178 Journal of a voyage from [March, 



mean?, and the boatmen seemed very glad to abandon the oar for the 

 rope where the banks admitted of tracking. 



After passing the village of Pipal we came in sight of the right 

 bank of the Bedhov Beds, stretching across the horizon from N. E. to 

 S. "W. It is very high, and has a commanding appearance contrasted 

 with the flat country which it overlooks. Before arriving at the 

 junction of the Beds and Satlaj we passed a small river on our right, 

 near the village of Andrisa. This wus the Weak : it measured in 

 breadth at the mouth forty yards, but was much narrower a little 

 higher up, and had a depth of 1 2 feet. The Wenh rises in the hills 

 which recede northwards from Beldspur at a place called Ghar Shan- 

 kar, and in its course through the Dodb Bist Jalindar, passes between 

 Phagwdra and Jalindar ; from thence southward to Dakni kd Sardi, 

 and south-west to Nakodir. From Nakodir its direction is west to 

 near Sultdnpur, when it turns to the south and enters the Satlaj 

 below Andrisa. The length of its course may be roughly stated at 

 sixty kos ; its bed is never quite dry, but it has very little water 

 during the months of January, February, and the early part of March. 



The Beds joins the Satlaj about two kos below Andrisa. It has 

 by no means so large a body of water at the junction as the latter 

 river, but its current is stronger and water clearer. The high bank 

 which was visible from Pipal, is more than a mile from the present chan- 

 nel. After meeting, the two rivers are split into numerous channels, 

 divided by shoals and sand-banks. The Satlaj throws off one large 

 and a number of smaller branches to the left, but its main channel 

 continues its course under the right bank past the ghat of Hari-ke, 

 carrying with it the water of the Beds. The large branch to the left 

 runs under a high bank past the village of Bhidan-wdla. The ghat 

 at Hari-ke is near three miles below the present junction of the two 

 rivers. The village itself andchhaoni are on the top of the high bank 

 at a distance of a mile and a half across the sand from the ghat. 

 Ranjit Singh has always a party of horse from one to two hundred 

 fctrong stationed at this place. From the 14th to the 28th December 

 the boats were detained at Bhidan-wdla in expectation of the arrival 

 of the mission from Lahdr. During this time I had ample opportu- 

 nity of judging of the extent of traffic passing by this ghat. Thirty- 

 two boats with three men to each were unceasingly employed from 

 morn to night in transporting loaded hackeries and beasts of burthen 

 of every description across the rivers. I observed little difference on 

 one day from another — it was a scene of constant activity and 

 bustle. 



