SUMMUD KHAUN.

I .
!
NARRATIVE OF A JOURNEY
HERAUT TO PHIVA, ' MOSCOW,
AND
' .
ST. . PETERSBURGH,
T
,
-
DURING THE
LATE HJSSIAN INVASlON OF KHIVA;
SOME AOOOTJXT OF TI33 COURT OF IBIVA
AND ,fi
THE KINGDOM OF RHAURISM.
*
1. ' 3
i
- ,A
k.* ...-
I / - -
BY CAPTAIN JAMES ABBOTT,
.<
BENGAL ARTILLERY,
LATELY OX A DmLolrArrc alrssron 'TO Icmva.
i
I N TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. I.
L ONDON:
W. H. ALLEN $ GO., 13 WATERLOO PLtlCE,
PALL MALL. S.W.
-
1884.
(All rights r~b~yz)ecl.)
LI BRARY.
LONbON :
PRINmD ny W.
ALLLEN AND CO., 13 WATERLOO PLACE, g.W,
WP14STRN ON TEE BEORB OF TWE CASPIAN,
IHAVRIBIII.
April, 1840.
VICTORIA !-From thy thousand isles,
Thy realms beyond the sea,
Old Ocean wreathes his brow in smiles,
To bless, to welcome thee.-
Throughout each palace crystalline,
Each. far-resounding dome,
Y
With ocean-pearls the Naisda twine
Their see-green loclss-thoy come ;
They come, light dancing 6er. the Deep,
As motes in sunny beam;
In musio o'er the waves they sweep,
Victoria etill their thome.
Queen of the Isles,
Queen of the Deep,
Of Freedom, Palour, Beauty, Queen.
No sceptre needs that lily hancl,
Bend but thy beauteous brom,
Old Ocean's thunders shake the strhnd,
They quell each haughty Foe.
Forth the white-pinioned squadrons fly,
Those eagles of tho wave;
The red-cross Banner streams on high
Its beaoon to the Biave.
And at thy glance to light they leap,
The war-blades bright and keen:
Red roll the Floods, mild curl, and sweep,
Hoarse voices chime between-
" Queen of the Isles !
" Queen of the Deep !
'' Of Freedoxn, Valour, Bea~ity, Queen."
blessing^^ ou Her, whose very name
Breathed in the Scythian Wild,
The Scythian's stony heart could tame,
And free* sad Slavery's child
Britannia's name, till then unheard,
With thine sweet union found :
Old Oxus own'd the blest accord,
And trembled at a sound.
* See page 163, Vol. I. Journal.
Then clanked the riven chain: the Deep
Claw up its dead :-and keen
Leapt forth the prison'd fires.-They weep,
They bless a power unseen,
(< Queen of the Isles,
(' Queen of the Deep,
" Of Freedom, Valour, Beauty, Queen."
Victoria! bicl thy standaTd wave,
Fling far each giant fold,
D~opp' d with the pearls of Ocean's cave,
With India's gems and gold !
On that red cross the circling sun
Ne'er sets :-antnd winds that blow,
Shnlre from each fold a blessing down
On some sad child of woe.
O'er earth and wave, mhere'er its deep
Dread shade of peace is seen,
A Heaven on earth the Ransom'd keep,
Starr'd in thy ray serene,
Queen of the Isles,
s' Queen of the Deep,
'#Of Freedom, Val o~~r, Beauty, Queen."
But, when i t a thund'sous folds are freed,
When the forlr'd fire-bolts glance,
'Mid warrior shouts and tramp of steeds,
And gleam of serried lance :
viii
When earth and slry its gloom deplore,
And Ocean's terrors rise,
And, hurl'd upon a hostile shore,
Th' Armada shattered lies :
Whilst surges roar and tempest8 sweep,
-Each fearful crash between,
Justice' dread voice th' accord shall keep,
And Mercy hymn serene,
" Queen of the Isles,
"Queen of the Deep,
" Of Freedonl, Valour, Beauty, Queen."
PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION,
-
S
INCE the publicatio~l of the Seconcl Edition of
this Narrative, the conquest of Rhiva, commenced
I
by Peter the Great, i i ~t er~upt ed and delayed by
repeated disasters, and discouraged in 1840 by the
decided veto of England, but (like all Russia's designs
of extension) never for a moment relinquished, has
become an nccomplished fact. Russia has ovel-passed
the formidable barrier spread by Nature between her
own anci t he coveted land; and has, in twenty-five
1
years, marched fifteen liundrecl miles upon India.
For, when the army, lauiiched against Khiva by
General Perroffslci in 1839, had been clriven back
4
with terrible loss by the severity of the winter; and
when the result of the two missions to Khiva
despatched by the watchful promptitude of Major
Todd," our Envoy at Heraut, had warned Russia
that her direct march upon Inclia imperilled her
friendly relations with us; far from relinquishing her
ultimate purpose, she directed all her energies to the
t
prosecution of that march, by a more circuitous
route along the basin of the river Sirr or Jaxartes.
+ The first under Capt. Abbott, the second under Lieut,
i Shakespeare.
X PREPAUE TO THE TEIRD EDITION.
A fortified enclosure was built, one long march
beyond the Russian frontier, in the cleseyt appertain-
ing to IKokann.*' Wells were sunk within it, supplies
and lnuniments were there stored, and i n brief space
another and yet another such castle was established,
each one long march in advance of the other: until a
complete chain of fortified posts had been formecl
between the Russian fkontier and the river Sirr ; a
distance of about five hundred miles. To the States
of Europe she explained that she was merely rounding
off her boundary, having no design whatever of
conquest. Thus, as an engineer sinks his zigzag
approaches to the fol-tress he would besiege ; Russia
pushed on he11 approaches, year after year, through
the formidable deserts of Kokaun, by a process
equally secure of success. The Eokaunians, at lengt'h
moused to a sense of their peril, attacltecl the fore-
most enclosure ; but, being profoundly inexperienced
in siege operations, mere easily repulsecl : and Russia,
indignantly denouncing the Ei ng of Koliaun as the
aggressor, in due time possessecl herself of his
kingdoin.
Kokaun subdued, and Russian steamers afloat upon
the Sea of Aral, a plea for the conquest of Bolrhara
was not hard to find.
Khiva it was necessary to
approach with more ceremony: for not only were the
deserts girding that State formidable : but England,
having once iilterferecl to save it from destruction,
* I write it, as i t mas spelt and pronounced at Khiviva when I
was there.
PREFAOE TO THE THIR.D EDITION. xi
was in honour pledged to preserve from overthrow
so important a safeguard to her Eastern Empire.
But t he Russian Cabinet has a solvent for every
difficulty, ancl the event is too recent t o need that I
should say how this difficulty ms solved; how august
the agent employed in its solution. The slaughter
by Kauffman of the gallant Yahmoot" Toorcurnuns
followecl ; apd they being the only fighting' men of
Ichaurism, that principality became part of the
Russian Empire.
The Tuklra Toorcunluns, ~va~necl by the fate of
their fellow tribe, stoocl on t h e i ~ g ~ i a ~ d agaiilst all
cajole17 ; but, after the most gallant resistance, fell
before the overwhelming numbers and cliscipline of
their gigantic foe, wielded by the genius of Skobeleff.
Fast as the advance has been made, railways have
been laid t o aid it; and by the last report (Mr.
Marvin's) had reached Eizil Axvat, one hundred and
forty miles t o the south-east of the Caspian.
Whether there remain any among the people of
-Great Britain so simple as to cling to that fond trust
in the disinterested philanthropy of the Nort helm
Cabinet, uncler which they bade Russis " God speed "
in her unprovol~ecl murder of Turk and Toorcumun,
we cannot say. The Rational mill regard with other
eyes the revelation made by Mr. Marvin and others
of the progress of Russia's march upon India, she
httving, at an enormous expense of treasure and
* Schuyler, one authority, writes this name crYomud."
xii PREFAOE TO THE THIRD EDITION.
energy, established a system of steamboat and railway
communication, by which she can, even now, trans-
port zm army, far larger than any we can bring to
meet it, from the valley of the Volga, through the
ports of Batoum, B~l t u, and Rrasnovodslr, to Rizil
Arvat, one hundred and forty miles south-east of the
Caspian. From thence, doubtless, she mill extend
the railvay to FIemut whenever it suits her con-
venience.
And how has this march upon India been allowed?
Simply by our unnatural feuds and factions. Our
disunion rendered possible the . Russo-Turkish war.
That war gave Russia the long-coveted port of
Batoum on the Euxine, without which her further
advance on India hacl been diEcult and hazardous.
The voice of united England could have prevented
that most unrighteous mar. But Russia knew well
our national wealmess : that the rancour of party
spirit can flood ouy brains with madness. She sent
forth her missionaries, male and female, to flatter,
cajole, incense. And the result has placed her
henceforth and for ever in a position to deride, with
calm contempt, the. nation which heretofore had
impeded hey advance t o the despotism of Asia.
I t has been recommended by certain authorities,
that we advance the Indian fr0ntier;or suffer that oi
Russia to advance, until both be conterminous:
a.rguing that since Germany goes not t o way periodi-
cally with Holland or with Russia, India and Russia,
may live peacefully side by side.
PREFAUE TO THE THIRD EDITION. xiii
To caxeleas eyes this argument may seem fair.
But it is in fact no argument at all; Russia and
Germany being alike detewed from seizing Holland
by the jealousy of the Sister States. I n Asia there
is no such safeguard. It is quite true that the inter-
vention of Afghaunistan between India and Russia is
much more likely to create than to prevent mar ; but
i t is equally certain that Russia has not made such
enormous sacrifices for the rne1.e purpose of suffering
a deficit yearly of seve~al millions stel-ling, as the
mistress of desert sands, nor even for the honour of
sleeping peacefully side by side with India ; and we
well know that contact with Inciia means, as Skobeleff
himself allowed, the opportunity of dealing with our
Indian subjects, as she dealt with the subjects of
Turkey during profound peace preceding the Russo-
Turkish war.
The same authorities are fond of suggesting another
a.lSgument equally futile. "If," say they, we rule
so ill that we dare not trust o u ~ Indian subjects, let
us reform our rule." Or if we assert that our rule
is good, but that goocl rule will not prevent ill effects
from foreign intrigue, why that is a game which two
can play." Are they so profoundly ignorant of the
subject as to suppose that in India con~motions are
ever the work of tho people, instead of being con-
fined to.the bloodsuckers of the land done, whether
, * Russia's.Lady Rlissionaries have converted our hntimen-
taliets to the belief that Russian tylrtnny is better for India,
than British freedom.
I
I
xiv PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION.
princes or nobles or soldiei*~ of foytune, from whose
tender inercies we have rescued that people, and to
whom our justice is a living cleath ? And moulcl they
~~eal l y bave LIS organize n collps of Ghazis, in irnita-
tion of Russia's pioneers, t,he Slavonic Committee ;*
t o sow t+reenso and t o peach to Toorcurnun and
Oozbeg the duty of rising upoil their rulers: or to
give their army a mntchworcl of sedition ? We see
here what nonsense can be made t o pass for argu-
ment by a clever tongue or pen ; when either through
terror of doing our duty, or obsequiousness t o a
mighty patron, or in support of an untenable dogma,
we suffey our wits to go astray.
