1862.] An account of Upper and Lower Suwdt. 261 
these beautiful plants. The mountains round this part of Suwat are, 
also, more densely wooded, than about the Morey Pass, with forests 
of pine and zaitun or wild olive. On the summit of the Pass there 
is a large open plain, and here there are several Jcandahs or trenches 
in which a number of bodies have been buried. I have been informed, 
that there are fissures in many parts of these Jcandahs, where hundreds 
of sculls may be seen, as also arrows, swords, knives, &c. It would 
appear that some great battle had been fought here when the 
Yiisufzis first invaded the country, and that the slain were buried 
on the field of battle; and what is more natural than to suppose 
that the people took post in the Malakand Pass, to resist the inva¬ 
ders ? # On the southern side there are no rivulets ; and no water is 
procurable, save from two wells which have been dug between the 
village of Dar-gaey and the foot of the Pass. Near one of these 
wells there is another road, apparently very ancient, over Malakand, 
the whole of which to within a short distance of the summit, is 
built up with slabs of stone and lime ; but like that of Khandallah, 
between Bombay and Poonah, it has many turnings and zig-zags, 
and thus appears to have been scientifically designed; but although 
it is the shortest way, with all its turnings, the Afghans prefer using 
the other road. 
They say, that there is another road into Suwat, still easier, by 
the Shah-kott Pass, which is comparatively straight and level; and 
appears to have been a regular made road, probably the work of the 
former inhabitants of these regions, who, from the ruins that still 
remain, appear to have attained a considerable degree of civilization. 
Guns could easily be taken into Suwat by this route; but the Af¬ 
ghans, apparently, to provide against such a contingency, have broken 
up the road in several places ; and at present it is never used. 
There is no place named Kandarak, at the foot of the Karakarr 
Pass into Suwat, to be found at present ; but the ruins of a village, 
or something of the kind, may be traced. Perhaps this is the place 
referred to in the Akbar Namah,the scene of the defeat of Akbar’s army 
by the Yusufzi Afghans. I was informed, that about three years since, 
* The history of the Yusufzfs and the account of the conquest of Suwat I 
have found in a work in the Library of the India House ; written however in a 
most strange manner, m Pushto and Persian. The author was an Afghan ; and 
lie goes on to relate in Persian, and then all at once breaks into Pushto and 
vice versa. 
