218 The Flooding of tlie Indus. [No. 3. 



sort of blowing up when they fell after the water had covered the 

 doorway. There must have been, on such occasions, a certain amount 

 of compressed air within and while I don't think that it could have 

 lifted the roof, yet, when the wails gave way and the structure fell, 

 it was to be expected that the air would make its exit through the 

 breaking roof, and so carry a cloud of dust up with it. The 

 barracks being of brick masonry (and particularly good brick 

 masonry,) and being on higher ground than most of the other 

 buildings in the station, escaped without material injury. The flood 

 now reached about 30 miles up the river, but stopt short by about 

 6 miles of the point where that of 1841 was distinctly to be 

 traced to. 



The height attained in the lower part of the Cabul river valley 

 was very striking. It appeared to surpass anything reached near 

 Attok. The causes I think were, that below the junction the right 

 bank, on which the Indus would infringe, is bluff, and a side-current 

 would be set off up the Cabul river, while agaiu, as is observed of 

 the tide, which ingulfs far surpasses the height attained in the open 

 sea, the water, pouring in through a narrow opening and spreading 

 out into the valley beyond, would maintain a fall in that direction ; 

 and before the check reached back again to the mouth a quantity 

 greater than the fair capacity of the closed sac would have been 

 forced into it. 



The stream turned perceptibly by the evening, and ran down during 

 the night, and this circumstance was the cause of much loss of pro- 

 perty which in the day light might have been saved. Natives ap- 

 pear also to have had a dread at Nowshera of entering the water on 

 account of the number of snakes and rats which were driven from 

 their holds as the water rose. Nothing of this sort was observed at 

 Attok, though there were a few serpents in the water. This is 

 usual however in the large rain floods which occur yearly. 



During the morning of the 11th household furniture in consider- 

 able quantity from the station of Nowshera was seen to pass Attok; 

 and stacks of straw, Persian wheels, and such things, in large num- 

 bers from the valley of the Cabul river. 



The deposit of silt was very great throughout the valley, as might 

 have been expected in such a blind opening, and the water, after the 



