'Routes in Arabia' [‎665] (696/852)

665
Route No. 184— contd.
along a pebbly mountain torrent, and finally at 21 miles emerges
on to a broad cultivated plain. The bed of the Zab is about 800
yards across and sandy and pebbly, but in flood the river must be
1 mile or more in breadth. When I passed the stream was about
150 yards wide with a current of about 4 miles an hour. Animals
have to swim across with men to guide them ; goods are ferried
across in a punt-shaped boat about 20 feet long and 8 feet wide,
lightly built. The crossing is troublesome. There is a village
on each bank: the one on the left bank is IJ miles from the
actual water and contains about 50 mud houses with a walled
enclosure on a mound 50 feet high. This commands the road
as it descends from the high ground to the plain on the river
bank.
Sheep .. .. .. 8,000 ^
Horses
Kine
Donkeys
Mules
Camels
200
100
100
100
200
seen grazing en route.
Camped on left bank of river: good camp near the water;
thousands of young locusts were here.
14 BARTALLA .. 18 m. 600 yards after leav-
ing the river begin the
279 m. ascent of the downs,
which are about 200 feet high ; the road is steep, stony and bad.
Zab is a village of about 100 houses and one domed khan : the
bank on the right side of the river is 20 feet and ths left bank
about 6 feet above the river bed. At 1 i miles downs, road
good, descending gradually by ups and downs to the Ghazir.
At 5| miles pass a small village 500 yards to the right. At 6
miles reach the Ghazir, road stony, river 60 to 200 yards between
banks, right bank 10 feet, left bank 20 feet, above bed, which is
pebbly and sandy: the direction of the ford is | right, up
stream : water 100 yards wide and hock-deep. After the Ghazir
the country is nearly flat and much cultivated. At 8 miles,
ground rising and undulating : small village of 60 houses 1 mile
to the left; road good : telegraph 2 miles to the right. At 10
miles mound on left, 30 feet high, flat top 100 yards by 50 yards,
and 100 yards from the road. At ll miles country is flatter,
road good ; small village on left 2 miles off : telegraph 300 yards