38 TO THE WURDWAN. 



march over a level grassy tract of country, crossing a deep 

 watercourse now and then, and, passing through a very 

 pretty village, stopped in a delightful spot under some 

 giant chunars on a bank overhanging a rivulet, a village 

 close at hand. Then, having breakfasted, I came on here 

 to Shanguz, also a prettily situated village, with its stream, 

 its irregular garden plats, grassy slopes, and noble chunar 

 trees : under one of which leafy monsters, my humble 

 tent, a little thing just containing my bed, is pitched. 



Ahmet Shah and the kotwal came all the way from 

 Islamabad, the former to pay his respects and make his 

 acknowledgments for a turban I sent him from the Punjab, 

 as a recognition of his great civility and attention last 

 year. He brought me a beautiful cock pheasant alive, 

 one of the Meynahl : he had been caught about a month, 

 so I hope he may live. I should like to take some of these 

 birds home and naturalize them ; they would be highly 

 prized. They may be called a link between the pea-fowl 

 and the pheasant. They have a delicate top knot, and 

 their colour is the most brilliant deep blue, rifle-green, 

 and bronze, of glossy and metallic sheen. The tail is plain 

 buff ; there he falls off in plumage. He is much larger 

 than the English bird. He is to be put in a cage, and 

 kept for me till I return to the Punjab. 



There is a thunder-storm, and rain now falling a 

 bore for my retinue, who have but a leafy canopy over 

 them : but they have lots of covering. I purchased my 

 three servants each a warm Cashmere blanket yesterday, 

 four rupees each, rather a heavy pull as I had, previous to 

 leaving Amritsir, given each of them a warm suit. But, 

 poor chaps, they will have to rough it in the Wurdwan 

 snows, so some additional warm wrapper is necessary. 



I am snug in my little canvas nutshell, though without 

 room to turn round. I have now, to my surprise, brought 



