourselves up. Much refreshed we caught the bus to Bageshwar and got there by about six o'clock. We had dinner at a local restaurant and then spent the night on the veranda of the rest-house. The next morning we caught the bus for
4B

49
Naini Tal. At Almora Mr. Dutt went off to see some of his friends and almost missed the bus, making it only by the skin of his teeth. It had been a most enjoyable trip, and all of us I am /lure would like to go on such a trek again. " ANISHMATHAI (Class X) OUTWARD BOUND CAMP AT GWALDAM We bad decide~ to. camp in the beautiful Guror valley, but it was too warm at this time of the year, so we took the high road to Gwaldam. An hour's drive on the winding road brought us again into the cold air of the high mountains. The daylight was but a brief blink of brilliance above the green mountains when we arrived at Gwaldam. As we alighted from the bus after nine hours of turning, rocketing and twisting, the scene at Gwald~m at once exhilarated our spirits and stimulated our hopes. I~edIate~y. below us .'Yas.the deep Pindar valley with the river S~l'I:glllg. nOls~lyon. Its winding course, and the mountains beyond, rising like giant billows, up to ten thousand feet. But Nanda Devi and Trisul, only five miles away as the crow flies, were then hidden behind a sluggish heavy mass of white clouds. Mr. Luther, D. M. Patel and A. Bhardwaj at once set out to find a suitable camPi?g site while Mr. G. Abraham supervised the unloading of our equipment from the bus. . T.he advance party selected a clear, fairly level piece of ground on a pllle-cov,:red hillside, But before the equipment could be shifted to th~ camp s~teheavyclouds rolled up from the west and it began to dnzzle. WIth that our hopes of a warm dry sleep after a tiring day.came to an end. However, this provided a fit beginning for the novice campers, to tryout their resourcefulness and ability. The w.ork was hastily divided among the boys. The kitchen tent was pitched first and soon we heard the buzzing of primus stoves. The rest of the boys who were not cooking started clearing the place, shuffling the debris off with their feet, uprooting small bushes and clearing away stones. Some went down to a small spring with waterbuckets. The sky was by now heavily overcast. It was almost' 10-30. In the light of five dim lanterns the activity in the camp was still going on; the sizzling of puris on the stoves, the hammering of pegs into the ground and the pitterpatter of rain, which luckily did not come down heavily. By 11-00 p.m. the tents were up, though in a drunken shape, and shallow ditches had been dug around them to prevent the rain-water flowing inside. We sat down to a late supper and then to bed. For many of the boys this was their first night under canvas. As we slipped under our blankets, the rain, so kindly waiting for us, came down heavily and continued till the early hours of the morning. Next day, the 6th June, dawned clear and bright. We had our first brief glimpse of Nanda Devi and Trisul. Bhardwaj and Gupta

50 got busy in preparing the breakfast and kept all others strictly away from the kitchen tent. In the meantime the boys settled the camp. The pegs were redriven, the ridges of the tents raised until they were taut. Our rations were properly stacked in one tent. About this time things round the .fire began to smell very tempting, and we were soon squatted round It. By the afternoon the sky was again overcast with heavy clouds. The vagaries of Gwaldam weather forced us to change our camp s~te to more level and open ground. Half a mile from our present SItewe found a clear openpatch. We shifted to this spot and pitched our tents directly under the open sky. Only a lonely fir-tree stood sentinel over our camp. Though on three sides we were surrounded by forest, from here we could get an unspoilt view of the snows beyond. A little spring-water stream was very close and the kitchen tent was pitched just next to it. By the time this work was over it was evening and we were tired, and happy. The heavy clouds that had started collecting in the afternoon dispersed without a shower and the evening was particularly beautiful. The veil of white clouds lifted from Nanda Devi and Trisul, and the last crimson rays of the setting sun were still touching the pea-ks, when the moon a huge round silver disc, austere and beautiful, came over the bro~ of the bills opposite-a lovely and unusual sight. The night was bright, with the moonlight flooding the valleys and the hillsides. We laughed and talked a lot in the pre-meal hour, the boys retelling the day's events, talking without caution and the guarded carefulness which usually inhibits their conversation in the presence of a master. The meal was ready now, and I suppose we all ' discovered' the real value of food out here in the jungle; whatever was cooked we ate with undiminishing appetite. That night there were half-cooked paratiis, vegetables and pickle, and tinned fruit to top the meal off. When we went to bed at night we all felt beautifully tired and spent. Heavy rain came down during the night, but our tents were well prepared for it with deep ditches around them. So we slept on snugly while the rain pattered on the canvas and the wind wrestled with the guy ropes. The 7th June dawned bright. We were lucky for every day we could dry our kit soaked by the rain which usually came down at night. Mr. Luther took l} group of boys to the Pindar River. After a steep descent of four miles we arrived there hot and flushed. The current was very strong and the water, straight from the snowy ranges, was icy-cold. The walk back to the camp was very strenuous. But as we hurled ourselves on the grass around the kitchen tent, a hot meal was ready for us. Mr. Abraham told us that D. M. Patel, Issar, Atkinson, Macfarlane and Wood had done real' textbook' cooking. While Issar read aloud from a cookery book others weighed and counted and poured the contents into the pot. But they did a really good job of it, and we had chappattis, egg curry, rice and vegetables, all cooked successfully this time. The cooks

