st, and they, too, had a low hill barrier before them. Many of
the peaks were very sharply pointed, and highest of all stood a strange
looking three-humped mountain (280 deg. W.) with a deep cut on its westerly
side, and a pointed peak standing by it.

The sand under foot had given place here to gravel and large pebbles,
yellow, red, grey, white and green, all well rounded as if they had been
rolled by water for many a mile. The underlying sand was cut into many
channels by the action of water. We were some four miles off the
mountainous mass. Tamarisk was scarce and undersized.

We were gradually rising on a slightly inclined plain, and on examining
the ground one could not help thinking with what terrific force the
torrents must come down--when they do come down--from the mountain sides
which they drain before losing themselves in the sand. During abnormally
rainy weather, no doubt, a good deal of this drainage forms an actual
stream which goes to swell the river Shela. Its channel comes from Hormak
and flows first in a north-easterly then in an almost due easterly
direction.

We had intended stopping at Hormak, thirty-two miles from Girdi, our
previous halting place, and we had been on the saddle from 9 in the
morning till 8.30 p.m., when we came across a lot of Afghans with their
camels, and they told us that we were on the wrong track for the
post-house and well. It was very dark and we could not see where we were
going, as the sand had covered up the track. We were among a lot of
confused sand hills, and the high mountains stood directly in front like
a formidable black barrier, their contour line just distinguishable
against the sky.

The camel driver, who had made me discharge the postal _sawar_ guide,
because he was certain he knew the road well himself, was now at a loss.
The Afghans collected round us and yelled at the top of their voices
that Hormak was to the west of us, and the camel man insisted that the
post house must surely be on the high track, on which we certainly seemed
to have got again.

I had ridden ahead, and after an anxious hour Sadek, with all the
luggage, and the second camel man arrived, and we decided to leave the
track and try our luck among the mountains to the west.

Now, to find a little mud house, hidden in some sheltered spot among
rocks and hills, on a dark night is not the easiest of matters. The
camels stumbled among the big boulders when once we had got off the
track, and