AFGHAN BOUNDABY COMMISSION. 185 



was under his pillow and his complete sheet of survey rolled up in 

 his bed, and these being saved he was enabled to continue his 

 survey. 



The Khan of Taiw'ari stated that there were at least 15,000 

 inhabitants in the Taimani country, which he described as a poor 

 country with no fruit, and in great part deserted during the winter, 

 when the people migrate to Sabzawar, the Helmand, or more 

 genial climates. Snow lies deep in winter. The cultivation consists 

 entirely of wheat, except in the Ghur valley, where a patch or two 

 of melons exists. 



The people are not absolutely poor; they own large herds of 

 sheep and goats, and trade in otter skins and wool with merchants 

 who come from Herat and Candahar. The Taimanis also own a 

 few cattle, and are invariably mounted, every man owning his horse. 

 They resemble the Jamshidis more than the Hazaras or Firuzkkuis, 

 and are exceedingly hospitable to travellers. 



Late in the autumn of 1885 Sub-Surveyor Imam Sharif, having 

 completed the survey of a great portion of the Taimani country, 

 started to push his previous survey to a junction with those already 

 completed between Farah and Herat on the west, and to extend his 

 work as far south as he could. A connexion was fortunately 

 established with previous topography which had been completed 

 from Gririshk, and together with the route survey made by his 

 brother, Tusuf Sharif, who was deputed to join the mission during 

 the winter of 1885-86, he secured a very complete knowledge of 

 many hitherto unknown routes and passes between Herat and 

 Kandahar, and completed the map of "Western Afghanistan" from its 

 extreme northern portion to the confines of the Helmund valley. 

 He was, however, unable to penetrate into Zamindawar, which still 

 remains a hot-bed of disaffection to the Amir, and of fanatical hatred 

 to all foreigners. He explored the Adraskand river and the Sabzawar 

 valley thoroughly, and visited Farah, adding much information to 

 that previously existing about the Farah district. He was every- 

 where well received and civilly treated. 



Altogether, Imam Sharif was enabled to produce a fairly accurate 

 map of a large area of country lying south of the Hari-Eud, about 

 which exceedingly little Was known, and which is of most special 

 importance as bearing on the communications between Kandahar 

 and Herat. That little is chiefly derived from Ferrier's accounts of 

 his journeys, which, however, proved to be erroneous in several 



