PUSHUT. 



435 



14th. — Rejoined camp, keeping on the north bank of river. The 

 road passed over tillable recesses among the hills forming the north 

 boundary of Kooner valley, and over the spurs dividing these, of 

 which the first is short but bad, the last is a mile long, road in- 

 famous, narrow, rocky, and in some places overhanging the river. I 

 was attacked about a mile and a half from camp, my servant Abdool 

 Boyak, the bravest and most trustworthy Asiatic I ever saw, wounded, 

 losing the two first fingers of his right hand ; this was opposite the old 

 Fort, Noorgul, which is a dilapidated kafir ruin on a low island in the 

 centre of the valley and river, a strong position.* Other ruins occur on 

 the road, one near Sek-Syud, the spur being covered with its remains. 



After leaving Deh-Syud, the valley becomes contracted ; the river 

 occupying almost all its level portion, being much spread out, and 

 with numerous grassy islands : the cultivation occurring in the 

 recesses between the banks of the rivers and the glacis slopes. 



Ibth. — To Kooner, the road passes to Noorgul, an old kafir fort, done 

 up and occupied by Kooneriles, to its south-west, three-quarters of a 

 mile a hostile fort is situated. The ferry is about two miles from Noor- 

 gul, and is with difficulty fordable : the streams, three in number, the 

 last almost brim full, and very rapid ; thence to Kooner is over a 

 cultivated country. 



Noorgul is on a commanding position, the ground rising gradually 

 on all sides to it ; the valley here is very narrow. Observed Cnicus, 

 Fumaria, Lotus, Anagallis cserulea, and Veronica agrestis, springing 

 up : trees continue the same to about Kooner : some fine plane trees 

 observed. 



All the mountains are wooded at a certain height, and in greater 

 quantities, very different however from Himalayan forests, being dotted 

 in parts, rather than uniformly clothed with forest, Andropogon one 

 of the ordinary spring forms : the churs or islands in the river are 

 also covered with Andropogoneous vegetation. 



1 6th. — To Pushut, or rather to within one mile of it, rain through- 

 out the day accompanied by an unpleasant wind down the valley. 

 Road except for the first mile, during which it passed through culti- 

 vation, troublesome, otherwise with the exception of two ravines, at 

 one of which the horses were taken out of the guns, very good : valley 

 narrow, say three miles, the boundary ridges to the north presenting 



* For the particulars of this attack in which Mr. Griffith nearly lost his life, the 

 reader is referred to extracts from private correspondence. 



