1855.] Account of a visit to the Shrine of Sakhi Sarwar. 335 



madans. They fill about a thousand skius besides numbers of ear- 

 then vessels beforehand. The price per skin-full the first day, is 

 two annas or three pence English, which increases according to the 

 supply. 



Soon after my return this afternoon the sky again became over- 

 cast ; and towards sunset it came on to blow and soon after to rain, 

 attended with thunder and vivid flashes of lightning, much in the 

 same manner as the preceding evening ; and people were now seen 

 running in all directions to the town to escape a ducking. This was 

 most unfortunate, as the fashionable time for the pleasure-seekers 

 appeared to be after 4 p. m., and until long past midnight ; but this 

 unfriendly rain has completely damped the sport. The rain cleared off 

 for a short time in the evening ; but about 1 o'clock it re-commenced, 

 and continued with violence for the greater part of the night. 

 Knowing the sandy nature of the soil too — for my tent was pitched 

 in the dry bed of the torrent, as I have before noticed — I was mo- 

 mentarily expecting the tent-pegs to come up, when down would 

 have come the whole machine, and probably half-smothered me in 

 the ruins. 



12th April. — This being a fine day and the last day of the Meld 

 also, I availed myself of the opportunity of taking a couple of sketches 

 of the scenery — one of the town and Shrine of Sakhi Sarwar, the 

 other looking up the Dalanah Pass, already noticed. To the south 

 of the town, the road leading into the Sakhi Sarwar Pass, which is 

 one of the routes to Kandahar through Sewestan and the Pishin 

 valley to Kelat via Tull and Dadur, lies over a stony plain for about 

 seven miles before the hills are reached. 



It is said that some forty thousand people assemble on the last 

 day of the Meltt ; but I imagine from what I saw this day, that one 

 half the amount would be nearer the truth ; still, the number of 

 persons who visit the place during the latter part of March and the 

 beginning of April, cannot be far short of fifty thousand. There is 

 no kind of trade carried on here, such as at what are generally term- 

 ed Eairs, being altogether of a religious nature ; but I think that a 

 commercial Fair might be opened at this time with very great ad- 

 vantage, and with every chance of success. It certainly would be a 

 very favourable opportunity to try the experiment. 



