— 



120 H. C. Marsh— Description of a trip to tie Gilgit Valley. [Ho. 2 



clad peaks at the end of the Astor Valley towards the Indus, and is covered 

 with stones and boulders, gravel and sand, cut up by many dry watercourses 

 presenting the most forbidding aspect of a country brought to ruin bv con- 

 tending factions, not only Dogra and Gilgit, but Astor and Chilas, also Chilas 

 and Dogra, all at various times, within the last twenty-five years, choosino- 

 this unfortunate place as a battle-ground. The traveller leaving Kashmir and 

 journeying through these narrow, poor valleys cannot understand why such 

 unproductive conquests should have been undertaken by the Kashmir Gov- 

 ernment. Even for the greed of dominion, little or no advantage has 

 accrued to the conquerors. In short, the Dogras, in their ideas of conquest, 

 committed a great blunder in annexing either Astor or Gilgit, as both have 

 been a burden on the State ever since their acquisition, Astor having to be 

 supplied with grain for the troops required to hold it, and Gilgit only just 

 supporting the small garrison located there. Even if the taking of Astor 

 is advanced on the plea of strategy, so as to gain a good natural and political 

 frontier on the Indus, what can be urged for crossing that frontier into 

 a far off and useless country like Gilgit, of small resources and difficult 

 to hold. 



The former inhabitants of Bunji were Shins mixed up with Bhiitiahs 

 from Skardu, but latterly, before its final destruction about 1852, most 

 of the people were Shins from the opposite and populous valley of Sye. 

 The Fort was rebuilt by the Dogras in that year, but the fertilizing 

 canal which used to bring water from the adjacent nala was not repaired, 

 so that the present village consists of less than a dozen houses of Kashmiri 

 thieves, transported to the place, and a company of sepoys in the fort. 



The few fields are eaten up by grasshoppers that annually appear about 

 harvest time, and the villagers have a constant struggle for life. The sol- 

 diers are fed on Kashmir grain.* The summer heat here is great, the ther- 

 mometer Fah. marking from 69 to 95 in the shade and over 104 in the sun. 



The ferry over the Indus is about two miles from the Fort. The latter 

 is situated at least 500 feet above the river. There are only three boats, such 

 as are used in Kashmir for ferry purposes, each capable of holding some 30 

 people. The river runs about three miles an hour and is from 500 to 600 

 feet broad. The road lay through old uncultivated fields, and descend- 

 ing by a winding path down two terraces to the banks of the river, we 

 waited till the Kashmiri boatmen arrived to convey us over. On the bare bank 

 a garden has recently been planted. The natives are very superstitious, and 

 only after many invocations to God for protection on the unstable element, 

 did they allow myself, pony and coolies to embark, a sepoy accompanying 

 me. The two boatmen were not powerful enough by themselves, so we 

 * For a description of this grain supply see the " Pioneer" of 17th December, 1875, 

 for my account of Ponies in ' Kashmir '. 



