The next morning, we left for Khilanmarg at nine o’clock, after a quick breakfast. We had to walk uphill for three miles, to climb the additional two thousand feet. Only old Mr Mallik chose to take a horse. The rest of us decided to go on foot. There were nine of us in the group, including Arun Sarkar and Prayag (Mr Mallik’s bearer). The way to Khilanmarg was most picturesque. There were colourful flowers on both sides of the path. I have found new energy in these seven day,’ Lalmohan Babu declared. ‘Covering two thousand feet doesn’t strike me as a problem at all.’ We began our journey. The others dispersed in smaller groups, but the three of us stayed together. It took us two hours to reach Khilanmarg. The sight that met our eyes as we got to the top rendered us completely speechless. There was snow on the ground as well as on all the peaks immediately visible. Stretched below us, right up to the horizon, was a green valley, complete with shimmering lakes and rippling rivers. Behind it rose Nanga Parvat, sculpted against the sky, tall and majestic. ‘I don’t think there is any view in Kashmir more beautiful than this!’ Feluda exclaimed softly. Lalmohan Babu took out his camera. ‘Come on everyone, let’s have a group photo!’ he called. ‘Stand on the snow here, please. It’ll make a fantastic picture.’ A sudden commotion from the other group made me tear my gaze away from the mountains. Then I heard Mr Mallik’s voice: ‘Vijay? Where is Vijay?’ A quick glance told me Vijay Mallik was the only person missing. Could he simply have fallen behind? It did not seem likely. They had not been walking together, it was true; but a single member could not have got totally separated from everyone else without a good reason. Sushant Som spoke next: ‘Why don’t you wait here, Mr Mallik? Let me go and have a look.’ ‘We’ll go with you,’ said Mr Sarkar and the doctor. We, too, joined the search party, retracing our steps slowly over the path we had just climbed up. My heart beat faster. Where had the man gone? ‘Vijay!’ Mr Som called loudly. There was no reply. We continued to climb down. About fifteen minutes later, Lalmohan Babu stopped suddenly, staring at a bush. Feluda followed his gaze and ran over to the bush immediately. Through its leaves, a man’s foot was sticking out. Or—strictly speaking—it was a mountain boot. ‘Mr Som! Over here!’ Feluda yelled. Mr Som ran across, followed by the others. Vijay Mallik was lying on his stomach, unconscious. Feluda felt his pulse and said, ‘He’s alive. I think he received a blow on his head, which made him faint.’ Luckily, there was a stream nearby. One of the men ran to bring water from it. Vijay Mallik opened his eyes when his face had been splashed with water a few times. ‘Where? . . .’ he asked, looking around in