126 TRAVEL, ADVENTUKE, AXD SPOET. 



passages and byways. Village street there is none ; 

 and the difficulty of solving the puzzle of how to 

 get through is much enhanced by the fact that these 

 byways serve the double purpose of road and ditch. 

 The ditch is merely accessory to the universal irriga- 

 tion : it is not meant as a drain, for that would be 

 regarded as useless ; but it has the effect of leading 

 the traveller into the supposition that there is no 

 road, when the ditch is the road, and the presence of 

 water in it is a mere accident 



Arrived at the garden, we found a guard of the 

 Highland regiment (Herati Highlanders wear kilt 

 and trousers), with many political functionaries in 

 waiting. We were conducted inside in due form, 

 and found ourselves at once in most charming quar- 

 ters. An oriental rose-garden is a perfect thing in 

 its way. There is enough of jungle about it to leave 

 a sense of freedom, and enough of order and arrange- 

 ment to produce the requisite effects of colour and 

 shade. Here the roses were in their full glory ; and 

 the deep thick carpet of grass which spread round 

 the pools of water, and up the long alleys into vine- 

 yards and orchards beyond, was a luxury which we 

 workers in India knew how to appreciate. Here, 

 then, we pitched our tents, and presently received a 

 visit from a colonel of Afghan cavalry, who was com- 

 missioned to tell us that he had instructions to con- 

 duct us anywhere we pleased, and show us all that 

 we might desire to see outside the city walls, but that 



