THE DOON 245 



Shah at Delhi. Nothing is known of the history of 

 the boulder, nor is there any tradition as to when, why, 

 or by whom the inscriptions on it were engraved. 



Although there is no tradition of the former existence 

 of any large city in the Doon, there is a universal belief 

 among its inhabitants that the valley was at one time 

 much more thickly populated than it is at present. The 

 tales related are manifest exaggerations ; whether there 

 is any fragment of truth underlying them I cannot say. 



Since the time of Gooroo Nanuck the Doon has had 

 a recorded history, but it is a history very eventless. 

 Cut off by the forests and mountains from the world 

 beyond, the inhabitants passed their days in a sleepy 

 calm; the seasons came, the seasons went; the villagers 

 sowed their crops and reaped their harvests : only the 

 annual fair broke the monotony of their lives. Two 

 centuries thus passed avvay, and then came the Ne- 

 paulese invasion. The story of the invasion, as I had 

 heard it, always impressed me as full of romance. The 

 Nepaulese army burst suddenly into the valley of 

 Sreenugger. Driven from his capital, the Raja, Shuder- 

 shun Suhai, took refuge in the Doon ; there he collected 

 his scattered troops, fought another battle, sustained 

 another defeat. Accompanied by a few horsemen, 

 followed by the enemy, he made his way along the 

 valley to one of the western passes ; through this he 

 escaped, and reached the English territory. Then 

 followed long years of dreary exile, embittered by 

 penury and for ever disappointed hopes ; in the end, 

 unexpected restoration to his dominions and a remain- 

 ing life of wealth and prosperity. 



