n within a few feet of
it he let fly a stone at it--or as near it as he could. This was, he
explained, to hit and hurt the "pal" which was in the knife, by which he
meant that the knife was "possessed," and a positive proof of it lay in
the fact that he had dropped it on no less than three separate occasions.

There was a certain humour in the remark made by a Beluch at Isa Tahir to
Captain Webb-Ware when he saw the captain's servant, with an efficient
filter, reduce the filthily slimy water of the only local pool into water
as clear as crystal. He rushed to the captain in a state of great concern
and anxiety.

"Sahib," he said, "do you know what your servant is doing? He is taking
_all_ the colour, _all_ the strength, and _all_ the smell out of the
water that you are going to drink!"

CHAPTER XXXV

Captain Webb-Ware, C.I.E.--The Nushki route--An excellent
track--Bungalows built and in course of construction--The
water--Postal service--Important Government concession--The
Nushki route and the railways--Hints to traders--Quaint official
formalities--Pilgrims and their ways--An amusing incident.

We arrived very early at Dalbandin, the march from Chakal being very
short (18 miles, 190 yards) and easy. Here I had the pleasure of meeting
Captain F. C. Webb-Ware, C.I.E., Political Assistant at Chagai, and
officer in charge of the Nushki-Robat road. Not only has this officer
devoted all his time and energy to making the road, but, being a man of
means, he has personally gone to considerable expense to "push" the road
and make it a success. It would not have been easy to find a more
practical and sensible man to do the work, and, considering the
difficulties he had to encounter, it is marvellous with what little
expenditure he has obtained such excellent results.

It is all very well for the usual newspaper critic--who generally does
not know what he is writing about--to complain of this and complain of
that, and declare that something should have been done in exactly the
contrary way to the way in which it is done. In regard to this road, any
one with any common sense must see that all that could have been done has
been, or is being, done--and done well.

[Illustration: The Type of Thana and New Bungalow between Nushki and
Robat.]

The road itself--for a desert road--is excellent in every way as far as
the frontier, and some sort of shelter is to be found at every stage. Of
course th