The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume IX, No. 4 [‎217r] (104/172)

THE PERSO-BALUCH BOUNDARY—DISCUSSION.
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spider-like creatures. I worked it out and examined the reptiles carefully; there
are a good many species, including the viper Captain McMahon spoke of. It is a
most interesting form, and we have christened it Eristicophis* on account of its
pugnacity : though all vipers are excessively pugnacious. I have not been able to
examine the collection of scorpions and spiders and venomous spider-like creatures,
which is large and interesting, but I have arranged with Mr. Pocock, of the British
Museum, to examine and report on them.
Mr. Blanford : Captain McMahon has traversed a tract of Baluchistan quite
different from that I crossed with Sir Oliver St. John in 1872. It is exceedingly
interesting to hear, both from him and from Colonel Holdich, that the country,
previously unknown, has at length been opened up. I can entirely confirm Captain
McMahon’s account of the abundance of reptile life, as that is exactly what I found
in going through the same country.
Sir Henry Brackenbury : I am afraid I can add nothing useful to the geographical
aspects of the question which has been brought before you to-night, and certainly
nothing as to the geological aspect, and my knowledge of Baluchistan is but very
small, for, though I visited Domandi with Captain McMahon when first he saw it, in
the winter of 1891, and galloped over the plain of Zarmelan, and visited Chaman with
him, I know little of the country in its rougher aspect. But there is one point I should
like to say a word on, and that is what may be called the personal aspect of this
work, the work as done by the man. I was a member of the Government of India
which ordered these boundary expeditions, these delimitation expeditions, and we
knew that there was a difficult task before those who had to conduct them. I think
Captain McMahon’s modesty—one of his characteristics—made very light of these
difficulties; he has told us something and left us to gather something of the nature
of that country, how most of it is an arid desert. Do you know how the people
themselves describe it ? They say that the Almighty, when making the world, used
all the water, and grass, and flowers, and trees to make other beautiful countries,
and when He had used all these, and had nothing left but a heap of rubbish, He
threw that down and made Baluchistan; and I have heard others comment upon
that and say, “ We cannot understand, when He had made Baluchistan, that He took
the trouble to make any other hell.” That is the country in which Captain
McMahon conducted that boundary expedition, a country infinitely desolate,
infinitely arid, infinitely drear, and he had not only the difficulties of intense heat
and want of water to contend with, but he also had to contend with that human
difficulty which few know now so well as he does—the difficulty of dealing with the
Afghan. I think it is only those who have dealt with the Afghan that can really
know how obstructive a human being can be. Captain McMahon has shown a very
charming photograph of his Afghan colleague, and spoke of his winning smile, and
told us they didn’t often smile both on the same day. From what I know of Captain
McMahon, there was a subdued smile on Captain McMahon’s face even when an
open smile was on the face of his colleague, a smile which occasionally changed to
the wrong side of his colleague’s face. For these difficulties which Captain
McMahon had to contend with were enormous; it is in the nature of Orientals,
especially Afghans, to create difficulty in every matter connected with diplomacy.
Here a boundary had to be defined. It was apparently a simple thing, because it had
been traced upon the map and agreed to by Sir Mortimer Durand and by the Amir
at the time of the mission to Kabul, of which Captain McMahon was a member;
but it is one thing to trace a boundary on a map, and another thing on the ground.
And there were special difficulties connected with such a question, such as watercourses
(pHTTinus = lover of fighting.