Picturesque buildings flanked both sides of the waterway, and beneath their balconies were native craft called dungas, on which whole families lived. Far more pretentious were the lavish houseboats occupied by Europeans and Americans. These were more in evidence after the shikara brought them to the Dal Gate, the outlet for Dal Lake.
From there, they followed more canals to the lake itself, where they wove among actual floating gardens to the five-mile stretch of open water beyond. Sunset was tingeing Dal Lake with a deep crimson that purpled the blue lake and its surrounding foliage against the magnificent backdrop of the snow-clad Himalayas.
"Fine sunset," Kamuka appraised it. "Much better than on the Hooghly."
"And all we need," commented Biff, studying the mirrored sunset in the placid water, "is for a bore to come roaring down the lake. This water buggy would really wind up in a happy daze."
Even that imaginary menace was ended when they reached their destination, a houseboat named Pride of the Deodars. This was a stout ship in its own right, measuring 120 feet from "stem to stern" as Biff put it, with a width or beam of 16 feet. Before taking off from New Delhi, Colonel Gorak had engaged the Pride of the Deodars for their overnight stay in Srinagar and had come directly here while the boys were taking their river trip.
Smilingly, the colonel showed them through an actual floating mansion, for the Pride, as the boys promptly called it, had a huge living room and a sizable dining room, each with a fireplace, plus three bedrooms with private baths. A native chef served a tasty dinner from the ample kitchen. After the meal, the boys went to the living room. They were seated in front of the fireplace, when a light glimmered cautiously from the water close by, and they heard a shikara scrape alongside the Pride.
"Barma Shah," stated Colonel Gorak. "I contacted him at the address in Simla." Gorak turned to Biff. "I have never met him, so you can introduce us."
[Illustration: Boat on river, passing a town]
When Barma Shah entered, he was wearing his beret and tinted glasses, as excellent a disguise as ever, for when he removed them, his complexion changed in color and his face seemed to broaden, probably because of his widespread ears. His high forehead and short-clipped hair were deceptive, too, for the beret had hidden them well. Colonel Gorak nodded his approval.
"I can understand why you have managed to stay undercover," Gorak declared. "I have dozens of reports from men who have contacted you at one time or another"—the colonel gestured to an attache case on the table—"but not one could give more than a vague description of you."