714 Sketch of the Physical Geography of Seistan. [No. 103. 



The Kliash is a much smaller river than the Furrah ; a large proportion 

 of its waters are drained off for cultivation, and during the greater part of 

 the year its channel, which is never of any great width, only contains 

 waters where it has been banked in, or in a few deep pools. On its banks 

 and in Seistan, the Khash is always called the Khoosh, and in some geogra- 

 phical works is written Khooshk, or the dry river. The Aishkineik was a 

 marsh during the swell, and dry in summer. 



The Ibrahim Jooi is made in our maps to fall into the Khash, but in real- 

 ity a little below Bukheva, it spreads itself out and forms a marsh also 

 called Aishkineik, which is, however, usually dry, there being little water 

 lower than the Ismail Khan. I know of no stream flowing into the Khash 

 from the west, except a small river which commences, I was told, some- 

 where below Bukheva ; from the east it receives the Rod-i-Reghi, the direc- 

 tion of which will be seen in the map ; but of the early part of its course 

 I am doubtful. 



To the west of the Khash three smaller streams flow into Seistan from the 



^ , „ . north-east; the Rod-i-Khar, the Chabulk, and the Koos- 



Other smaller rivers. r^. n i i i - -, n ^ - ^ 



pas. rhe first and least, at the period of which we are 



speaking, discharged itself into the Aishkineik above Chukhnasoor. 



Of the other two, the Chabulk rises in a spring called Chusmeh Meshak, 

 about six miles south-east of Toojk, below Furrah ; the second at Siah-ab, 

 a hill between Koormalik and Bukheva, celebrated as the spot where the 

 Vuzeer Shah Wulee was put to death. These two rivers formerly de- 

 bouched in a lake some miles east of the principal one, and known by the 

 name of Duk-i-Teer, a promontory on its eastern bank, famous in the fa- 

 bulous history of Seistan, as the place from whence Roostum procured the 

 arrow with which he killed Isfandear. 



Of the extent of this lake I have no very precise information. On the 

 north it reached to within eight miles of Jowaine ; it was probably con- 

 nected with the Aishkineik on its south, and when swelled by extraordina- 

 ry floods, may have even been united with the lake of Koh-i-Khwajeh, as a 

 high bank prevents its extension to the eastward. 



It also received some of the waters of the Helmund by branches striking 

 off north and east from that river, after it had passed Rodbar. Of these 

 the principal, which left the parent stream near Deh-i-Nusser Khan, was 

 called the river of Ilumdar, and another of smaller size, but since become 

 remarkable, went off from Khwajeh Ahmed. 



Such was Seistan for a long time. The Helmund glided along each 

 succeeding year in nearly the same channel it had occupied the year be- 

 fore, and the inhabitants on its banks were too ignorant to remark or to 

 care to counteract the consequences they could have hardly failed to fore- 



