132 H. C. Marsh— Description of a trip to tie Gilgit Valley. [No. 2, 



my coolies, so that I was able to start early, after giving out a few doses of 

 medicine, the fact of being able to obtain medicine gratis has gone before 

 me, it is the first thing I am asked for, and I have obtained the name 

 of the Hakim Sahib. I wish I were better able to support the title, it was 

 little I could do, my stock being very small. The narrow path between the 

 high walls and hedges of the gardens took some time in traversing, but when 

 clear of the village, I saw that the valley here is only about three-quarters of a 

 mile wide, very barren looking, shut in with high bare hills. The path leads 

 down to the nala which runs from the Hills to the south, past the small Fort 

 of Shipyot. This has six bastions, and was built by the Dogras about twelve 

 years ago on the occasion of the attack of Malik Aman and his brother Mir 

 Wall from Yassin, Tsa Bahadur defeated them by help from Gilgit. 



The river runs close under the Fort. We now enter into the territories 

 of Panyal proper under Tsa Bahadur, the chief of Sher Kil'a, or rather under 

 his son, as Tsa died lately. After crossing a long sandy flat, at least twenty 

 feet above the ordinary level of the river, which has been known in high floods 

 to cover it and do great damage to the surrounding countries, we ascended 

 gently up to the village and Fort of Golapur, about five miles from Sherote. 

 The village nestles under its cool green trees, and is famous for its grapes. 

 About twenty houses are scattered over the slope. 



I pitched in a garden of apple trees laden with fruit. The next garden, 

 enclosed by a wall, belongs to B,aja Langar Khan, he was absent in Kashmir, 

 having gone as a hostage for two years, leaving his family here. His little 

 son, five years old, came to make his salams and brought a basket of fruit. 

 A faqir and his son, both very intelligent, came to have a chat. They only 

 speak Persian and Yassini, and being Badakhshis, they were quite fair, with 

 delicate features, they made their livelihood by doctoring and selling charms, 

 and were quite glad to see a real Hakim as they thought. Their general 

 remedies are opium, arsenic, sulphur, and mercury, which are used equally for 

 all diseases. I gave them some quinine, which they had not seen before, also a 

 very potent medicine in the shape of Worcester Sauce ! !, a tea spoonful of 

 which nearly choking them, gave them a great idea of the efficacy of my drugs. 



Leaving Golapur next day, we came shortly in sight of Sher Kil'a, a 

 large fort and village surrounded by gardens and fields, on the opposite side 

 or left bank of the river, situated on a long slope from the high hills which 

 back it. 



Our road led over tolerably level ground, and along a cliff above the river 

 about 50 feet high, path very narrow, rocks of conglomerate and sandstone. 

 The Fort has 13 towers and is the largest in Gilgit. The communication to 

 this right bank is by a rope bridge of the usual shaky structure. Animals 

 crossing have to be swum across, which is only possible when the river is low. 



When we arrived opposite the Fort, I was met by the young and newly 



