FISHING IN THE JHELUM. 159 



drying and dressing myself with the utmost expedition, I 

 made my exit into fresh air with the least possible delay, 

 vowing never again to try a hummam in Cashmere. 



My companion returned from the mountains a few days 

 after me, bringing with him, amongst other trophies, one of 

 the most massive and altogether perfect pair of ibex horns I 

 have ever seen. They were upwards of 4 feet long, with a 

 wide and regular sweep, and their tips uninjured. Poor lad ! 

 he was not long permitted to enjoy their possession, for a 

 short time after he fell a victim to that fearful scourge of In- 

 dia cholera. He was a true sportsman and an excellent rifle 

 shot ; and his shikaree told me he had never been out with a 

 more daring or surer-footed European cragsman. One of his 

 last wishes on his deathbed was that his hunting trophies 

 might be sent home to his father. Strange to say, he had a 

 fixed presentiment, to which he often gave expression, that he 

 should never see Almora, where our regiment had been ordered 

 to shortly before he died ; and sad to say, this was fulfilled. 



Very fair fishing was to be had in the valley at certain 

 seasons in some parts of the Jhelum, both for mahseer and 

 silvery black - speckled fish, in appearance like trout, but 

 wanting the second rayless dorsal-fin of the Salmonidae. The 

 former fish were comparatively small of their kind, those 

 killed being seldom over 10 Ib. or so. The latter were some- 

 times taken up to 8 Ib. or more. The minnow was usually 

 most successful for mahseer. The other fish took the fly 

 pretty freely, and the fly that seemed as good as any was 

 made simply with a bunch of white -cotton thread carded out 

 and tied 011 to a naked hook. But the deadliest bait was a 

 ripe mulberry, when the fruit was in season. The boatmen 

 were rather clever at spearing small fish in shoal water from 

 the bows of their boats. 



Formerly, fishing was permitted anywhere in the river, but 

 latterly it was prohibited between certain bridges in the city, 

 for, as was alleged, the following ridiculous reason : 



