This gives a rude idea of what the tope was originally, now half the dome has fallen down.

[A Khyberry tower:  m426.jpg]

The entrance to the ravine gradually becomes narrower, the bed is stony, very winding, and narrow.  Bold precipices of limestone cliffs ascend on either side of Sir-i-Chushme; then a little below, very copious springs issue from limestone.  The temperature of the principal spring is 75 degrees; it contains abundance of fish—­a loach and cyprinoid.  Passed some ruined fortifications on the right, leading down to water, evidently kafir works; then we enter a narrow but short gorge, occupied by the stream; a few more turns and you come on Ali-Musjid.  No change occurs in the vegetation, bare rocks at the summit of which the Bar. stood at 26.72.  Andropogons and Artemisiae are the chief plants.

In the gorge downwards, Acacia occurs in abundance, with Adhatoda, and otherwise the shrubs of Lundyakhana occur in abundance, and Adiantum about the spring.

After passing the fort, the rocks open out into a ravine, with low undulated hills on every side, covered with the usual vegetation; Astragalus one species.

At Lal-Ghurry Beg, one Khinjuck tree, Elaeagnus, occurred; and grass in very small stacks, well pressed and covered with a thatch of bushes and a layer of dirt.

There is excellent fishing in the stream.  Loaches, Perilamps, and especially an Oreinus? swarming at Sir-i-Chushme, and taking worms very greedily.

No forests whatever visible in this direction; the arborescent vegetation being confined to scattered and small trees.

5th.—­We halted near Jumrood, after a march of ten miles and one furlong.  This place is situated at the mouth of the pass, within sight of the Seikh camp at Jumrood.  Marched down to the ghat, which is generally speaking narrow and very strong, opening out here and there, into easier parts extending down the stream all the way; this stream loses itself suddenly, but after a little distance it is replaced by another from the right, where ravines enter:  here the pass is well adapted for pillage, elsewhere the sides are so steep, that robbers could not dispose of their plunder.  At the mouth, the pass opens out into a good breadth, with an even, small, shingly bottom.  At Kuddun the Seikh troops were drawn up to compliment the C. in C., one regiment met us shortly before to protect the baggage.  Maize cultivated.  At the mouth, the Khyber is more difficult than any other pass, except the Bolan:  perhaps it is much narrower than that, except just above Sir-i-Bolan.

No change in vegetation, one or two new plants occurred, viz. a Labiata, and a treelet, foliis linearibus oppositis, Jasminacea aspectu, Baloot, Vitex common, Salix, and shrubs as before, Veronica, etc.

The Khyber mountains viewed from the mouth of the pass are brown, and dotted with peculiar looking trees.