8 Sport and Life in the Further Himalaya 



mouth displaying a magnificent set of teeth, 

 dressed in dirty white robes with a brilliant 

 chintz jacket, particularly attracted my attention. 

 Absolutely unconscious of himself, and perfectly 

 happy, he revelled in the extravagant postures of 

 the dance, and shouted from pure joy of living. 



The passion these people have for music and 

 dancing is extraordinary, and this not as a 

 spectacle, but as a pastime. They have also a 

 great love of flowers : young and old bind 

 blossoms in their rolled caps, their favourites 

 being roses or the delightfully scented eleagnus 

 that is so common in Chitral. Can any one doubt 

 that in their veins flows Macedonian blood ? * It 

 frequently happened on the march that a shout 

 would make us look up to see a bare - legged 

 goat -herd come flying down the hill with an 

 offering of marvellously scented roses, white, red, 

 and yellow. 



We were nearing our camp for the day when 

 a horseman appeared coming towards us accom- 

 panied by a single attendant. Presently, coming 

 closer, he dismounted, and running forward sa- 

 laamed low to the Mehtar. Rather mock humility, 

 I fear ; it was Shazada Lais, the leading pir of 

 the Maulai sect of Mohammedans of these parts. 



1 Local tradition is to the effect that Alexander the Great passed 

 through this country. 



