The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume IX, No. 4 [‎212v] (95/172)

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THE SOUTHERN BORDERLANDS OF AFGHANISTAN.
river Helmand, but, from the Helmand having dug out a deeper bed for
itself, or from other causes, it now seldom receives any replenishment.
The last time it received any water from the Helmand is, as far as I can
ascertain, as long ago as 1880, i.e. seventeen years ago. All the drainage
which, in the natural course of events, should flow into it from the moun
tain ranges south of it, is intercepted and swallowed up by the wide
barriers of sand lying in the way, and thus never reaches it. Its water
is now so salt that even waterfowl avoid it. Godar-i-Shah, Gumbaz-i-
Shah, and Kila-i-Maksud, near the west extremity of this lake, are un
inhabited places, marked by the site of old ruins close to each other,
on the banks of the Shelag, a now almost dry river-bed, which used to
bring the overflow water of the Seistan lakes into the God-i-zirreh. A
few pools of salt brine are still to be found here and there in its bed.
This place was the farthest point reached by the late General
Sir Charles MacGregor with Captain Lockwood in 1877, after &
long adventurous journey through the desert. Poor Captain Lockwood
died from the effects of the hardships of that journey a few days
after his return to India. Sir Charles MacGregor gives a very
graphic account of the country, and the delights of travelling in it, in
his ‘ Wanderings in Balochistan.’ And I would especially refer you
to his description of Godar-i-Shah in that book. He does not appear to
have been favourably impressed with the place. Talking of the water,
he says, “ And such water it was. Ugh ! the remembrance of it will
stick to me till I die. There are certain things I never forget: one is
a particular powder an aunt used to give me at Portobello when a child,
and I am sure another will be this water.
* * * * * *
" If any should wish to save themselves the trouble of going to
Godar-i-Shah to fetch it, I think I could give a receipt which would
taste something like it. Take, then, the first nasty-looking water you
can find. Mix salt with it till you make it taste as nasty as it looks;
then impregnate it with gas from a London street lamp, and add a little
bilge water; shake vigorously, and it is ready for use. (N.B.—The
test of its being sufficiently nauseous is, that after drinking you cannot
even speak for a minute or two.) ”
Hell, that is Sir Charles MacGregor’s opinion of the Godar-i-Shalr
water.
H e spent upwards of a week in this pleasing place, and had ample
experience of this water, which fully bore out that opinion, but I am
bound to say it was not nearly so bad as much we found elsewhere.
It is hard to realize nowadays, on seeing this desert waste at Godar-i-
ah, that it marks the site of extensive and flourishing civilization in
ancient times. All who have ever travelled along the Helmand river
have recorded their astonishment at the almost endless stretches of old
ruins along the banks of that river. These ruins extend all over