152 RIFLE AND SPEAR WITH THE RAJPOOTS. 



very kindly lent us a couple of riding horses, and, 

 putting our own saddles on them, we cantered over to 

 the salt mines. These are situated at Khewra, about five 

 miles on the road to Saidan Shah, and on the edge of 

 the mountainous district between the Jhelum and Indus, 

 which goes by the name of the Salt Bange. To the 

 north (if the Jhelum valley, these hills rise abruptly to 

 a height of some 1,500 feet, and form a broken table- 

 land dotted with peaks, few over 3,000 feet. 



Between Khasalgarh and Kalabagh, these hills arc 

 more accentuated ; and the Indus river, by a narrow 

 gorge, breaks in a torrent through the range. But 

 towards the north the highlands subside in gentler slopes. 

 Everywhere the peaks or tors are cut and broken into 

 fantastic shapes, ending below in deep precipitous ravines. 

 Where the soil appears it is of a bright red colour ; but 

 at this season a great part of the hills is dotted with 

 long standing yellow grass almost dried into hay. The 

 ground is more or less impregnated with salt, which here 

 and there leaves a white efflorescence on the surface, and 

 nearly all the wells and streams are brackish. From 

 Pind-dadan-khan the aspect of these hills is treeless. 

 sterile and bare. But in the interior one constantly 

 comes on a little well-wooded oasis, and every level 

 j-ard of soil is now green with wheat. Alan says these 

 hills are of recent formation — sandstone and marl — 



