170 J. Waterhouse—The Survey Operations in Afghanistan [No. 8, 
complete, he set off in the evening with five Chiganis, three of his own 
men and Azim Khan. The greater part of the road led along the bank of 
the Kunar river, which they left at Islampur, and then commenced the 
ascent of the sloping terraces near the hills. 
When near Budiali, being apprehensive of meeting enemies of Azim 
Khan and Ahmed Khan, as they had been all along the route, they made 
straight up the face of the hill near that town. These hills are absolutely dead 
and barren, but at about 800 feet they found tufts of grass and at 1000 feet 
a scrubby bush. In the morning they went down to the bottom of the 
range they had been climbing all night and then ascended another ridge, 
the hills changing in appearance as they climbed ; at first a bush or a tree, 
then a wild olive, and, after going up some 1,500 feet, some green grass and 
a bush that bore some pleasant-tasting edible berries. The crest of this 
ridge was nearly 1,800 feet from the base and after proceeding along it for 
about an hour they reached one of Azim Khan’s hamlets and rested there, 
The hills around were steep and craggy and supported stunted oak, wild 
olive &c., and at the rude huts there were clusters of date trees. 
Major Tanner remarks that these are the only date trees he has seen 
so high as 4,500 feet, except those which grow at some places on the high- 
est crags of the Western Ghauts ; but while on the Ghaut the fruit ripens 
about May, these trees showed no signs of buds even in that month. 
Starting again, they followed the valley which rapidly ascended till 
they made the crest at 5,300 feet, and there they looked down on to Shulut, 
about 1000 feet below them, and near the upper end of a narrow but high- 
ly cultivated valley. Shilat was reached at sunset, and Azim Khan advised 
Major Tanner to pass himself off as a Khan from Kabul travelling to see 
the country, for the village was inhabited partly by his men and partly by 
another tribe. His Kabuli disguise had been hateful to him all along, but 
he was glad of it now because the people in a friendly sort of way came and 
sat down and moved about among the party at their pleasure. He was 
given food, a chupatti and a piece of cheese, but was too much fatigued to 
eat much. After a good sleep they went off early in the morning and 
ascended the pleasant valley of Shilit. Oaks and olives clothed the sides 
of the hills and carefully-terraced fields were ranged along the sides of the 
streams. The notes of parrots, blackbirds and cuckoos were heard and little 
birds twittered in the branches. They crested the head of the valley at 
7,300 feet and a noble view was before them. On one side Kind and its 
pine-clad spurs and white rounded snow crests, and on the other the Kunar 
valley, and beyond it the Bajour and Momund Hills. Below these were ~ 
the terraces of Aret and just above them the chief town of that name, just 
clinging to the sides of a steep spur. Besides the chief town were smaller 
