Saindak--Beluch prisoners--Thana and Bungalow--Beluch bread--The
Saindak mountain and its mineral resources--The Daftan
volcano--_Surmah_ and lead--Mukak and its strong man--A sick
camel--Gypsum--_Regheth_--Where the track will deviate in
future--Difficulty in obtaining drinkable water--Wells made
attractive--Sahib chah--A well ventilated rest-house.
Saindak had an imposing _thana_, the elaborate gateway of which was
decorated with heads of wild sheep and _dumbahs_. There were nine
rooms--some boasting of wooden doors--at the end of the large court, but
all were occupied by the seven _sawars_, the postal _moonshee_, the three
_kassildars_ and the _havildar_, one _duffadar_, and one _jemadar_.
[Illustration: The Thana and New Bungalow at Saindak. (Saindak Mt. in
background.)]
On my arrival they proceeded to clear one of the chambers for me, and to
my astonishment out of it came four wretched men chained together by the
hands and feet and in a pitiable condition. Not that their countenances,
when one examined their faces, called for much pity. More palpably
criminal types could be found nowhere, but somehow or other to see these
poor devils stumbling along, with the iron rings round their bruised and
sore ankles showing through the torn rags which covered their skeleton
legs, and the agonized expressions on their worn, repulsively cruel
faces, was not an edifying sight. They had been brought down here to work
and, for prisoners, were treated considerately enough, I suppose. But
they seemed very ill and suffering. Two were robbers, the other
two--father and son--had murdered a man and stolen 400 sheep. They were
condemned to captivity for life.
I declined to put up in that room, especially when I happened to peep in
and was nearly choked by the foul odour that emanated from inside, and
preferred--although it was very cold--to inhabit the unroofed new
two-roomed bungalow in course of construction, which I found really very
comfortable.
As can be seen by the photograph the thana and bungalow of Saindak are
built on rather an attractive site under the shelter of the Saindak
Mountain. Whenever I see a mountain I cannot resist the temptation to go
up it, and now, after all the thousands of miles of flat country I had
traversed, I felt this desire more strongly than ever. The ascent of the
mountain presented no difficulty except that its rocky sides were
somewhat steep. I resolved to go up early the next morning before making
a start with my camels.
In the meantime during the evening I was instructed by Mahommed Hussein,
my camel man, in the Beluch fashion of making bread--really a most
ingenious device. A stone of moderate size, say 4 inches in diameter and
as round as can be found, is made red hot on the fire, and upon it a
coating of paste--flour, water, and salt--is deposited evenly so as to
make an envelope of paste one inch thick all over. Three, four, five, or
as many of these balls as required being made, they are placed in a
circle near a blazing fire, so that the outside may get baked as well as
the inside. When ready for consumption the balls are split open and the
stones removed. The bread is really most excellent and resembles a
biscuit.
[Illustration: Beluch Prisoners at Saindak.]
At Saindak (altitude 3,810 feet) there are a number of wells, mostly very
salt, but one has quite fair water, only slightly brackish. The water,
however, had a peculiar taste of its own, as if it had gone through lead
deposits, and, on mentioning this to some Beluch they told me that lead
was, in fact, found on the mountains just above this camp. Having drunk
two glasses of this water I was taken with bad internal pains, but I must
in fairness own that I do not know whether to attribute this entirely to
the water or to indiscreet consumption of an irresistible, extra rich
plum-cake which the wonderful Sadek now produced, much to my surprise and
delight, from among my provisions.
Travellers, however, would do well to bring their own supply of water
from Kirtaka, if they are coming from Robat, or from Mukak, if travelling
from Quetta.
The ascent to the summit of the Saindak mountain well repays the
traveller for the exertion of getting there, and that not only on
account of its geological formation. Looking over the lower mountains one
obtained a magnificent view of the Afghan desert as far as the eye could
see, to the north-west and north-east, while to the west lay a mountain
mass, the Mirjawa mountains, and innumerable sand hills. To the
south-south-west towered above everything the double-humped active
volcano of Kuh-i-Daftan, with its snow-capped crater. It was smoking,
notwithstanding the ridiculous theory entertained by some F.R.G.S. that
volcanoes cannot exist so far south in the Northern Hemisphere! We saw
this volcano for several days and it threw up considerable volumes of
smoke. At night it occasionally had quite a glow above its crater.
The volcano, I need not say, is in Persian territory, and is some 60
miles distant, as the crow flies, from Saindak, although in the clear
atmosphere it does not appear more than a few miles off. It is a most
impressive mountain.
Parallel ridges of sand hills, facing east, were to be seen to the
south-west of the Saindak mountain, and then a wide flat plain, beyond
which four successive mountain ranges, formed a powerful barrier. To the
south-east also were high mountains.
On the top of the mountain we came upon some of the holes that contain
lead and _Surmah_ or _Surf_--a substance much used by women in Persia,
Afghanistan, Beluchistan and India for blackening the lashes and lower
eyelids. Surmah was plentiful enough, especially between two layers of
perpendicular rock, and also in surface pebbles when split open.
