Hamilton’s account ov the fcAST inijies.

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his camp in that place that I went to vifit him at. The figure of the camp was. a re-gular tetragon, and ditched about with a trench about three yards broad, and two deep.The ground taken out of the ditch was thrown upon the infide, about four foot high,and regularly built like a parapet. It had four gates, one in the-middle of each curtain,and a flraight ftreet from the oppofite gates, which made an exact crofs in figure, andthe nabob’s tent was pitched in the middle of the crofs. Each fide of the tetragon wasabout 6 or 700 paces in length, and the ditches could be filled with water from theIndus , and let out at pleafure, into a large marfh about two miles off the camp.

The river Indus is navigable for their veffels, as high as Cafmire, that lies in the la-titude of 32 degrees; and one branch runs up to Cabul to the wxfhvard, and othersto Penjeb, Lahore, Multan , Buckor, and other large provinces and cities to the eaft-ward, and all {hare the benefits of the inland navigation. Their veffels are called Kifties,of feveral fizes. The largeft can lade about 200 tons. They are flat-bottomed, andon each fide cabins are built from ftern to ftem, that overhang about two foot; and ineach cabin, is a kitchen and a place for exoneration, which falls direftly in the water.Thofe cabins are hired out to paffengers, and the hold, being made into feparate apart-ments, are let out to freighters, fo that every one has a lock on his own cabin andapartment in the hold, and has his goods always ready to difpofe on at what places hefinds his market. And indeed in all my travels I never faw better conveniencies oftravelling by water. They have one maft of a good length, and a fquare-fail to ufewhen the wind is a-ftern, or on the quarter; but they never hale clofe by the wind.They are obliged to carry a great number of men for trading them up againft theftream, when the winds are againft them, fo that a voyage from Tatta to Lahore , theyreckon fix or l'even weeks long, but from Lahore back, not above eighteen days, andfometimes it is performed in twelve.

At Tatta the river is about a mile broad, and where I tried with a lead and line, itwas about fix fathoms deep, from fide to fide. The ftream is not very rapid, for itsmotion did not exceed two miles and an half in an hour. It produces many fpecies offrefli-water fifties, and among them, the beft carp that ever I faw or tailed. Some ofthem weigh above 20 pounds weight, and we have them alive in Tatta market. Theyhave black cattle in great plenty, large and good, and mod excellent mutton, of 80 or100 pound weight. Their horfes are fmall, but hardy and fwift. Deer, antelopes,hares, and foxes are their wild game, which they hunt with dogs, leopards, and a fmallfierce creature, called by them a fhoegoofe. It is about the fize of a fox, with longpricked ears like an hare, and a face like a cat, a gray back and fides, and belly andbreaft white. I believe they are rare, for I never faw more than one. When they aretaken out to hunt, an horfeman carries it behind him, hood-winkt, and their deer and >antelopes being pretty familiar, wall not ftart before horfes come very near. He whocarries the fhoegoofe, takes off the hood, and fhews it the game, which, with large fwiftfprings, it foon overtakes, and leaping on their backs, and getting forward to the'fhoulders, fcratches their eyes out, and gives the hunters an eafy prey, The leopardruns down his game, which often gives the hunters a long chafe, as well as the dogs,who will take the water when the game betake themfelves to fwimming, which theyfrequently do. They have ftore of peacocks, pigeons, doves, duck, teal, widgeon,wild geefe, curlews, partridge, and plover, free for any body to {hoot. They have alruit 3 that grows in their fields and gardens, called Salob, about the fize of a peach,but without a ftone. They dry it hard before they ufe it, and being beaten to powder,they drefs it as tea and coffee are, and take it with powdered fugar-candy. They are°f opinion, that it is a great reftorative to decayed animal fpirits.

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