The propounders of these precepts tender them
(they assure us) in order to prevent the panics, which
I
from time t o time render us so ridiculous. But,
begging their pal-don, it is precisely such advice that
!-
lays the foundation for those panics : encouraging
the unopl~osed advance of B formidable enemy, and
holding us careless of his approach until his foot is
,v- -
on our t,hresholcl when we start up suddenly, aware
of his presence and of 'our own unprepmedness t o
meet him. The nation is never accessible t o panict
'
when assured that its rulers are wide awake.
* " The non-official action of Russia has centred arouna the
Slavonic committee."- Wallace.
t There is a fear morc contemptible than panic itself. It is
Pi-
the terror which dares not believe in impending peril, but reso-
1
lutely shuts its eycs, or, ostrich-lilre, thrusts i t s head beneath
k g
the sand, t o escape the hideous sight. It is this degrading
terror that sencls the father scraulbliug blinclfolcl into his gra,ve,
and leaving his hapless offspring to face perils enhanced fifty-
1:
folcl by his father's cowardice.
, I
F
\ PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION. XV
Whatever the iml~erfection of our Indian rule,
thsough the introduction by pettifoggers (profoundly
ignoi*ant of the natives) of Western ideas into the
legal code of Bn Eastern people ; there cannot be a
doubt that t.11~ benefits coi~fei-red on Iiidia by England
are greater than ally ever before or since confen*ecl
by one nation 1npon another. I t is the very restraint
upon their cruelty and rapacity imposed by our rule
that mnlces it obnoxious to those, by whom alone
revolutioi~s are ever attempted in India.
Our present policy seems to be that of trusting
for the protection of a neutral territory to the good
sense of the Ummeer of Cabul, and of the Afghaun
nation; which it is presumed mill deter both from
accepting the tyrannous protection of Russia rather
than the free friendship of the Indian Government.
Our invasion af Afghaunistan in 1838 mas no doubt
a gross blunder (though abundailtly justified in
regard to equity), and had not this unhappy event
fired the Afgheuns with unquenchable hatred of
us ; their love of freedom might, to a certain extent,
have been reckoned on, in aid of our own defensive
tirrangements. But from that quarter we must now
calculate upon nothing but hostility. Russia will no
doubt humour them to their hearts' conten6pro-
mise them all that their wilclest wishes can demand,
md make use of- them as pioneers through the for-
midable passes of the Tukht-i-Sulimaun monntains :
nor let them feel the weight of the fetters they forge
I
for their own limbs, until they be utterly and help-
9. '
xvi PREFAUI TO THE THIRD EDITION.
lessly in her power.
Then will they learn, as tho
Yahmoot Tooi*cumuns learned, the significance of
the phrase, 2i la Circasse: for no half-measures accord
with Russian policy.
Although, therefore, it is but justice to treat the
Afghauns ancl their ruler with con.sideratiou ; to lean
upon their co-operntion is to fill the cisterns of our
fire-engines with alcohol. The Ummeer could not,
if he would, control his people : ancl Russia can *1almnys
offer him and them a higher premium for their aid,
than we can for their neutrality. We are attempting,
with a view to the above trust, to define the limitsg of
I Afghaunistan. When defined, the treaty we shall
make upon that clefinition will effectually bind oui8
own hands and eyes; leaving Russin's as free, as the
treaty of Paris left them.
I
Such are the considerations arising from a rapid
gIance at t he progress of Russia in her march upon
!
India. She is now mistress of .Aslcabad, of Nerve,
of Sumrlcund ; Bolrhara is a Russian dependency.
I
We have presented to her the all-important port of
Batoum, in the Euxine, the acquisition of which alone
she deemed cheap at the expense of the last Russo-
Turkish War: for without i t her march on India was
r i l e d We have* allowed, nay, encouraged her,
J
despite all prudential considerations, and in defiance
1.
of a thousand warnings, to overpass the natural,
* A dozen alert Englishmen, with the hearty co-opemtion of
the Toorcumuns, migllt have frustrated all four expeditions,
if allowed by ouy Government t o act.
a1mo9
to est
por t ' a~
hands
teen
time a
to adv
have 1
we 1 ) ~
bling
Indian
nation,
~ai t i nl
boast ill
Great '
live ?
pampei
mntchf~
tmnce '
mny scl
and dis
PREFAUE TO THE THIRD BDITION. xvii
almost insuperable, barrier that guarded India, and
to establish herself within our outer and most im-
porhnt line of wol*lcs. To build at Cabul, by Afghaun
hands, with Russian gold, fortified barracks for six-
teen thousand men, ivhicll her troops can, at any
time and unknown to us, enter vhenever it suits her
to advance ; and the Af'ghauns, our natural allies, we
have made our bitterest eaemies. What steps do
we purpose, t o remedy (iE possible) our past stnm-
bling policy, oy fanatic. contempt of all 1.ational
precaution ? The case is ui-gent, for any misunder-
standing in Europe may precipitate matters on our
Indian frontier, here Russia, piloted by the Afghaun
nation; who will keep open for her the passes, is
waiting, and will lose not an hour in her advance,
beyond the moment, not of declaration, bat of' the
probability of hostilities.*
Is the British Lion prepared (as the Russians
boastingly assert) t o crouch and lick the feet of the
Great White Emperor, and implore his permission to
live ? or is there still some red blood left in his
pampered arteries ? If there be, it behoves him .by
watchfulness and promptitude to atone for hia past
trance u n d e ~ the influence of Russian mesmei*ism, t o
be up and alert in rendeying the line of battle he
may select inf'rangible to the assauIt of a powerful
and disciplined army. It will never do to remain
wavering in the choice of that line, whether Remut,
* As we saw her aot during the last R~ ~ ~ ~ - Tn l . k i e k war.
b
\
xviii PREFACIE TO THE THIRD IDITION.
or Candahar, or the .Afghaun passes.
For already
has Russia prepared i n detdl her plan of operations
for each alternative, and any unreacliness on our part
means irreparable damage to ourselves, and to the
two hundred millions whom we are sworn to protcct.
I n the Preface to n ~ y Second Edition I concluded
as f ol l o~s: "I mould fain advert. to the effect pro-
duced during the Crimean Wnr by this Narrative.
I n my passage through Russia the kindest hospitality
had been lavished upon me." It vas, therefore, highly
gratifying to find my experience of that estimable
people quoted against the attempts of certain writers
to sow hatred between two nations, whose earliest
acquaintance mas that of allies, by imputing to the
Russians the most barbarous cruelty to the wounded
of the French and English armies.
Assuredly, if the
mission to which these pages relate had produced no
other benefit than to check so mischievous a preju-
dice, it would not have been in vain."
* We should be careful not t o confound together the action
of the Russian Cabinet and the will of the Russian people.
The strife between the two is rending tho Empire asunder.
Preliminary Remarlrs , .
CHAPTER I,
Delmtnre fro111 He ~a u t - Anecdote (
-An.ivnl and Reception at Pi ~r wa~:
mud Khauu, Commander of my Esc
dictiou-Kytoo Ridge-Cross-county,
-Valley of the Khooshk-Arrival
Khooshk, the Jumsheeclee Capital -
from Petticoats-Reception at a Jc
Translation of Forty Qirgius-Kara
Sagacity of t he Scorpion of Peshawur.
- Anecdotes-Chummunie Bheycl-
Heraut-Cause of thc Vuzeer suffei
IChorussaun - District of Bauclkhisr
ToorIrish frontier--Reception by the '
deeh-Inconveniences of Guestship-
Muhummucl Khaun .
CHAPTER 11.
The Tent of Plenty of t he Yahmoot
Toorcurnun Breakfast--The Sawny Old
Muhummud Khaun's Farewell - Ext:
of Per Muhummud Khaun over his 1
the Moorghaub-Junction of the Kho
that River-Visit from a Panther-Apl
PAGE
x xix
Departure from Heraut - Anecdote of the Poet Jaumie
-Arrival and Reception at Purwana - Peer Muhuin-
mud Ehaun, Commander of my EscorGPart i np Bene- ,
'cliction-Kytoo Ridge-C~oss-co~lnty Pat h t o llhooshlr
-Vt~lIey of the Khooshk-Arrival and Reception a t
Khooshk, khe Jumsheedee Capital - Departure-Pcril
from Petticoats-Receptiou at a, Jumsheedee Rhail-
Translation of Forty Virgins-Knra Tuppah-Singular
Sagacity of the Scorpion of Peshwur-Freemason's HdL
- Anecdotes-Chummunie Bhayd - Slave-dealing at
Heraut-Cause of the Vnzeer suffering it,-Sabres of
Khorussaun - District of Baudkhiss - 1IuIleh-j-Momr,
ToorIrish frontier-Reception by the Yahmoots of Punj-
doeh-Inconveniences of Guestship-Dismissd of Peer
MuhummudKhaun . . . . . 1
CHAPTER 11.
The Tent of Plenty of the Yahmoot-Qift-Homes-A
Toorcurnun BreakfasGThe Sawny Old Ehetkhoda-Peer
Muhummud Hhaun's Farewell - Extraordinary Power
.of Pal. Muhnmmucl Khaun over his Agents-Valley of
the Moorghanb-Junction of the Xhooshk Rivulet with
that River-Visit from e Panther-Approach to Yoolla-
b 2
XX CONTENTS.
PAQC.
teun-Reception there by the Governor-Distrust of the
Relations between %gland end Russia-Presents-Mu-
hurnmucl Aunteen Beg-The Zunnulr-DeparLure-The
old Cauzie of Poollatam-Prcibable Origin of Col. Stod-
dart's Imprisonment at Bolrham-Hopes of tlie Slaves
a t Yoollatnun-Approach to Merv-Want of Courtesy
of the Governor in my Reception-The Jems of Me n
and Meshed-Insulting Concluct of a Servant of the
Governor-My first Turban-Visit to the Governor-
Insulting Reception, its Origin and Motive-Prepsra-
tions for the Pas age of the Desert-Jem Merchants-
Suspicious Circumstances-Conversation . . 22
-
CHAPTER 111.
Jew Me~chants-Their estimation at Mcrv-Visit to the
Rhlloofnh-Atmosphere of Mcrv-The Son of the Soofie
ool Islaurn-Dinner-Ignorance of the state of Europe
-Gifts-The Gift Horse-Visit from the Governor,
Npaz bTuhumn~ucl Bae-Nature ancl Properties of a Gift
in Eastern Lands-Saleh Muhummud --My Preposscs-
sion i n his Favour-Persian Ainbnssador to Khiva-
Merv-Departure from its miserable and inhnspitable
Plain-Aspect of tho aucient Site-Slave Careyaus-
Condition of the Victims-Toorcumun and Oozbeg
Women-Economy of a TOO~CUMII~ Tcnt-0)-)jection to
too much Bosom-Preference for broken-in Pi l l ' t n~~s of
the Yoke-Other Toorcu~~lun IIabits-A Day's March
i n the Wilderness of Kara Koonl-Lanc1m:~rlrs-Saga-
city of Camels-Instznce of the Excessive Cold at
Cabul-Toorcurnun Notions of the Glory of the Heols-
Aupect of this Wilde~.ness , . . . . 47
CHAPTER IV.
