More about Wildfowl 85 



but water, but not " Hamun " as one might sup- 

 pose, only a flooded tract. Scrambling over the 

 band, we go splashing in. The water, which is 

 curiously constant in depth, just reaches to below 

 our horses' knees, or a little less. The man in 

 front we ride in single file has to look out for 

 abandoned water-filled kulas, holes four feet or 

 so in depth. There were few of us, I think, that 

 did not at one time or another take an invol- 

 untary bath in one of them. As we go along, 

 fowl of many kinds get up all round us, and the 

 air seems a whirl of terns and other water and 

 shore birds. There are geese too, standing or 

 swimming in the water, that let us up to per- 

 haps 150 yards before they take wing. But these 

 are not the geese. What interests us is a dark 

 line on the water a mile or more away. From 

 it comes now and again a dull roar, and we see 

 a cloud, looking almost black, rise up and then 

 again subside. This is the mighty anserine host 

 we have come to deal with. Some way out a 

 mounted figure is visible, near him two black 

 heads and shoulders, and the splash of baling 

 water. This is Ibrahim, who had gone on early 

 to dig the pits. Arrived at the first, we perceive 

 it to be a damp, unpleasant-looking spot, with two 

 or three inches of water at the bottom. This, 

 we are told, will be found a very nice, dry Jcula, 



