________________
JUNE, 1910.)
BOME BOOK AND TOMB INCISED DRAWINGS.
181
designs. In the hut of my guide at Saruna, was a wooden mortar similarly decorated, showing that the Muhammadanism of the molern Baloch does not prevent him frota drawing pictures of bis prized possessions or from portraying his highest ambitions.
I will now proceed to explain the figures in the plate attached in the light of the above observations.
Plate I. Fig. 1. This represents a camel, by far the most valuable animal in these regions, where there is hardly any vegetation for fodder and a great scarcity of water. Riches are here ganged by the possession of camels, and therefore to the ordinary Baloch, living in a mat hut, made of the leaves of the dwarf palm (pis), corypha procumbens ), the possession of a camel is a great ambition.
Fig. 2 represents a modern warrior on his own camel ; sword in one hand and reins in the other. This is a prouder position than that shown in the previous figure, for it denotes that the rider owns the camel himself and is no hireling of a mdibar, or rich man, as in that case, he would be driving, not riding, the camel, as one of a caravan.
Fig. 3. Here is a higher ambition still :- the possession of a matchlock as well as a camel.
Fig. 4 represents the final ambition of the Brahủi :- the possession of a camel, a matchlock and an antelope.
Fig. 5. He has, however, a great continuing desire in life, and that is to bag an ibex (har-raf).
Fig. 6 is a kind of "sign manual" among these people. It corresponds in some measure to the portrait among the more cultivated nations. A prominent tribesman places his hand on the rock and draws an outline thereof, which is afterwards cut into it and is handed down as the imprint of his hand (panja). It is, in fact, his memorial so long as his name is remembered.
The inference is, that we have here the portraitare of the few and simple desires of this remote half nomad, half pastoral people of the present day :- 8 people so remote and isolated that only two British Officers have visited them, Mr. Hughez-Buller and Major Showers, and then only during a special journey of exploration.
Plate II. Fig. 1. The Indian hump-backed bull here represented is a curions thing to find depicted on thebe rocks. Possibly, it represents something that the Brahûi artist was proud to possess, Ele must have often seen it to get the general idea of it so accurately.
Figs. 2 and 3. The apparently inexplicable picture drawn in fig. 2 was explained by Sardar Muhammad Azim Khan, Shahwânt, one of the exploring party, as depicting a man crossing a hill to shoot an ibex. No doubt, he is right. We see him starting on his camel in front of the hill," then we find him on foot in the valley or pass summit with the ibex below him. In the other bottom corner of the picture is his dog. The hill and valley are drawn according to the almost universal Oriental and Indian notions of indicating such objects, like the artificial hills made in stucco round the late Burmese King's Palace at Mandalay in the ornamental gardens there, and they approximate to the painting of mountains in the Ajanta frescoes as outlined in fig. 3.
Fig. 4 is a copy of some script, ancient or modern, which is unintelligible to me.
Fig. 5 takes us back to remoter times :- anterior, at any rate, to the completo Muhammadanising of the population. The gun is here replaced by the dagger, spear and composite bow of Northern India, and the horse of the Rajput replaces the camel of the Brabúi. These ancient weapons are still preserved as heirlooms in the houses of some of the people and arrow-heads are frequently picked up in different parts of the country. This figure is not a rock inscription, hnt from an old tomb at Hinidân in the flat country near Sind. It clearly represents a notable Hindu warrior and his possessions. He is depicted as riding on his own horse with spear, bow and dagger, aud his "sign-manual."
