11th.—­To Bussout, five miles.  A village passed about one and quarter mile up Kooner ghat, here a mile broad.  No change in the features of the country, which throughout is well cultivated; here and there abundance of sedges, in the low ground; plenty of watercuts, but none of any great size:  road worse at the entrance of the ghat rounding the east boundary, but guns might avoid this ground by keeping towards centre of the ghat.

12th.—­To Sha-i-wa, distance 8 miles.  The road after turning the angle of Bussout ghat, passed entirely through cultivation, villages, trees and inhabitants more numerous than in any other place, cuts numerous, but the road altogether from this cause and the cultivated fields very bad.  Rubus found along cuts at Chunar-Bukkeen. Toot, Phaenix.  Vines numerous, of large size, running up mulberry trees; forests seen on Kooner mountain? Umlook and Julghogal, very common grain, very dear.  The women are generally clothed in dark blue Noorgul.  The road now extends up a gorge to our front, named Durrah.

Gooraiek fort on the opposite side.

13th.—­Halted.  River much clearer than that of Jallalabad; its bed affords abundance of large grass.

14th.—­Rejoined camp, keeping on the north bank of river.  The road passed over tillable recesses among the hills forming the north boundary of Kooner valley, and over the spurs dividing these, of which the first is short but bad, the last is a mile long, road infamous, narrow, rocky, and in some places overhanging the river.  I was attacked about a mile and a half from camp, my servant Abdool Boyak, the bravest and most trustworthy Asiatic I ever saw, wounded, losing the two first fingers of his right hand; this was opposite the old Fort, Noorgul, which is a dilapidated kafir ruin on a low island in the centre of the valley and river, a strong position. {435} Other ruins occur on the road, one near Sek-Syud, the spur being covered with its remains.

After leaving Deh-Syud, the valley becomes contracted; the river occupying almost all its level portion, being much spread out, and with numerous grassy islands; the cultivation occurring in the recesses between the banks of the rivers and the glacis slopes.

15th.—­To Kooner, the road passes to Noorgul, an old kafir fort, done up and occupied by Kooneriles, to its south-west, three-quarters of a mile a hostile fort is situated.  The ferry is about two miles from Noorgul, and is with difficulty fordable:  the streams, three in number, the last almost brim full, and very rapid; thence to Kooner is over a cultivated country.

Noorgul is on a commanding position, the ground rising gradually on all sides to it; the valley here is very narrow.  Observed Cnicus, Fumaria, Lotus, Anagallis caerulea, and Veronica agrestis, springing up:  trees continue the same to about Kooner:  some fine plane trees observed.