Reception a t the House of en Oozbeg Ge~ltlemau-M'es-
sage t o the Khaun HuxuruGRam Eight-The Light
of Mutton Ttlils-Birdler Beeg's Return-Reception of
my Message by the Xhaun Huz~rrut Escort sent to
conduct me t o my Lodging-Aspect of Khiva and its
Snburbs-Dress of Oozbeg woman-&Iy Quarters-Ex-
treme Jealousy of this Government-Arrangements for
my Accommo~tion-Indelicacy of the Mehtur or Minis-
ter-Ruminations-Anecdote of Hajji Feroozooddeen-
Summary of Di$culties-Difference between. Fate and a
Rasor . . . , . .
. 69
UONTENTS. xxi
Glistering Atmosphere &ad excessive Chill of t be Air a t
Khiva--First Aaclience a t t he Court of Khiva-Tow11
-Artillery-Palace-Minister's Levee-The Mehtw-
Khojeh Mhirahm-Interpreter-Nobles of Khiva-
Access t o the Eoysl Presence--Black Tent--Audience-
Ullah Koolie Ehaun, Ki ng of Khaurism-Dismissal-
Suspicions of t he Ehaun Hueurut-Rest~ictions upon
Ambassadors at Kbi vs . . 81
CHAPTER VI.
Second Audience-The Russians-Persians-BoIrhai1ian8
--Colonel Stoddart-Treachery of t he Cauzie Moolla
Bussun-Message from t he Ministey-Visit to him-
Recelltion-Bolrhera-Colonel Stoddart-Plan for hi s
Rescue-Particulars of t he late Skirmish with the Rus-
sian Force North-west of t he Sea of Aral-Ignorance
md Timidity of the Minister-Extmrne Difficulty of
Negotiation with such st Ono-Messenger from the Khnun
Huzurut to the Ummeer of Bokhara, for the Release of
Colonel Stoddwt . . 91
CHAPTER VII.
Third Audience of t he B a u n Husurut-Explicatio11 of
British Policy in Afghaunistan-The Great Mogul-Dis-
missal-Proposal that my Letters should be rend by tha
Ehnull Huzurut-Difficulties of Correspondence-12npa.
city of t he Mini~lter - Fourth Audience - Promiso t;o
reatore the Russian Captives--My Objection t o urgo
their unconditiona,l Release whilst o, Russia11 Army
was advancing upon the Capital-Naturo allcl Oripi11
of the Misunderstanding between Ruasia nlld IChiva
-Russia the Aggressor-Estiuatecl Strength of t ho
Army of Invasion-Its A~r c s t by the Snow-Slrirmish
-Terrors of a 6-lb. Shot-Ruminations .
. 107
CHAPTER VIII.
Discussion of Routee-An Oozbeg Chart of the World-
Relative Extent of the British and Russian Dominions
-English Habits-The Ehook and its Varieties-My
unhappy Ignorance-Apology to the Tuscans-Necessity
of foregoing all Geographical Research, imposed by the
extreme Importance of my Mission, and the extreme Sus-
picion with which I was regarded-Another Audience-
Meyendorf'sTravels-The Air-gun-Discussion of Routes
-1mpracticaity of that by the Balkaulun-Difficulties
of the Orenburgh Route-Recommendation by the
Ehaun Huzurut of that by Mungh Eishlauk and Astra-
khan-Questions relative to Europe, Dress, Dwellings,
Climate - Telescopes, Astrology, Female Sovereigns-
Number of Cities, Russia, China . . . 119
CHAPTXR IX.
Delay in my Mission, and the impatience undcr it-Cross
Examination upon Articles of Faith-Kawff-Baub-001-
Mandeb-People and Customs of Hindoostaun-Mungh
Kishlauk Guide-His Testimony-Another Audience-
Inhabitants of the Ocean-Fish-Serpents-Sub-marine
Sailing-Gun Vessels-Sea Fights-Towns in the Sea
-Magic-Contrivances as Wonderful in Colnmon Use
by the British-Steam Looms-Mints-Telegraphs-
Steam Vessels and Steam Carriages-Our Well of
Alchemy-Origin of ,the Ducat-Private Intelligence-
Extreme Anxiety of the IIhaun Huzurut to effect
Colonel Stoddart's Relsase, and bringehim to n i v a
. 130
CHAPTER X.
' Interview with the Mehtur-The Book-Audience-Acl
count of the murdered Straugers-Purchase of Uinmeer
Beeg's Freedom-Minister's Love of Watches and of
Calomel-The Air-gun--Paper Kite of Khaurism-Its
musical Properties-Its Mechanism . . . . 141
CONTENTB. xxiii
PAQE.
CHAPTER XI.
Feast given by the Khaun Huzurut-Arrangement of
Guests-Purgatory of Knees and Ancles-Persian Am-
bassadol.-Punishment of Dinner-odoxy-Inauk of
Huzarusp-The Bee-An Oozbeg Dinner-Holy &dour
of the Priests-Accounted for upon Mnhummedan
Principles . . . . . . . .I47
CHAPTER XII.
Prospect of my speedy Departure-Extreme Difficulty of
procuring Money - Promises of Shroffs and of the
Minister equally false-Delay in transmitting tny De-
spatches-Private Channel established-liberation of
Ululneer Beeg-Mutilation of his Ears by Yakoob Meh-
tur-Release of Twenty-two of the Daughters of the
Afghauns in honour of H.M. the Queen of Great Britain
-Captain Pottinger's Rescue from Captivity of some
Forty or Fifty Children . , , . . . . 153
CHAPTER XIII.
The Ummeer of Bokhara's Xefusd to release Colonel
Stoddart-Endeavour to make me solicit the Company,
on my Mission, of an Oozbeg Ambassador-And to per-
suade me to prefer the Orellburgh Route-Private Intel-
ligence-Pre~ents for the Emperor of Russia-&range-
rnents for the Exchange of Captives-Reasonableness of
the Khaun's Propositions-His extreme Anxiety, and
evident Sincerity on this Point-His Amazement at
the Motion of my Pen-And Curiosity respecting my
Epaulettes-Eis Majesty's Tribulation at my Want of a
Cocked Hat and Plume-Dis~nissal--Rdveil of Nizaum,
the Sleeper of Sleepers-Visit from a Relation of Birdler
Beeg-His Account of the Skirmish with the Russians-
Difficulty of raising Funds-Visit from the Minister-
His happy Confidence in Destiny-Beroic Spirit . . 165
xxiv UONTENTS.
PAGB,
CHAPTER XIV.
Departure of t he Persian Ambassador-Difficulty of pro-
curing correct Intelligence-Inefficiency of my Establish-
ment-Presence of the Persian Ambassador, how far
useful to me-Alarm occasioned by the Reports of the
British Advance-Resolution of the Khaun to put down
Slave-dealing-Final Audience-Subject of Change of
Route renewed-The Guide, Hussun Mhatoor, Chief of
the Chowdhoors-The Hhczun's Charge to him-To me
-His Message to Her British Majesty -Importance to
Europe at this lnozuent of the Kingdom of Khaurism-
Parting Charge and Farewell-Fruitless Endeavours to
cash my Bills-Deceit and Treachery of the Mehtur-
Inhospitality and Meanness of the Court-Quit Khiva
in t he almost certain Prospect of perishing in the Wil-
derness-Parting Instructions, and Farewell to Uinmeer
Beeg-DepaTture from Khiva. , . . . 176
CHAPTER XV.
Departure from Khiva-Palace of the Toorruh-Priggery
of t he Toorcumuns-Urubarr, an ancient Site-Report
of gigantic human Bones-Dahsh Howz-House of the
Guide-His Obstinacy-Message from the Mehtur-The
great Mare's Nest-Its Origin-Journey resumed-In-
hospitality of t he Guide-Capture of a Russian Inter-
preter-Journey resumed-Reception at the Den of
Thieves . . . . . . . 187
CHAPTER XVI,
Visits from Toorcumuns-Khail of Yabmoots-Dress of
Toorcumun Women-Fierceness of the Watch-Dogs-
Visit to the Ruins of Old Oorgunj, a i d to a Toorcumun
Fair-Entertainment at a Khail-Cure of Jauntlice-
Toorcumun Dinner-Economy of a Toorcumun Tent-
Dress of Children-Ruined Fort Shoomauki-Deserted
Bed of Oxus-Distant Vicw of Oxus and the Lake
Loudahn-Sl&ves-Cliffs of Chalk and Marl-Ruined
PACE.
Castle of Kohna Wuzeer-Of Barrasuu Gelrnus-An-
other Enchanted Castle-Ibrahim Aat'h-Entrance to
Kuzzauk Land-Distant View of the Channel occupied
by the Oxus when it fell into the Gulf of Balkaun-
Anecdotes of the Bahrukzye Chiefs . . 202
CHAPTER XVII.
Chase of the wild Ass-Miry state of the Steppe-Intense
Cold on the higher Land-Antelope of the Steppe-Dry
Basin of a Lake-Particulars of the Murder at Khiva of
the two European Travellers and their five Sermnts-
Manners of the Kara Kul pauh and other Oozbegs-
Character of the Country-Chalk Cliffs, &c. . . 219
CIIAPTBR XVIII,
Rapacity of the Guide-Physiognomy of the Kuazauks
-Nizaum's extreme Amusement a t the Sight of beard-
less Men-The Dragon of Heraut--The Pelirified Dragon
of Candahas-Existence of a Species of Boa amongst
the Mountains of hfghaunistaun-Anecaote of Shauh
Kaumraun-Xiugular Fate of a Tent-mallet-Chalk Cliffs
--Euzzauks . . . . . 231
CHAPTER XIX.
Story of Hautim, tho Arab-Face of the Country-Melan-
choly Prospects-Some Account of the. Descendants of
Cyrus the Great-Herds of Galloways-Kuzzauka-The
Snake-Mi's Dream-Origin of Tobacco-Lawfulness of
Pigtail-Goat's Milk-Liberty of the Pair Sex santetilnss
abused . . . . . . 247
CHAPTER XX.
Ferocity of Toorcuuun Horses-Cliffs of crystallized
Lime-Account of Ihe Death of Futteh Ehaun, Vuzeer
of Heraut-Resistless Power of Destiny-The Falcon
and the 01~ow~Per ~er seness of Guide-Tent of DAna
Bae, the Kuzzauk-The Napkin of KLeurism-The
DesartBird . . . . , . , 258
Paam.
CHAPTER XXI.
Cliffs of Slioll Sandstone-Burial Ground-First Glimpse
of Caspian-Difficulties snggosted by the Guide-Entire
Absence of Boats-Desperate Posture of my Mairs-
Expedient suggested by the Chicle-His Refusal to
accompany me farther-Prospect of utter Ruin-Alter-
native^--Basin and Cliffs of t he Ca s pi a ~Fa l s e Report
of Sails in sight-Signals-Resolution to proceed to
Dahsh Gullah-Repetition of Signals-Their Fruitless-
uess-Appearance of D5na Bae, the Kuzzauk-His
Agreement to concluct me-Announcement and Depar-
ture-Letter t o the Khauu Hueurut-Suspicious Cir-
cumstance-Ruinous Habits of my Interpreter . . 271
-
CMAPTBR XXII.
The Treacherous Messenger-Perplexities-Resolution to
return-How altered-Further Symptoms of Treachery
-Appearance of a Cluml~ of Toorculnun Horse-Bivouac
in t he Rain-Symptoms of Treachery in the Guida-
Pr esh Perplexities and Difficulties-Reach a Kuzzauk
Tent-The Kuzzauk Bride-Tho Hyana-Reach Dnna
Bae' s Tent-Interchange of Spoons-Arrangements foT
t he Journey-Greed of DHna Bae-His forlllidable Oath
-Dismissal of t he Hy aena-Night in a Kuzzeuk Tent--
Journey resumed-Incessant Anxiety and Wstchfulness
-Arrive a t a Chain of Mountains-The Black Russian
Ambassador - Singular Weather-worn Rocks - Fresh
Causes of Suspicion-Reach t he Caspian , . 288
CHAPTER XXIII.
