'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)' [‎53v] (111/156)

84
REPORT OF KHAN BAHADUR MAULA BAKgSH
Zeh.
cow for the Pir-i-Buzurg (the great Saint), since he had made a vow to do so in
case the well should prove a success. He declares he has now made up his
mind to sacrifice the cow and then to bore the shaft through rock about ten
feet deeper when he hopes to find better water. Should he fail in this, he
intends to sink another well at a place about sixty yards higher than the
present well where he is sanguine of his success.
Idu is a great tobacco smoker and is unable to do any work unless he
smokes at short intervals. He says he has bought a camel to carry sweet
water for himself and his men from Saindak to Darana Kuh, and is only
waiting to obtain a few more English pick-axes, a couple of buckets and a
good supply of tobacco and wheatflour from the Political Assistant, Chaghi
district, to bring his Hhasadars back to Parana Kuh and begin work again.
Change in the weather at Darina Kiih. ^ ®OC)l nOltll wind Sprang Up
to-day and made the weather quite mild.
^Ulli J uNE XoV/O*
131. Zeh {sandy desert).
Time taken by laden camels, lOf hours.
Distance, j 8 miles.
Water, not procurable.
Camel-grazing and firewood obtainable.
No supplies.
(a) The road was blocked up at several places by sand-hills drifted by
Road between Dar&na Kuh and Zeh. yesterday s wind and was very difficult
for laden camels which took 101 hours to
do 18 miles.
(&) Idu has begun to dig a well here and found water, but unfortunately
Want of water at Zeb. water is as bad as that of Dardna
-pr * j -t . . . , an d the quantity is too small for a
caravan. He intends to sink another well in hopes of finding better water
According to a few Baluch travellers there used to be a shepherd’s well at
Zeh which contained sweet water, but the well has been filled up by sand and
los . Idu would therefore, do well to trace and re-open that well instead of
sinking others at difierent places which might not yield good water. '
(c) There was a sandstorm to-day which blew our tents down. The wind
Temperature at Zeh lowered by cool wind. VYRS, llOWCVer, COOl and lowered the
temperature a good deal.
(d) On arrival at Zeh we found a few mashaks of water which the
^' V .; t i r Jr”^h Zel ‘ fOTm,Cirav, °’ ,J ‘ 1,e ThiM - T^naddr of Amir Chah had been good
i c v enough to send for us. These were vprv
welcome, as some of the camelmen had no water left. * V y
Our water-supply was running short and our camels were quite done un
after the hard march over sand-hills. I had, therefore, to send ahead and ask
the Thanadar of Amir Chah to help us by sending a few more mashaks 0
water and about ten or twelve hired camels, if possible^ to meet us halfway.
132. This afternoon a Khdsadar arrived from Saindak and broueht
M rro^di„ g » o E« w arAbba S Khiaof B a„p„ t „ t Yawar Abbas Khfin’s reply to my letter
Muhammad Rezd Khdn’s son (Tdj Mu^ttadlhln) 1 andte^t °b7 the tatter
till his father’s return to Minawa) with a short nofp f™™ V , 1 1 ,
Reza Khan saying that the Ya'war had forcibly' £^“0 a tameTT"
donkeys, and twenty sheep from his son. ’ a camel > two
ab0 "‘ , « Muhammad Rezd Khdn,
however, did not mention a word about
camels.
(b) Yawar Abbas Khan’s reply is couched in extremely civil terms. He
Reply to my letter from Yawar Abb&s of Bampur stat eS that Unfortunately for him«plf
offering to perform any service required by me. Wa S not flwnrp hofArtn a ^
see paragraph 124 («). . aware beiore that 1 was at
Saindak or else he would have come to