Journal of the Royal United
Service Institution
VOL. XIX. 1875. No. LXXX.
LECTURE.
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cattle, but water was in places scarce. This was the
district of “Bad Khyss," which I take to be
badkhiz or the “wind arousing,” an epithet
obtained from the gullies or natural configuration of the
country I am unable to trace the precise locality of the
third day's encampment in any published maps, but have
placed it according to the distance and data given. The
fourth march of Shakespeare's party was one of 30 miles,
that is, 18 miles during the night and 12 after sunrise,
for 9 miles " through the different little valleys
close to " the banks of the Khushk," the
remainder along the bed or banks of that rivulet. The
fifth march of 44 miles, in two divisions of 6f hours
night and 5j hours day, respectively, was to the Murghab River.
The road traversed was generally good, but quicksand was
observed in crossing the Khushk. I have taken the word
" Khushk," dry, as spelt by Abbott, in
preference to Shakespeare's " Khush," pleasant,
because it appears to be the more likely etymology; and
it seems to me that the " Khushk Assaib," or
rather " Khushk Assaib, dry icater-mill, of
Ferrier's and Vambery's
maps cannot be far from the black tents already
referred to as the capital of the Jamshidis. It was
Ferrier's third march when going to Maimana. He makes it
7 parasangs, or about 25 miles from Khushk Ribiit, and
describes the road as “stony, across mountains and
valleys,” and frequently cut up by torrents very
dangerous to pass after heavy “rains." Abbott,
disclaiming all intention to publish any particulars
relative to the practicability or otherwise of the
mountain chains he was traversing, speaks of "a high
plain above Parwiinah," whence he continued his
route to the mountain ridge of Kaitii, " avoiding
the " more direct and difficult passes." Having
affected the passage without accident, he descended some
grassy heights and pitched in a hollow; moving on, the
next day, by a very distressing cross-country path, over
steep hills covered with grass, to the Khushk rivulet,
which ho ascended to the so-called capital. Then passing
this point, “down the valley of the stream,
averaging about half a mile in width,” and bounded
on either side by sloping grassy downs, sprinkled with
“flocks of sheep and goats," he halted at a
Jamshidi camp for the night. In the morning, resuming his
course “down the valley," he came to a place
called the “Chhahl Dnkhtar," or Forty Virgins,
and thence to “Kara Tepe," or the Hack mound.
Beyond this place the black tents were scarce, but large
flocks of sheep were found. The shepherds came from Merv,
“bringing," we are told, — and the
statement is indicative of the local resources, —
“water and all other necessaries “on
asses."
From Kara Tepe the party marched to a spot two miles
short of a ruined castle designated “Kalah
Chaman-i-Bhayd." The last word should, I learn, be
“Bed," or “Bid," which would make the
name intelligible as the “Fort of the meadow of
Willows." Two castles succeed this, one “Kalah
Hauz-i-Khan," the Fort of the Khan's Reservoir; the
other, beyond the Badkhiz, but in the Mauri district,
called “the Fort of Maur." After this place
commenced, at least in 1840, the kingdom of Khorezm, or
more appropriately the Kleptarchy or Kleptocracy of the Turkmen.
A reed jungle having served as
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