1857.] Account of the Lower Derdjdt. 197 



the lower range of hills, through rather a difficult country, he 

 possesses a tract of table-land of some considerable extent, well 

 wooded and further adorned with a fine lake. He told me that 

 he usually retired to this place with his family in the hot season ; 

 and he spoke in high terms of its beauties, of its climate, and of 

 its fruits, some of the grapes from which I have often tasted. He 

 promised to take me to this pleasant spot, this Eoh Felix, if I 

 could obtaiu leave of absence for that purpose, but I soon after left 

 the Derajat and lost the opportunity, of which I was most anxious 

 to avail myself. A locality of this kind, within reasonable distance, 

 and in the country of a friendly tribe, would be a highly desirable 

 place for a little recreation and cool air in the hot months, for 

 Europeans condemned to broil at Asuui and Dera Ghazi Khan. 



The Lagharis are bounded on the south by the Gurchahis, and 

 west by the Khetraus, to give some account of whom and of whose 

 country, we must for a time leave the Derajat and proceed west, 

 before describing the valleys and passes further to the south. 



Kheteans. 



The Khetrans are a numerous and powerful tribe occupying a 

 tract of country east and west of the Suliman or Black Range, 

 about sixty miles in width and eighty in length from north to 

 south, and extending from the parallel of the Suri Darrah of the 

 Lund tribe to the boundary of the Muni country, the most 

 southern portion of the Highlands of Beluehistan on the north-east. 

 The chief of the Khetraus is Mir Hadji Khan, who can muster a 

 force of 3,000 fighting men including about 1,000 horsemen. They 

 reside generally in small forts or walled villages called Kotlahs. 

 Their country is well-watered aud temperate, and they cultivate 

 a quantity of grain of which wheat, and makia (Indian corn) appear 

 to be the staple kinds, together with a small quantity of cotton 

 sufficient for home consumption. They also possess numerous herds of 

 camels and other cattle, aud flocks of sheep and goats. On the 

 west they are neighbours to the Liiui aud Kakarr Afghans ; on the 

 north to the Miisa Khel Kakarrs and the Bozdars ; on the south to 

 the Murris; aud on the east to the Lagharis and Gurchauis. 



The Khetrau country is distant about thirty-five or forty miles 



