WeRead Powered by ReaderPub
From the Indus to the Tigris cover

From the Indus to the Tigris

Chapter 16: FOOTNOTES
By H. W. Bellew
Open in WeRead

Explore more books like this:

History - Modern (1750+)History - OtherLanguage & CommunicationTravel Writing

About This Book

The author recounts an overland mission from the Indus across Balochistan, Afghan territories, Khorasan and Persia to the Tigris, documenting landscapes, mountain passes, towns, caravan incidents, antiquities and everyday travel hardships. The narrative blends topographical and meteorological observations with ethnographic detail on languages, customs and local administration, and includes a synoptical grammar and vocabulary of the Brahoe language together with measured altitudes and weather records gathered during the march.

FOOTNOTES

[1] Their drainage to the westward and southward flows to the Tigris and the Shat-ul-Arab, or river of the Arabs, formed by the junction of the two rivers of Mesopotamia.

[2] Riddle. What is the cause of delay in our joining you in Sistan?

Reply. There is a Rúdbár in the way.

[3] We were here joined by an escort of fourteen horsemen, eighty footmen, and ten artillerymen with one gun; and were roused at daylight by a fearful bray from the trumpets of the last arm of the service, which, by the way, was the only one dignified with uniform. They are to escort us across the Turkman-infested country lying between this and Shahrúd. We set out at 4.30 A.M., in rather loose order, the artillerymen with their gun, preceded by a detachment of horse, leading the way.

[4] They proved to be the advanced guard of the detachment escorting the caravan, for owing to the depredations of Kurd robbers, such protection was now necessary on this road.

[5] On descending this pass, we left the elevated plateaux of Persia behind us, and entered on the valley of the Tigris, quite a different country and climate. The change is sudden and complete, by a drop of three thousand feet from the cool breezes of Karriud to the hot blasts of Zuháb.