The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume IX, No. 4 [‎210r] (90/172)

THE SOUTHERN BORDERLANDS OF AFGHANISTAN.
407
the deserts west of Robat, were the late Sir Charles MacGregor and
Captain Lockwood, who got as far as Godar-i-Shah in the cold weather of
1877, by the route shown in the hand-map issued to-night. The informa
tion they then obtained was the only source of reliable information we had
to go upon, and it was a serious question whether we would find water in
the places where they had found it to exist nineteen years before.
Beyond Robat the desert becomes practically almost a waterless one,
and we found that it would be suicidal to attempt to take on our large
camps with such feeble camels beyond that place. The British main
camp remained at Robat, where there was a good supply of spring
water; and the Afghan main camp withdrew to the Helmand river,
RUIN AT GODAR-I-SHAH.
while the Afghan commissioner and myself proceeded onwards along
the boundary with a small party of picked men and animals. Our
party consisted of Dr. Maynard, Mr. Tate, and myself, with a camp of
some hundred and fifty men and two hundred camels. The Afghan
party came to about half those numbers. We left Robat on March 20.
From near Robat the boundary-line runs for nearly 200 miles in an
absolutely waterless desert, without water on or near it. We theic
fore had to make wide detours to obtain water, and had to march, on
occasions, from 50 to 70 miles from one watering-place to the next.
This meant carrying a water-supply for two or three days for our
whole camp with. us. The camels, poor creatures, on these occasions
bad to do without. Even at the watering-places we often found the