- Started this evening by water for Islamabad, the ancient
capital of Cashmere.
We made a slight change in our arrangements, rather for the better,
by hiring a large boat for ourselves and handing our own over to the
servants and culinary department in general.
JULY 12. - Found ourselves not very far on our road on awakening
this morning, the night having been very dark, the current strong
against us, and the sailors lazy.
Another cause of delay also, if these were insufficient, was, that
the proprietor of the boat dropped his turban overboard, with two
rupees in the folds of it, and the old lady his spouse had stopped
the fleet for at least an hour to cry over the misfortune. Before
breakfast we had a swim, and found ourselves only just able to make way
against the stream. Breakfasted on the river bank, under the trees,
and surrounded by rocky snow-capped mountains. Reading, scribbling,
and eating apricots brought us to about an hour before sunset, when
F. and I landed and went ahead to pick out a spot for a dining-room
for ourselves. In the search, we passed through orchards and gardens
innumerable, and finally decided upon a grove of magnificent sycamores
on the river bank, where we laid out our table just as the sun went
down.
