146 GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEYS AND EXPLORATIONS. 



The withdrawal of the British forces from Afghanistan in 

 September 1880 brought all surveying operations to a close in that 

 part of the country. But in March 1881 the conduct of the 

 Waziris, who inhabit the tracts adjoining the British districts of 

 Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan, and have proved such unruly neigh- 

 bours since our annexation of the Punjab, necessitated the despatch 

 of a fresh expedition into their country, and this gave opportunity 

 for additional survey work. One column under Brigadier- General 

 Gordon advanced from Bannu up the Khaisar valley towards the 

 Razmak valley along the northern part of the country, and returned 

 through the Shikto valley to the plains of Bannu. The other 

 column under Brigadier-General Kennedy advanced from Tonk into 

 the southern and western Waziri valleys, and then proceeded via 

 Kaniguram to the Razmak plateau, and returned via Palosin to 

 Tonk. To the first column Major Holdich and Lieutenant the Hon. 

 M. G. Talbot were attached as survey officers, and Captain G. W. 

 Martin accompanied the second column. These three officers, aided 

 by the native surveyor, Imam Baksh, who was taken under tribal 

 protection into tracts closed to Europeans, surveyed an area of 

 about 1,200 miles in and around Waziristan, and filled up blanks 

 for portions of the country which had not been visited during 

 Sir Neville Chamberlain's exjDedition in 1860, and which had never 

 before been seen by Europeans. The plane-tabling by Lieutenant 

 Talbot of the watershed between the Khaisar and the Dawar Dour 

 formed a useful continuation of Colonel Woodthorpe's work in 

 Khost with Sir F. Roberts's expedition. The survey officers were 

 able to ascend several mountains on the western confines of the 

 country, including the peaks of Pirghal and Shuidar 11,000 feet in 

 height. Fortunately the atmosphere was generally clear, and points 

 were fixed as far as 200 miles distant, which in spite of the hurried 

 character of the movements of the troops combined to give good 

 results. A valuable reconnaissance of the Zhob valley and the upper 

 branches of the Gumal valley towards the Ab-i-istadeh lake was 

 also made by a native explorer. His map covered an area of 

 7,140 square miles, and though a good deal of this was rough and 

 only sketched in by the eye, it supplied some important corrections 

 to the previous geographical knowledge of the country. Some 

 interesting notes on the tribes and the roads were compiled from 

 the explorer's information by Lieutenant Talbot.* 



* See Appendix to Surveyor-General's Report for 18S0-81, p. 36. 



