548 SURVEY OF THE GANGES, 



The inhabitants of this place came forward immediately with scpplieSj 

 and offered their services, to coRvey our baggage to the limits of the 

 Gerwdl distridl, at a very reasonable rate. We were happy in the oppor- 

 tunity of forming an arrangement that would make us independent of the 

 precarious assistance to which we had daily to trust ; and we entertained 

 as many as we thought would be necessary. As the Jemadar had re- 

 mained behind at Panhai for the purpose of bringing up part of our bag- 

 gage, which had not reached that place when we marched from it, we 

 determined to wait his arrival, that so we might proceed with all our bag- 

 gage. But, next morning, we were surprised to find the village entirely 

 deserted ; owing to the arrival of two Sipdhis from Snnagar, with ano- 

 ther letter from Shista Tapah to Har-balam, and a message to the Je- 

 madar. Both of those persons being absent, we sent for the messengers ; 

 one of whom, on being interrogated respecting the objedt of their mes- 

 sage, replied, in the most insolent manner, that his business lay with the 

 Jemadar, and that the only message he had for us was contained in the 

 orders he had received from his master to bring us back. When Har« 

 BALAM arrived, he, with no little agitation, explained the purport of the 

 letter, which was an injunction to conduct us back hy the way of Srina- 

 gar, on peril of severe punishment if he disobeyed. 



Independently of our personal safety, which we now had reason to 

 think would be endangered by compliance with this mandate, v/e were so 

 far advanced on the road to Almdra, that it would have been extremely 

 inconvenient to adopt the circuitous route of Srinagar. We determined 

 to halt this day, in hopes of assistance from the Jemadar, for the convey- 

 ance of our baggage ; for, since the arrival of the two Sipdhis, nowQ of 

 the inhabitants durst aiford us the smallest aid. 



