PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. 15 



strongly contrasted. Again, in the blood-red of some zones of clay varied 

 by the white of adjacent gypsum, and "broken by pale-orange or 

 yellowish debris, the rocks themselves afford numerous changes to diver- 

 sify tlie colour of a country which recalls the descriptions of travellers 

 in High Asia, and which, when brightly lighted, backed as it is by the 

 snowy ranges of Afghanistan, is often highly picturesque. The num- 

 mulitic limestone in the landscape has gray, whitish or orange tints, the 

 rocks below are red, white, or gray, while the tertiary sandstones above 

 often take a dark tint from the weather ; greenish-gray, red, and purple 

 alternations characterising the whole group. 



Roads. — The ground, though rocky, presents few engineering diffi- 

 culties of any magnitude to prevent the construction of roads, yet ther§- 

 is but one of these in the whole region, that from Kohat to Bannu, and 

 this, as usual in the Punjab (excepting such roads as the Grand Trunk, 

 the Murree, and a few others) is much out of repair. 



The rocks where roads would be most likely to run are generally 

 soft and easily cut through, while certain bands of hard limestone afford 

 an excellent material for building or metalling, and some more earthy 

 bands in the lower part of the limestone (not, however, noticed exactly 

 within this part of the Kohat district) might probably furnish a valuable 

 hydraulic cement.* 



There are no wheeled conveyances in the country as a rule, but 

 until advancing civilization might bring them into use, good bridle roads 

 might be constructed as easily as in many other countries, and would 

 prove specially valuable for the salt traffic which now finds its way by 

 devious tracks over difficult passes and through defiles without the least 

 aid from engineering science. 



* In case of any trial of these clayey limestone bands for this purpose, the stone 

 would be found very accessible in the nallah, by which a track leads northwards to the 

 village of Turkhobay, latitude 33°35£' north, longitude 71° 52$' east. 



( H9 ) 



