THE AFGHAN DELIMITATION COMMISSION. 11 
ground floor; and in many cases it is attached to the upper stone, which revolves with 
the axle, the lower stone being adjusted so as to bring it into proper contact with the 
upper by a lever. The axle portion bearing the vanes is enclosed by three walls, the 
two lateral, as already stated, being carried up to support the upper bearings of the 
axle, and the third facing the direction of the prevailing wind. In this third wall а 
slit is cut of а sufficient length and width to allow of the wind passing through to drive 
the axle by its force on the vanes. Each vane consists of a wooden framework covered 
over with grass-rope or matting, in appearance very like an ordinary Afghan door. We 
did not need to be reminded during our last march that we had entered a country of wind, 
of which these mills are characteristic, and which are employed in grinding the various 
grains of the country. Water-mills are quite as numerous and, indeed, supersede them 
wherever water-power is obtainable; but I never saw a single hand-mill Тһе nomads 
I found crushing their corn between two stones, a roller and a flat stone. Before 
reaching our camp, we passed across miles of a loose sandy soil, which was one vast 
meadow of Eragrostis cynosuroides alone, in habit reminding me much of the bent-grass 
in Scotland. We then rode through the remains of a forest of Populus euphratica, the 
larger trees of which, owing to their depth of root, were still alive; but the smaller 
were all dead, the water-supply to the forest having been in some way cut off. Beyond 
Lash-jowain, owing to the season of the year, it was almost impossible to get an 
idea of what the indigenous vegetation of the country is like. Between Kushk-rud and 
Kin numerous bushes of Vitex agnus-castus occurred in sheltered localities, and where in 
all likelihood there was water close to the surface. The villages became now much more 
numerous, and the houses were in good condition, all built of sun-dried bricks, with their 
roofs in the form of a dome, which gave them a curious beehive appearance. The fact 
of their all having domed roofs proved the absence of good timber in the country for 
roofing-purposes. Тһе houses are all built, without exception, opening into a general 
enclosure, out of which leads a common gateway. Аз these houses are never built higher 
than ten or twelve feet, generally below the level of the orchard-walls, a village might 
be easily passed unnoticed, or its extent greatly underestimated. Some of the best 
orchards we had as yet seen were met with here, surrounded by high walls, some as 
much as twenty feet in height, affording the necessary protection from the wind. In 
those at King I saw trees of apple, quince, apricot, mulberry, and trailing vines, and 
there were some splendid trees of Populus euphratica. Much land around these 
villages was under cultivation. We saw winter wheat three to four inches in height 
and some only now being sown; a little cotton, from which the ripe pods were being 
gathered ; and a good deal of a very poor form of our ordinary field-bean, some of which 
was in blossom. Тһе fields were apparently well irrigated from a Karez, which 
means an underground channel leading towards the required locality from a spring of 
water tapped at a higher level. Of course under all circumstances as little underground 
work is carried out as possible. The work is begun by sinking shafts in the required | 
course to the proper depth, the bottom of these shafts being joined by tunnelling through | 
the intermediate pieces of ground. Usually the tunnels are left just as they are dug 
out; sometimes the lower surface is lined with tiles to minimize the loss of water; but 
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