1854.] On tlie Ballads and Legends of the Punjab. 153 



rocks behind which sharp-shooters find secure cover. The deep 

 Indus without a boat is close at hand ; beyond which the inhabitants 

 can retire upon inflated hides, if hard prest. The opposite, i. e. 

 western border of the river, is occupied by warlike, independent 

 tribes, closely allied to those of the mountain. These tribes readily 

 aiford asylum to fugitives, and as readily come forward themselves to 

 aid in the defence of Grundgurh. 



A soldier who considers these facts, will not marvel at the fame 

 this mountain has acquired in the Punjaub. It is one of the few 

 points at which Nadir Shah failed, being here signally defeated. And 

 in six battles it maintained fame as a virgin fortress, the last being 

 the more bloody and disastrous defeat, of Hurri Singh, the hero of 

 the Sikhs, at Kara. 



(18.) With such a crash, each river flood of five that mightiest 

 roll'd. 



Their waves surcharg'd, arrested stood, each o'er her sands of 

 gold. 



All the Punjaub rivers yield from their sands gold dust. That of 

 the Indus is of very pale colour, containing perhaps an alloy of silver 

 or of platinum. It is difficult to ascertain the matrix of this gold, 

 owing to the rarity of finding its particles adhering to any of the 

 substances, whether sandstone, quartz or gneiss, amongst the debris 

 of which it occurs. But as some of the smaller streams which rise 

 and terminate in sandstone debris, yield also gold dust, it seems 

 probable that an auriferous sandstone is one at least of the matrices. 

 (19.) But Aba Sind inviting spread his sheeted silver bright. 

 Aba Sind, father Sind, the name reverently bestowed upon the 

 Indus by the tribes occupying its banks. Amongst the Hindoos 

 rivers are generally feminine with a few exceptions. Of these Aba 

 Sind was not one, as the following old traditionary lines will attest : — 

 Peeloo churria Gundgurh, nuzr kurreh kulloh : 

 Age bhuggeh Sind Bania, pichcheh bhuggeh Hurroh. 

 Chuch Bunnarr Sumundur ki, jo bheejeh so hoh. 

 Peloo climbed G-undgurh and stood gazing, 

 Before him rolled Queen Sind, behind him flowed Hurroh. 

 Chuch Bunnarr like the ocean, whatever you sow there will 

 spring up. 



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