'Travels in Beloochistan and Sinde; accompanied by a geographical and historical account of those countries, with a map.' [‎303] (345/476)

history of beloochistan.
303
journey across the sandy * desert, I passed a river bed called the
Boodoor, which was at least a quarter of a mile in breadth, and I
was informed, that it extended in various windings to Gurmysyl, a
country on the banks of the Helmind river in Seistan. To the south
ward of my path, it forces egress between the mountains, and turn
ing more easterly, fertilizes the district of Punjgoor, three miles to
the northward of which, an abundant and never failing stream
springs from its bed ; thence it winds through a series of glens and
ravines past Kedge, the capital of the province; at which place it is
called the Mooleedanee river, and a little farther southerly, we dis
cover it with the title of the Bhugwar; this it retains, until it be
comes the Dust or Dustee, under which name it falls into the ocean.
On consideration of what I have stated above, I am inclined to
imagine, that the Dustee, or by whatever other name we may dis
tinguish it, has been formerly the bed of a river much larger than
any now in Mukran, that has either been drained by its waters flow
ing into some other channel, or the original source of them being
exhausted, f
Westward of the Dustee are the Nigar, the Neem Khoor, the
Gayanee, the Sirrah, the Bunth, the Sudgee, and various other nul
lahs or brooks, all of which empty themselves into the sea. They
are sometimes so much increased by rains in the mountains, as to be
unfordable; but in general they contain very little water.
Kedge, which I have already stated to be the chief town of this
province, gives its name to a district that is well watered by the
* Vide Part i. Diarj of the \st of April.
f The waters of Lhoreh river, which runs through the district of Shorawuk, to the
north-east of Nooshky, are lost in the sand, and do not, it is said, again appear, unless
in the Boodoor; but from the position at which i met with that river bed, and the in
formation i received regarding it, i rather conceive it to be a branch of the Helmind,
which has lost its stream by the sinking of the bed of that river. Captain Christie de
scribes the high cliffs on each side of it, so as to give an idea of its having been once
much more on a level with the desert than it is at present. Vide Appendix, Diary of
the 30/A of March.