356 Narrative of the Travels of Khwajah Ahmud Shah. [No. 4. 



years ago plundered the Kokau country with an army. There is a 

 brother of the Khan of Kokan's now at Bokhara; he had a dispute 

 with his brother and sought refuge in Bokhara. There are some 

 regular troops at this place which are drilled by Summund Khan, a 

 Cabuli. The horses of Bokhara are superior to those of Kokan ; I 

 saw no Russians at Bokhara, and know it to be an ancient law that 

 they are not allowed to travel within the boundaries of this state. 

 The Russian hufildhs come direct to Bokhara and have to pay heavy 

 duties upon goods upon their crossing the frontier. Not being able 

 to procure any information regarding Mr. Wyburd, I suspected 

 that perhaps he might be in prison, and so made friends with Meer 

 Shah, the keeper of the prisons, from whom I learnt, and I feel con- 

 fident, that no foreigner was there in custody ; so leaving Khwajah 

 Mahomed Shah, one of our fraternity, to continue the search and 

 make enquiries, and with instructions to keep me informed if he 

 should learn any thing about Mr. Wyburd, I myself started on my 

 way back. 



From Bokhara to Cabul. 



On the 2nd June I left Bokhara. 



1st stage, Mimleck. If you leave early in the morning you reach 

 this place in the afternoon. At this season of the year it is so hot 

 that people ride upon camels and not upon horses. 



2nd, Kraool, water from small streams, country cultivated, provi- 

 sions for cavalry and infantry plentiful. 



3rd, Khojah TJmbanik, left at sunset one night, and by day light 

 next morning arrived here on a camel. Water here from a stream. 



4th, Khasan, about the same distance as yesterday. 



5th, Kuslice, a small town subject to Bokhara, from this place a 

 road branches off to Shukur-i-Sulz, distant five marches. 



6th, Shore Koodook ; here water is procurable from a well ; coun- 

 try now barren. 



7th, Chul Boor: this is only an encamping ground ; the water for 

 the supply of travellers is collected in a tank, it is all rain water, 

 and very little of it. (If an army was to move by this route they 

 would have to carry all their water along with them); country sandy 

 desert. 



8th, Banks of the Amoo or Oxus. From Hushee the road all the 

 way to the river traverses a sandy desert ; there is no village or city 



