Page:England & Russia in Central Asia,Vol-I.djvu/64

44 Amou Darya had not returned to its original bed or shown any disposition to do so. The dam erected twenty years ago in the Loudon channel had been burst through, as had been clearly foreseen that it would; and the Oxus was once more seeking its old outlet into the gulf of Aibughir. But as there is no desire to minimise the importance of any event connected with Central Asia in these pages, before we pass on to other subjects it is necessary to inquire, is there any importance at all in this fact, and if so, what is it?

It is highly improbable that the Loudon channel is still in a state of preservation as far as the Aibughir gulf. Probably it does not extend intact much to the west of Kunya Urgendj, which is upon its banks. In that case, the river, not having any proper vent, will flood the surrounding country, and continue to do so until the Khivans have taken some fresh step to regulate or check its encroachments. This step will most likely be the restoration of the dam at Bend, and a return to the status quo ante. There is just the possibility, however, that the Russians will have a voice in the matter, and it is conceivable that their attention having been turned to this subject, which has such historical claims upon them, they may devote more energy than they usually do to a matter that, if carried out, would make their advance on India a surer, if a slower, process than it can by any possibility be at present. And if such be the case, and the waters of the Oxus having presumably reached Kunya Urgendj, the country round which was flooded some time ago—