396 
Overland Journey to India. 
[Dec. 
The next march was through a stony valley, and across many small lakes of 
water 1 * * * * * 7 that lay in it, to Dftdur, a small town of 400 houses, distant seven miles 
from the mountains, which when viewed thence, had the appearance of one high 
range, coming up north from the sea, and crossing the Takkatu range at a 
right angle, so as to separate distinctly the mountainous from the plain country. 
Dadur is situated in an arid plain, which, were it not watered by a stream from the 
hills, would scarcely be habitable. The river Nari 8 comes through it south from 
the Takkatu range, and the lands within reach of its waters are cultivated with 
jawarri , bajra, and cotton. 
We followed the course of this stream 36 miles to BAgh, a town of 2000 houses 
and 300 shops, for many miles round which there were extensive fields of jawnrri. 
Much gun-powder is manufactured here, which finds its way to Afghanistan and 
Sind, and the Hindus seemed to enjoy a brisk trade, chiefly in the common sorts 
of grain 9 . 
Proceeding hence, we travelled through an unsettled country, 75 miles, to the 
commencement of a thick jungle of low trees, which running east and west, marks 
the sir-had between Belochistan and Sind. South it is only interrupted by the 
Indus, whose banks it fringes : many villages of a few wretched houses each, occupy 
small spots cleared away from the jungle; tracts crossed each other in many 
directions, and we had difficulty in finding our way to Shikarpfir. 
We computed the distance from Kandahar to Shikarpur to be about 410 miles. 
Both the Syed and myself had watches, and during- the whole of the journey from 
Astiabad, we calculated that we rode four miles an hour; an average which is 
little if at all in excess, as the horses amble. In the day time I was able occasion- 
ally to note the direction by a pocket compass : we travelled much at nigbt, but 
the stars always shone clearly, and I think that we were able to laydown our route 
with tolerable precision. 
Shikarpur is a very large walled town, which is chiefly inhabited by wealthy 
Hindu bankers and merchants, who have commercial connexions all over the East. 
Around the city are fine gardens, and groves of luxuriant Indian trees ; the ap- 
pearance of the place is beautiful, but the heat during the greatest part of the 
year is such as would kill any body but a Hindu. 
Since the last revolution in Afghanistan, a Hakim has ruled here on the part of 
t le Hydrabad Amirs. hen it was understood that we wished to proceed to the 
north of India, we were told that we must first goto Khyrpur, and we set out 
accordingly. 
^ e 1 ° ( ^ e miles through a jungle, and just as the sun was setting, found 
ourselves at the end of it, and upon the high bank of the Indus, which was 
flou in D past us in one calm broad stream. From where we stood, we commanded 
1 It is probable, that the peiiodical rains that come up from the Indian ocean, are 
stayed by, and gathered in these mountains ; they deluge the plain of Dadur, but are 
hardly felt at Quetta. The hills are bare rocks, and the stony vallies are full o* 
standing water. At one place we found the road through the valley bloated up by a 
lake too deep to be ridden through. In summer, the sun actiug upon these pent up 
waters, causes a pestilent air, and the road from Quetta to Dadur is shut. 
The course of the Nari from the Tukkatu, or as they are here named Lari hills, is 
south to 49 miles beyond Bagh, then it goes off to the right. It is during the perio- 
dical mins that its bed is filled. The cultivators form strong dams across it, and so 
retain the water for a second crop. 
The Afghans take many camel loads of jawarri hence to their own country. 
e > °th make bread of it for themselves, aud give it to their horses, 
