﻿290 
  LT.-GEN. 
  C. 
  A. 
  MCMAHON 
  & 
  CAPT. 
  A. 
  H. 
  MCMAHON 
  [Allg. 
  1 
  897, 
  

  

  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  Eas 
  Koh 
  and 
  other 
  mountains 
  running 
  south 
  and 
  

   west 
  from 
  Nushki. 
  You 
  see 
  the 
  Lora 
  Eiver 
  coming 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  

   mountains 
  and 
  crossing 
  the 
  plain 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  Lora 
  Hamun, 
  

   where 
  it 
  comes 
  to 
  an 
  end. 
  This 
  river 
  never 
  reaches 
  the 
  Lora 
  

   Hamun, 
  except 
  in 
  flood-time, 
  and 
  then 
  it 
  makes 
  the 
  Hamun 
  a 
  hroad 
  

   lake 
  of 
  shallow 
  water. 
  This 
  soon 
  evaporates, 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  year 
  the 
  Hamun 
  is 
  nothing 
  but 
  a 
  vast 
  sheet 
  of 
  dry, 
  solid 
  salt. 
  

   It 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  not 
  only 
  the 
  Hamun, 
  but 
  all 
  this 
  plain, 
  must 
  once 
  

   have 
  been 
  a 
  great 
  lake, 
  thus 
  accounting 
  for 
  the 
  rich 
  alluvial 
  soil 
  of 
  

   which 
  the 
  plain 
  is 
  formed. 
  North 
  of 
  this 
  plain 
  and 
  stretching 
  to 
  the 
  

   Helmand 
  Eiver 
  lies 
  the 
  Eegistan 
  sand-desert 
  — 
  a 
  wide 
  stretch 
  of 
  

   billows 
  upon 
  billows 
  of 
  sand 
  with 
  crests 
  some 
  200 
  feet 
  high. 
  This 
  

  

  Fig. 
  1. 
  — 
  View 
  showing 
  sand-dunes 
  covering 
  lower 
  slopes 
  of 
  mountains 
  

   and 
  gradually 
  overwhelming 
  the 
  higher 
  spurs. 
  

  

  [From 
  a 
  photograph.] 
  

  

  sand-desert, 
  interspersed 
  with 
  level 
  plains 
  of 
  black 
  gravel, 
  stretches 
  

   from 
  the 
  Chagai 
  and 
  other 
  mountains 
  to 
  the 
  Helmand 
  westward 
  as 
  

   far 
  as 
  the 
  Persian 
  border. 
  In 
  places 
  this 
  sand-desert 
  is 
  like 
  unto 
  

   a 
  fairly 
  calm 
  sea, 
  and 
  the 
  waves 
  of 
  sand 
  are 
  only 
  of 
  moderate 
  height. 
  

   In 
  other 
  places, 
  especially 
  along 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Koh-i-Sultan, 
  

   Damodim, 
  and 
  Amir-Chah 
  ranges, 
  it 
  resembles 
  a 
  wild 
  stormy 
  sea 
  

   with 
  great 
  waves 
  100 
  or 
  200 
  feet 
  high 
  breaking 
  against 
  the 
  sides 
  

   of 
  the 
  mountains 
  like 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  surge 
  on 
  a 
  rock-bound 
  coast 
  

   (see 
  fig. 
  1). 
  Here 
  the 
  sand-hills 
  assume 
  the 
  proportions 
  of 
  sand- 
  

   mountains. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  themselves 
  have 
  become 
  

   buried 
  in 
  sand 
  and 
  are 
  no 
  longer 
  visible 
  — 
  others 
  still 
  tower 
  with 
  

  

  