1862.] 
233 
An account of Upper and Lower Suwdt. 
passed. At the foot of the Pass, and directly under the mountains, 
we came to the village of Nal-banddah, the first we reached in 
Suwat. It is said, that a husbandman of this place onee found a 
number of gold coins in a well close by ; but the other villagers, 
hearing of it, took the treasure from him, and shared it amongst 
themselves, after which they filled up the well, that no one should 
get any thing out of it in future. We asked two or three parties on 
what side of the village the well was situated, but they would not 
point it out, and said to us: “ So you are come here to discover 
treasure, are you ! be under no concern; for your wishes will not be 
fulfilled.” 
After proceeding two coss or three miles further on, we reached 
the town of Tarmah, to the west of which there is a small stream; 
and on the hanks of it, there is a fine grove of chindr or plane trees, 
about a hundred in number, all very ancient, very large, and very 
lofty; and here we came to a halt. 
Mir iEalam Khan, the chief of Tarrwah, came to pay his respects 
to the Khan Sahib * and after some conversation, the chief, who 
had been eyeing me for some time, inquired who I was. The Khan 
Sahib replied, “ He is a Mulla, and is going on a pilgrimage to the 
Akhiind Sahib.” He replied, “ He is no more a Mulla than I am ; 
but you have made him one for the nonce.” On this the Khan 
Sahib observed, “ Probably Amir Ullah Khan of Pala’f may have 
advised you of my being on my way into Suwat.” He laughed, and 
replied: “ The day you left Jamal G-arrai I he^rd of your coming to 
pay your respects to the Akhund Sahib. It is all well: allow no 
matter of concern whatever to enter your mind; but the people of 
Suwat are so celebrated for their stupidity and thick-headedness, 
that it is necessary you should be prudent and circumspect in every 
thino*.” The Khans or Chiefs of Tarmah are descendants of Harn¬ 
zah Khan, # the founder of the village of that name in the Yusufzf 
district south of Suwat, and about eight miles north of Hoti Mardan. 
He lived in the time of Khushhal Khan, Khattak ; for it was his 
daughter that Khuslihal mentions in his poem on Suwat, as having 
married when there, or whom he was about to marry ; and she was 
mother of his son, Sadi Khan. Hamzah Khan was the then ruler of 
Suwat, and held sway over the SamaJi also. It was he also fixed 
# See the extract from the poem at the end of this paper. 
2 h 2 
