The Most Wonderful Sight, However,
Was The Immense Crowd Of Many-Coloured Turbans Congregated On Shore,
Witnessing The Departure Of The Cashmerian Guards; And As They Thronged
The Green Slopes In Thousands, They Gave One Quite The Idea Of A Mass
Of Very Violent-Coloured Flowers Blooming Together In A Garden.
On
our way home we had great jostling, and even fighting, in order to
maintain our position among the crowds of boats, the result of which
was that our crew managed to break two paddles in upholding the dignity
and respectability of their masters.
The Maharajah himself, however,
gave us the go-by in great style, in a long quaint boat, propelled by
thirty-six boatmen, and built with a broad seat towards the bows, in
shape like the overgrown body of a gig in indifferent circumstances,
on which his Highness reclined. By his side was the little prince,
in glorious apparel, while half a dozen of his court, arrayed in
spotless white, appeared like so many snow-drifts lying at his feet.
JULY 7. - Made our arrangements to-day for a trip by water to the
Wuler Lake, and spent the afternoon in inspecting the jeweller's and
other shops in the city. The native workmen appear to engrave cleverly
both on stone and metal, and some of their performances would bear
comparison with any European workmanship of a similar kind. 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.
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