Notes Prepared for Reference during Curzon’s Tour of the Persian Gulf, and Other Papers on Persia and the Persian Gulf [‎169r] (337/678)

Geo -—Sykes—Second Eevise. 11
what I considered to be the best line for the Central Persia Telegraph
to follow, this was unavoidable.
Upon reaching Kerman, we found the Rev. A. R. and Mrs. Blackett, of
the Church Missionary Society, ready to greet us, and the three weeks that
weie spent at my headquarters were fully occupied with accumulations
of consular work and the large amount of visiting that is so necessary
m the East. About the middle of November, however, everything was
leady, and we marched to Mahun, where, as usual, a day was spent in
getting the loads arranged.
Ihe caravan route that we had followed before in 1894, and again
m 1896, leads across the high and somewhat narrow Hanaka pass, which
would be particularly unsuitable for a telegraph line; but as for many
years I had thought that the line must finally run this way, I had
partly explored a route that appeared to be much more suitable, and,
although information regarding it was vague, we found that it was open
throughout, and perfectly adapted for a telegiaph line. The first stage
was Zain-ul-abad, and some 10 miles beyond it an almost imperceptible
watershed was reached at an elevation of 8400 feet, with a distance of
more than 5 miles between the hills, so that the chief difficulty appre
hended was successfully surmounted. In Tahrud, which is the name
of a district, and not of a village, we again struck a known track, and
alter descending the valley for three stages we reached Bam, were we
halted for two days, as there were many calls to receive and return,
while our complement of running camels, which are almost a necessity
for tire desert, had to be made irp.
B tm, with a population of 13,000 inhabitants, is a most prosperous
town, being, as it is, the great henna centre, while with its new bazaars
it presents a very different appearance to what it did at the time of the
Sistan Mission : its altitude is 3400 feet. We marched somewhat
leisurely across harmashir, enjoying to the full the greenery and the
excellent shooting, and halted at Rigan for a day to engage extra camels
lor the desert that lay before us.
My companion was to proceed to Ladis, and for this reason, in addi
tion to the fact that I hoped to meet Captain AVebb Whre on the frontier,
we decided to march to Kwash, as I knew that there was a fairly easy
route running across the desert.
A Persianized Baluchi chief and six of Lis followers were engaged as
guides, and after camping at Deh Yaghi Khan, on the eastern edge of
the Narmashir oasis, we filled up our water-barrels and entered the
desert. The first stage was waterless and destitute of forage for the
camels, but the following day we found very fair water at Chah-i-
Rais. Throughout these desolate marches it was evident that we were
in a volcanic region, which the name Dahana-i-Bulbulak, or Volcano
gorge, corroborates, while at Chah-i-Rais we were only some 40 miles
to the north-west of the Kuh-i-Bazman, the extinct volcano that I had
climbed in 1894. We crossed the northern prolongation of this mighty
range and camped at Sim Sor, on the bank of a salt river which, taking
its source close to our camp, flows approximately west-north-west to the
Shurgaz Hamun. The river was full of reeds and 30 yards wide,
flowing in a sluggish stream between high banks, and as sweet wafer
was procurable some 15 miles distant, we decided to halt a day and try
for a wild ass. However, our camels had frightened off that most timid
quarry, and although wo saw two we could not get near them, as they
were thoroughly alarmed. The next stage brought us to the foot of
the black range that, running approximately from north to south,
holds up the Sarhad plateau, and after a very long day we crossed
this mountain barrier and tasted almost sweet water at Jauri.
At Kwash, three stages further east, my second journey was again
struck; but as supplies for our large party could not be procured, we
moved around the east slope of the great Taftan range, halting at
Sangun before making an attempt to scale the volcano from that side.
Taking only light tents, we marched to the base of the mountain,
and, after an easy climb, camped at 8500 feet in thick scrub and near
a spring of water. Above us rose the great double peak, from the side
of which white vapour was curling, while on the crest a second and
larger column of vapour was visible. The climbing on the following
morning was at first particularly easy, there beiug a steady ascent