288 Travels in Central Asia. [No. 3. 



the top of the hill, and sent his grandson Shur to carry out his 

 orders, calling out Nooh Shooh, which was obeyed, and Echo con- 

 veyed the sound to Mecca, and every winter in commemoration 

 thereof, the waters murmur Noah Shooh, and the Echo carries the 

 sound to Mecca, and the place retains the name of all the parties 

 concerned — Khornushu. Blue limestone shows the limits of Khor's 

 land, still held by his descendants, viz. Bustam Khan on the west, 

 and Mohammad Khan on the east. 



Mr. G. was, with his companions, let down the whole distance in 

 baskets. 



4th. — Marches on limestone rock, the barren inheritance of Khor, 

 to Khan Mohammad fort of Trimooke, about 14 miles from base of 

 snowy range ; situated at the end of a tabular hill : — several hot springs 

 in the neighbourhood. 



5th. — Meets party of Bhuri, with Kaffir girls for sale — a continual 

 kidnapping going on in the frontier. There are three main tribes 

 of Kaffirs. 



1, of the Koh-i-low, 



2, Koh-i-kaf, 



3, Koh-i-ghar, 



which last are the Siyahposh Kaffirs of Kabul. The former do not 

 shave the head, save a lock for each Musalman they kill. The 

 latter shave the head — letting a lock grow for every slain enemy. 

 The most valiant may have a good head of hair or a shaved head 

 as the case may be. One of the slaves was of excessive beauty, and 

 was offered for 50 qai or drops of silver, about f ounce. 



During this march they quit the limestone and get into a granitic 

 and quartzose region — stop at the Ziarat of Abba Shah, at the foot of 

 a cliff of granite 900 feet high. A large (80 yards broad) torrent 

 loses itself in a chasm at the base, and there are several caves cut 

 out of the rock above the chasm, where the torrent disappears with 

 much noise. 



6th. — Halt at the Ziarat in order to visit four other Geths or 

 chasms of similar nature. The fakeers collect herbs, to eat, from the 

 spongy-mossy sides of the rocky dells in which these streams sub- 

 side. The valley he compares to a great perpendicular cylinder ; in 

 the centre of it, a crater-like orifice about 100 yards round ; a dark 

 flinty rock. 