ARencoutre-Its Result--Hasten our March-Toilsome
Ascent sf t he Cliffs of the Caspian-Suspicious Conduct
of t he younger Guide-Bivouac at the Summit-Absence
of t he younger Guide-Meditations-Carelessness of my
People threatening us with Ruin-Lighten the Csmel
Loads-Further Preparations-Resumlption of Journey
-Ahris Mhatoor-Descent-Treacherous Conduct of the
younger Guide-Attempt t o secure the Elder in my
Interests-The Monk-Bivouac-Susl~icious Action of
Dnlla Bae-The Alarm-The Night Attack-Result-
Reflections-The Interposition-Fate of three of my
Suite . . . . . .304
xxvii
Paal4
CHAPTER XXIV.
Hilarity of the young Guide-The Letter-Scene-Con.
sultations and Reports of the Ruzzank Assailants-
Night on the Field of Strife-Meditations-Desperate
Posture of my Affairs-Triumph of the Coward Par
Muhummud-State of my Party-Symptoms of a Afove
-Ahris, the Hero-Retrograde Movement-Helpless
Condition of my Meerza-Our shattered ancl melancholy
Cavalcade-Halt at Soosun Uttah-Summud Khaun's
St~gacious Arrangement for our Safety-Spite of the
youngep Guide-The Curse of the Koraun-Arrival of
Tents-Arrangements for our Disposal-Par Muhummucl
and the Tempter-First Repast as Captives-Soft Flat-
tery i11 an Unknown Tongue-Character of Ahris Mha-
toor-The Covenant-Night Alarms-Varieties of Death
-Second Night of Our Captivity . . . . . 322
CHAPTER XXV.
Capture of Mailuood and Ali Muhummud-Consultations
of our Captors-Third Night of Captivity-Further
Consultation-Harassing Demands-Division of Booty
-The Blandishments of Beauty out of her Teens-
Sentiment of Sheep's Tails-Delicacy ancl fjympathy of
Kuzzauk TVomeil-Misery of our Position this Day-
The Poor Meerza's View of the Case-Further Partition
of Spoils-Recovery of the Royal Presents-Rape of the
Cloak and the Kerchief-Three of my Suite taken off
as Slaves-Rescue of Nizaum-Survey of Snmlnud
Khaun-State of my Wounds-New' Guide t o Mecca-
Lamelltable Want of Eeligious Fury amongst the
Kuzzauks . , . , . . , . . 336
CHAPTER XXVI.
Inmates of Ahris Mhatoor's Tent-The busorn old Girl
of Ninety-five-Her Relish of Bon-bons-Ah1.i~' Wife,
Children, and Dogs-Kuzzauk Diet-Voracity-Con-
tempt of Nedicines-Rescue of the Cloak-First Night
as Prisoners in a ICuzzsuLr Household-Hopeless Pros-
pect arouild me-Melancholy iuduced thercby-Cherlrosk
Bee-His Wife's Pity for me, and Love of my Apparel
xxviii UONTENIS.
PAQE
--Humanity of Kuzzaulr Maidens, how evinced-How
by civilized Ladies-Persons of my People searched-
Meeyza's Astutener~s-Summud Khltun's Wit-FJsa
Ala~m-Change Camp-Intrigue for our Liberation-
Resolution of the Grey Beards-Negotiations for our
Release-Again shift Camp , . . . . , 348
CHAPTER XXVII.
Embarrassment of Ahris Mhatoor-Coll~iderations-Fide-
lity of Cherkush-The Bond-The Negotiator-The
Shippish-Sensation he produces in London-Whether
he acknowledges the Emperor of all the Russias-Liking
of a Euzzauk for Nizaum-Messenger from Hussun
Mhatoor-News from Dahsh Gullah -Va,luation of
plulldered Property-The Golden Banquet-Shift Camp
-Golden Colic , . . . , 3 6 5
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Hopelesslless of our Predicament-Ali Muhummud's Pro-
j e c t The Afghnun Horsemen-Congratulations of a
Bear-A pasition of Saleh Muhummud-Greetings-
I' Rechpitu ation-The Search - Co~~fabulatiol~s - Happy
Disposition and bright Mind of Saleh ~uhummud-
Consultations-Joy of my Party- Confusion of Enemies
-Ummeeis Beeg-Delicacies unknown to Heliogabalus
-The Tit-bit . . . . . . ,378
PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
HEN Major Todd, in June, 1839, arrived as
w Envoy a t Rei-sut, he selected Moolla Huss~iil,
a Mahornedan priest of great respectability, as bearer
of a letter of fi-iendship to the Khaun Huzurut
( Su~r e me Lord) of Khiva, called also IChaurism
Shanh, oy Ri ng of Ehaurism. Moolla Hussun ar-
riving at Khiva when the state was threatened wit11 a
Russian invasion, was well received, and on his retunl
was accompailied by an Oozbeg lord, Shookk~~roolla
Bae* by name, as ambassador from the Khauiz Huzurut
to t'he Indian Government, ?'he letter borne by this
ambassador accepted of the tender of British friend-
ship, and made several demands which could not be
complied with upon the responsibility of M?jor Todd.
I t was in answer to this mission that the envoy
deputed me to visit the court of Khiva,
The news brought by the Khiva ambassador ratecl
the Russian force at 100,000 fighting men, who were
said to be still in the Kuzzauk country, north-west of
tlle sen of Aral. I n return for tho envoy's present. of
a very handsome rifle, he sent a very sorry specimen
of the boast of Khaurism, i n shape of a broken-down
* This gentleman is spoken of in high terms by Arminius
VambBry, who met him st Khiva in 1862,
XXX PRELIMINARY REMARRS.
nag. This, however, lind robab ably bee11 substituted
by the Ministcr for the horse origin:~lly sent. Tlic
presents entrusl;cd to my cnrc were n I'crsialz s:hre
and a Hernut riflc for tllc K11:r~uz liir~zsclf ; n riflc for
liis brother, tlie Inanlr of Ilnzarusp ; nncl a ~nntclllock
rifle for tlic Govellnor of Yooll:tbn~l~i. 'I.'hc myrd ljrc-
seizts were very uiiwortlly of tllc occasion ; l ~ut , tlie
Bi-itislz rl'osl~clilrl~niicl~~ 1i:lil 1jcc:n csli:~ustecl, :ulcl :LS I
was to ride cJuppu7~ (post), nzy haste to l~rcscnt uiy-
self before Hi s Majesty mas to scrvc :IS :111 cxcusa for
tlzcir povcrty. Such trifling p:lrticul;zl*s tlll*orv liglit
upon the lnalzizers nnd cnstonis uf a country.
The lriiigclorn of Rl ~auri s~l l is sep:ll>..ntctl fro111 tlie
Russian district of Orcl~burglz 1)y LL considerable belt
of stclq'c, he15 by Iiuzx:~ulis, wliosc chiel; or Sooltuull,
is aomiz~ally tributary t o Iinssin, The Il~~ssi:uls c:~11
tliis people ZCirgliccz,~ to clistinguisli thcnl l r o~l i tlicir
own I~uzzauks, or Cossaq~, ~ 1 1 0 aitc C(l~l*isti~tl?i, but
the lzumc is ulzltnowll t o the 11col)lc -tllclnsulvcs.
Khaurjsm i s bou~idcil o~z the wcst by tlic C: a4 , I ) I ~I I , ' 011
the south-west by I'crsin and 1Ic1*:lut, 011 t l ~ c soutll-
east by 13olchara, 011 tllc nortll-cast by IColcnurl.
Thc prescnt capital of J\'liauriwn is I\'liiv:~, lying ill
N. ht. 41' 20', and E. long. :~l)out GO0, : u ~ l :~l)crut
forty miles -cvcst of t,hc C)XUH. I t tlic~cii)l*c bctlry ii:oln
IIert~ut t~bout 1zorth-llol1tli-w~!st, nntl is cl i st n~~t filoul
it, by thc road, sorncthiilg 1~: ~s tl~nll 600 rnilcs ; of
whiclz, after p:~asing tho ~ ~ ~ o u n t i d n btirrier of' I-Iart~nt,
* Wi t h ~i t ~11 I l r i i i ~l i IM'i~~icm in Colzlrt~l Asi i ~ iw a rnr~gaxillo
of rlvo arkiolcs : ~nt l dI'os#cH of lionour, ii~lol~ilcil ~ L H ~ F I ~ ROI L ( , N t o
sovnrcign~ :~111 n o l ~ l u ~ , 01. iac!w:~rc18 for tlio ur!rvicr!u of olhurs.
sf. Rii,gli(!oe ~i gni l i o~ .Itlio~o mlio r1wc:ll in Xlnvgl~l!, or ~ I ! I I ~ H 01:
fcllj, dorivccl, say Lhu I'cmii~118, l'r01l1 Kl ~ur , rlri I LHH, ol~i11 Gdl, tb
plsc~-Lho ] J ~; LCC of. tl10 11HS) Or ILHH' ~1~;11)10.
l h iH l ) r O~) l ~~~l t ! ~, I I : L~
tliis is tlio real origin ol' I110 1 ' ~ ~ r ~ i : ~ i i ~ ~ o r i l , giv(u iu ~Lcriui~li
by tho I'orsians to thoir Soos tho Ti ~i t ; ~ra,
PRBLIRTINARY REMARKS. . xxxi
nearly the whole is a barren steppe, where even a tent
is rarely discovei*ed.
The former cal~ital was Oorgunj, and two towns of
this name have successively enjoyed the dignity. A
country so cut off from the rest of the world by wide
steppes, ~vliose rare inhabitants are plunderers and
slave-dealers by profession, was too little lcnown to
be correctly desigilatecl ; accordingly, Khaurism is
title witli which fern are familiar ; whilst the capitals
Oorgunj and Khiva have iu turn given t h e i ~ names to
n Iri~lgclom, which, ~vhatevel* its wealth and political
importance, is at least sufficiently extensive. Rhaur-
ism is about 800 miles in lengtll, north and south,
by nearly 600 east and west, coinprising an area of
nearly 480,000 square miles. I t is of much im-
portance to bear in mind, that Bokhara is eutirely
severed from Russia by Ichaurism. The latter king-
dom joining Kol<nuu in the clesert~, about 360 nliles
cast of Kl~iva.
The greater part of Rhaurism* (as its Persian name
implies), viz., all that is west of the Oxus, belonged to
ancient Persia. The descenclallts of the Persians are
still existing under the name of Sart.. They are
know11 by their beards ; a clistil~ction for the sake of
which tlie Oozbegs, the present lords of the empire,
fsecluently condescend to intermarry with them. Tho
Toorcurnuns who inhabit the steppe beiween lIhiva
ancl the Caspia.n are more particular ; and accordingly
beards are rarely seen amongst them. The Kuzzauks,
whose country extends f i ~a the northernmost linlit
of Khaurism t o an irregular line fi-om the south of
tlie Sea of Aral, drawn west-sout,h-west t o the Cas-
* ];and of the Sun-formc~ly one of the Eastern provinces of
Persia.
