256 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



mediately Sorashtra became Kathiawar. It was of 

 no consequence tliat Sorashtra was an ancient name 

 belonging to the sacred traditions of the Hindus, 

 and that the country was mainly under the govern- 

 ment of proud Eajpoots and proud Muhammadans. 

 Kathiawar it became in 1820, and Kathiawar it re- 

 mains to this day. Well, if we may argue from the 

 resemblance between lad and sktit'ihat the Kathi are 

 Scythian, we may just as well argue that Kathiawar 

 is a country wholly or almost wholly occupied by 

 Scythian tribes. Or, further, we might next pro- 

 ceed to prove either that the Kathi are Scotsmen or 

 that the Scotsmen are Kathi (whichever they like), 

 and that both are Scythians. If Kathi can be got 

 out of Skutlwi, most assuredly Skoti can be got out 

 of it with greater ease ; and a collateral support to 

 this derivation could easily be got through the verb 

 skutin of the Runic inscriptions, which means " to 

 shoot " an exercise in which Skoti, Skithians, and 

 Kathi have alike distinguished themselves, to the 

 great damage of their neighbours. 



I just look into this matter by way of guarding 

 myself against any rash acceptance of the theory 

 that the Kathis are Scythians. My own opinion is 

 that they are Kathis that is to say, that they are of 

 a Northern tribe which has wandered into Ivathiawar 

 from Sind. Physically, they struck me as more 

 like Afghans than like any other people I knew ; 

 and who the Afghans are is a question which 



