174 WANDERINGS OF A 



not more than ten of any value were in hand from one end of 

 the city to the other. It is said that the water of the lake 

 gives a softness to the Cashmere shawls which cannot be ob- 

 tained elsewhere. This may be doubted, as I have been given 

 to understand that those made in the looms at Amritser in 

 the Punjaub equal any from the Valley. 



One evening, on our return from the lake, the report of a can- 

 non from the palace startled us, and raised a thousand echoes 

 along the margin of the still waters. It was a royal salute of one 

 gun for the heir-apparent, who had just returned from visiting 

 his sire at Jamoo — one of the frontier forts. It is a beautiful 

 sight to see the boats, propelled by little hand-paddles, shooting 

 along the river or up the canal and across the city lake, the 

 oarmen keeping time to a lively chaunt which they sing, 

 sometimes with great pathos and some artistic skill. The 

 inundation takes place with the melting of the snow in April 

 and May, when the banks are overflown in many places. 



There are several species of fish in the river, the most 

 common being a sort of carp usually called the Himalayan 

 trout. It has two long string-like appendages projecting on 

 each side of the mouth. Young caught several with a hook 

 bated with dough, — ^the largest did not exceed 3 lbs. in 

 weight. The flesh is soft, very pale, and almost tasteless. 



The Turkish bath is in repute among the better classes ; 

 but aU I saw were so excessively filthy, and had attendants so 

 dirty, that we cut short our visits after the first ablution. 



A Cashmere boatman would consider his establishment 

 incomplete without an Afghan lark {Melanocorypha torqiutta). 

 This bird is said to frequent the Valley in winter. The sweet 

 notes of these songsters issuing from the boats as they pass 

 up and down the river were very enchanting. The common 

 heron is plentiful, and a heronry is preserved in the Shalimar 



