250 WANDERINGS OF A 



to proceed by the Shadepoor Canal, which opens into the 

 Jhelum near Sopur. The lotus and siagara-nut grow in 

 abundance around the shallow parts on its southern side, 

 where rushes and reeds offer excellent retreats for rails and 

 water-hens. On our arrival at Sopur, we paid a visit to the 

 heir-apparent. Prince Khunbeer, who was living in the dirty- 

 old fort on the river. He received us with all the suaviter 

 in modo of an Oriental, and with apparent gravity talked 

 of his being our humble, obedient servant, and that his 

 father's country was ours, and we might just do what we 

 chose with anything or any one in his dominions. He 

 wanted the cunning, restless eye of his father, and for a youth 

 of twenty-four he looked ten years older ; he had a sallow^ dis- 

 sipated, but handsome countenance, which appeared to ad- 

 vantage in a helmet sort of head-dress, surrounded by a 

 turban with a plume of heron's feathers. The nobles of the 

 court all wore shields and swords, and the guard a non- 

 descript tmiform, with flint muskets. Our interview was of 

 short duration, for the Prince tired us out with his ftdsome 

 compliments, which came forth with a drawling voice as if 

 talking was a very trying effort to his Eoyal Highness. We 

 were amused at his stating that he had often hunted ibex and 

 bears, and could scarcely retain a courtly gravity when we 

 conceived the Prince in the tights generally worn by the 

 Sikh's nobles clambering up the bare rocks of Wurdwun. I 

 subsequently discovered he did once "go a-shooting," and 

 after an attempt to mount a hill, was finally borne up on the 

 backs of his followers, and that he actually fired at a bear 

 and missed it. This was the first and last of Ehunbeer 

 Singh's hunting expeditions. After several extra compliments 

 on both sides we withdrew, the guard at the door nearly 

 knocking us down by their violent attempts to " turn out" and 



