DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.3909#0132
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( 13 )
alternately took a pawful of "tromba," blew the chaff away and ate hastily. The man was
one-eyed [ sheo==blind ; my Grhilgiti used "Ivyor," which he said was a Persian word, but
which is evidently Turkish ] and ran to his hut to get his gun. He came out and
pointed it at the bear. The animal who saw this ran round the blind side of the man's
face, snatched the. gun out of his hand and threw it away. The bear and the man
then wrestled for a time, but afterwards both gave up the struggle and retired. The
man, after he had recovered himself went to look for the gun, the stock of which he found
broken. The match-string by which the stock had been tied to the barrel had gone on burning all
nio-ht and had been the cause of the gun being destroyed. The son of that man still lives at
the village and tells this story, which the people affect to believe.
5.—WEDDING FESTIVAL AMONG BEARS.
A Mulla, of the name of Lai Mohammad, said that when he was taken a prisoner into
Chilas,* he and his escort passed one day through one of the dreariest portions of the mountains
of that inhospitable region. There they heard a noise, and quietly approaching to ascertain its
cause they saw a company of bears tearing up the grass and making bundles of it which they
hugged. Other bears again wrapped their heads in grass, and some stood on their hind-paws,
holding a stick in their forepaws and dancing to the sound of the howls of the others. They
then ranged themselves in rows, at each end of which was a young bear ; on one side a male,
on the other a female. These were supposed to celebrate their marriage on the occasion in
question. My informant swore to the story and my Ghilgiti corroborated the truth of the
first portion of the account, which he said described a practice believed to be common to
bears.
6.—THE FLYING PORCUPINE.
There is a curious superstition with regard to an animal called " Harginn," which
appears to be more like a porcupine than anything else. It is covered with bristles; its back is of
a red-brownish and its belly of a yellowish colour. That animal is supposed to be very
dangerous, and to contain poison in its bristles. At the approach of any manor animal it is
said to gather itself up for a terrific jump into the air, from which it descends unto the head
of the intended victim. It is said to be generally about half a yard long and a span broad.
Our friend Lai Mohammad, a saintly Akhunzada, but a regular Munchhausen, affirmed to have
once met with a curious incident with regard to that animal. He was out shooting one day when
he saw a stag which seemed intently to look in one direction. He fired off his gun, which
however did not divert the attention of the stag. At last, he found out what it was that the stag
was looking at. It turned out to be a huge "flarginn," which had swallowed a large Markhor
with the exception of his horns ! There was the porcupine out of whose mouth protruded the
* Almost every third man I met had, at some time or other, been kidnapped and dragged off either to Chilas,
Chitral, Badakhshan or Bukhara. The surveillance,.however, which is exercised over prisoners, as they are being moved
by goat-paths over mountains, cannot be a very effective one and, therefore, many of them escape. Some of the Kashmir
Maharajah's Sepoys, who had invaded Dardistan, had been captured and had escaped. They narrated many stories of
the ferocity of these mountaineers; e.g., that they used their captives as fireworks, &a.. Sue., in order to enliven public
gatherings. Even if this be true, there can be no doubt that the Sepoys retaliated in the fiercest manner whenever they
had an opportunity, and the only acts of barbarism that came under my observation, during the war with the tribes in 1866,
were committed by the invaders.
( 13 )
alternately took a pawful of "tromba," blew the chaff away and ate hastily. The man was
one-eyed [ sheo==blind ; my Grhilgiti used "Ivyor," which he said was a Persian word, but
which is evidently Turkish ] and ran to his hut to get his gun. He came out and
pointed it at the bear. The animal who saw this ran round the blind side of the man's
face, snatched the. gun out of his hand and threw it away. The bear and the man
then wrestled for a time, but afterwards both gave up the struggle and retired. The
man, after he had recovered himself went to look for the gun, the stock of which he found
broken. The match-string by which the stock had been tied to the barrel had gone on burning all
nio-ht and had been the cause of the gun being destroyed. The son of that man still lives at
the village and tells this story, which the people affect to believe.
5.—WEDDING FESTIVAL AMONG BEARS.
A Mulla, of the name of Lai Mohammad, said that when he was taken a prisoner into
Chilas,* he and his escort passed one day through one of the dreariest portions of the mountains
of that inhospitable region. There they heard a noise, and quietly approaching to ascertain its
cause they saw a company of bears tearing up the grass and making bundles of it which they
hugged. Other bears again wrapped their heads in grass, and some stood on their hind-paws,
holding a stick in their forepaws and dancing to the sound of the howls of the others. They
then ranged themselves in rows, at each end of which was a young bear ; on one side a male,
on the other a female. These were supposed to celebrate their marriage on the occasion in
question. My informant swore to the story and my Ghilgiti corroborated the truth of the
first portion of the account, which he said described a practice believed to be common to
bears.
6.—THE FLYING PORCUPINE.
There is a curious superstition with regard to an animal called " Harginn," which
appears to be more like a porcupine than anything else. It is covered with bristles; its back is of
a red-brownish and its belly of a yellowish colour. That animal is supposed to be very
dangerous, and to contain poison in its bristles. At the approach of any manor animal it is
said to gather itself up for a terrific jump into the air, from which it descends unto the head
of the intended victim. It is said to be generally about half a yard long and a span broad.
Our friend Lai Mohammad, a saintly Akhunzada, but a regular Munchhausen, affirmed to have
once met with a curious incident with regard to that animal. He was out shooting one day when
he saw a stag which seemed intently to look in one direction. He fired off his gun, which
however did not divert the attention of the stag. At last, he found out what it was that the stag
was looking at. It turned out to be a huge "flarginn," which had swallowed a large Markhor
with the exception of his horns ! There was the porcupine out of whose mouth protruded the
* Almost every third man I met had, at some time or other, been kidnapped and dragged off either to Chilas,
Chitral, Badakhshan or Bukhara. The surveillance,.however, which is exercised over prisoners, as they are being moved
by goat-paths over mountains, cannot be a very effective one and, therefore, many of them escape. Some of the Kashmir
Maharajah's Sepoys, who had invaded Dardistan, had been captured and had escaped. They narrated many stories of
the ferocity of these mountaineers; e.g., that they used their captives as fireworks, &a.. Sue., in order to enliven public
gatherings. Even if this be true, there can be no doubt that the Sepoys retaliated in the fiercest manner whenever they
had an opportunity, and the only acts of barbarism that came under my observation, during the war with the tribes in 1866,
were committed by the invaders.