k and obliged to travel more
leisurely. I was very nearly suffering from my anxiety to get on, for
one of the laden Yabboos, being urged beyond what he considered his
lawful rate of progress, lashed out most furiously with both hind
legs; luckily, the flap of my saddle received the full force of one
of his heels, and the soft part of my leg the other, which lamed me
severely for a time.

On the 22nd, Sturt having arrived, we made up our party to visit
the ruins of the Castle of Zohawk, distant about ten miles from
Bamee[=a]n. I was rewarded for my trouble, both from the picturesque
nature of the ruins themselves, and because I was fortunate enough
again to fall in with one of those professional story-tellers from
whom I have already largely quoted. I have indeed listened to many
more stories than I have ventured here to insert; some I have rejected
from the nature of their details, others from there being a strong
impression on my mind that they were the extempore invention of the
story-teller with a view to the rupee, which he feared he would not
secure if he confessed he had nothing to relate. I have not perhaps
been judicious in my selection of those which I hoped would amuse the
reader, but I have done my best to choose for insertion those which
differed the most from each other; and I may be allowed to add as an
excuse for my apparent credulity regarding the tales themselves, that
they are implicitly believed by the inhabitants, so that, making
allowance for the corruption of tradition, the facts on which they are
founded in all probability did really occur.

The ruins of the Castle of Zohawk are situated on a hill commanding
the high road from Toorkisthan over the Ir[=a]k and Kalloo passes, and
in the angle formed by the union of the Bamee[=a]n and Ir[=a]k rivers.
It is impossible to fix the date of the first structure; it seems from
the ruin to have been added to at many successive epochs. The size of
the towers appeared very insignificant compared with the extent of
ground which the building at one time evidently covered, but perhaps
the towers, though small, were numerous. The only one now standing was
situated high up the hill, from which a covered passage partly cut
through the solid rock leads down to the water side. We had some
trouble in gaining the highest point of the ruins, as we were obliged
to scramble up the steep face of the precipice, still covered with the
remains of walls and bastions, which ha