Calcareous rock with galena was to be found, besides fragments of
calcite, gypsum, and slag.
It appeared that the natives must at some time have tried to exploit
these mines in a primitive manner, for there were many holes bored all
over the top of the mountain, and near them bits of coal embedded in
slag. These excavations were generally bored in mounds of yellow earth,
or, rather, the mounds were of that colour because of the earth which had
been extracted from the borings, the colour of the surrounding earth and
rock being grey and black. Lead filaments in brittle layers were also
noticeable mixed with the earth. Two inches below the ground one found,
on digging, a thick deposit of salt and gypsum.
My camels with loads had made an early start, and on my returning to camp
some three hours after their departure I proceeded to catch them up on my
excellent _mari_. There was very little of interest on the march. We rose
over a gentle incline, travelling due south upon undulating ground to an
altitude of 3,870 feet, beyond which we descended into a flat basin with
a broad outlet to the south-south-east, and another south-west by a
narrow defile in the mountain range. We then crossed a broader plain,
about two miles broad, with good grazing for camels, and here again,
being well out in the open, we got a magnificent view of the Daftan
volcano (south-west) in all its splendour.
We reached Mukak (3,580 feet) in the afternoon, the distance from
Saindak being 13 miles, 880 yards, and, owing to my camels being tired,
and the small beady plant called _regheth_--much cherished by
camels--plentiful, we halted for the remainder of the day.
At this place we found the usual _jemadar_, a _duffadar_, and four men,
and were cordially received by the _palawan's_ moonshee, a nice fellow
who wore a peaked turban of gigantic size, and a brown coat beautifully
embroidered on the back and sleeves with violet-coloured silk. The
embroidery, he informed me, took six years to make--it was not fully
completed yet--and, on inquiring the cost of it, he said that it would
certainly fetch as much as 10 rupees (13_s._ 4_d._) when quite finished!
The pattern on it was most cleverly designed and produced a graceful
effect. On the middle of the sleeves were a number of superposed T's made
of ribbon bands and with delicate ornamentations round them, such as
little squares with radiating threads, a frieze going all round the arm,
and parallel lines. On the back was a large triangle upside down, the
base at the neck and the point downwards, joining at its lower end a
square the inside of which was most elaborately embroidered.
The _palawan_, or strong man, in charge of this station, was a man with a
romantic history of his own, and perhaps the British Government were very
wise to employ him. He is said to possess enormous muscular strength,
being able to perform such amazing feats as reducing to dust between his
first finger and thumb a silver rupee by merely rubbing it once, or
breaking any coin in two in his hands with the same ease that one would a
biscuit. Aïd Mahommed, that was his name, was unfortunately absent on the
day I passed through, so I was not able to witness his marvellous
feats--of strength or palming(?)--and the accounts of his native admirers
were not to be taken _au pied de la lettre_.
Mukak had six mud rooms, three roofed over and the others unroofed. Water
was plentiful but slightly brackish, and a salt rivulet, a few inches
broad, irrigated a patch or two of cultivation below the rest house.
Among low hills, we rode away first due east from Mukak, the track at a
mile's distance rising to 3,620 feet, and we remained at this altitude
for five miles. Again on this march we obtained a glorious view (at 200°
b.m.) of the Daftan volcano, with its two imposing white domes on the
crater sides. We had then gone north-east for 6½ miles, when, after
rounding some sand hills, our track proceeded again due east.
We had crossed a plain one mile broad and four and a half miles long,
where there was good grazing (_regheth_) for camels, but no tamarisk. At
the termination of the plateau, which rose some 50 feet higher than the
remainder of it, we commenced to descend by a gentle incline, having high
hills to our left (north) and low hills to our right (south), the track
being due east. To the north-east we had another long, straight,
monotonous spread of fine sand and gravel in slight undulations, and to
the south-west very low ranges of sand hills varying in height from 20
feet to 100 feet. Before us on our left to 100 bearings magnetic
(E.E.S.E.) stood above the plain a pillar-shaped mound of enormous height
resembling, from a distance, a semi-ruined tower, and south-south-east
(150° b.m.) another isolated red mountain with a sharp, needle-like
point. Other smaller rocks, of sugar-loaf form, were scattered about on
our left.
By the roadside an enormous boulder weighing several tons could be seen,
the presence of which could not easily be accounted for unless it had
been shot out by volcanic action. It was most unlike the formation of the
rock in the immediate neighbourhood of it, and had all the appearance of
having dropped at this place.
The track again changed its course and now went to east-south-east, (120°
b.m.). My riding camel was taken very ill, and even Mahommed's most
affectionate language, and the caresses he bestowed on him as if the
animal had been his dearest relation, had no appreciable effect upon his
health. The animal evidently had a colic, caused, no doubt, by excessive
eating of _regheth_ the previous day. He seemed to have the greatest
trouble in dragging his legs along, and every now and then he languidly
swung his head round and gave me a reproachful look, which undoubtedly
meant "Can't you see I am ill? I wish you would get off."
