330 Account of a visit to the Shrine of Bakhi Sarwar. [No. 4. 



halt for the night, it being necessary that they should reach the end 

 of their journey on or before the morning of the first of Bysdkh. 



On a reference to my notes, I find that I left Derah Grhazi Khan, 

 accompanied by that fine old veteran Mallah Khan, a Hesaldar of 

 the Derajat Mounted Police, and two Sowars of the same corps, at 

 2 p. M. on the 9th April ; and reached Chowrutta, a small village 

 to the left of the road at half-past 3. The whole of the way from 

 Derah to this place, a distance of about nine miles, was one conti- 

 nuous string of camels with gaudy trappings, ponies, horses, and 

 bullocks, besides crowds of foot-passengers, all hastening to the Pair. 



" The roads were clad frae side to side 

 Wi' monie a weary body, 



In droves that day." 



There were men, women, and children ; but by far the greater 

 number — as usual on such occasions — were young women in Kaja- 

 wahs or litters on camel's backs ; and numbers of them were exceed- 

 ingly pretty. All seemed in high spirits, and roguishly inclined, if 

 we may judge from the sparkling glances of their dark eyes. 



The same scene occurred as far as the village of "Widor — another 

 nine miles, — which is about half way, and where I arrived exceed- 

 ingly thirsty at about 5 p. m. The water here is horrid, and is as 

 black as ink ; in fact the sight of it is almost enough to give one 

 the plague. As I have said before, I was very thirsty, and there 

 being no time to mince matters, I was obliged to take a dose, which 

 I managed by holding my nose with my fingers, so as to at least 

 get rid of the smell, if I could not of the flavour. 



The people, that is to say the fair-going ones, halt here for the 

 night, on account of there being no water between this and Sakhi 

 Sarwar, a distance of about sixteen miles, with the exception of 

 small quantities procurable from the Beluchis who station themselves 

 along the road and dispose of it at about a half-penny per cup. 



I had left the old Resaldar and one of the two Sowars (who were 

 rather sparing of their horses) behind, between Chowrutta and 

 Widor ; so I set out from the latter place with one Police horseman, 

 and four Beluchis of the Laghari tribe, furnished by their chief — 

 Jellal Khan — in whose district we then were. We passed througli 

 a bare and desert tract of country gradually approaching the hills 



