1839.] Journal of a trip through Kunawur. 929 



with a long and rueful countenance, and announced the unsuccessful 

 termination of the day's sport. They had found a small herd, chiefly 

 of females, and had each a shot, but with no other effect than that of 

 scaring away the game, and nearly throwing the Leepee hunter over 

 the cliff, for the English powder I had given him caused his match- 

 lock to recoil so violently, that both were nearly taking flight to the 

 depths below. On inquiring for my flat-faced friend, it appeared that 

 he was ashamed to face me again empty handed, and therefore had 

 stopped on the hill-side for the night, at a shepherd's hut, from whence 

 in the morning he could easily repair to his sowing in the heights. 

 I sent him next day a large clasp knife, with a message to be 

 ready for me on my return, when I would give him a chance of 

 retrieving his character as a shot. His son, who undertook to deliver 

 the knife, seemed highly delighted with the present, and declared that 

 I should have a specimen of the sikeen on my return, but alas, as will 

 be seen hereafter, these promises were fated to be broken. 



On the 6th of June I resumed my journey, somewhat recruited by 

 the day's rest I had enjoyed, and proceeded by a steep ghat to 

 Labrung and Khanum. Descending to these places from the sum- 

 mit of the pass, the road lay through a scattered forest of Neoza and 

 Kayloo pines, intermingled here and there with the cedar of Kuna- 

 wur, the first specimen of which we saw at Leepee. It appears to be 

 a species of juniper, and sometimes attains a goodly size, though 

 generally it is dwarfish, and crooked in the extreme. The names by 

 which it is known in Kunawur and Hungrung are " Lewr," and 

 i Shoor;" its wood is esteemed as incense, and offered by the Lamas 

 to their gods. Small quantities of it are also burned to charcoal and 

 used in the manufacture of gunpowder. The planks obtained from it 

 are used in the construction of temples, and they are sometimes also in 

 demand at Simla, to make boxes with. Scattered over the more open 

 parts, were beds of juniper and tilloo (also a species of cedar used as 

 incense) and the yellow flowering furze already seen near Chini. 



After an easy march we encamped at Labrung, a small and filthy 

 looking place, built on the edge of a shelving hill. The town of 

 Khanum is of goodly size, and stands opposite to Labrung, the two 

 places being merely separated by a narrow glen. In this town many 

 Lamas reside, but at the time of my arrival the principal of them had 

 gone to Simla in the train of the Rajah, or in other words, " the chief 

 had put his tail on," and their presence was required to form part of it. 



The season here appeared to be far behind those of the lower parts 

 of the district, the barley being yet green and far from ripe, while 



