[4] They proved to be the advanced guard of the detachment escorting the caravan, for owing to the depredations of Kurd robbers, such protection was now necessary on this road.
[5] On descending this pass, we left the elevated plateaux of Persia behind us, and entered on the valley of the Tigris, quite a different country and climate. The change is sudden and complete, by a drop of three thousand feet from the cool breezes of Karriud to the hot blasts of Zuháb.
APPENDIX.
A.
SYNOPTICAL GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY OF THE BRAHOE LANGUAGE
This language is spoken throughout Balochistan as far west as Kej, Panjgúr, and Jalk, up to the borders of Sistan, and is written in the Persian character.
There is no inflection for gender or case. The plural is formed by the addition of ák if the singular ends in a consonant, as kasar, a road, kasarák, roads; of k alone if the singular ends in a vowel, as urá, a house, urák, houses—húlí, a horse, húlík, horses—are, a man, arek, men—dú, the hand, becomes dík, the hands; and of ghák if the singular ends in the mute h, as bandah, a man, bandahghák, men.
The cases are formed by the addition of certain distinguishing particles to the nominative, as is shown in the following typical forms of declension:—
| Singular. | Plural. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. | kasar | a road. | Nom. | kasarúk | roads. |
| Gen. | kasarná | of a road. | Gen. | kasarúkná | of roads. |
| Dat. | kasar e | to a road. | Dat. | kasarúk e | to roads. |
| Acc. | kasar | a road. | Acc. | kasarák | roads. |
| Abl. | kasaryún | from a road. | Abl. | kasarakyán | from roads. |
| Voc. | ore kasar | O road! | Voc. | ore kasarúk | O roads! |
| Singular. | Plural. | ||||
| Nom. | urá | a house. | Nom. | urák | houses. |
| Gen. | uráná | of a house. | Gen. | urákná | of houses. |
| Dat. | uráte-e | to a house. | Dat. | urák e | to houses. |
| Acc. | urá | a house. | Acc. | urák | houses. |
| Abl. | urátyún | from a house. | Abl. | urákyán | from houses. |
| Voc. | ore urá | O house! | Voc. | ore urák | O houses! |
| Singular. | Plural. | ||||
| Nom. | húli | a horse. | Nom. | húlik | horses. |
| Gen. | húlíná | of a horse. | Gen. | húlikná | of horses. |
| Dat. | húlíte-e | to a horse. | Dat. | húlik e | to horses. |
| Acc. | húlí | a horse. | Acc. | húlik | horses. |
| Abl. | húlityún | from a horse. | Abl. | húlikyún | from horses. |
| Voc. | ore húli | O horse! | Voc. | ore húlik | O horses! |
The dative affix of the last two declensions te really means into; the simple affix e means at, to, and the forms úráe and húlíe are also used in this case.
| Singular. | Plural. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. | bandah | a man. | Nom. | bandahghák | men. |
| Gen. | bandahná | of a man. | Gen. | bandahghákná | of men. |
| Dat. | bandah e | to a man. | Dat. | bandahghák e | to men. |
| Acc. | bandah | a man. | Acc. | bandahghák | men. |
| Abl. | bandahyán | from a man. | Abl. | bandahghákyán | from men. |
| Voc. | ore bandah | O man! | Voc. | ore bandahghák | O men! |