BOLAN PASS EXPEDITION (pALT II.) 75 
21 si November , 1876.—Halted at Gandava. Colonel Nutthall, com¬ 
manding the Sind Frontier Force, arrived yesterday evening from 
Jacobabad, and came to look at us this morning. The Khan of 
Khelat marched in this morning with great pomp, at the head of his 
army (three infantry regiments, two of cavalry, and three mountain 
guns, drawn by bullocks), colours flying, the band playing “ Home 
sweet Home,” and the guns firing a succession of salutes. The whole 
of the troops were miserably clad, and made a bad show. The bridles 
of the cavalry consisted of rope, and the infantry were armed with 
matchlocks. The gun detachments consisted of four men each. The 
Khan was dressed in a gold helmet, gold tunic, blue breeches with a 
broad red stripe, and patent leather boots with silver buckles. Major 
Sandeman went out to meet him, and escorted him to the palace in the 
town of Gandava. 
22 nd and ^ZrdNovember , 1876.—Halted at Gandava. On the evening 
of the 23rd a severe thunderstorm, accompanied by some very smart 
showers of rain, burst over the camp. 
24 th November , 1876.—At 5.30 a.m. we commenced our march to 
Sanchee; distance 14 miles. Halted half-an-hour on the road, and arrived 
at 10.40 a.m. At first we skirted the town of Gandava and its 
numerous hamlets ; then the road led almost due north, over the sandy 
plain of Cutchee. I was much surprised to see that it had been culti¬ 
vated in parts, as water is very scarce. Sanchee is a large village, and 
supplies of all kinds are procurable, but the water is very indifferent. 
25^' November, 1876.—At 6 a.m. commenced our march to Moochee; 
distance 9 miles. Halted on the road 20 minutes, and arrived at 
9.20 a.m. Soon after starting we found ourselves floundering in some 
black mud, but quickly hit off the track which led over the sandy desert 
for 5 miles, and then for a mile through some cultivated ground. This 
brought us to the village of Budelar. The road then lay for 3 miles 
through a thick jungle of grass to Mochee—which is a small village, 
affording a few supplies, but the water is bad and the encamping ground 
very confined. 
2 6tk November , 1876.—At 6 a.m. commenced our march to Arain; 
distance 7 miles. No halt was made, and we arrived at 8 a.m. Two 
miles from Moochee we passed the village of Gul Mahomed, and the 
road went alternately over cultivated ground and sandy desert. The 
whole of this desert might be richly cultivated, as during the flood 
season it is all under water, much of which could be collected by 
artificial drainage ; and as the Khan of Khelat takes one-third of every 
crop grown, by way of a tax, it is a matter of surprise that he does not 
encourage cultivation more than he does. No doubt the previous 
unsettled state of the province and constant raids prevented it; but if, 
as is reported, all will be quiet in the future, there is no reason why the 
arid plains of Cutchee should not be one mass of rich vegetation—a boon 
to the traveller in every way. A survey for a road, telegraph, and 
future railway has already commenced, and probably the day is not 
