DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.15172#0089
CHAP. m. NAMES OF THE INDUS.
55
With the better orders of society we had frequent
intercourse and conversation. Some of them felt
interested about the objects of our mission to
Lahore. They did not give us much credit for sin-
cerity in sending it by a route which they believed
never to have been passed since the time of Noah.
They were full of enquiries regarding our customs.
Our Khyrpoor friend, Mahommed Gohur, was parti-
cularly horrified at our arrangements for getting a
wife, and begged me in future to let my beard grow.
The knowledge of this individual I may describe,
when he asked me if London were under Calcutta:
he was, however, a pleasant man; I delighted to
hear him sing the praises of the soldiers of Sinde,
who, he said, differed from all the world in thinking
it an honour to fight on foot. The feelings of pity
which some of the people displayed for us were
amusing : they were shocked to hear that we cleaned
our teeth with hogs' bristles. I was frequently asked
to lay aside the English saddle, which they con-
sidered quite unworthy, and worse than a seat on
the bare back of the horse.
The Indus in this part of its course is called
Sira, in distinction from Lar, which is its appel-
lation below Sehwun. These are two Belooche
words for north and south; and of the name
of Sirae, or Khosa, a tribe inhabiting the desert
on the east, we have thus a satisfactory explan-
ation ; as these people originally spread from Sira,
in the upper course of the Indus. Mehran, a
name of this river, familiar to Indians and foreigners,
is not used by the natives of the country. The
e 4*
55
With the better orders of society we had frequent
intercourse and conversation. Some of them felt
interested about the objects of our mission to
Lahore. They did not give us much credit for sin-
cerity in sending it by a route which they believed
never to have been passed since the time of Noah.
They were full of enquiries regarding our customs.
Our Khyrpoor friend, Mahommed Gohur, was parti-
cularly horrified at our arrangements for getting a
wife, and begged me in future to let my beard grow.
The knowledge of this individual I may describe,
when he asked me if London were under Calcutta:
he was, however, a pleasant man; I delighted to
hear him sing the praises of the soldiers of Sinde,
who, he said, differed from all the world in thinking
it an honour to fight on foot. The feelings of pity
which some of the people displayed for us were
amusing : they were shocked to hear that we cleaned
our teeth with hogs' bristles. I was frequently asked
to lay aside the English saddle, which they con-
sidered quite unworthy, and worse than a seat on
the bare back of the horse.
The Indus in this part of its course is called
Sira, in distinction from Lar, which is its appel-
lation below Sehwun. These are two Belooche
words for north and south; and of the name
of Sirae, or Khosa, a tribe inhabiting the desert
on the east, we have thus a satisfactory explan-
ation ; as these people originally spread from Sira,
in the upper course of the Indus. Mehran, a
name of this river, familiar to Indians and foreigners,
is not used by the natives of the country. The
e 4*