916 Journal of a trip through Kunarvur. [Nov. 



it through and through. The skins are cured and sold at a rupee 

 and two rupees each to the Tartars and Lamas, who take them 

 to the upper districts and dispose of them at a profit, or make them 

 into shoes, &c ; opposite to Nachar, on the Kooloo side, the wild dog 

 is also said to be abundant, but so difficult is it to get a sight of 

 the animal that the natives never go in quest of it, and indeed they 

 have such a fear of it that even if they found one, they would not 

 fire, as they say if only wounded the whole pack turn upon the hunter 

 and destroy him. In this there is doubtless much exaggeration, but 

 nevertheless the idea, however erroneous, is sufficient to deter the 

 shikarre from the chace. These dogs are also found in the forests of 

 Chooara, where, hunting in packs, they destroy deer and other game; 

 even the leopard and the bear are said to fly before them, and will 

 not remain in the same jungles. They also attack the flocks, and 

 commit great havoc. I heard of an instance where a shepherd lay in 

 wait for their coming, armed with a matchlock, with which, from the 

 shelter of his hut, he intended to shoot or scare them away from his 

 fold, which they had on a former night attacked. Alas, however, 

 for the weakness of human resolves, no sooner did the pack arrive 

 than the shepherd's courage vanished, and like that of Bob Acres in 

 the Rivals, fairly oozed out at the palms of his hands, and he was 

 afraid to fire ; for said he, very prudently, " Who knows if I only 

 wound one but that they may pull down my house and attack me ; 

 no, no, let them eat their mutton in peace ;" and so in truth they did, 

 for the next morning the coward found twenty-five sheep killed and 

 mangled by his midnight visitors. This animal is also said to exist in 

 Chinese Tartary, and is called " Chungkoo." 



It is in the forests of these lower hills, that the various beautiful 

 species of the pheasant tribe are found, and none but the Chikore and 

 gigantic partridge are seen in the upper portions of Kunawur. 



On the 28th of May I left Nachar and travelled for a mile or two 

 over a capital road, descending to the Sutledge, which I crossed by the 

 Wangtoo bridge. This although dignified with the name of a bridge, 

 is in truth no more than a good broad sangho ; it is constructed en- 

 tirely of wood, and consists of three or more long trunks of trees thrown 

 across the river, the ends resting on buttresses of stone masonry, and 

 supported by three rows of projecting beams or slanting piles. On 

 these buttresses stand two covered gateways through which the 

 bridge is entered on from either side ; across the trees, are nailed 

 planks of wood, and the sides were formerly protected by a slight rail- 

 ing, though it has now almost entirely disappeared. 



