National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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Sand-Buried Ruins of Khotan : vol.1 |
CHAP. III.] MARCHING OF KANJUTIS 51
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a route to the Shimshal Valley opens eastwards, the path descends over a long Rafik built out in the usual fashion from an almost perpendicular rock face. Curiously enough at one point of the narrow ledge which bears the gallery, there issues a little spring of deliciously clear water, offering welcome refreshment to the wayfarer.
Not far beyond I met, to my surprise, the messenger whom the Wazir of Hunza had despatched to Tashkurghan to notify to the Political Munshi there my approaching arrival. The man had left Hunza on the morning of the 18th, and now he was returning with the Munshi's reply and a considerable
load of merchandise which he was bringing back as a private venture. As an illustration of the
marching powers of the men of Hunza this feat deserves record. The distance from Hunza to the Kilik is about eighty-one miles, and of the character of the track my experiences
so far described will suffice to give an idea. In addition to this and half the
return journey, the man had covered
twice the route along the Taghdum
bash Pamir to and from Tashkurg- han, a distance of at least
eighty miles each way. Performances o f t h is kind make it easy to understand how the raids of Kanjuti parties could be carried to so great distances, and thanks
to the rapidity of their movements, usually with impunity.
At Khudabad,
RAFIK NEAR MURKHUN.
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