1888-89.] Country traversed by Afghan Commission. 423 



which at the same time are protected by the jungle which 

 overtops them, from the continuous blow of cold wind, 

 that is well known to last at this season for two or three 

 months, and which was then blowing most unpleasantly for 

 us. 



We arrived at Anar-darra (2100 feet alt.), or the Pome- 

 granate Pass, on the 7th June. It consisted of a lovely 

 village set in orchards, lying at the base of two low ranges 

 of limestone hills, between which a tolerable-sized stream 

 of good sweet water made its escape into the Harut river. 

 The presence of this fine stream accounted for the fertility of 

 the soil, and for the numerous orchards and gardens pro- 

 ducing quantities of fruit. Pomegranates, as large as a 

 child's head, with a papery rind, and grains almost seed- 

 less, are grown here ; these are exported more especially to 

 India and Afghanistan proper. Another of its noted pro- 

 ducts is madder, the dye stuff' obtained from Rubia 

 tincforum. This is chiefly exported to Herat, thence to 

 India. Herat itself does not produce first class madder, 

 but gets its character for doing so from what it imports 

 from Koin, Yezd, and Anar-darra. Madder is cultivated 

 under the shade of the trees in the orchards, and this 

 cultivation is said rather to improve the orchard than to 

 cause it to deteriorate. 



On the 14th "of November we reached Pahir, at the ex- 

 treme eastern end of the Doshakh range (4500 feet). 

 Pahir is about 3450 feet in altitude, and from this we had 

 our first view of Herat (which is 3000 feet), and the valley 

 of the Hari-rud, while in the distance beyond were the 

 mountains of the Paropamisus range, — certain peaks stand- 

 ing out in their grandeur to an altitude of nearly 7000 

 feet. Before us lay a treeless, almost shrubless, barren arid 

 country, as far as we could see, extending in great plateaux 

 down towards the Hari-rud river. 



In our march between this and Khusan we did not see a 

 single indigenous tree, and we could have counted the few 

 shrubs we did meet with, which were chiefly species of 

 Salsola. We rarely came across one or two stems of the 

 larger Umbelliferte, standing, as some one of the mission said, 

 " like sentinels in the wilderness." How very scarce vege- 

 tation was on this part of oiir journey may well be under- 



