668 
THROUGH ASIA 
town its banks were not so precipitous ; they rose 
gradually by a series of terraces, leaving room close 
down by the water’s edge for the houses, which were 
built of sun-dried clay and covered in with flat wooden 
roofs. The opposite banks were connected by a wooden 
bridge. 
A short time after we arrived at Upal, I witnessed 
an occurrence which I had never witnessed before, but 
which takes place every year in these regions. After 
a heavy, continuous rain the water which drains off the 
adjacent mountain-sides gathers into a sil (sudden flood 
or inundation), which in a few hours completely fills the 
river-bed, and may work very great destruction. In these 
sudden floods we see the agent which in the course of time 
has eroded the clay terraces so deeply. 
About seven o’clock we heard a distant booming. It 
came rapidly nearer, at the same time increasing to a 
deafening roar. Down came the flood, a stupendous 
mass^ of water, rushing on with inconceivable violence, 
seething, foaming, and swiftly filling the river to the 
brim. The inhabitants ran down to the river-bank, 
uttering cries of alarm and gesticulating wildly. I and 
Islam Bai took our station on a protected roof. The 
next moment the avenues of willows and poplars, which 
lined both banks of the river, were covered by the 
flood. The ground seemed to shake under the impact 
of such a mass of unrestrained water. Clots of dirty 
foam tossed about on the tumbling waves. The spray 
smoked along the flood like a moving shower of mist. 
Tree-trunks, any amount of loose branches, haycocks 
and other movable objects danced along the tossing 
current, drove against the banks, swung free, got caught 
in an eddy and plunged down out of sight, rolled 'up 
to the surface again, and once more became the .sport 
of the irresistible flood. The bridge was broken down 
at the first onrush, and swept away, swaying from side 
to side, whilst its timbers creaked and groaned as it rolled 
over and over in the water. 
The flood bore towards the right bank, and inundated 
