The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1885-06-12
the possession Of which may have in

l06 m8IOE part Oh the LEdct O6IWcen
these two principal waters. from Herai
to the deserts, is called the Badghis
district. from the nomadic tribe chiefly
inhabit ng it. 1t is one hundred to one
hundred and 6fty miles in width from
west to east, aud until about century
ago supported . large Il not dense pop
ulation, as is indicated by numerous
earth-mounds and other ru' MS of vii
lagos and ties. Most of these have
been entirely abandoned through the
terrible raids of the fierce Turkomans
of Merv. and the Oxus, who came but
to plumber, to massacre. to carry into
slavery men, women and children.
The more peaceful tribe of the Sailor
Turkomans, however. accup;es in part
the lower or northern part of the str d,
back from Sarakhs. and the Sarok
Turk0maas, who were driven out of
Merv many years ago. the region about
Penjdeh. Some d stricts, nevertheless,
are still so far wilderness that game
Is found IN them in great abundance.
as cartridges, small deer, wild boars
and asses, and other animals and b irds
The whole region. like most very an
cent seats of empire. is almost treeless.
| and in parts waterless. though the
fluid, so precious in eastern countries,
| may generally be had short distance
below the surface. Little of it is sandy
desert, but much is rocky or otherwise
barren. except in the river valleys. In
the interior two ranges of moderate
hight, one of them with many rocky
peaks, connect the Elbury Mountains
of Persia W tn the loftier nights of AZ
ghanistan. The country thus possesses
important strategic advantages,
and the officers with the British
Commission deem the holding of
it absolutely necessary to the
defense of Herat and the DO
litical security of Afghanistan. Any
large body of troops moving through
it from north to south. however.
must keep mainly to. the Valley OF
the Herr Rudsr the Murghab. from de-
ficiency of water and other difficulties
of the inland march. At the former
river the more steppe-like country
drops down in bluffs one hundred and
fifty to two hundred and fifty feet high,
which have natural passes at very
few points. although the skill of mill
tary engineers could soon open 9TH
ers. One of these. the Zulfagar Pass.
on the east side OF the Herr Rud. has
recently been occup:ed-also the posi-
ton ut Ak Robat-as advanced posts
of the Russians. The former is one
hundred and twenty miles from Herat
and the other is in the vicinity.
Thirty miles down the valley. or
north. is PuE-i-khatum, the position
xsyH sx,k. h~c s~.A n
the principal Russian outpost toward
Afghanistan- 1t is not at all a village,
much less . city, but merely bridge,
as the name implies. on the Persian
side -ef the Herr Rud.- the Muscovites |
being encamped upon the other, Just |
below the bridge. THIS bridge, how |
ever, has some interest. from its title, |
the Bridge of the Lady," having |
been built, tradition saws, by q wife Of |
Timon. or Tamerlane, the great Asiatic
The ruins of q caravan
serai of Timon's time are observable
on the Persian side. Here the road
from the sacred and wealthy CITY
OF Meshed comes down the valley of |
the Keshif- Rud. but can not cross the
bridge, from the ruin of the central |
arch. which was destroyed sixty years
ago, and has never been replaced.
Here some of the maps place the be-
ginning of the Northwestern Afghan
frontier, and the position is said to
have important military advantages.
Fifty-two miles further down the
valley we come to the pair of towns
known as Old and New Sarakhs. The
latter is on the Persian side, is com.
paratively modern and has . small
population, besides Persian garrison
of few hundred. with six old-fash-
0ned. small brass gums. A mud wall
of about seven hundred yards diam
ster incloses the citadel and town. On
he opposite side Of the river, at some
! stance from its commonly dry bed, is
Did SarakhR which has also become
noted as the headquarters of the little
..army of observat ON on the
Afghan border. Toward this place the
sngineers Of the Gar are rapidly push
~ the twenty-five inch narrow-paupe
. lway from kizil-Arvat on the Attrek
River, one hundred and fifty miles from
Michael0vsk. on the Gasp an, where
he construction of the line was begun
q 1879, 1t the outset OF the war with
he Akhal and Merv Tekke Turkomans.
The place is nothing but q N SCRABBLE i
mud run, utterly abandoned for per-
nanent habitation. and only valuable
or mil tary purposes. TWAS occupied
many months ago, soon after the ac-
|uisition OF Merv, and at last advices
oout two thousand troops were there,
nth some pieces Of artillery, encamped ! ]
q lurkoman round tents or .kibitkas.