﻿292 
  LT.-GEX. 
  C. 
  A. 
  MCMAKON 
  & 
  CAP!. 
  A. 
  H. 
  MCMAHON 
  [Aug. 
  1 
  897, 
  

  

  Amran 
  range. 
  Cutting 
  this 
  in 
  a 
  similar 
  manner, 
  it 
  descends 
  to 
  the 
  

   Lora 
  River, 
  and, 
  crossing 
  that 
  river, 
  runs 
  along 
  the 
  whole 
  length 
  of 
  

   the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Sarlat 
  range 
  to 
  Nushki. 
  Beyond 
  this 
  point 
  the 
  

   duties 
  connected 
  with 
  boundary-work 
  prevented 
  us 
  from 
  tracing 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  length 
  of 
  this 
  line, 
  as 
  surveyed 
  by 
  us, 
  is 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  120 
  

   miles. 
  Along 
  the 
  whole 
  course 
  of 
  it 
  we 
  found 
  springs 
  of 
  water, 
  

   and, 
  both 
  from 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  water 
  and 
  from 
  its 
  forming 
  a 
  short 
  

   cut 
  across 
  innumerable 
  mountain-spurs, 
  this 
  fault-line 
  is 
  largely 
  used 
  

   by 
  the 
  natives 
  as 
  a 
  thoroughfare. 
  The 
  old 
  greybeards 
  of 
  the 
  tribes 
  

   living 
  near 
  it 
  told 
  us 
  that 
  on 
  some 
  three 
  occasions 
  during 
  their 
  life- 
  

   time, 
  after 
  severe 
  earthquake-shocks, 
  deep 
  fissures 
  had 
  appeared 
  

   along 
  this 
  line, 
  and 
  that 
  similar 
  accounts 
  had 
  been 
  handed 
  down 
  

   to 
  them 
  by 
  their 
  fathers. 
  After 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  earthquake-shocks 
  

   the 
  water-supply 
  of 
  the 
  springs 
  along 
  the 
  crack 
  had, 
  they 
  said, 
  

   been 
  largely 
  increased. 
  

  

  The 
  rocks 
  along 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  this 
  fault-line 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  sedi- 
  

   mentary, 
  and 
  the 
  mountains 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  are 
  all 
  of 
  clay-slate. 
  The 
  

   rocks 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  are 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  volcanic 
  and 
  igneous, 
  but 
  

   there 
  are 
  a 
  few 
  sedimentaries 
  among 
  them. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  mountains 
  on 
  the 
  Persian 
  border 
  we 
  again 
  come 
  to 
  

   shales 
  and 
  other 
  sedimentary 
  rocks. 
  The 
  Chagai, 
  Koh-i-Sultan, 
  

   and 
  other 
  mountains 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  volcanic 
  ; 
  some, 
  like 
  Damodim, 
  

   retain 
  their 
  crater-form 
  better 
  than 
  others. 
  Lava, 
  ash, 
  and 
  pumice 
  

   abounded 
  in 
  all 
  those 
  localities 
  where 
  the 
  mountains 
  showed 
  above 
  

   the 
  sand. 
  The 
  pumice 
  was 
  found 
  lying 
  about 
  in 
  large 
  quantities, 
  

   and 
  it 
  was 
  abundantly 
  sprinkled 
  over 
  the 
  sand 
  — 
  whither 
  it 
  may 
  

   have 
  been 
  blown 
  by 
  the 
  wind. 
  

  

  Unfortunately, 
  circumstances 
  did 
  not 
  allow 
  of 
  a 
  visit 
  to 
  the 
  crater 
  

   of 
  Damodim. 
  Natives 
  told 
  us 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  deep 
  hollow 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  

   that 
  mountain 
  there 
  is 
  some 
  good 
  soil 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  

   cultivate. 
  All 
  these 
  volcanoes 
  have 
  no 
  doubt 
  long 
  been 
  inactive, 
  

   but 
  some 
  90 
  miles 
  south-west 
  of 
  them 
  lies 
  the 
  great 
  Koh-i-Taftan, 
  

   also 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Koh-i-Chehaltan, 
  12,600 
  feet 
  high, 
  which 
  is 
  said 
  

   to 
  be 
  still 
  an 
  active 
  volcano. 
  1 
  

  

  1 
  [Since 
  this 
  paper 
  was 
  read 
  the 
  authors 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  personal 
  communication 
  

   with 
  Capt. 
  P. 
  Molesworth 
  Sykes, 
  British 
  Consul 
  at 
  Karman, 
  now 
  in 
  England 
  

   on 
  leave, 
  who 
  climbed 
  the 
  mountain 
  on 
  Christmas 
  Eve, 
  1893. 
  After 
  gradually 
  

   ascending 
  ravines 
  in 
  the 
  foot-hills 
  around 
  the 
  mountain, 
  the 
  exploring 
  party 
  

   arrived 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  cone, 
  at 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  10,000 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea. 
  

   Thence 
  up 
  to 
  11,000 
  feet 
  the 
  ground 
  traversed 
  consisted 
  of 
  boulders 
  ; 
  but 
  from 
  

   11,000 
  feet 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  top 
  it 
  was 
  covered 
  with 
  fine 
  volcanic 
  ash, 
  into 
  which 
  the 
  

   foot 
  sank 
  deeply 
  at 
  every 
  step. 
  Throughout 
  this 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  ascent 
  the 
  

   smell 
  of 
  sulphur 
  was 
  unpleasantly 
  strong. 
  The 
  summit 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  plateau 
  

   covering 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  about 
  400 
  square 
  yards. 
  On 
  its 
  northern 
  and 
  southern 
  

   sides 
  there 
  are 
  slight 
  elevations, 
  separated 
  from 
  each 
  other 
  by 
  a 
  narrow 
  but 
  

   shallow 
  valley. 
  The 
  northern 
  elevation 
  forms 
  the 
  Sacrifice 
  Hill, 
  where 
  goats 
  

   are 
  sacrificed 
  by 
  pilgrims 
  ; 
  while 
  the 
  southern 
  portion 
  is 
  called 
  Madar 
  Ivoh 
  

   (Mother 
  Hill). 
  On 
  the 
  latter 
  were, 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  Capt. 
  Sykes's 
  visit, 
  two 
  

   apertures, 
  some 
  yards 
  apart, 
  each 
  apparently 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  yards 
  wide, 
  which 
  

   appeared 
  to 
  be 
  connected 
  with 
  each 
  other. 
  From 
  both 
  of 
  these 
  dense 
  white 
  

   sulphurous 
  smoke 
  and 
  flames 
  were 
  issuing. 
  So 
  strongly 
  sulphurous 
  and 
  suffo- 
  

   cating 
  was 
  the 
  smoke 
  that 
  these 
  holes 
  could 
  be 
  approached 
  only 
  from 
  the 
  wind- 
  

   ward 
  side, 
  and 
  even 
  that 
  was 
  difficult, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  smoke 
  and 
  heat. 
  Sulphur 
  

  

  