Bhor is the Pehlivi nnplc for t l l ~ sun,
xxxii PRELIMINARY REMARKB.
pian, would in turn be despised by the lnore polished
Sart. The presence therefore of a bearcl in a Toor-
cumun or Kuzzauk khail (camp) may generally be
traced to some Persian slave of the family, And if
we consider the extlleme value and importnl~ce t o the
nations of Asia of an appendage, by which t l ~cy swcar,
and upon which they prny; we may al~prcciate the
strength of the temptation, under whiclz it 1x1s beciz
introduced into any household.
P.S.-The Author in recorcling conversations held
by him with natives of the counhry, has avoided as
far as possible the repetition of the worcls " I said, lze
said," &c., and has given these conversations, not of
course in the exact worcls or phraseology used by
either party, but so ns to express tlie substnuce of
the discourse, as he u~~derstood it at tho time, The
coilversations were of such peculiar iintercst, that
whenever prudence preventecl his recording thcm at
the moment, he referred to them in memory, so a8 t o
fix them there.
NARRATIVE OF A JOURNEY,
ETU.
CHAPTER I.
Departure from Heraut - Auecdote of the Poet Jaumie -
Arrivd and Reception at Purwaua - Peer Muhummud
Khaun, Commander of my Escort-Parting Benediction-
Kytoo Ridge-Cross-country Path to Khooshk-Palley of
the Khooshk-Arrival aud Reception at Khooshk, the Jum-
sheeclee Capital-Departure-Peril from Petticoats-Recep-
tion at a Jumsheedee Khail-Translation of Forty Virgins-
Kara Tuppah-Singular Sagacily of the Scorpion of Pesha-
wur-Preemitson's Hall-Anecdotes-Chummunie Bh q d-
Slave-dealing at Heraut-Cause of the Vuzeer suffering it-
Sabres of Khorussoun - District of Baudkhiss-Kulhh-i-
Mowr, Toorkish frontier-Reception by the Yahmoots of
Punjdeeh-Inconveniences of Guestship-Dismiss of Peer
Muhummud Khaun.
0
N 24th December, 1839, I quitted Heraut in pro-
gress to Khiva, and several trifling a,rrangements .
'beiiig found incomplete, halted at a village Ileal1 the
Eed-gaub, where I was hospitably entertained by a
descendnllt of the poet Jaumie, whose tomb is at the
Eed-gauh. This poet, by birth an EIerautie, has tl
name only less esteemecl than those of Haufiz and
Saadi. It was related to me by s native of Heraut,
that s poet who in his clay had some celebrity, came
to visit Jnurnie, md challenged him to a trial of poetic
VOL, I. 1
2 ARRIVAL AND RECEPTION AT PURWANA.
skill.
They sat on the banks of the Jooe Unjeer (fig
canal), a runnillg and pure stream from the Hurrie
Rood, and for several days they continued the combat,
answering one another in the most beaut.ifu1 verse.
All who loved poetry collected to hear them. But,
said the narratoy, Jaumie was a Bul-bul, and the third
evening, when the visitor was in mid discourse with
Jaurnie, and the verse of the latter continued to
improve in power and sweetness beyond the measure of
human song, the stranger was observed to betray un-
wonted languor ; his head gradually sank upon his
breast ; when his answer was expected, he continued
silent, and when a fi.iend strove to arouse him, he was
found to be-dead. Traditions of this nature are
implicitly believed by Asiatics, who woulcl deem the
doubt of them akin to infidelity. The belief upon
which this tale is founded is universal, viz., that the
Bul-bul, when out-done in melody, droops its head
upon the breast and expires.
I quitted this village the next morning (25th Dec.),
and after much delay, occasioned by the falling of the
baggage from the pony's back, reached Purwana, in a
high valley about eleven miles distant from Heraut.
The road lies between close hills, of no considerable
height, and ascends the entire distance of Purwana.
As i t is not my purpose to publish any particulars
relative t o the practicability or otherwise of this moun-
tain chain, I shall conteut myself with describing the
general aspect of the pountry.
This village is
pulated by forays of the Jumsheedees, a people of
Toorkish origin, but tributary t o Heraut. These me-,,
encouraged by the connivance of the Tuneer Yar
Muhummud Khaun, are ever on the watch $0 seize,
for sale to the Toorcumuns, the miserable subjects of
PZER MUHAMMAD KHAUN.
3
Heraut.
Here are piofuse Kaureeze,* and a little
cultivation. The people, who are Taujiks, received ,
and entertained me very hospitttbly.
Around this
village are hills ancl higli plains producing wormwood,
which is browsed by the wild aiitelope. The t,ombs
of the five saints who founded the village are seen in
the neighbourhood.
Unless I could deem myself the most interesting
personage of the group now poceeding to Khiva, it
were unpardonable to omit mentioll of those who
formed my retinue. This I shall from time to time
take occasion to do, as any incident happens to bring
them prominently forward.
The most important person was the Afghaun, Peer
Muhummud Kha~~i i , a relation of the Vuzeer of He-
raut. He was given me by the Vuzeer as commander
of ail escort of five horsemen, to be increased to fifteen
on approaching Punj Deeh. The instant I saw him
I perceived that he was far too respectable for the
petty office assigned, and this threw me on my guard.
Peer Muhummud Khaun is a very handsome man ;
and his beauty is of a striking character. His fea-
tures are nobly formed, his eye is lai-ge, dark, and
expressive. His teeth are of dazzling whiteness.
When first he waited upon me at Heraut I was veiny
busy, the twilight was settling into darkness, and I
@ did not observe his approach. When I looked up,
* Kaureeze are chains of wells, the first dug down upon the
stream at the foot of the mountain i n a water-course, where the
verdure denotes water. On reaching the spring, its course is
i
ascertained, and another well is dug down upon it to make sure
of it. Tho intermediate channel is then cleared, and the direc-
tion of the: stream further being taken, another and another
,
moll is dug, until the number sometimes amounts to hundreds.
As opl)ortunity offers, the water is led through an artificial
tunnel to the surface of the valley.
1 *
,
4 PEER MUHUMMUD RHAUN.
I saw before me a figure, whick almost startled me by
its resemblance to our best portraits of Edward the
Third. The effect was increased by the shadow of a
large, dark blue turban and a cloak still darker. Pre-
senting himself to me as sent by one, whose cunning
is only to be surpassed by his villany ; whom I be-
lieved by a similar messenger to have contrivecl the
imprisonment of the gallant, but urifortunate Colonel
Stoddart; he was regarded by me with singular in-
terest, and that of no pleasing character. He has
naturally become the chief object of my attention,
and as I can understand his Persian, and he, by dint
of excessive intelligence, contrives to make out a good
deal of mine ; I am in deep conversation with hjln
whenever the road permits it. He has orclors to
escort me to Merv ; to Rhiva if I think fit ; and as
for very important reasons he is extremely ailxious to
attend me to the latter place, I have an advaritage
a
which I shall not.for a moment suffer him to forget.
Here I received a letter from Major Todcl. We sepa-
mte under chcumstailces sufficiently gloomg. I leave
him in the very stronghold of treachery. I go myself,
as agent of the British Government, to a Court of the
lalguago and manners of which I am utterly ignorant ;
and to ~lccomplish that, of which the most sanguine
have no hope. I t is simply a matter of duty, and as
such entered upon cheerfully, and with full dcterminn-
tion to carry my efforts to thc uttermost.
The mail who brought me this note had formerly
been in my service whilst marching to Heraut. He
was one day so extpernely insolent thut I lifted my
riding whip to him ; remembering mysell; however,
I did not strike him, but I perceived that he was
highly offencled by the menace. On reaching our
PARTING BENEDICTION.-KRYTOO RIDGE.
3
camp in the evening, and retiring to befl, I oI)srrurrl
that he bad not brought me my loaded gull, wl~ich lle
al wqs carried, and which hc hnd orrlers to 1)lncc ill
my becl at night. I also observed thnt llis right hlirlll
was baildageclj mid that he mas very reluctant to Ir!t
me look at it.
I called for the gun ; he illr~dc a, hun-
dred excuses for not bringing it. I went to his 1)erI-
ding, ~vhel-e T found it.
I drew it out of the oilskin
case, and Eouilcl the right cock clown on the nipple
and the left on full cock. I conceived iinmedintely,
what his countenance expressed, that hc ht~d c c ~ k i ~ l
i t with tlze intention of shoot2i~ing me; but r c~l cnt i n~
-
pel*haps, or cleferring his intention, had eade:tvourt.rl
to let down thc coch, ancl hncl caught his t humb uiidtir
-
one of them.
I now insisted upon cxnmiuiI1g the
wound, and founcl it just as I suspcctcd. I took 11,)
notice of this little demoustmtion, nor even contlca-
scendecl to use precaution against a creature so con-
temptible. Under the influence of u present, Ilc now
took leave of me, on the high plain :tbove Pnrwruia,
and I~ol&ng his turban in his hand before his eyeu,
uttered a thousand benedictions upon me.
26th December.-Avoiding now the more direct
and difficult passes of the mountain ridge of Kytoo, ~ v e
crossed thnt chain without accident, meeting neither
dwelling nor tent, excepting t wo ruined Rabaht (hos-
pitia) in the valley, and descending some grassy
heights, pitched at evening in a hollow, where we
found a little water. MTe mere now on the r o d to
Khooshk, the cqit,al of the Jumsheedees, as recorn-
mended by Yar Muhummud Khaun, on the plea of
lny being provided by their chi chi n with n farther
escort of ten horsemen.
These p s s y heights are in spring infested by Small
I
'
/ / /
' # !
' jj
; J j
1 I ;
' ' I
I 1
: il
L
i t
I
i i
I
1
!
\
I
I
!
I
I
!
I
green snakes, not generally deemed venomous. They
have a clesolate ~ l ~ e c t ; but tllcir grass in
some IneasLlre relieves this. Onc solitary floclr of sheep
in the distance, ancl the wilcl antelopes of the ~vilcler-
ness, were the sole living things wc saw. Kytoo,
covered at the summit with snow, holds awful pre-
eminence over the solitude.
27th December.,-The clouds collectccl during tho
night, and a drizzling showor aclclcd nothing to tho
comfort of my followers, who having no tent, covcrccl
themselves with felts as best t h y could. I lzenrd
them, however, making light of it, n~lcl whiling the
night with laughter and fun. Thc liorses picluotecl
to short iron pegs driven into the cnrtli (wliicli oikred
little resistance to any efforts to get free), and unno-
customed to pass the night in the open air, were con-
stantly breaking loose, :1,11d I wns rnthcr surprised to
fincl the number complete at break of day. It was
then that, looking in the direction of ICytoo, wc snm
that mountain chain coverecl fro111 surnmit to lmac
with snow, and congratulated ourselves with no littlo
thankfulness on having dreacly passcd this barrier,
where travellers every year arc lost in the snow: A
vely distressiilg cross-countr-y pntll of twenty miles,
over steep hills covered with gilttss, brought us to tlic
rivulet I~hooshlc, wliich we asccndcd to tllc cul)itnl
of that name. The vitllcy llerc is 1,icturcsrluc and
interesting. The low hills whicli fbnn it, arc qnitc
nakecl, or produce only grass, Not n lcr~f ilj to bc
seen, Yet being fringed with tlzc blilck tc11t~ of t<llc?
