"الطرق في بلاد فارس. (المجلد I.) (خراسان وسيستان.)" [ظ‎‎٧‎٤] (٥٣٦/١٥٣)

140
Route No. V— contd.
to the eastern hills. In one of these hills there are two craters.
At 8 miles plain begins to narrow. At 10J miles plain is shut
in by hills on both sides, and is not more than \ a mile wide.
Here is a bifurcation of roads. One going nearly E. to Shur
Ab, distant about 2 miles, and thence to Chahar Deh ; the other
turning NE. to Deh Muhammad and Shirkhist. The latter is
the one here followed. Shur Ab is visible from here, bearing
E., also great plain of Chahar Deh, stretching to horizon. This
plain appears to extend a great distance to E., and to be cut
up on its westerly side by a series of small ridges cropping
up out of the sand, and running parallel to one another, nearly
N. and S. Road continues in a NE. direction, skirting the
hills on left. At 12| miles there are some trees close on right.
Here the wide and dry bed of a water-course is crossed ; here
also are some wells and salt water. Road now gradually leaves
the mountains on left, and enters ridges spoken of above. At
15 miles ground is very much cut up by ravines. Road, how
ever, is pretty good. From here a tower and some date trees
are seen a few miles off to the NNW. At 18 miles road winds
in a maze of low hills where there is a rill of water flowing from
left to right. In the valleys between these ridges there is
some coarse grass, a little scrubby tamarisk, and camel thorn.
At 18§ miles another rill running from left to right. Road
goes up and down a good deal. The ascents and descents, 20
feet to 50 feet; some of them rather steep, but road is good
and hard. Here there is a little sandy valley, but going is not
heavy. At 19J miles another trickle of water. Place known as
Nakhlak lies somewhere among the ridges. There is, to be
had brackish water at Nakhlak. 12
12 SH1RKHIST .. 20 m. General direction NE.
(3,250'). Rejoin road and
216J enter dry bed on
water-course, about 10 yards wide, draining to the SE. Road
here is rough and bad and follows the bed of this water-course
for half a mile; it then continues in a general NE. direction
going through breaks in the ridges, and soon after comes to
another trickle of water. At 2£ miles turn the end of the
highest of these ridges. These ridges seem to join the moun
tain that bounds the great plain on the N. At 3f miles
pass the southern end of the next ridge. At 4| miles road