Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-03-08

=, 4H ~ aSSoioinS 10 the state OF water,
the condition OF the bank, and the di-
rection IN which they ure going; the
women and all children over twelve
l"rm part OF the crew, and the latter
seem thoroughly to enjoy their share
OF the i6bor. The rate of progression
is extremely slow-a mile an hour 60
ing up stream, and about double that
speed coming down, when, however,
.he boatinen are apt TO become very
lazy and trust to the current to carry
the boat along. There Is kind of
lazy ENJOY yment on u hot day in the
SLOW, even motion of dunga as it
gildes between the green level banks of
the placid river, with the view of the
enclrcllng chain of mountains Oh every
side; but you soon get tired of it. and a
Gnnga is not comfortable home; YOU
gladly change 1t at the end of your
voyage for the more stable and com
modious shelter of tent. Then lastly
there are the small light boats called
''shlkarries," in which Won are padded
up and down the canals on sh .ppIng,
visiting, or sightseeing expeditions.
They are the gondolas of SrinCgar, but
very different in appearance, and very
inferior In comfort, to the gondolas of
! Venice. There are no seats, So YOU
sit or recllue in tee bottom of the boat,
taking care to supply yourself with
plenty of rugs and cushions. Yen are
protected from the sun by grass mats
stretched over a light framework of
bamboo. In this little craft, propelled
b the paddles Of four or five oarsmen,
you skim lightly and swiftly over the
water, under bridges, past fOuses, and
temples, and green baghs dotted with
white tents, on through the DhdL
DHrtO0zd, or water-gate of the city,
along lovely water avenue bordered
with willows, into the beautiful aill-
girt Dial Lake.
Srinagar Is situated in the broadest
part of the Vale OF Cashmere, the hills
and mountains being at some distance
from 1t: but The city is dominated by
two isolated hills, the lower one crown
ed by the fort, the higher one, which
rises l,OO0 feet above the valley, by an
ancient Hinduo Temple, built of mas
slve unhewn stones. This hill-Takht
Suleiman 80. Omon's Throne) well re-
pays the climb for the view it affOrds
over the whole valley of Cashmere. At
your feet lies the brown city en-
bosomeh III green trees, surrounded by
veraant meadows or baGhs, shaded by
chenar-trees aud dotted over with
large white mushrooms, which on IA
closer inspection you see to be tents,
IDtersected by blue water ways fringed
with green. There, beyond the city
gate, whose wood, II doors open in the
water, lie the Shining levels" of the
( Dial Lake with Chenar Island turning
cOldel in the sunset TIL it looks like Il
topaz floating on the sapphire waters.
An away beyond the outermost folds
of tie steep hills that shut in this peer
/ less iake,is seen a streak of silver VIII ch
Is the faT-otf Wular Lake, the home of
storms, the mirror of eternal SHOWS.
. Turning to the other side yoa see be
low yOu the winding Jhelum coi,ing
its shining reaches round green
meadows and teeming orchards, its
graceful curves suggesting to the Cash
miri artists the famous ''shawl pattern. 4"
And around on every side the towering
range with its dark precipices and
cleaning snow fields, that encircles the
enchanted valley ike wall.
There is one element of picturesque
ness wanting In Sriuagar which is
found in almost al Oriental cities-the
dress of the natives; here it is dIngy in
the extreme. This Is the result not so
much of poverty as OF fear. The uu-
certainty of taxa ion and the desire to
escape il, are both so great, that the
people avoid any apparent sign of pros
IperIty, hence dirt and squalor reign
triumphant in their persons and houses.
For the rest thy are light-hearted,
humorous, nendacious, and extremely
avaricious peoplel There are no hotels
lin Srinagar. By a pleasant fiction
al vi. no nf
HIghness the Mahsrsjah, who prOvi es
them with "quarters" in pretty one
storied bungalows facing the river.
i hese used to be rent free. but owing
to the Influx of visitors a small rent is
now charged. But these picturesque
bungalows are far too few TO accOmmo-
date the numbers who now flock into
Cashmere as soon as the '1eave season"
commences. Nine-tenths of these are
military officers, s. much so that the
natives sTeak of the visitors collective
ly as "offcers," and a clergyman who
had entered his name for an order in
one of the merchants books wGs asked
to add his regiment.
In default of other accommodation
most people either live in their boats
or camp. The latter is far more COM
Portable, unless you happen to have a
house-boat. The various baghs or
meadow orchards in the vicinity of the
city are available for camping, One
bordering vely curve of the river,
ard shaded by magnificent chenars, is
devoted to bachelors; another, scarcely
less beautiful, is allotted to married
couples. Two at opposite ends oil the
city are neutral ground and accom- mo-
date a mixed society. One, Ram
Munshi Bagh, is a peninsula encircled
by one of the wonderful sweeping
curves of the Jhelum, and is covered
with mulbt rry trees, which rain down
their ripe black fruit upon you as you
sit under their shade The other, five
miles of, is Nassim Bagh, the queen of
camping grounis--a grove of chenars,
cerpeted with the softest grass, decked
with blue and white iris and washed
by the lucid waters of the Dial Lake,
at whose head lie the famous Shalimar
Gardens, the scene of the Feast OF
Rosf s." In all or any OF these lovely
spots delightful time may be spent,
Eesting after the tourney in" or after
a ''march" through the higher valleys.
Nowhere does one sleep as one does IN
a tent, and no lie can be more healthy
aud 1nvigoIating to mind and body
an tue open air life of camp.
You rise early for the morning walk
SO conducive to health in the somewhat
relaxing air of the Vale, coming back
to your at fresco breakfast with an ap-
petife which does justice to meal sub
stautial enough to carry you on to four
o'clock tea, ard in the interval you
enjoy delightfully."- lazy time, sitting
under the trees with your book or your
work or your scribblIng, as the case
may be. Perhaps a visitor strolls up
from a ueighboring tent to make your
acquaintance. You discover mutual
friends or exchange experiences of
coolies and boatmen, and bewall the
rapacity of your respective ktc nsona's.
Or, if the day is still and warm, and
your morning walk has been longer
than usual, you may doze peacefully,
undisturbed by any of the sounds