6d alb. Beef it is absolutely impossible to get in Kashmir. Eggs are 3d a dozen. All our cooking is of course done on wood fires. Milk is sold by the poimd??? (seer??? = 2lbs).
Against this cheapness of the country products is the dearness of everything that has to be imported. Jam is 1/2 a lb. Lime juice 2/8 a bottle. Minerals 2d ea plus the cost of the cooly to fetch them. The net result of which is that our living costs is about 4/- a day.
Our houseboat is at Sanderbal. 10-11 miles from here + 12 1/2 from Srenaga. A cooly goes in from the Boat to Srenaga every other day for stores + listers??? + the caues??/ to us from the boat when there is anything to bring. We have a rhind??? with us here so that we can send in for things we want. Our chief need at present is the mail!
I have been reading a remarkable book by Lord Ernest Hamilton which was sent our to Lamont called the First Seven DririSeares???. It is a fine record of the early days of the war. It emphasises the lack of machine guns. The few we had invariable did well - and the swarms of them the Germans had. It is a fine book +well worth reading.
Two letters arrived this (Monday) morning. We were still in bed when the cooly arrived with them about 9.0. That I think is excusable as we didn't get back till 2/30 this morning. Also of course we are on leave!
I was very glad to get efain??? two letters, I always am but ont??? here as oen??? our I think we were most pleased at getting the home mail even that usual. Why I don't quite know, but