126 HOOKING THE "MAHARAJAH." 



return from the mountains, pitched his tent near this tank, 

 and seeing the fine fat fish it contained, straightway pro- 

 ceeded to avail himself of the chance thus offered of so 

 easily providing himself a savoury meal. To the horror and 

 consternation of the priests, he hooked the " Maharajah," 

 and soon had him cooking for his supper. This catastrophe 

 caused a tremendous rumpus, which resulted, I believe, in 

 the author of it being ordered to quit the valley. Subse- 

 quently the spirit of the defunct old ruler was supposed to 

 have returned to the capital, and to have been re-embodied 

 in another big fish, whose haunt in the river was said to 

 be somewhere opposite the palace, between two of the old 

 wooden bridges ; and so it came about that fishing in that 

 bit of the water was proscribed. 



The metropolis of Cashmere, 1 with its picturesque canal 

 communications, quaint old bridges, gondola-style of boating, 

 and bad smells, often reminded me of Venice. Reclining 

 under the straw-mat awning of your Cashmerian gondola, 

 or " shikaree " boat, as this water-cab of the country is 

 called, whilst being paddled over the limpid glassy water 

 of the beautiful Dhal lake, through the singara 2 plants, 

 and past the large flat leaves and gorgeous red flowers of 

 the lotus, or among the floating gardens; 3 lunching al fresco 

 on the Isle of Chenars, or beside fountains and miniature 

 cascades at the Shalimar or Nishat gardens, and returning 

 in the bright moonlight, your boatmen keeping time with 



1 Ozaka in Japan, with its canals and wooden houses, boats and bridges, 

 struck me as bearing a greater resemblance to Srinuggur in Cashmere than 

 any other place I have seen. They differ, however, in respect of the former 

 being remarkably clean, whilst the latter is filthily dirty. Indeed, I may say 

 in many ways Japan resembled Cashmere. 



2 The water-nut, much used for food by the poor class of Cashmerees. 



3 These floating gardens, so called, are considerable sized beds of earth, with 

 their foundations of matted reeds and grass so constructed as to be quite dis- 

 connected with the bottom of the lake. In order to prevent their being drifted 

 away, they are attached to long poles driven into the bed of the lake where it 

 is rather shallow. They are used chiefly for the growth of melon, cucumber, 

 and suchlike plants. 



