'Report on the Preliminary Survey of The Route for The Central Persia Telegraph Line from Quetta to Bam and Pahra' [‎68r] (140/162)

33
here is fertile, and there are many nice fields of cultivation. The largest village
•we passed through was Regan, but this is a poor and insignificant place, and does
not contain more than 300 or 400 people. After leaving Narmasheer, we again
^entered the Kerman desert, and continued on over barren country right up to
Ladis plain. We halted three days at Ladis waiting for a messenger to go to
Saindak, a post on the Nushki route, and return with some d&k and supplies.
From Ladis our course to Pahra lay south south-west, round the western
•slopes of the great Koh-i-Taftan, and, for the first part, over barren uninhabited
country. At Dehpabed, three marches from Ladis, about 20 people have settled
down, and cultivated a few acres of land, but they lead a precarious sort of
■ existence, and are liable to frequent attack, either from personal enemies, or
roving bandits. There is very little law observed in these parts. The most
respected authority is plainly might, irrespective of right. Those who suffer
from pillage, or assault, appear to have little chance of obtaining redress at the
hands of the Persian Government.^ Quarrels are, however, looked on as natural
■ events, and those who experience injury therefrom do not brood much over their
misfortune. During our 5th march from Ladis, a party of men came to us
asking for some medicine to remove bullets from some of their friends bodies. On
enauirv from them, we learned there had been a little row on the plain a few days
previous : two men had been killed, and three injured, but they viewed the matter
as a trivial occurrence. During our 6th march from Ladis, between Chahshahi
and Karwandar, a little incident happened which added some variety to our
otherwise monotonous proceedings. Two men, the chief of whom was Jhanoo
Khan fired on our advance party with the baggage camels, but fortunae y
caused no damage ; while they were reloading their guns, Sub-Inspector Ainuddm
Khan with three Baluch levies captured them, took over their arms, viz., i
guns i pistol, i 6-chambered revolver, 3 swords, 1 dal, and a quantity ofammum-
fion and informed them they would have to come on as prisoners until I would
arrive a few hours later, and decide what action was to be taken regard,ng them
After proceeding about 7 miles, when near Ganeeh vdlage, another lot of about
6 men P onened fire on our party, with no doubt the object of trying tostop its
progress^ or rescue Jhanoo Khan and his partner While Ainuddin Khan and
P, ^ u: wpre trvine to get the camels quickly into a place of safety,
h^Tprisonem elcTpeT Sub-fnspector Ainuddin Khan was at the time un-
Ihetwo priso P ^ circumstances, have prevented their
escape^vas by firing 5 ^on them; he hesitated, with good reason I think, to take
this extreme measure on his own responsibility. I arnved shortly afterwards
, ( 1 .. . n r c a fe passage forward was blocked, owing to the existence of
and found tha P g . , d entre aties failed to quiet these, so
tut escoTopened fi .td bUzed aTay some volleys at them altogether a,
rounds It a rancre of about four hundred yards, with the objec of showing
rounds, at a ran d and pared t o continue a fight, if necessary
The shooting on both sides was somewhat erratic, but perhaps it woud
have improved if the necessity for coming to closer quarters had arisen
au r n time negotiations were again tried, and, by the aid o
Alter a ''We t , g t ^ mutual ° e was declared. We then passed
II n0 a U n S d arrived qufetly It our next camp at Karwandar, a small village of mud
huts and 20 or 30 people. We had not long settled down here when one of our
L named Nazir Mahomed, came back from the village and told us that a
p .u’ nr tribal army of 200 men was being collected to attack us that night,
^thought*this information was probably exaggerated, but, not knowing what
m ght happen in this turbulent and lawless country, ,we at once set about moving
^ ton of a small hill in a defensible position. I armed all the men
Tool and in P re og kion o'f the faithful servile of Nazir Mahomed, 1 gave him
I could, and m e g other guides with us ; they came
to m^andfasked,'witll some Kircasln, were they women that they should be placed
II rife middle of the camp unarmed while a fight was going on ? Scarcely had
m the middle or m p arranse ments, when sure enough at 10 P.M. about 50
we c0 ™P’ e ‘ ed h as they would be called in another country, had assembled
men, real moo " U g h ^ o a ? t i o e n y s I vere once more started. Three ambassadors, by
reouesfcame to my lamp, and said the lashkar had collected to assist Jhanoo
Xharfin getting back his arms ; they said he and his men had attacked my party