JULY 19. - Made an expedition to the small lake to see a building
which we were informed was built by the Puree, or fairies - the Peri
of poetical licence.
After a sharp struggle up a steep hill, under a hot sun, we reached
the building; but, to all appearance, the fairies had less to do
with the edifice than a race of very indifferent engineers. It was
evidently the remains of a hill fort, built of stones and mortar,
and with nothing wonderful in its construction whatever. It was
tenanted by buffaloes and a few natives; and having seen specimens
of both before, we took our departure again rather in a bad humour
with both the fairies and their partisans.
In the plain below we found the remains of Cyclopeian ruins in an
enormous block of stone, part of a column.
JULY 22. - Started this evening in the direction of the water-lake
in further search of ancient ruins.
JULY 23. - Found ourselves at daybreak among the mosquitoes in a
little stream about two kos from Patrun. After breakfasting, we started
for the vicinity of the ruins. As usual, in the villages we passed
through, we found traces of cut stone doing duty as washing-stones,
or corners of walls, &c; and at Patrun we found
rather a fine old ruined temple, something similar in style to those
towards Islamabad.[16] It was surrounded at some distance by trees,
which had tended apparently to preserve the building, for the stone
carvings were clearer and less decayed by time than any others we
had seen.