51 were highly commended. They went down to the river with Mr. Abraham in the afternoon. Eighth June. Mr. Abraham prepared a sweet gruel (contents unknown!). Yadav made nice piikourahs with a very strong flavour of kerosene oil in them. Breakfast over, we made some racks for' the kitchen. As it had not rained the previous night some went out to collect wood. A small shelter was erected for the open fire. Kit was dried. At night a porcupine was shot and was at once placed on the menu for the next supper. The day ended with rain. Gwaldam, in the Chamoli district, is on the borderland. It was once dominated by the Gurkhas. Mr. Pant (Officer-in-charge of the Gwaldam Government Sheep Breeding Farm, who was of immense help to us and without whose co-operation the porcupine could not have been cooked!) informed us that there are some ruins of an ancient Gurkha fort on top of an 8,500-foot high mountain. We were interested in this historic site. Mr. Abraham, who teaches history, was especially interested and was too, too ready to 'storm the castle " while some boys pleaded, 'Oh, Mr. Abraham, no history lessons there, please!' The mountain we were to climb was hidden in mist and drizzle as we left the forest road and took the mountain path, next morning. But as we climbed higher the view cleared. After a tough climb, half-way up the mountain, we came upon some huts, where on an open grassy slope some goatherds lived. From here the narrow path went steeply to the top. To our left we had an immense view of the Garor valley. The path led through deep ravines in the mountain side and over huge rocks. Although the ruins on the top were sparse the place was worth visiting for the grand and impressive view it offered. Next day some boys fell ill and started vomiting, which caused us some anxiety. Most of the time we spent in tents. In the evening Mr. Luther and Mr. Abraharn took two parties into the forest. One of the parties returned completely drenched by the rain. The next day Mr. Abraham accompanied by some boys went down to Kausani. They visited a Mahila Ashram (iishram for women) run by a European lady on Gandhian lines. They invited Mr. Abraham and the boys to lunch and thereafter to a discussion. The subject was: 'How to deal with men who pass rude remarks at ladies! ' We are not sure of the contribution made by our party, but as they were the only male members present at the discussion we were glad to see them back. Next morning, we started breaking up the camp. At the lonely bus stop in the quiet bazaar of Gwaldam, consisting of a bare halfa-dozen shops, we looked back for the last time at the slope where we had camped, and at all the landmarks we knew so well now-the lonely fir-tree near the field-the pine forests beyond-the River Pindar and the clouds, behind which Trisul and Nanda Devi stood

