304 THE BASIN OF EASTERN PERSIA AND SISTAN. 
The route wliich he followed is exceeding;ly difficult even for a small and 
quickly moving caravan; and for an annysuchas that of Alexander, which is stated 
to have been accompanied by women and children, the hardship must have been 
incredible. St. John (a, p. 75) is of the opinion that " in the early part of his 
march through Baluchistan, Alexander must .... have been deceived by 
his guides, who seem to have kept him at exactly that distance from the coast where 
there is least water." Farther west, in southeastern Persia, conditions were scarcely 
better. Sykes, who is the latest authority on this region, speaks of it as follows : 
"During my journey from Chahbar to Ceh, in October, 1893, which was also the 
time that the Greek army traversed Makran (/. e., southeastern Persia and south- 
western Baluchistan), the temperature in the shade was generally about 100 degrees, 
while water was almost nonexistent, and what little there was we could hardly 
drink (because of the salinity)." (P. 171.) " Throughout the journey (from Chahbar 
to Kirman during the months from October to June, 1893-94) forage was our chief 
anxiety (although the caravan numbered only from a dozen to twenty men)." 
(P. 1 12.) Among the higher mountains'of this corner of Persia water can usually be 
found by digging in the water-courses, although it is very poor and scarce (p. 113). 
Forage, however, is always hard to obtain, and (p. 123) the governors-general of the 
province practically never visit the district becaiise of the scarcity of su])plies. Yet 
Alexander nnist have crossed it with a large anny. Northeast of Bampur, even in 
March, when vegetation is at its best, forage was so scarce that the governor-general, 
whose guest Sykes was, had had a supply stored at ever}- stage (p. 144). " This desert 
stretch of more than 150 miles " along the north side of the Jaz Morian swanip was 
once thickly populated, as is shown by numerous ruins, and by the remnants of 
kanats or underground canals, to the reported number of 200, which are now drj-. 
Many of these canals have probably been abandoned because of wars, but that does 
not explain how Alexander procured water for an army where there are now merely 
salt pools, nor how he procured forage for all his baggage animals where to-day a 
few score can barely subsist. (See plate 4.) 
The division of Alexander's army which marched through Afghanistan under 
Krateros appears to have had no special difficulties, for Arrian, the historian of the 
expedition, merely remarks that "when Alexander arrived in Kirman, Krateros 
joined him, bringing the rest of the army and the elephants." (Quoted by Sykes, 
page 174.) Apparently Krateros went via Quetta to Kandahar, and thence his 
route is agreed to have been down the Helniund to Sistan. So far the line of march 
would present no insuperable difficulties even to-day, although Bellew (p. 182), who 
followed the same route, relates that where the road made a detour to get around 
an impassable portion of the river valley, some of his men nearly died of thirst on 
the hot gravel plain. Beyond Sistan Krateros's route led across the southern end of 
the Dasht-i-Lut to Narmashir. As St. John says (a, p. 75), " it would certainly 
puzzle a Krateros nowadays to march his elephants and heavy baggage from the 
Helmund to Narmashir; but there is everj' reason to suppose that part of Persia to 
have been far better populated and better watered than it is at present." The greater 
part of the distance of 180 miles from the borders of Sistan to Nannashir is the 
most absolute desert, either waterless or supplied with the most brackish wells. 
