They
Also Work In Filagree Silver, Charging About Sixpence In Every Two
Shillings' Worth Of Silver For Their Labour.
About nine P.M. we took to
our boats; F. and I occupying one together, in which we stowed bedding,
dressing-things, &c. while the cooking apparatus and servants occupied
the other.
Passed the night very comfortably, and found the situation
most conducive to sleep, as we glided gently along with the stream.
JULY 8. - Awoke to find an innumerable swarm of mosquitoes buzzing
about our habitation, and apparently endeavouring to carry it
off bodily. Letting down, however, the muslin curtains, which the
foreknowledge of the faithful Q.M.G. had provided us with, we succeeded
in puzzling the enemy for the time being. About eight o'clock, the
fleet came to an anchor at a luxuriant little island at the entrance
of the great lake; to all appearance, however, it might have been
situated in a meadow, for we had to force our way to it through a
perfect plain of green water-plants, whose slimy verdure covered the
face of the lake for miles around. It was wooded by mulberry trees,
very prettily entwined with wild vines, and in the midst were the
remains of an old Musjid, in which we discovered a slab of black
marble, covered with a beautifully carved inscription in Arabic, and
appearing as if it had not always held the ignoble position which it
now occupied. Scattered about the island, also, were many scraps of
columns and carved stones, which gave evidence of having belonged
to some ancient temple or palace. While thus surveying our island,
we were pestered to death by swarms of prodigious mosquitoes, for
which the Wuler Lake is justly celebrated, and during breakfast the
eating was quite as much on their side as ours; so that we were glad
to weigh anchor, and with our curtains tightly tucked in around us,
we floated away, in lazy enjoyment of climate and scenery, towards the
centre of the lake. As we cleared the margin of the water-plants, we
found ourselves on a glassy surface, extending away towards the west
as far as the eye could see, and bordered on all sides by gorgeous
mountains and ranges of snow. Around the edges of the lake a sunny
mirage was playing tricks with the cattle and the objects on the banks,
and as we glided lazily on with the stream, and the splashing paddles,
and even the foiled mosquitoes, made music about us, we began to
enter more into the spirit of our situation, and to appreciate the
peculiar beauties of the "sunny lake of cool Cashmere," with the
DOLCE FAR NIENTE existence which of right belongs to it. About one
o'clock we reached Sompoor, at the Baramoula extremity of the lake,
and as it came on to blow a little, it was not too soon: our boats
were totally unadapted for anything rougher than a mill-pond, and in
the ripple excited by the small puffs of wind, I had the misfortune
to ship what was, under the circumstances, a heavy sea, and so
sacrificed the prospects of a dry lodging for the night. Sompoor we
found a picturesque but dirty village, with promise of good fishing,
in the river below it. We unfortunately had no tackle, but the boatmen
succeeded in catching five or six good fish with a hook baited with a
mulberry only : a very favourite article of consumption, apparently,
among the Cashmerian little fishes.
Dropping down the river, we dined on the bank among the mulberry trees,
and I afterwards essayed to take a sketch of the village; such a firm
and determined body of mosquitoes, however, immediately fell upon
me, that, after a short but unsuccessful combat, I was fairly put to
flight, and Sompoor remained undrawn. We passed the night above the
town, ready for an early start in the morning.
JULY 9. - Left our moorings before sunrise, and halted about eight
A.M. at a little island stacked with elephant-grass, where, after
as good a swim as the tangled weeds would permit, we breakfasted
pleasantly under the trees.
From this point we adopted a new mode of progression, the boatmen
towing us from the bank; and the motion was a great improvement on
the paddling system, except that it had a tendency to set one to
sleep altogether. Reached Sirinugger, and our camp again, at four P.M.
JULY 10. - Paid Saifula Baba, the shawl merchant, a visit to-day,
in order to get a bill of exchange on Umritsur cashed. Found
him just going out to Mosque, in his snow-white robe and turban,
cleanly-shaved pate, and golden slippers. Not having any money,
he promised us a hundred rupees of the Maharajah's coinage to go on
with. These nominal rupees are each value 10 annas, or 1S. 3D., the
most chipped and mutilated objects imaginable. On one face of the coin
are the letters I.H.S. stamped, a strange enough device for a heathen
or any other mint to have adopted. While floating about the Eastern
Venice, we discovered a number of finely-cut old blocks of stone in
the built-up wall which bounded the river; and on inspecting the place,
we came upon an ancient Mussulman cemetery and ruined Musjid, in which
there were some very antique-looking carvings, which apparently had
commenced life elsewhere than on Mussulman ground. The graveyard,
however, was itself extremely old, although many of the turbaned and
lettered tombstones of the faithful were in perfect preservation. All
began with the "La Ulah ila Ullah," or "B'ism Ullah,"[9] with which
everything connected with a Mussulman does commence, either in life
or death.
All through the city one can trace the remains of some much more
ancient structure in the huge blocks of carved stone which are
scattered about among their more plebeian brethren, and serve to form
with them, in humble forgetfulness of past grandeur, the foundations
of the lofty rattletrap but picturesque wooden structures which line
both sides of the river and form the city of Cashmere in the year of
grace 1860.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 21 of 81
Words from 20491 to 21519
of 82277
