1839.] Journal of a trip through Kunawur. 919 



young. At Meeroo the temple was adorned with about twenty pairs 

 of horns of the sikeen and wild sheep ; the former animal is an ibex, 

 and is said to have been once plentiful here among the snows, but 

 of late years it has entirely disappeared from the neighbourhood. 

 Some of the horns on the temple are of large size and were placed 

 there by the fathers and grandfathers of the present generation, none 

 of whom recollect seeing the living animal near the village, although 

 there are some old men among them too. I inquired if I might take 

 some of the horns, to which they replied with feigned astonishment, 

 f they are presented to Devi, and who will dare to rob her temple?" 

 I disclaimed, of course, all intention of robbing her, but suggested that 

 as she had now possessed the horns for some time, she might perhaps 

 be willing to take something else in exchange! To this they said, she 

 could have no objection ; and after a little bye play among themselves, 

 a hoary headed old sinner stepped forward and informed me that " the 

 devil was willing to sell his horns at two rupees a pair !" I agreed to 

 give it, but on examination it was found that the whole batch of them 

 were worth nothing, being quite rotten and decayed from age and ex- 

 posure to the elements, so I declined taking them. The wild sheep 

 is still occasionally found on the heights above the village, and some- 

 times also a stray jahgee, or horned pheasant. I had made repeated 

 inquiries regarding the actual existence of an unicorn in any part of the 

 hills, but although I found many who had heard of such an animal, 

 and believed in its existence, I could meet with no one who had ever 

 seen it. 



Here however I encountered an old man who had travelled much in 

 the interior, and various parts of the mountains, and who declared that 

 he had once beheld the unicorn. I was of course all attention, and on 

 the tiptoe of delight with the idea that I should now have an opportu- 

 nity of describing this long considered fabulous animal, and of ending 

 discussion past, present, and future, as to its existence. Alas, my visi- 

 ons were doomed to fleet away, for after a long and close examina- 

 tion, in which it was necessary to listen to a rigmarole history of the 

 old man's birth, parentage, and education, and his never ending travels 

 into Tartary to purchase wool, which he had done regularly every 

 summer of his life for forty years, it turned out to be nothing more 

 than an ugly clumsy rhinoceros which he had seen in the possession 

 of the Rajah of Gurwhal, and which he described as being like an ele- 

 phant without a trunk, and having a horn on its nose. 



From Meeroo we had an up hill march all the way, and crossed the 

 first snow at a stream over which it formed an arch, so hard and solid 



