6lS OM MOUNT CAUCASUS. 



o^ Gazni zndt. Candahar. Arachosia Is now called 

 Cawer or Cawerdn : but even this appellation iis be- 

 coming obsolete. The river Arachotus called also 

 C ho as pes, and Cop hex is now called Abeh'Tdiniic, or 

 the river Tin^nic. It rises in the hills to the north by 

 east of Gazni ; and after having watered the whole 

 valley of Arachosiay it loses itself in a marsh about 

 four miles to the south of Candahar : and when the 

 rains are abundant, part of its waters run into the 

 Arghand-ab, which falls into the Hir-mend. One 

 of the emperors o^ Gazni had its waters dammed up 

 in the hills, above that city, which are let out occa- 

 sionally to water the fields, in which it is lost : when 

 the rains are copious, the superabundant waters form 

 a small stream, which reaches as far as Carabaug ; 

 and afterwards forms in some low grounds to the 

 south east, a small marsh or lake. The present river 

 Arachotus, is formed by a small stream, which rises 

 a little above Mucur in the above marsh : hence it 

 is often called the water of Alucur. 



It was called Choaspes, or rather Cho-Asp from 

 the following circumstances. Between the cities of 

 %iiffd and Kdid-dt (a plural form implying towers 

 or forts), there is in the bed of the river Tdrnic a 

 deep hole, supposed unfathomable ; called in the 

 language of that country *S'2^p, \n Sanscrit Gopa, and 

 in some dialects Gopha, from which, probably, are 

 derived the words Tumyc and Kv-n-n^ Ci^op, Cove, 

 Cave, and in Latin Caviis and Cavea, a Cave, a 

 Coop, or Cage. An unwary traveller, riding upon 

 a mare great with foal, stumbled into it and both 

 were drowned. During the struggles the mare 

 brought forth a foal, who was received by the fairies 

 residing in this cave, and nursed by them. He is 

 often seen grazing on the banks of the river, and at 



other 