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hidden from us then. The warmth of Guror hit us. There we changed our bus and soon we were on our way back to Naini, to school, to work. W.L. THE Y.M.C.A. WORK CAMP AT BHOW ALl A large number of boys from the school volunteered to go to the Y.M.C.A. Work Camp at Bhowali to help in repairing the home in which the boys of the home live, and in digging the land around the house. However there was place for only twelve boys in the camp and the lucky 'ones were K. S. Randhawa, A. Sud, V. Bedi, Harmindar Singh, S. R. Hasnain, J. G. Patel, N. P. Patel, P. D. Patel, D. B. Patel, p. Sheoran, A. Bhasin and Jat. Singh, We decided to walk down to Bhowali having sent our luggage by bus under the care of Sheoran and Patel, We made good time and almost beat the bus, partly because we are good runners and partly because the bus started late. On reaching Bhowali we had no difficulty in locating tha.home and after a short rest we got down to some serious work. The home is run by two D.N.A. volunteers, Mr. Malcolm Gregson and Miss Ann Myers, who have come out from England to run the home. As the days went by we came to know Ann and' Greggie', as he was called, very well and parted the greatest of friends. We did six hours of work every day, the evenings being free though we usually made good ~se of the!:? by collect~ng woo~ and fetching water. Our work consisted of digging, making a chicken house, mending the roof and windows and other odd j?bs. The digging was rather monotonous, and when we started gettmg bored we would have some fruit from the neighbouring orchards. The chicken house was completed in record time by Patel and Co., a rising construction company. We also constructed a fence and a gate to keep the cattl~ from entering and devo~ring the crops. The fence was an unqualified success and was burlt at the expense of bleeding fingers. In spite of this the motto of ' service before self' was maintained to the very end. We had certain duties to do every day, one of them being the collecting of wood from the forest for the purpose of co.oking. The children of the home showed us the way to break big branches without the help of an axe. A stone was tied to one end of a rope and thrown over a big dry branch. The two ends w~re now caught firmly by two or three of us, and by pulling the rope ).D the opposite direction in which the branch was growmg the branch would be brought to ground. At the beginning ?f our stay .we h~d to sleep on the ground until someone got the Idea of putting pme need~es under our durries and making soft mattresses: too late we dIScovered that we were besieged by an army of red ants.

On one of the evenings we all went down to Bhimtal or rather Fan- down. We were rather disappointed by the lake as we had heard a lot about the beauty =but found none on reaching there. We had to run back to Bhowali because black clouds were looming on the horizon and none of us wanted to get soaked to the skin as we had brought only one change of clothes each. There were some timid attempts to pluck prize peaches from an orchard which was next to the house. Hasnain almost succeeded in piriching a huge peach which had caught his eye, when a host of owners appeared on the scene with sticks, stones and tins. The poor fellow suffered a terrible fright on looking at the owners, but we are happy to relate that he is now in good condition. He has also made a solemn promise not to look at a peac-h again. Some of us tried our hand at cooking and some good dishes-were turned out along with some horrible mixtures. P. D. Patel is to be commended for his good cooking. The boys of the home were a jolly lot and we had hours of fun talking and playing with them. The eldest was 12 years and the youngest was six. They were all very creative and good workers. We found' Greggie' a very interesting person and many of us had a good long talk with him. Randhawa, Sud, and Harmindar Singh left us after three days, leaving nine of us at the camp. However, their departure did not affect our spirit and our enthusiasm for the camp. We all lived as one man, and happily there were no quarrels on any occasion. Everything went well, and whatever we did we did it for the sake of the home. Before leaving we decided to put up a small concert consisting of two short plays and some songs and dances. We did not receive any visitors at our Bhowali performanc~, so we decided to do the concert next day at the Y.M.C.A. Hostel at Naini Tal. The concert at Naini Tal was a roaring success and we collected a large sum of money for the home. The children of the home also took part in the concert and put up some really good items. Both the Hindi plays were warmly applauded and the singers and- dancers also got a good hand from the audience. It will not be fair to say that everyone acted or sang specially well, but everyone played a small part in collecting money for the home. On the whole we had an extremely nice time in Bhowali and were glad to be of some service to the home. We all wish the home will prosper and we give our good wishes to Mr. Gregson and Miss Myers who have done such a lot for the home. Many of us have decided to join the S.C.!. (Service Civil International) so that we may be of service to others who are not as happy as we are. We hope that in years to come Sherwood will form a society of its own for helping other people and that we will all be in that society.
THE Boys OF THE CoLLEGE WHO TOOK PART IN THE WORK CAMP AT BHOWALI