'ROUTES IN PERSIA, Section 1.' [‎198r] (400/416)

343
No. 33.
Kuh-i-Malik Siah (Robat) to Nasirabad (Sbistan).
Xo. of
stage.
Names of stages.
DISTA.NCB, iir
MILES.
Inter
mediate.
Total.
Remarks.
Camping'ground. —Surrounded by hills. These hills are difficult to climb from camp
side.
Supplies.-*Nil. But from the numerous tracks of sheep and goats, they must be
procurable sometimes.
Fodder. —Grass can be obtained on the hills around.
Camel-grazing. —Not much round camp, except tamarisk. Lower down the stream on
the plain any amount of “ lana” and 10 miles from camp “ tagaz” in any quantities.
Fuel. —Some quantity of tamarisk. There are several thickets of tamarisk growing
ir nala bed.
It is doubtful if Hurmak is in Persian or Afghan Territory. Both parties claim it.
It is essential, however, that it should be Persian, otherwise the Afghans would have the
means of stopping any trade between Baluchistan and Persia
Shelag River
20
38| The track leads down the nala bed slope 1°,
and issues on the daman close on 1 mile from
camp. The hills on either side are low and of a
light red colour. Mouth of nala, 500 yards wide.
The bed is stony. # .
At 1 mile the track, still keeping to the nala hed, leads in a northerly direction. The
bed here is stony and much cut up with small rain watercourses, some « inches deep and 3
feet broad. A good road could soon be made by clearing awav larger stones, the sub-soil
being sand and gravel. The track descends with a gradient of 1°.
At 10th mile the plain is reached which is practically level. Up to here there has been
an abundant growth of “ lana ” all along the track, and now “ tagaz ” commences.
From 10th to 17th mile the track is generally N. Prom 10th mile the stones and
gravel give way to sand and fine gravel with “ pat ” sub-soil a few inches beneath.
From 12 to 15| miles the track winds in and out of low sand-hills, and the view is very
confined owing to the surrounding thick growth of “tagaz.
From 15£ to 20 miles the track leads over au open “ pat ” plain, with a soft crust and
scattered “lana” bushes. At 17 miles the track leads N. N. E. and the right bank
of J'helag River is reached at 20th mile.
The road np to 12th mile, though stony, is good going for all arms, except wheeled
traffic. From 12 to 15| miles there is no track, and it is heavy sand. From 15| to 20
miles the rate of march would be delayed owing to the soft crus".
SHELAG RIVER.
Here the river is 400 yards wide between the crests of the bank. The right bank is 20
feet high and steep. The left bank is sloping. Both banks would require to be ramped, the
soil is easy. The water, which is extremely salt and bitter, lies in long pools from 3 feet
to 5 feet deep. The water holds so much salt in solution that as it evaporates it leaves a
thick deposit on the bed of the river. The natives cut this oat in big blocks for their own
use -
The soil of the bed is always more or less moist, and is covered with a salt efflorescence.
In crossing care should be taken to choose a sandy place, as the soil is so spongy that a
very little traffic cuts it up and renders it impassable. After a flood the bed would be im
passable for some days. There are flood water-marks some distance from the crest of both
banks, so that sometimes there must be 30 feet of water in the river.
The river is shewn in the map as flowing the wrong way.
When the Helmand gets in flood, as it does once every four or five years, the country to
theN., *.e., around Nasirabad and Koh-i-Khwaja and Ramrod, becomes inundated. The
water drains into the Shelag River, which then flows into the Gaud-i-Zirieh.