SHOBOS—FArXJ or THE Pass. 2o 



so far civilized as to dress themselres iu an outer 

 garment made of old gunny bas^s, the coarse Indian 

 fabric in which grain is packed. In January, such 

 proofs of advanced civilization had not extended beyond 

 ZuHa. 



These people are genuine Arabs, their hands against 

 every man's, arrant thieves and cut-throats, but still 

 \vith some principle of honour. Owing to the influence 

 Mr. Munzinger had with them, he succeeded in inducing 

 them — for payment, of course — ^not only to cease from 

 plundering to a great extent, but to become carriers 

 to the anny : and enormous quantities of commissariat 

 stores were conveyed by them. Some petty pilfering, of 

 course, took place, but, I am convinced, far less than 

 was generally supposed. 



There is no cultivation in or about the pass, so far a.? I 

 saw. The people live mainly on the milk of their herds, 

 and on " durra ' or millet (joirart) brought from the 

 highlands. The cattle are smaU, but weU formed and in 

 good condition, all being humped, and having horns of 

 moderate size spreading from the side of the head, not 

 rising in a curve as in Indian humped cattle. The goats 

 are rather fine, the males being magnificent patriarchal 

 fellows, with grand twisted horns two feet and upwards 

 in lengtL 



The fauna in the lower portion of the pass was not 

 remarkable. Vultures, of course, abounded, and I once 

 or twice saw a lammergeyer {Gypaetos mei-idioaalis), 

 conspicuous by his pointed wings and tail and great size. 

 The most interesting noveltv to me was a kind of 



