1 The confluence of
2 the Indus wath the
3 Panjnad.
4 The meat high roads
5 running pir illel to the
6 fils,
7 HISTORY OF TILE PANJAB,
8 4
9 es which here assumes that name, is again contracted within
10 tude, the Tits "varying in width from 260 yards to 100 yards, but the
11 narrow limi deep and “rapid. The Indus is crossed at Atak, in the dry
12 current is lh bridge of boats and a ferry. The main trunk road to Pesha-
13 season, by ghanistdn crosses it at this point, and a railway has been cartied
14 war and 3 bridge lately constructed. Lower down, as it enters the
15 over it ONgadth is still more contracted, so that at Nilab, fifteen miles below
16 hills, its br; sometimes only a stone’s throw across, but with a current of
17 Atak, it lity, From this point the course of the river is south and south-
18 great velocj.| to the Sulaiman ranges and along the western side of the
19 west, paralphe current, which, for ten miles below Atak, was calm, deep
20 Panjab. ‘between high cliffs of slate rocks, hecomes rough, and, as it passes
21 and rapid,), perpendicular rocks with great velocity, the surface of the water
22 round hig! into whirlpools most dangerous to navigation, The water in
23 is lashed! of the river is of a dark lead colour, from the blue limestone hills
24 this partihich it passes, and hence the name Nilib” or “ blue-water,”
25 through ‘ye]] to the river as to a town on its bank twelve miles below
26 given as Vinding among the hills, it reaches Kalabagh, 110 miles below
27 Atak. W then passes through the great salt range, again in a deep, clear
28 Atak, aout stream. From Kalébdgh to Mithankot, a distance of 350
29 and tran the south, the banks are generally low, so that, as the inundations
30 miles t0 ithe country round is covered with water as far as the eye can
31 advance, |'he inundations, which originate in the melting of the snow in the
32 reach. ‘he and the Hindu Kush, commence in spring and diminish on the
33 Himélay” of autumn. Two or three miles below Mithankot, and in N,
34 approach 57 long. 70°28’, the river is joined by the Panjnad (the
35 lat. 28°0 which conveys the collected waters of the Panjab rivets, after
36 Chinab), o¢ 1,650 miles, the junction being 490 miles from the sea. The arid,
37 a course| ture of the soil, below the confluence of the Indus with the Panjnad,
38 sandy ne uch absorption and evaporation, though the wasting of water is not
39 causes Marent to the eye, owing to the gradual character of the diminution
40 very ®Pkurvent, Finally, the river empties itself, by many mouths, into the
41 of the C' Sea. Parallel to its western bank, runs, for several hundreds of
42 Arabian, great north road fiom Sindh to Bannt, while along its eastern
43 niles, tl,
44 2s the road from Multan to Rawalpindi. The .two great frontier
45 bank lie
46 we , Of Dera Ismail Khan and Dera Ghazi Khan are intersected by
47 districts,
48 ————stone The fortis very mteresting, and its situation is important from both a com-
49 polished bd military pomt of view. It has been the ronte of almost all the invadets of India
50 mercial ainorth, and was the point where the armies of Alexander, Taimur and Nadir Shah
51 from the he tive. im three distant ages. The meuit of discovering the 1oute is given to Alev-
52 crossed tio, afte. passmg the mountains, encamped at Alexandria Paropamisana, the modein
53 ander, wlandahar, and, having subdued the tribes to the west of the Indus, crossed the river at
54 city of Khe modern Atak, the only place where the stieam is so calm that a bridge can be
55 Taxila, tverit Near Khairabad, on the opposite side, is a fine aqueduct, made by a chief of
56 thrown ctak tribe m old days, to niugate the lands adjoining. To the west of the fort, 50
57 the Khaver down, is the tomb of a Dewan of the Saint Abdul Kadar Glam. The insevip-
58 yards lothe Tughia character, on a stone on the edge of the grave, gives the name as Shehk
59 tion, in fahman, with the date 11321, 01 1713 a.p. Facing the north, a white marble slab
60 Abdul Bn the Lahor Gate with the following inscription :—
61 is fined ¢ ei % : “
62 pst] ble gl — ys} sli glte DLL a
63 gehe the King is king of the kings of the earth. Great is God and magnificent is his
64 glory.” inscription is dated 991 1 =1583 a p.
65 pheins the time of the Moghal Empeiois royal troops were cantoned in the fort. Ranyt
66 & ics ith his characteristic tiickery, obtained possession of it in 1813 by biibing the Afghan
67 Recena pod at eee 2 the sepa of the Sikhs till the British conquest in 1819 Tt was
68 7 cetended by Lieutenant Herbert in 1848, and is cupi considerable
69 gallant detachment and battery of artillery aie Ret RECe LIS veg Semele Ny
70 ate he Nanhilus, 01 Nanlwdbe, of Ptolemy.
71 {
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