THE PAMIR.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2413, 18 October 1892, Page 4

THE PAMIR.

The Pamir Plateau is the meeting place of the three great mountain ranges of the Hindoo ICoosh, the Himalaya, and TianShan. It is, in mountaineer parlance, the " saddle " where these ranges come together, and lies due north from Cashmere. It is, roughly speaking, a plateau some 12,000 feet above sea level. From this plateau a number of passes radiate into Chinese Tartary, Thibet, Cashmere, and Afghanistan—the passes to the latter country being numerous. These passes are from 13,000 to 17,000 feet above sea level. In summer they are commonly-used trade routes, and for military purposes they are extremely difficult. Gilgit is the chief town of the northern-most district of Cashmere. It lies about thirty miles north of the river Indus on the Gilgit river, and is distant from the southern border of the Pamir about 120 miles. The route is by the Kilik Pass, which is dominated on the Pamir side by Ak-Tash; the point t.o ■which the Russians have pushed their advance posts or travelling parties. Gilgit is about 140 miles from Srinagar, lying due south across very rough mountainous country. Of the Afghan passes, one set leads to Cabul through the mountainous province of BadakshanJ; the others converge in the Valley of the Kunar, near the town of Chitral, whence the route lies through the defiles of the Kunar Valley till its junction with the Cabul river, near Jellalabad, the town commanding the famous Khyber Pass from the north. That pass has been under British control since the Treaty of Gundannik in 1879. The Badakshan Passes are said to be absolutely impracticable for an army, and the others are described as extremely difficult.

HOW HENRIK IBSEN WOOED HIS WIFE. The Vienna correspondent of the Daily News tells a story of Henrik Ibsen's wooing of his wife. When he fell in love with the beautiful daughter of Pastor Thoresen, how to make known the fact to her troubled him for weeks. At last he resolved to write to her. He would come and fetch his answer the same afternoon at five. Did the lady accept him, she would be "at home," otherwise not. At five o'clock he presented himself, and the maid asked him to go into tho best room. He was very hopeful, and glad to have time to collect himself before he met the lady. But when he had waited half an hour awful doubts began to assail him. After an hour had passed he imagined the letter had not reached the young lady. Some fatal mistake was making a fool of him. Still he waited on. After two hours he began to be ashamed of himself. She would learn that he had sat two hours in that deserted house and would laugh at him. At last he jumped up in a rage and ran to the door. He was opening it when a loud peal of laughter arrested him. He turned and saw the fair head of his adored emerge from under the sofa. Her mouth was laughing, but her eyes were full of tears. "Oh you dear, good fellow, to wait all this while!" she said. "I wanted to see how many minutes a lover's patience lasts. How hard the floor is ! Now help me to get out, and then we will talk." In less than a week the marriage was arranged.