'Military Report of the Nushki-Chagai-Western Sinjarani Country' [‎19v] (43/302)

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at Dardan and Godar-i-Sliah, and the water at these places is very
hrackish. Supplies must be carried, and the supply of fuel is scanty. a
This route is often used by kajilas from Seistan desirous of avoid« ^
ingthe Persian customs post at Hurmak (Kob-i-Malik Slab). 6
The following account of a journey from Seistan by way of
Kubak, Dak System of postal communication used in Moghul India and later by the East India Company. -i-Dela and Zirreh to Kirtaka by Captain MacPherson, I
Officiating Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Chagai, is of interest, inasmuch as d
it demonstrates the practicability of moving small bodies of troops r
across the desert even in the height of the hot weather, and also e
from the narrative of the nature of the difficulties likely to be en- t
countered in such a journey. v
The track followed is a kafila A train of travellers; a caravan; or any large party of travellers. route joining the Nushki trade i
route at Kirtaka considerably shorter than the usual route by Kila i
Robat. t
r
Bnjir-i-Khusia, Kuhak in Seistan to Kirtaka, 16th to 20th June t
1903. * t
“ The detachment of 24<th Baluchis, consisting of approx- jl
imately 50 men, left main camp on the afternoon of 15th June,
marched all night and arrived at the village of Dak System of postal communication used in Moghul India and later by the East India Company. -i-Dela, 25
miles, at daylight next morning. The same evening they marched
on to Bujir-i-Khusta, another 7 or 8 miles. The track as far as
Bujir-i-Khusta is well defined and over gravelly dasht. I joined
the camp at Bujir-i-Khusta on the evening of the 16th June.
“At 5-30 p.m. on the 17th the whole camp, which now con
sisted of a sum total of 114 men with 105 camels and 8 ponies, set
out for Zirreh. For the first 8 miles or so, i.e., as far as Kil l Afzal
there is no track at all; but the old fort at Kila Afzal forms a
landmark on which trr march when half the distance has been
covered. At Kill Afzal there are about 20 houses and a couple of
wells, the latter about a mile apart. The nearer of the two is said
to contain the best water. The other well near which I halted
for dinner contained scarcely any water at all. I fancy, however,
by clearing and digging, the water-supply coaid be very largely
increased. There was no . water at all in the After passing ^
Kila Afzal the track again passes over gravelly dasht and is very ?
well defined. There were at least half a dozen camel tracks which 9
would point to an extensive traffic along this route. The * troops
marched all night till 5 A.M., and camp was then pitched in the
middle of the dasht near a ziarat known as “ Ziarat-i-Haji." The
spot selected for camping was unfortunately bad, as, had we marched
another 2 or 3 miles, the camels would have found very fair grazing
in a number of nawars which were passed along the track after
this point. As it was, I am afraid the animals got literally nothing
at all to eat. The total distance covered from Bujir-i-Khusta to
Ziarat-i-Haji must have been a good 30 miles. The total water-
supply carried from Bujir-i-Khusta was a couple of chagals and a
watci-bottle per man of the detachment and one chagai per man for
remainder. In addition I also brought about 20 pairs of masaks.
Unfortunately these latter leaked rather badly and, wben we arrived