The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume IX, No. 4 [‎208v] (87/172)

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THE SOUTHERN BORDERLANDS OF AFGHANISTAN.
1885.* We had, therefore, information not altogether of a reassuring
nature of that particular route; but on both the former occasions
the journey had been done in the winter months, and it was possible,
as we indeed sometimes found to be the case, that such information
was not to be relied upon as applicable in the hot weather. Regarding
the country west of the route taken by that mission, we had little or no
information, as the greater portion of the actual country the boundary
line runs through had never before been traversed by Europeans. We
had supplied ourselves with a large number of leather skins for carrying
water, and took every other precaution we could think of for meeting
the difficulties before us. We took with us, among other things, two
Norton tube wells for boring for water. We had engaged a large
number of the riding-camels of the country, and our intention was to
provide a mount for all the footmen of our party. These camels, called
“jambazes,” are a breed of light camels, which, though not nearly so
good as regular riding-camels, are under favourable circumstances able
to carry two men or one man and a small load, and travel long distances
in the day at a moderately fast pace. Owing to the continued drought
having dried up all the grazing food and vegetation generally to be
found in the country, these jambazes, we found, were for the most part
not only unable to carry a single man at a fair pace, but had to be
dragged along by their nose-ropes unloaded at a slow walk. To all
intents and purposes they were practically useless, at any rate for the
first two months of our journey. Eater on, on nearing Persia, we
found more vegetation for them, and they rallied sufficiently to give us
some slight assistance on the way home. The mortality among them
and our baggage camels in the desert was very great, and often gave us
great cause of serious anxiety.
Our boundary work prevented our strictly following the route taken
by the Afghan Boundary Commission of 1884, and we made our way
across the desert to Robat as best we could to suit the exigencies of
boundary work, marching from one set of known wells to another. As
a rule we used to find, on arrival, the wells either filled up with sand
or full of a filthy black odoriferous liquid, which had to be first emptied
out. However, by digging wells close by existing ones, we used to
find water at a moderate depth of from 6 to 10 feet. Chemical analysis
often showed this water to be anything but desirable for drinking
purposes; but we had to take what we could get, and be thankful.
1 may as well say here that we made many attempts to use our Norton
tube wells, but never with success, as the tubes and pump invariably
got choked with fine sand, which prevented them drawing up water.
Let me say a few words about the desert, from Nushki to Robat.
inf ‘'“ r £ eo ° ‘^ a j° r 0. I Duke had also left on record some interesting and valuable
ima ion o e coun ly jetween Nushki and Chagai, collected many years ago when
he was a political officer in Baluchistan.