1362.] 
271 
An account of Upper and Lower Suwat. 
people, by means of small straws of different lengths. To this 
custom all the tribe agreed ; and from that time, varying from 
periods of ten to twenty, and even thirty years, the lands are re¬ 
distributed amongst the different Jchels or families, together with the 
dwellings thereon, by drawing lots for the different portions. This 
custom is, with a few minor exceptions, in full force at the present 
time. 
Some fifty years since, each tapah district or division was drawn 
lots for; but at present, this is done away with, and the people of 
each tapali draw lots amongst themselves in the following manner. 
First the people of each village draw lots for their lands and village, 
which when determined, the people of each street or division of a 
village draw lots for their portion ; and, lastly, the families of each 
street or division draw lots for their portions. For example: we 
will suppose the village of Kabul which I have been holding with 
my clan, falls to you, who have been holding the village of Kanda¬ 
har. On the re-distribution I get Kandahar and you get Kabul. 
We afterwards cast lots among our own clans, and I find the house 
you occupied falls to my share; and the house I occupied falls to 
yours. On becoming aware of this, we examine the two houses, and 
if they are about the same size and value, we exchange on equal 
terms; but if one house be better than the other, one of us must 
pay something for the difference. If this is not agreed upon, we 
remove our effects from each, take away the doors, remove the grass 
and rafters from the roof, and leave only the bare walls standing, 
otherwise a feud would ensue ; for such is the bull-headed pride and 
obstinacy of the Afghan race. 
When Khan Kachu or Kaju, Karrni-zf, became chief of the 
Yusufzis, he decreed that the chief of Suwat should not be required, 
on a re-distribution of the lands, to vacate the town or village, in 
which he dwelt, on any occasion. At this time he himself dwelt at 
Allah-ddandd, so that town was exempted accordingly ; but not¬ 
withstanding that rule, the lands were, and still are, included in the 
re-distribution as well as others. This was also confirmed by Harm 
zali Khan when he succeeded to the chieftainship. 
The houses of Suwat, generally, consist of four walls built of mud 
mixed with sand. On the top of this a few rafters are laid, and dry 
grass spread over them; and over this 
a layer of plaster is laid of 
