14 Sport and Life in the Further Himalaya 



their Mastuj neighbours with impunity. It was 

 indeed awkward, this lack of blood - thirstiness 

 on the part of the husband. There was no 

 "local custom" to meet such a case. A happy 

 thought here occurred, to hand the case over to 

 the Kazi 1 to decide, and no sooner thought of 

 than done. In the evening he returned to pro- 

 nounce judgment. This was, after the requisite 

 number of quotations from the Koran had been 

 rolled off, that both the lady and her paramour 

 having been guilty of the crime of adultery, 

 should be stoned to death a truly Gilbertian 

 sentence, that made even the Chitralis shout 

 with laughter, though the Kazi's countenance 

 remained unmoved. 



To cut a long story short, I finally decreed 

 that the husband should have his wish and his 

 wife. I afterwards heard that the forgiven wife 

 went off quite happily with her lawful spouse, 

 not indeed repentant, but shrieking with laughter 

 at the thought of her spree ; while her Lothario 

 in an agony of woe stabbed himself about the 

 breast not so deeply, however, as to do any 

 more material harm to his already lacerated 

 heart. 



The dub-dub of the kettle-drums and the skirl 

 of the pipes began to sound on the polo-ground 



1 Kazi= Islamic judge. 