Jumsheedees, and peopled wit11 living tliing~, men,
women, hollses, al ~d sheep; tlie conti*ast to tho coulltly
just passed was strong and wclcome. T11c .rvomcll in
groups wel'e engaged in working ul ~on t11e bunk8 of
ARRIVAL AT ICROOSHII. 7
the stream.
Their dress is either a petticoat or veyy
loose dyawers, over which the shift falls. On the head
is an ugly white cloth wound round the head, under
the chin, and fdling upon the shoulders. Their faces,
therefore, are exposed, being in fact not worth the
cost of coi~cealinent ; but the dresses were sufficient
to smother the charms of a Venus. The black tents
which form the capital of the Jurnsheedees are of
thick felts, supported by a light and moveable frame-
work of wood. Their shape is circular, and their
dwk hue is received f ~o m the smolre of fil.es lighted
within : but sometimes from the colour of the wool.
Khooshk, however, has a few mud huts and a fort
(SO called), resembling a dilapidated fa~m-yard. The
Jumsheedees reckon their own number at 15,000
families, or 75,000 souls ; but this is probably an
exaggeration; foY having now passed through about
fifty miles of their country, I have sca~cely seen a
human being.
I had been throughout this march in conversation
with Peer Muhummud Khaun, hoping to gain some
hint of the Vuzeer's object in sending me hither,
,&
Khooshk being two ma~ches off the road, I found,
by cross-examination, that he had a letter from the
Vuaeer to the Jumsheedee chief; but he believed,
he said, that it was merely an order for my esco1.t.
I sent him on to announce my approach, and he
returned with a single horseman to conduct me to .
the place prepared for my reception, This was
extremely discourteous, foY the chief should himself
have come to meet me, or at any rate have received
me at the threshold. I had, however, no means of
enforcing respect, so I alighted at the steps leading
to my apartment, which was probably the best he
8 UAHOMED ZEMAUN RHAUN.
had to offer, and made myself as comfortable as cir-
cumstances would allow. Here I found an unusual
thing in the shape of a, tolerably wide chimney. Up011
applying fire, however, I so011 found that it was a
luxury only in appearance, as none of the smoke
would pass up it. After several hours, Mahorned
Zemaun Khaun, the Jumsheedee chief, made his
appearance, attended by Yeer Muhummud Khaun.
He is a Inan who affects great frankness, and his
manners are lively and rather agreeable, although
unpolished. He welcomed me to Khooshk; said
that he heard I Lac1 expressed some distrust of the
Vuzeer's motives for sending me thitlier, and laid
his note open before me. This note was certainly all
I could desire, but it mas probably not the only one.
After a very short visit he jumped up, mid saying,
"Farewell," left the room as briskly as he had
entered. To judge by this man's countenance, a
physiognomist would give him credit for courage,
conduct, decision, and generosity; yet in the late
siege of Heraut he betrayed a lamentable want of all
those qualities.
During that unfortunate and disastrous investment,
the Hemuties in vain expected succour from this wild
tribe, who, by seconding the efforts of the besieged,
might have done infinite .mischief to the Persians.
Whilst the Jumsheedees seemed to be hesitating, a
Persian force was sent to Khooshk to beat up their
quarters. Instead of taking advantage of their strong
country to harass or destroy the Persians, they fled
without resistance to Meroo Chauk, leaving their
country and a good deal of grain buried in the earth
t o the mercy of the Persians. The Jumsheedees are
of Toorkish descent, as their liabits and physiognomy
PERIL PROM PETTICOATS. 9
imply. They are short, stout, very dark, with cle-,
cidedly Tartar features. Wherever water and soil
are found, a little cultivation is maintained by them,
but their wealth co~lsists in floclcs of sheep and hercls
of horses of Toorcurnun breed, generally received by
them in exchange for slaves whom they capture ill the
Heraut district. They we arrant cowa~ds, and, like
all Ta~t ar s, superstitiously fearful of artillery.
28th December.-Whilst I was girding up my loins
to depart, the Khaun was annouaced, and came run-
ning into the room with his usual liveliiless, saluting
me with an air of frank cordiality. After having
exchanged with me a few words, he suddenly rose,
and proposed that I should resume my journey. My
host saw me to t he door of my little cell, where he
stopped, whilst I stumbIed clown the broken steps.
A large crowd of idlers stood aroullcl the gate to see
the Englishman depart. I was dressecl ill the Afghaun
attire, consisting of a double set of stiff petticoats.
Two or three officious fellows were at my elbow to
shove me up into the sacldle. The horse was very
large, and had no mane, and my petticoats hung
around me like so many shirts of mail. A mis-
carriage I perceived was inevitable. I determined,
however, t o do my best. With infinite diEculty, I
thrust my left foot into the stirrup, and flinging
aside my petticoats, made a desperate spring for the
saddle. I might perhaps have reached it in peace,
md not witl~out glory ; but one fellow thrust with
a jerk at my elbow, and moteher gave me a forward
impulse from the back, so that my petticoats became
entangled with my ~iglzt knee, and afterwards with
the high cantle of my hussar saddle, and I was fairly
caught, like a bird upon a lilnecl twig ; moreover, my
10
REOEPTION AT A JUMBHEEDBO XEIAIL.
predicament struck me in SO absurd a light, that 1
was guilty of laughter, to the infinite dismay of all
my suite.
11 Ulbll Kuryeem ! " (God is mercif~ll), shouted my
old Meerza, wlzen he perceived I was actually ill the
sacldle, his beard with tlie right hand.
' 6 Shool&ur ! " (Thaliksgiving), replied olcl Summud
Khaun, tile Steward, inlitatilig tlzc action. " Ris-
rnillah ! " I saicl, turning my horse's heacl, and glnclly
quitting the ,dell of inhospitality. My psoplc beggecl
me to make a short marcli, as the cattle llad been
starved, The old Meerza rema~ked Khooshk (dry)
is its name, arid dry we havc found it. I had not
suspected the old fellow of mettle sufficient for so
bacl a pun.
We passed down the valley' of the Khooshlr livulct,
averaging about half a mile in wiclili, and bot~ricleil on
either sicle by sloping grassy clowns, sprinklcil wit11
floclcs of sheep ancl goats. Under the low sunny cliffs
and hills the Jumsheeclees had pitched thcir black
tents in considerable numbers ; md in the fielcls of
the valley. hundrecls of mares and colts were gmzing.
The scene was extremely pleasing. The valley is
highly susceptible of culture, mld has once bee11 ~vcll
tilled. Toward evening we halted nt a ihail (cnrnl~),
at Sir Chushma, and sent for thc Kl~etkhocla. I-Ic
came, and took my hancl between 110th his own, in
the usual fashion, but was evidently rel~~ctarlt thIbe
we should t a r ~y and put his hospitality to c11apgcs.
"Am I welcome P " I inquired. L L YOU aye welcomcl!l
" YOU did not say SO at first."
" wha t docs it
nify ? " said a servant of Muhummud Zemaun I[haun ;
" if he won't make you wclcome, I. will." on no
~ O C O U ~ " 1 replied. " I will have no forced hasp-
TRANSLATION OF PORTY VIRGINS. 11
tality. Since I am welcome, I will dismount ; other-
wise I would have gone elsewlzere." I t must be
observed, oizce for all, tliat I always inade a handsome
present, three or four times exceeding the expense
incurd, to any person who lodged or entertainecl
me. I was therefore the less ~crupulous about their
first iizclilzation, knowiizg that they would afterwards
be very well contented. I wished to have put up in
the camp itself to observe the manners of tlie people;
but, out of respect for me, they hrought a tent bodily
to the spot where 1 was seatecl. The women were
the chief locomotives ; and, being inside, the tent
appeared to have founcl legs of its own. One of these
womeiz was pretty, and the fair sex here seem to
have the advantage of the inen in features and com-
plexion. I-lowever, there are many slave girls of
other nations present, and the females whom I meet
are probably of this class.
29th December.-In tlze morizing, ~esuming my
course down the river valley, I passed a scene re-
sembling that of the p~evious day. A couple of mud
huts near the left border of the valley were shewn me
as the residence of forty Oozbeg virgins ; and a little
rude altar or tomb under the hills, as the place of
worship to which they had resorted, when surprised
by a force of some neighbouring tribes. I n this
extremity, the virgins prayed for death, and were
instantly translated. Thc translation of forty fat
virgins is nothing t o a Moosulmaun's faith ! The
place is called Chhehl Dochtur, or "the forty virgins."
The tradition, as well as name, is evidently Per-
sian.
Kwa Tuppah, the black mouucl, was now in sight,
being an utificial hill about 150 feet in height,
12 KARA TUPPAH.
crowned by a ruined circle of defences, I t stands in
the elbow of the valley, overlooked by lofty hills on
the west. The bend of the vdley is very wide, and
Kara Tuppah was not only girdled by black tents, but
crowcled by caravans from Merv, proceeding with
grain for Khooshlr. Here Muhummud Zemam
Khaun's servant was to leave me, after furnishing
the escort of ten Jumsheedee horsemen. But I had
been pondering the necessity of employing these men,
I t struck me, that,. as they would hold themselves
in authoritiy to Peer Muhummud ICha~ln, I should
literally become his prisoner, and he might dispute
my orders when directed to return. Some excuse for
dispensing with their services was necessary. I first
objected to the number on the score of provision. A
smder number, they said, could not venture to return
by that route, owing to a death feucl between Mu-
hummud Zemaun Khaun and the children of Derveish
Kllaun, late chief of the Jumsheedees, and slain by
the present chief. " But 1 have no deat,h feud with
the children of Derveish Khaun, and if ten Jumshee-
dee horsemen who have, and who are the most armlit
cowards in the world, can rsturn alone, surely we,
who can muster four good sabres, can have iiothing
to apprehend." It must be obaerved that Peer Mu-
* ,
hummnud Khaun, after receiving from the British
Treasury allowance for himself and five troopers, had
brought not one fighting man with him. I called the
chief's se~vant, gave him a hanclsome present, and a
note to his master, saying, that I clid not require tlie
escort; and having dismissed him, passed on.
Beyond Kara Tuppah there are few black tents i
but large floclcs of sheep are still met with. The
sllepherds come even from Merv to this pleasant
PEER MUHUMMUD KHAUN. 13
valley, bringing water and all other necessaries on
asses. The men of Kara Tuppah hate the authority
of the present chief; and beyond this limit no Jum-
sheedee of his followi~lg presumes to dwell.
It was my object to keep Peer Muhummud Kh;tun
constantly engngecl in discourse, for various reasons.
I t gave him an idea of lny favour and confidence; it
improved my miserable Persian ; and, as I generally
turned the conversation upon the persons colnposing
the Court at Heraut, it served to disclose to me his
own character, even when it failed to reveal to me
theirs. There was not a person, however insignifi-
cant, nor act however trivial, that was not made
subject of discussion, and, by returning again and
again to the charge, and placiiig each point ill a novel
light, I made i t extremely difficult for him to prevari-
cate without detection. I knew that all his future
prospects depended upon his accompanying me to
Khivn, and that I might depend upon any triflillg
sacrifice tthat should give him hope of this; and as i t
was his own, as well as the Vuzeer's wish that I
should suppose him a personal enemy of the latter,
he was not scrupulous in revealing his iniquities. At
the same time, as he could not tell how much mas
known t o me, he dared not very grossly violate the
truth. But sometimes the conversation took a lighter
turn, and to-day we had a variety of anecdotes as
credible as the relations of the great liar Josephus.
