180 Journal of a voyage from [March, 



trade passes from them and from Hari-ke are much infested hy rob- 

 bers. In the immediate vicinity are the Dogri and Jat zemindars who 

 are notorious for their thieving propensities. From Hari-ke, and 

 lower down the river, to Lah6r and Amritsir, the Akalis ; and from 

 Firozpur and Hari-ke to Ambalah, the country of the Sodhie Sahebs 

 has to be passed. The merchants engaged in this trade contract with 

 the owners of the camels and gdris for the safe conduct of their goods 

 to their place of destination, and these latter make their own arrange- 

 ments with the disorderly tribes whose territory they have to pass 

 through ; the escort, one of their number, is generally sufficient to 

 ensure safety. 



Below Hari-ke on the left bank of the river a tract of heavy grass 

 jungle extends for several miles — it is here and there interspersed 

 with the jhau ; and there are numerous inlets and creeks from the 

 river which insulate great portions of it. The islands thus formed 

 are covered with the thickest jungles ; those of the jhau, which is 

 strong and elastic, are almost impervious to horsemen, while those 

 covered with grass rising to the height of twelve and fourteen feet, 

 are cut into deep ravines and contain large pitfalls. Tigers are 

 found in these jungles. I went out in pursuit of them with Sirdars 

 Ratan Singh, Ghirja Rea, and a large number of his followers 

 mounted on horseback. The Sirdar gave strict orders to his men 

 not to use their matchlocks, and I anticipated the novel gratification 

 of seeing a tiger attacked and killed sword in hand. The traces of 

 them were innumerable. Every nala we crossed presented fresh foot 

 marks ; and though not so fortunate as to encounter any, we must 

 have been following close upon them the whole day. The ground is 

 unfavorable to the sport both for horsemen and elephants, owing to 

 the number of daldals and quick-sands. 



On the 3rd of January at Firozpur. The fort which is distant 

 about three miles from the river was built by Sultan Fekoz III. 

 nephew to the emperor Ghias-u'-din (Tughlak), and who reigned 

 from A. D. 1351 to 1387. It is an irregular building, of no strength, 

 and having little means of defence. The interior is filled up with 

 soil to half the height of the outer walls, and crowded with paltry 

 brick houses and mud hovels separated only by alleys about six feet 

 wide. The present possessor of the fort and adjacent territory is 

 Rani Lachman Kaur, widow of Dhana Singh. 



Noba'hu Singh, the brother of Gujar Singh, one of the joint 

 Sikh rulers of Lahor, was the first among the Sikhs who conquered 

 and held this territory. From him it descended to his son Gur 



