284 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



eastern or Mangal branch of the Surkhab takes its 

 rise. Far below were the Ghilzai hamlets of Mangal. 

 After crossing the field, we had yet another stiff 

 climb of 1000 feet. The crest hung over us danger- 

 ously, and the ascent was so steep that we had to 

 make several zigzags, which added to our labour. 

 Once again we reached the crest; and 500 yards 

 more and a short climb took us to the extreme sum-, 

 mit of the highest peak of the Safed-Koh, 15,620 

 feet above sea-level, and 11,000 above the camp at 

 Gandamuk. A feeling of pride in being the first 

 European who had stood on this spot might be ex- 

 cused. Quickly while those less interested were 

 recovering their breath, and munching cliappaties 

 with snow we put up our theodolite, and, level- 

 ling it, made sure that this was indeed the highest 

 point of the range. Then successively we looked 

 down on the rice-fields of the Kurram valley, the 

 tents dotted among the trees of the Peiwar Kotal, the 

 large camps, rows of horses, and numerous stone-built 

 pickets of Alikhel ; farther south, the hills round 

 Khost ; to the west, a broad valley coming from 

 the direction of Ghazni ; more north, the peaks 

 round the Shutar-gardan Pass, and on across the 

 gap showing where lay the valley of Cabul itself, 

 to the snows beyond ; then northwards over the 

 Gandamuk and Jellalabad valleys, over the crests 

 of the snowy ranges of the Safed-Koh surrounding 

 the glens of Kafiristan, towards which even then one 



