1 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE JUMMOO FAMILY. 237
2 ed and even defied the great Moslem power of the age.
3 However, the disturbances of the times gave him and some
4 of his descendants opportunities to ravage the lowlands on dif-
5 ferent occasions for some forty or fifty coss.
6 To Rajah Mai Dehu succeeded five generations of his des-
7 cendants, whose reigns extended over a period of one hundred
8 and fifty years. The last of these, Beeram Dehu, is said to
9 have flourished about the year 1539. of Vikramadita, and was a
10 contemporary of the Emperor Baber. This is ascertained from
11 the following tradition and the occurrence which it records.
12 The Cashmere fruit dallies (loads or baskets) having been
13 more than once plundered on their way to the Court of
14 Delhi by some of the numerous predatory clans and tribes
15 then infesting and inhabiting different parts of the route,
16 such as the Jelall tribe, at or about Rajouri, the Chib tribe
17 at Bheembur, &c, a royal purwannah, signed and sealed by the
18 Emperor Baber, was addressed to all the Zemindars, Ryuts, and
19 inhabitants of the Dhaman Hills, in which district no Rajah
20 was yet known or acknowledged at Delhi. The bearer of
21 this order, perhaps not finding a more proper person in the
22 range named, brought the purwannah to Jummoo and present-
23 ed it to Rajah Beeram Dehu. The order was simply to act as
24 31oqffzuth, or to afford an escort and safeguard to the fruit dallies
25 coming from Cashmere and going- to Delhi, for which service
26 the persons addressed would be favourably regarded by the
27 Court of Delhi. Beeram Dehu seemingly took this into his
28 head as being a special compliment paid to himself personally by
29 the great Baber ; and he felt so proud of it that he took some
30 three or four hundred armed men, and brought the fruit dallies
31 safe through the dangerous passes, as far as Gujerat or the
32 Chenaub. Here he was informed by the Delhi officer that as now,
33 by his good services, the fruit was safe for the Emperor, there was
34 no further fear. This was a polite way of informing him that his