The scorpioii of Peshawur, he said, is of great size,
and its wit is equal. to its bulk. A gentleman of that
city, lying one inoriling upon his bed, with his hand
hanging down, saw a portly fellow approach the hancl,
squint up at it, and then standing a tip-toe, enclea-
vour to sting it. Failing in his attempt, the scorpion
.
went away, but soon after returned with another,
and, standing upon its back, would inevitably have
stung the gentleman, had he not in goocl. time with-
drawn his hand.
Peer Mlthummud Khauil hacl heard, he said, of a
house in England opened once a year for the reception
of letters, and where they who were so fortunate as
to gain admittance were bound by the most solemn
oaths to reveal nothing they should see or hear. That
the lmowledge there revealed to them in a single
hour surpassed the joint ki~owleclge and experience
acquired by fifty sages in the course of a long life.
Tbis evidently is Freemason's Hall.
The old Meerza striking in, related, that a poor man
haviiig nothiilg to present to Timoor Lungh,* brought
him the thigh of zl grasshopper, saying, LLRehold thine
ant., 0 Timoor, hath brought thee accorcli~lg to the
measure of his capacity." This cmecclote has for foun-
dation the tradition, that King Solomon having been
placecl by the Almighty in sovereignty of men,
demons, and the b ~ u t e creation, was receiving their
,
voluntary tribute, when the Court was a good deal
amused at seeing an ant enter, dragging along the
thigh of 5 grasshopper, which it deposited at the mo-
narch's feet with evident colnplacency. The elephant
turned up his nose, and the hyczna laughed outright
at this mighty addition to the royal treasure ; for tlhe
one had brought him on its hack a budding aloe tree,
and the other a rich necklace, rent from the throat
of a young maiden, whom he had surprised and
a
slaughtered at her mother's tomb. But Solomoll I
* Better known in Europe as Tamerlane.
Lungh signifies
lame, and Timoor alone is the proper name of this king.
1s
Asia he is generally called the Ummir Timoor.
UHUMHUNIE BHAYD. 15
sternly rebuked both, declaring that none that clay
had honoured hirn, as he felt honoured by the little
ant.
(' A particular friend of mine," said Peer Muhum-
mud Khaun, '' was one day chasing a, fox upon the
hill side, when sucldenly a snake atruclr his dog, which
instantly swelled to an immense size and began to
shake violently. What was the amazement of my
friend to see the flesh ancl skin fall to tatters, ancl
scatter by the ahaking on every side, leaving a vei-y
perfect skeleton of the dog, which my friend preserved,
and still shows as a great cui-iosity." '' The venom
of some snakes," I replied, " is very virulent."
Toward evening, we reached a spot fitted for en-
campment, about two miles short of KuIlah Chum-
tnunie Bhaycl. The jungle grass was hore on fire, .
ancl a large flock of perhaps 1000 sheep, guarded by
three shepherds, sfood near. We asked them to sell
us a young sheep. They bargainecl to exchange it
for a little tobacco, which one of my servants pro-
$
duced. They long refused, but at length accepted
the money I forced upon them. The proper price
was five tungas, or about one and nine pence, but an
Englishman is never satisfied until he hae paid
double.
30th December.-Leaving this spot at daybreak,
we again foIlowed the Khooshk rivulet. The scene
continued unchanged, excepting perhaps that not a
human dwelling was visible, Large flocks of white
sheep stilI sprinlcled the hills on either side, but those
hills were growing more arid and sandy as we ad-
vanced. The castle of Chumlnuilie Bhayd is ruined
and deserted. It presented a fine effect in the haze
of the morning, guarding with .its ragged ramparts
16 SLAVE-DEALING.
the passage of the valley.
A few miles further, are
the ruins of another castle called Howzi Khaun, or '' the
cistern of the chief." In a plain near this ruin was
fought, a few years since, the battle between Derveish
Kbaun, late chief of t he Jumsheedees, and the Hi -
zaruhs assisted by Mahomed Zemaun Khaun ; Der-
veish Rhaun was slain, and Mahomed Zemaun I<hauiz
instated in his authority. Hence the death feud
bet~veen the latter ancl the children of the former.
The Meerzah assured me that at Khooshk lle had seen
within the Khaun's enclosure no less than twenty
Toorcumuns waiting to puschase the slaves of Heraut
as the Jumsheedees bring them in, One of these
Toorcumuns was returning in disgust, and had joined
my party. He had been offered olily two slaves for
his horse, a very fine one, which I have since pur-
cl~asecl for 30 ducats, or gl5. Slaves, therefore, are
tolerably cheap. The valley of Hersut, already
neayly depopulated by the late Persian invasion, is
t hus daily deprived of the slencler means possessed of
recruiting its exhausted numbers, It is natural to
i uq~~i r e what can induce the Vuzeer to a measure of
such insane folly. The question has long'puzzled me.
My late conversntions with Peer Muhummud Khaull
have, I believe, fulmnished a solution. The Vuzeer,
psevious t o the Persian invasion, had possessed him-
self of all but the shadow of the supreme authority.
I n another month or two he would certably have
deposed S h a d Kaumraun, and have usurped his
place. Such views, however suspended by circum-
stances, are never wholly relinquished; a11d Yur
Muhummud Kl~aun, having his relations ill eveTy iim-
pol-tant post in the kingdom, is apprehensive only of
the oppositioiz of the tentecl tribes. These he con-
SABRE8. 17
ciliates at every ~ i s k of prcsent damage to the state,
as well as by profuse liberality. Every rare sword
or other costly article that falls in his way he sends
to these cl~iefs, and great p a ~ t of their wealth being
amassed in lridnapping, he winks at the practice,
though sensible of its pernicious consequences.
Peer Muhumniud Rhaun was showing me his
sword yesterday. It is an Isfahaunie sabre, of rather
coarse workmanship. I asked him what was the
highest price he had ever lciiown to be given for a
C blade. He said that the Vuzeer had possessed one
purchased for 9,000 Heraut rupees, or about S300,
and that he had given it to the Reegler Beeg of the
Huzaruhs. That good blades are now very rare iz
I-Ieraut, and perhaps confined to the royal treasury.
What constitutes the goodness and value of a
blade in your eyes ? "
" It must be finely shaped, finely watered, and
handsomely mounted. "
" But do you subject it to no test ? "
L L None at all."
L L And if it break in battle ? "
'( It is OUT destiny."
I explained to him the 'proofs to which we subject
our blades in Europe, and also those employed in
Himloostan, and shewed him my own swo~d, making
him observe its elasticity.
L L But," said he, "it has no water ? "
No ! I t was made for use, and not for diaplay ;
your weapons are toys, ours are instruments. We go
to battle to fight, not to play; and would give nothing
for a blade, however handsome, that would expose us
to the mercy of an antagonist. I once proved one of
your finely watered blades upon a steel helmet. It
VOL. I. 2
18 BAUDEHISB AND NOWREB.
shiverecl at the first blow. Your own blade, you
perceive, has no elasticity. It is beat, aiicl at present,
useless. I n battle, ~ihoulcl it mcct n~l ot l ~er sworcl, it
would citlicr turn in your hand like n piece of leacl, or
snap in halves."
I n fact, I have givoil inucl. atteii tioil to thc subject,
' ,
ancl am coilviilcccl thnt in this couiltry nothing is
known of the true esccllcilcc of thc sabre.
We now quittcd the district called Bnnl<iss, wliicl~
may be Bauclkhiss thc Wincly, or B:~ugliiss, the Easter11
name of Bacchus. Thc name of tllc a~~ccceclirig
district is Mowrco,* niid here we fouild the ruiiled
castle, Rull~ll-i-Mowr, haviilg still one wretched cell
capable of sheltcrillg a trnvellor. A11 cxteilsive
Ihwreeze in the rniclcllc of tlie valley remains to attest
its former lligl.1 state of' culture, a11d suggests tllc
notion, thnt in other days tlic wnters of the rivulet
were expencleil in irrigatioii, ere they could rcncl~
ICullah-i-Mowr ; ttt ljrescnt this vnlley harbours not a
living soul. Wc tnot not less than six or seven cara-
vans of grain frotn Il'Ierv. Af; this cautle cornrnences
tllc kingdoin of IChaurisrn .
I was weal: enougll to yiolcl to tllc c~itrcutics of my
people, and put u[) for tho night in t~ i~ccrl jungle.
Wc were scarcely ~et t l ed, wliet~ onc of t,licm came t o
report hnving wen two linrsclncn mo~mt tllc high
grourid above! us, ttnd ilStcr IL cz~rcful scrutiuy of our
cntnp, rctirc, I ant IL co~rplc of lny hor,c~ornen t,o
rcconnsitrc, and prel~urcd Pen* tlicl worst, They
soor1 rctul?~ecl with news blltit tllc lltrrrjctncri bcloiigecl
@ It is curioua t o u~uob. tugc:tlicr tho r l t ~r t l c~ of l3accllun mcl of
his l~irth~placo, Moruo or Morug. It ia curtaill that this tmwti
wns ovarrun by Aloxanilcr and liie urlnics ; Lut Ai ~i au and
others phco Mount Mo r o ~ niril Nuna bctwtlcn thc Indus a~rcl
Koophoeu or Loondi Itivrlrlr,
TOORUUMUN KRAIL. 19
to a caravan, and they brought one of them before
me.
31st December.-The night passed without acci-
clent, and starting with daylight, we tracked the
Khooshk, until its valley is lost i n that of the Moor-
ghanb, or Awb-i-Mowr. We then ascended the latter
river t o the largest Khail, or camp of Punj Deeh ;
passing the ruined vineyard and deserted fields of a
once populous and cultivated district. My guide,
the Birdler Beeg, who was once petty governor here,
was now quite in liis element. He sent a man ahead,
to apprize the Ichetkhoda that a guest had arrived ;
and a horseman, well mounted, so011 approached,
quitted his saddle, and took my right ham1 in both
liis own, saying, '' You are wclcome ; you are very
welcome." We followed him to the Khail, where
about three hundred black tents of the Yahmoot
Toorcumuns were pitched, in the form of two hollow
squares; and I soon perceived one of these tents
wallcing bodily towards me. The Khetkhoda, a tall,
sawny, miserly-loolcing fellow, here made me welcome
with a second edition of hancl-joiniug ; and, spreading
s handsome carpet on the earth, begged me to be
seated, until my lzabitation should be ready. I did
so, and soon perceived that me were surroulldecl by a
crowd of curious faces, all decidedly Tartar, yet not
generally uncomely. The softness of the eyes, open-
ing with lids equally arched, gives a femiiiiae, and
therefore not unpleasing, expression to the coulite.
nances of the children, who are sometimes fair as
Europeans.
Two or three little girls wore a red cap tricked
with gold and silver ornaments, fantastic, but exceecl-
ilgly becoming; but no adults of the fairer sex
2 *
20 GUESTB AND NEIGIIBOURS.
I
i
appealled.
As the old Khctlihocln und several othells
understood Persian, we got 011 tolerably well t o p -
thor, and in about half an hour, the t ent was rcncly
for my reception, and I was escorted to i t in due
form .
1 found the floor spread with finc cnrpcts, tllc innnn-
j
1
facture of the Khail.
Oilc of tllcsc had almost t hc
softness of velvet, and woulrl have sol(l. clvcwhcro foln
a high price.
