JULY 17th.--By boat up the river, the day so bright, the view so
glorious, the breeze so balmy and delicious, and the motion so gentle
and pleasant, that lying on my bed I devote myself to lazy listlessness,
to a perfect sense of the "dolce far niente" and can hardly prevail on
myself to disturb my tranquillity by writing these few notes. The
contrast to my thirteen heavy marches is so great that I am content to
remain for the present without thought or action, enjoying absolute
rest. Evening--We halt at Sopoor, and now let me endeavour to continue
the diary. Got up at seven this morning and sent for a boat, one of the
larger kind about thirty feet long, and six feet broad in the middle,
the centre portion covered with an awning made of grass matting. The
crew consisting of an entire family, from the elderly parents to quite
young children--9 in all. I was towed up the still widening river by all
of them in turns, one wee girl not three feet high being most energetic,
though I should think of little real service. Boat flat bottomed, and
alike at both ends, they use paddles instead of oars. But the scene! I
am unable now to do justice to it, so I will only give the outlines to
be elaborated hereafter. Splendid river--verdant plain covered with many
varieties of trees, poplar and chenar or tulip tree the most
conspicuous, extending as far as the eye can reach and enclosed by lofty
snow capped mountains, on which rest the clouds of heaven. Bright blue
King-fishers darting like flashes of light or hovering hawk-like before
the plunge after fish and the many hued dragon flies upon the water
weeds. Among the several varieties of the weeds, I noticed a great
quantity of "Anacharis." Got fresh mutton and apple-pie for dinner.
Swarms of very minute flies came to the candle dancing their dance of
death. Many thousands were destroyed, and their bodies darkened the
board which serves me for a table. Sopoor like Baramula, river bridged,