160 HOOKING THE " MAHARAJAH." 



The story went that, after the death of the Maharajah 

 Gholab Sing, his soul was believed to have transmigrated into 

 a certain very big mahseer in one of the sacred fish-tanks 

 near Islamabad, where, with many smaller companions, this 

 holy fish was well fed and cared for by the attendant 

 Brahmin priests. One day a hungry sportsman, on his 

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

 and seeing the fine fat fish it contained, straightway proceeded 

 to avail himself of the chance thus offered of so easily pro- 

 viding himself a savoury meal. To the horror and consterna- 

 tion of the priests, he hooked the " Maharajah," and soon had 

 him cooking for his supper. This catastrophe caused a tre- 

 mendous rumpus, which resulted, I believe, in the author of 

 it being ordered to quit the valley. Subsequently 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. Eeclining 

 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 alfresco on the Isle of 



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 



