1841.] Journal kept while travelling in Seistan. 325 



will return the contra- donation, unless they think it sufficiently large. A 



villager brought a sheep to Shah Pussund Khan's father : ' Give the man 



a choghu,' said the chief to his Nazir. The Nazir took off his own cloak 



and gave it. It was old and torn. The villager looked at it, turned 



it over, and putting it down at the Khan's feet, said, " Here, take your 



old choghu, and give me back my sheep." 



23rd. — I called on the prince Saudut-ool-Moolk, Futteh Khan having 



Prince Saudut-ool hinted to me that a present was not required. He 



was seated in a small room in the citadel, and made 



me sit down beside him, without any attempt at formality. He was 



coarsely dressed, and had just the air of a Buniah. He is fat, short, and 



jolly looking, and talked much with a loud voice, smiling all the while, 



and this good humoured personage has lately seated himself on the road 



between Furrah and Girishk, and in company with his brother of Ghore 



amuses himself with plundering passengers. From the prince I went to 



the governor, whose house was more wretched than 

 Governor's house. ,__ „ , , . . . 



my own. We walked out together to visit the pits, 



where they were making saltpetre, with which the whole plain of 

 Furrah is encrusted. 



The process of extracting it is simple ; a platform of wood and 

 branches is thrown across a pit, and covered with 

 earth scraped from the surface : this is wetted, and 

 the saltpetre drips through into a reservoir below, from which it is 

 ladled out into bowls, when it is boiled, and left to crystallize. The 

 crystals are as clear and shining as amber. Any quantity may be made 

 here ; but at present they only collect enough for their own consump- 

 tion, from some foolish idea of its being dangerous to sell it to their 

 neighbours, who are, or may be, enemies, chiefly from the general lan- 

 gour of commerce in this part of the country. When Shumsoodeen 

 Khan was governor of Furrah, he is said to have exported it with much 

 advantage to his revenues, Seistan for example affording a ready market. 

 Nothing but common salt having as yet been found there, a little is still 

 sent annually to that country from the pits. We ascended to the top of 

 the citadel, and a more melancholy prospect it would be difficult to 

 Tiew from the ci- imagine ; of the fort I have sent a plan to Major 

 Todd. The walls are of considerable thickness, 

 except in the S. W. face ; the inside of the fort contains only some 



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