Well, I did get off, although walking in the desert is not a pleasure at
any time, and when we arrived at the next well, after a dreadfully slow
march, we proceeded to doctor up our long-necked patient.
Now, doctoring a camel is not an easy matter, for one cannot work on his
imagination as doctors do on human beings. When a camel is ill, he is
really ill. There was no mistake about the symptoms of his complaint, and
after a consultation Sadek, Mahommed and I agreed that a strong solution
of salt and water should be administered, which was easier said than
done. While the poor brute lay with his long neck stretched upon the
sand, moaning, groaning and breathing heavily, we mixed a bag of
salt--all we had--with half a bucket of water, and after endless
trouble--for our patient was most recalcitrant--poured the contents down
his throat.
[Illustration: Interior of Rest House, Mukak.]
[Illustration: The Rest House at Sahib Chah.]
We had some moments of great anxiety, for the animal was taken with a
fit. He fell on his side, his legs quivered three or four times, and for
one moment we really thought our remedy had killed him. The medicine,
however, had the desired effect, and about an hour later the camel was
again as lively as a cricket, and we were able to continue.
The reader may perhaps gauge what the loss of a camel would have been
when he is told that between Sher-i-Nasrya, Sistan, and Nushki--a journey
of some 500 miles--neither camels nor any other mode of conveyance are,
under ordinary circumstances, to be procured.
We passed a conical hill, by the roadside, which had thick deposits of
gypsum on the south-east side of its base, while on the north-west
side the process of petrification of the sand was fully illustrated. The
thin surface layer when moist gets baked by the sun, and thus begins its
process of solidification; then another layer of sand is deposited on it
by the wind and undergoes the same process, forming the thin, horizontal
strata so common in the section of all these hills. The lower strata get
gradually harder and harder, but those nearer the surface can be easily
crumbled into sand again by pressure between one's fingers.
These were the main altitudes registered on the day's march: Plain, 3,220
feet; 16 miles from Mukak, 3,200 feet; while a mile and a half further we
had gone as low as 2,500 feet on a wide plain with undulations. The rocky
mountain, when seen edgewise from a distance, had appeared like a tower;
now, on approaching it on its broad side, its silhouette altered its
semblance into that of an elongated crouching lion.
Great quantities of gypsum could be seen in layers under the sand and
fragments that covered the surface. In places the ground was quite white
as if with snow. The track, until we had passed the isolated "lion"
mountain (about 20 miles from Mukak), maintained a direction of east,
east-south-east, and south-east, but about a mile further, it turned
sharply northwards in a bed of soft sand, between sand mounds to the
north-east and a sand bank facing north, the top of which, full of humps,
was not unlike a crocodile's back.
To the right we had an open space where one got a view of the desert and
mountains to the south, and then we wended our way, in zig-zag, among
sand hills bearing no unusual characteristics, and travelled across a
very sandy plain with clusters of _regheth_ here and there.
This was one of the worst bits of the Robat-Nushki road. The sand was
troublesome and the track absolutely obliterated by it in this portion.
Twenty-three miles, 660 yards from Mukak we arrived at Sahib Chah, a spot
which no traveller is ever likely to forget, especially if a few drops of
water from one of the wells are tasted. When the road was made it was
very difficult to find drinkable water in this part, and this
well--renowned all over Beluchistan and Sistan for its magic powers--has
up to the present time been the only successful attempt; but I understand
from Captain Webb-Ware, who is in charge of the road, that he hopes to
find or has found water further north, on the other side of the hill
range, and that in future the traveller will be spared the good fortune
of visiting this heavenly spot.
Most attractive iron troughs had been brought here and placed near the
four wells, and up-to-date wooden windlasses had been erected on the edge
of each well--conveniences that were not quite so common at the stations
we had already passed. This may lead the unwary traveller to believe that
the water of these wells must have some special charm.
One well was, fortunately, absolutely dry. The water of two was so
powerful in its lightning effects that unfortunate was the wretch who
succumbed to the temptation of tasting it; while the water of the fourth
well, one was told, was of a quite good drinking kind. I had been warned
not to touch it, but my men and camels drank some and it had equally
disastrous effects on men and beasts. Sadek, who was requested to
experiment and report on such occasions, thought his last hour had come,
and he and the camel men moaned and groaned the greater part of the
night. The water seemed not only saturated with salt, but tasted of lead
and phosphorus, and was a most violent purgative.
The rest-house could not be called luxurious; the reader is referred to
the photograph I took of it facing page 332. It was roofless--which,
personally, I did not mind--and the walls just high enough to screen one
from the wind and sand. It was in two compartments, the wall of one being
4½ feet high, and of the other about 7 feet high, while 15 feet by 8
feet, and 10 feet by 8 feet were the respective dimensions of each
section.
The place lies in the middle of a valley amid hills of chalk or gypsum
and deep soft sand, and is screened by a low hill range to the north-east
and north, while a low flat-topped sand dune protects it on the
south-west. The new track, I believe, will go north of the north-east
range.