1 88 A Sportswoman in India 



funniest of boats ever seen. Our doongha was some- 

 thing like a house-boat, but too rough to be dignified 

 by such a name. It was really more like a very long, 

 big punt, filled up with stout, rough poles tied together 

 in a sort of framework with rope and straw, upon which 

 was hung grass matting to form a roof and protection 

 from the sun. Matting hung down at the sides, but 

 could be rolled up and tied with a string, so that 

 one might have an uninterrupted view of the country 

 as one sat in the doongha and floated along. The 

 boat was divided by matting into little compartments : 

 in the first we sat, with our two camp-chairs and 

 rugs, and made ourselves very comfortable ; in the 

 second, push aside the matting, and one stepped into 

 a little rough compartment in which my camp-bed 

 was put up and I slept ; in the third, behind another 

 bit of matting, S. slept ; and at the extreme end of 

 the boat sat a couple of Kashmiris silently working 

 us along with a paddle each a thing only about four 

 feet long, and heart-shaped at one end. The boat- 

 men's families were in another kishty of the same 

 sort, together with Sala Bux, Lalla, Armudneera, the 

 bhistiy cook, and sweeper. They followed us at a 

 respectful distance. 



We left Islamabad that evening, and were soon 

 gliding silently between banks covered with flowers, 

 through the still, warm air. An hour later and the 

 servants' kishty was paddled up alongside ; dinner was 

 ready. It had been cooked over an extraordinary little 

 clay fireplace in the bottom of the punt. Sala Bux 



