Leitner, Gottlieb W.; Ravenstein, Ernst Georg [Ill.]: The languages and races of Dardistan (Lahore, 1877)

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him, he said, hack from Harbenn." The Maharajah is hoping now that he will get tired of wan-
dering about and come back of his own accord. Daring the last eight months he has sent nobody
for him, Mulk Aman is very badly off and is now at Eimon (Dareyl) and I am quite sure that
the Yaghistanis will never assist him. His brothers will not help him. His wife (Mabtar's
widow) is now at Jammu and reports have spread about her conduct."

In connexion with the Sazini's account, which in all particulars relating to the

tribes is very trustworthy, may be read the following statements of S... S... ofKuner, on the

borders of Katiristan, now a Christian. He relates that he was once a Sepoy in the Maharajah's

Army and started on one of the Gilgit expeditions [1860 ?] with 300 Affghans and 3,000 Dogras,

&c, under the command of Samund Khan, Ata Muhammad, Badam Singh, Man Singh and

Dula Singh. He believes that Wazir Pannu was with the forces. At any rate, the

attack on Gilgit was mere child's play. The Kashmir troops bombarded it for two or three days,

but the Dards had no cannon with which to reply. Wahhab, the Wazir, looked out of one

of the fort loopholes and was shot and so was a Bhishti. Wahhab's body was stripped and hung

to a tree. S... S... adds. "We were well entertained by the people who treated us to curds and

we found grapes and wallnuts in abundance at. Sher Kila'. The women of the country

cooked our food, but our soldiers repayed the hospitality which they received by plundering

and ill-treating the inhabitants. I remained behind, but when my company came back

they told me that the Sikhs wanted to dig out the body of Gauhar Aman, but were

prevented from doing so by their own Muhammadan comrades. We found caverns in the

mountains which were filled with food for the use of the enemy. It is the custom of this people

to heap upfood in caverns to which the owners only know the way. After entrusting Sher Kila''

(a fort as big as that of Gilgit and constructed of wooden beams and stone) to the administration

of native partisans, we went to Gao-Kutsh, where we found pleuty of sport. Gauhar Aman used

to sell captured Sepoys for hunting dogs." (This story is repeated from so many trustworthy

quarters that it seems to deserve credence. I heard it from many at Gilgit in 1866.

The kidnapping propensities of Gauhar Aman were great and one of my own retainers, a

petty Chief, had been dragged off for Kale, when he escaped by sliding down a mountain

side. Yet the people of Gilgit preferred his rule to that of Kashmir and revolted in his

favour, when oppressed by Santu Singh in 1852). " We had two Hindustani rebels of 1857

with us and there were also several with the petty Rajahs." [This important statement

can be somewhat confirmed by me. What I understood to be the fourth Light Kashmir Cavalry

was said to be almost entirely composed of rebels of 1857. I found many of the stations

in charge of Swatis and numbers of soldiers of that race at Gilgit. One of the Mahara-

jab's Sepoys, who came to see me, admitted that lie was formerly at Hyderabad and then

had joined the rebels].

I can also confirm the statements of the Sazini with regard to the atrocities committed
in the War with Dareyl, In order to be able to report victories, men, said to be innocent of