'Report of Khan Bahadur Maula Bakhsh, Attaché to the Agent to the Governor General of India and Her Britannic Majesty's Consul-General for Khurasan and Sistan, on His Journey from Meshed to Quetta via Turbat-i-Haidari, Kain, Sistan, Kuh-i-Malik Siah and Nushki (7th April to 28th July 1898)' [‎32r] (68/156)

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ON HIS JOURNEY FROM MESHED TO QUETTA, 1898.
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On one side of the hill on which the village lies there are some yellow
rocks supposed to be the Mazdr of Shah-i-Maraa (King of Snakes) where, it is
said, large numbers of thin white snakes, each about 2 feet in length, come on
pilgrimage in the autumn and do no harm to the people who visit the Mazar
at the same time to make vows. The people of the village believe that the
Shah-i-Maran possesses miraculous powers of curing the sick, the deaf, and the
blind.
There are two windmils and several gardens below the village, and the
climate is said to be good in summer.
(c) We had spring weather between Meshed and Miandeh, but at the
L u u j 4 ov latter place it began to get hot and the
heat increased considerably at Birjand.
Between Bujd and Sarbisha the heat was much milder than at Birjand, but at
Sahlabad and Ismailabad it got hotter again. Here at Shusp the weather is
pleasant in the shade at present.
Tuesday, 17th May 1898.
54. Neh {village).
Time taken bv laden camels, 10 hours.
Distance, 20 miles.
Water, good, from karezes.
Supplies plentiful.
Keh.
Road between Shusp and Neh,
Population and windmills of Neh.
{a) The road was rough for the first
mile and a-half and then perfectly level
to Keh.
{b) Neh is a large village containing
about 500 houses and 40 windmills which
are not taxed by Government.
The cost of erecting a windmill, including building, mill-stones, and all
appliances, amounts, on an average, to about Tumans 35 (£7). The annual in
come of each mill does not exceed Tumans 4 (£j), but this represents the
receipts of only four working months in the summer, when there is a constant
wind strong enough to turn a mill-stone.
This wind is called the “ Bdd-i-sad-o-bist roz ” (wind of one hundred and
twenty days, which blows continuously from the north during the months of
June, July, August, and September.
The mill-stones are brought from a hill called Gul-i-As situated at a
distance of about two farsakhs from Neh and cost only Tumans 3, while the
carriage from the quarry to the mill-house comes to Tuman 1 in addition.
(c) Neh is situated on the junction of
the roads to Bandar Abbas, Kirman, and
Sistan.
The Deputy Governor of Neh is Muhammad Kuli Khan, a cousin of the
Shaukat-ul-Mulk, who has been in charge of the district for the last six years.
According to the Deputy Governor, Neh territory extends in the east
towards Sistan as far as Bandan ; in the south as far as 12 farsakhs ; and in the
west towards the Kirman district as far as the end at Gaud-i-Neh.
The Gaud-i-Neh begins at about three and ends at about ten farsakhs
from Neh.
18th to 20th May 1898.
Extension of the Neh district.
Purchase of two more camels necessary at Neh to
enable the caravan to proceed farther.
(e) In order to enable the
Cause of my three days’ halt at Neh.
Neh — Nall.
(d) Our camel men find it necessary to
buy at least a couple of more camels to
facilitate our onward journey.
camelmen to purchase them and to be able
myself to try and settle the case of
the theft of 75 camels with the Deputy