ot unlike
an exaggerated form of the "cake-walk" of our American cousins.

Each dance is closed by the dancer throwing himself down upon his knees
in front of the musicians, or in turn before each of the spectators.

Beluch dancing was very similar, although much simpler. The two
photographs, reproduced in the illustrations, which I took at Sibi, show
one a row of Beluch musicians, the other a Beluch boy in the act of
dancing a sort of toe-and-heel dance, in which with extended arms he
gradually fluttered round, keeping time with the music. In some of the
quicker movements he either snapped his fingers or used wooden castanets,
or held the pleated skirt of his coat fully extended like butterfly
wings. There was very little variation to his dancing which, like the
Persian was more a feat of endurance and speed than a graceful
performance. The ankle did most of the work.

[Illustration: The Beluch-Afghan Boundary Cairn and Malek-Siah Mountains
in Background.]

Somewhat more wild and primitive was the _chap_ which I witnessed at a
camp in north-west Beluchistan. It consisted in swinging the body from
right to left, lifting up now one leg and then the other, and waving the
head to and fro in a most violent manner. The Beluch get much excited
over this dance, which requires some degree of stubborn tenacity, and the
spectators urge the dancer to continue when he shows signs of getting
tired. All superfluous clothing is discarded in a most alarming manner at
various stages of this performance, and the arms are flapped vigorously
against the naked body which is made to sound like a drum. The
performance is not allowed to stop until the dancer is quite exhausted,
when he simply collapses in the arms of one of his friends. The musical
accompaniment to this dance verges on the diabolical, the rhythm of what
melody there is being interspersed with abundant howls, yells and
snapping of fingers from the enthusiastic crowd all round.

CHAPTER XXIX

An excellent track--A quaint rock--A salt
rivulet--Laskerisha--Mahommed Raza-chah--Beluch encampment--The
horrors of photography--Maternal love--A track to
Mirjawa--Kirtaka--Direct track to Sher-i-Nasrya--Track to
Cabul--Sand-hills--A wide river bed--A high yellow
pillar--Undulating track--Ten sharp-pointed peaks.

From Robat (altitude 3,480 feet) we took the capital road which followed
a dry river bed until we got quite away from the hills. Whe