Gulmir, commander of my escort of six sevaris, informs me that it is anal-i-Kajar, that is, the Shah's property. A Baluchi tent stands beside it, and a number of cows are grazing around. Beyond the fort, to the east, is seen the Hilmend, as large and fine as a lake.
We ride down to the left bank of the great river, and there make a short halt. On the bank terrace Gulmir points out the highest water-level which occurred during the stay of the Commission, and it lies i 74 inches above the present level. This year the river has been 4f inches higher than now, as can be seen by the still moist mark. Three years ago large areas of the bank zone were flooded, where only a little pool stands now.
The river gave me the impression of being considerably larger than the Aksu-darya in autumn. Regular foam-crested waves covered its surface, and to the north it looked like a large bay, an illusion chiefly due to the hazy weather. Rud-i-Seistan is a small part of it, and yet is itself a large river. It leaves the Hilmend at a sharp angle, and between the two a sharp point juts out into the grey stream.
When the water is at its lowest moo workmen are collected from all parts of Seistan to rebuild the dam called Bend-i-Seistan, which, starting from the right bank of the Hilmend, crosses its bed to the point mentioned and turns the water into the Rud-i-Seistan. The dam is made of boughs and tamarisks twisted together into a stout fence. It is a necessary condition of existence to Seistan, for thereby the villages of the country are irrigated. It is annually swept away by high water, and now only two small fragments remained standing up in the middle of the Hilmend. But by the time the dam is carried away by the pressure of the water it has already done its work.
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