Thcse Toorctllnun tents arc! tlic most
coinfortable of clwellings in this scycnc clirnntc. A
house cannot be aclaptcd t o thc vicisvitudca of hcat
colcl which mark thc yew. Wlicrons by rcinoviilg
a ort ti on of the felt covering, this tcnt is oilen to the
air in summer ; and in wiiltcr n fire lighted in thc
centre makes it the warmest of' rctrcsta, all tllc smoke
risillg through the skylight in the roof. Not t o men-
tion the p e a t advantage of being able to migrate,
dwelling and all, t o a sunny or a sl~cltered spot.
* . An unfolween difficulty now occurrcd. I requi~erl
four days' supyly of provisions for my pooplc iind
cattle. Being n guest, I was forbidden t o purchuae
these, and could not possibly acccpt tlicrn ! I made
my hleerza rel~resellt t o the ICl~ctlchotln, tliut ur~lcss llc
would consent t o regard mc us n neighl)oiir, : l r d riot
a guest, I must quit his IChail kind pitch cluc~vlicrc.
After some clcmur, my rcqucst was cornlrliotl with;
and Summucl IChaun, my stcwaril, curno to rcsl~ort his
success in bargaining. I clcsircd him not ttr btu*gnin
with men who wc1.o trerktii~g tlu HC) lil)orally, but to
give them whatever they might dwnnad. I' rcarn~t l ~
afterwarcl~ in cnlne Sumrnud ICllaun, r ~r l c l wit11 t~ willk
of the eye, asked whether i t were my plcseum to giin:
the price of n, camel for u ~h e e p ?
" Certainly not," I roplied,
PEER MUHUMMUD KBAUN.
21
L L Then," said he, " you must allow me to bargain."
I n fact, the scyuple as to guestship once removed,
each vied with the other to ovei~'eac1r me. Evening
was now closing in ; my host had left me, but Peer
Muhummud Khaun still lingel*ecl. I had now satisfied
myself, beyond any reasonable doubt, that he was
sent t o countermine me at Khiva, and that he had
despatches from the Vuzeer, to both the governor of
Merv ancl the minister at Khiva. I therefore no
longer hesitated to blight his hol~es, or t80 deprive
nlyself of the most agreeable of companions. I had
allowecl him to fancy himself a great and growing
fnvourite, as by that means I was enabled to pump
him the deeper; for I knew that it was worth his
while to tell rue all he knew, if he could by this means
persuade me to take him on to Khiva. I now sud-
deilly addressed him-
" Peer Muhummud Khnun, this is the Khiva terri-
tory,-I require your escort no farther. You will
return to-morrow morning to Heraut."
He was thunderstruck ; ancl it was long before he
could utter a word, When he recovered, he pleaded
hard, but to no purpose ; excepting that I gave him
a note for the British Envoy, begging that all his
expenses might be made ,goocl to him, provided all
should go right with my mission at IChiva; for I was
still al)prehensive that he would find means to send
on his despatches.
I
CHAPTER 11.
The Tent of Plenty of the Yahmoot-Gift-Horses-A Toorcu-
mun Breakfast-The Sawny Old Khetkhoda-Peer Muhum-
mud Khaun' s Farewell - Extraordinary Power of Par
Muhummud Xhaun over his Agents-Valley of the Moor-
ghaub-Junction of the Khooshk Rivulet with that River-
Visit from a Pmther-Approach to Yoollataun-Reception
there by t he Governor-Distrust of the Relations between
England and Russia-Presents-Muhummud Aumeen Beg-
The Zunnulr-Departure-The old Cauzie of Yoollataun-
Probable Origin of Col. Stoddart's Imprisonment at Bokhara
-Hopes of the Slaves at Yoollataun-Approach to Merv-
Want of Courtesy of the Governor in my Reception-Tho
\
Jews of Merv and Meshed-Insulting Conduct of a Servant;
of t he Governo1.-My first Turban-Visit to the Gover~or-
Insulting Reception, its Origin and Motive-Preparations:
for the Passage of the Desert-Jew Merchants-Suspicions
Circumstances-Conversation.
J
ANUARY Ist, 1840.-It was scarcely light, when
I observed thc curtain of my door moved from
time to time, to admit a pair of cuiious eyes. I
therefore threw it up, aiicl soon hacl a full assembly of
rustic figures, in lamb-skin caps, coarse woollen cloalcs,
zmcl half boots of clumsy shape, secured with thongs
of leather. Among the rest came two servants of the
Mew govenior, plain quiet-looking fellows, whose
huge cylinclric caps of black lamb-skin denoted their
' pretensions t o rank. After due salutation the coinpany
was seated in a circle around the tent, and I observed
t hat Birdler Beeg took a seat above the governor's
people. He was here quite in his element ; and his
GIFT HORSES. '
23
e x ~l . ~me good nature showed to aclvnntage. He chat-
tered alternately ill Toorlrish and ill Persian. EIe
grinllecl, he laughed, he asked whether the tcllts of
plenty of the Yahnioot were not better than the lzousc
of famine of the Jumsheedee. The two cylinclric-
hatted gentlemen sate in profound silence, looking
their clullest. I called for tea, and having but a single
goblet, sent it ill turn to the several guests as tl~ey
were ranged. Presently, in came a Fuqueer, and with
a merry countenance, ancl an abundance of coinpli-
inent, asked for alms. I gave him a few t~ulgahs, or
silver coins, upon which he stood up ancl forinally
~rayecl for my prosperity, in which all present made
the usual sigllal of joiiliug, by yresentiiig the spr e~d
hands in front of them, nnd then collecting from their
beards the drops of grace supposed to fall in nnsrver.
" It is as the' precious ointment which flowed down
upon the beard, even Aaron's beard, and went unto I
the skirts df his raiment."
The Fuqueer then departed in great glee. Just as
he reached the door, the clown sitting near it gave
him a tremenclous thump on the baclr, and a thuacler.
peal of laughter. This, in an English cottage, mould
have been sufficiently chnmctesistic.
A tall fellow now insisted upon my acceptance of a
horse ; his neighbour pressed upon me another, and
d begged I would step out and examine the offerings.
After a thousand excuses, I was obliged to comply,
and found no less than three fine horses awaiting my
acceptance. The owners mounting them, displayed
their paces, and then again pressed them upon me. I
replied that it was not the custom of my country to
accept presents without making some return, and
that I was a traveller, and unprovided with means.
' 24 YAHMOOT HOSPITALITY.
'' Never mind," said the tall fellow, l L you shall have
my horse, and I will take nothing in return." c L But,"
I said, " what am I to do with so many horses on a
jouimey ; horses are an encumbrance to a stilanger ?"
" But you are not a 8trangei1. This is your home,
and your country; " replied the sawny old Khet-
khoda.
" How would it answer," insinuated Peer Muhum-
mud Khaun, ' l to give me one of the horses ? "
I replied that he must wait the result of my
mission.
Finding it impossible to escape, I accepted one
horse, and gave the owner a note t o the Envoy at
Heraut, begging him t o give the Toorcurnun an
equivalent. The hospitality of Toorcumuns is a
sacred form, in which the heart has no concern. They
were well pleased with my arrangement ; neither am
I certain that but for some expectation of the kind,
they would ever have been so free with their gifts.
The Birdler Beeg was one of this tribe, and extremely
anxious that I should form a favourable opinion 'of
his people, as well as of his influence amongst them ;
and I have no doubt that he incited then1 to present
their horses by his tales of British liberality. The
horses presented were a huge chestnut of clumsy
figure, which all my servants fell i n love with, size
being everything in their eyes ; a strong, well-com-
pacted white horse, with dark points; and a delicately
formed grey, about 15& hands high, having an ex-
quisite head and neck, and showy paces. The back
sinews of this horse were so distant from the bone,
that at first sight I pronounced them to be strained,
and it was only after minutest scrutiny that I believed
the Birdler Beeg's assurance, that this is a peculiarity
A TOORCUMUN BREAKFAST.
of the breed, and a supposed excellence in the eyes
of Toorcumuns. I selected this horse. We acl-
journed to my tent, and sate a while in discourse.
The Toorcumun whose horse I had not taken was a
little vexed. ( 5 I offered you," he said, "a much fines
horse than the grey ; but you refused him." " I am
a t r a~el l e~, " I replied, ' 5 what could I do with so many
horses ? " He took up one of my pistols. " I have
got a pail* of flint and steel pistols, would you like to
see them ? " I assented, and he producecl a miserable
little pair of pocket pistols, which I well remembered
t o have been presented to Ubdoolla Sooltaun, one of
the Jumsheedee chiefs. 'L Here," he said, slapping
them down upon the carpet, with an assumption of
fi.ailk generosity that was very amusing, "you shall
accept these,-you shall." I declined, however, most
decidedly, and just then breakfast was announced.
I t collsisted of macaroni made in the Khail, not fluted,
but rolled into broad thin cakes, and cut into thongs
by the women, with their husbands' swords. It was
stewed with lcooroot and mill<, and some of the sweet
syrup of grapes. It was by no means unpalatable,
but a huge wooclen ladle, the sole article of the kind
pi*ocurableJ discol~ce~ted all attempts on the part of
Peer Muhummucl Khaun, to eat it without treasoll t o
his magnificent beard. As I had a tea-spoon of my
own, I contrived matters pretty well. After this,
some stews of mutton and breacl were produced. I
then rose to take leave. A little boy was hanging
about the Khetkhocla : 'L Is that," I inquired, "your
' young thing (Buchchha) ? " '' He is my son (pisr),"
replied old Sawny. The distinction is very important
in these countries. Another child was mounted upon
the Khetkhoda's horse. Thinking this must also be
2 6 DISINTERESTEDNESS.
his son, I was about to slip two ducats into the boy's
Imtld, but &d first, I s that also youll son ? "
6cNuugh ! " old Samy, in evident pertul'oa-
tion. We The Ehetkhoda kept close to
my side, nnd, matching his opportunity, brought his
knee close to mine, and asked ill a whisper, L C What
have you told t o be given for the horse ? " " What
is he worth ? " I inquired iu return. c C Hah ! " said
tlme fellow with an abrupt shy, "What is he worth :
what is he worth ? "
The Birdlcr Beeg conling up, whispered rnysteri-
ouvly that- t he agents of the Governor of Merv ex-
1)cctecl u present of at least a cloak. TI excused myself
as being a traveller, and at that moment utterly uli-
provided.
I lion begged the Toorcurnuns not to
acconlpany me farther, and took. leave in due form,
at n srr~all stream. However, whilst our horses were
clrinking, I observecl that the Khetkhocla was still
present,-ancl mysteriously whispering to the Birdler
Beeg. The latter, coming up, announced the purport
to be a reminiscence of lny intended gift to his child.
L C I do not perceive the child here," I replied, looking
round, LL NO ! " said the Khetkhoda, " but I can give
hi111 the money." I took out the two brightest ducats
t~rld presented them, saying they might serve as orna-
trleuts to his chilcl's head. He perused them long,
mid with evident satisfaction. Something, distantly
related to a grin, drew up the right corner of his
mouth, contrasting oddly with his habitual sawny
sneer. I saw that our friendship was nothing the less;
but it was a strange commentvry upon the supposed
i
disinterestedness of these wild tribes.
Pees M~ h r n m t ~ d IChaun rode very d i ~ c o ~ ~ l ~ t ~ l ~
at my side.
" You have at length thrown off," he
THE EVIL GENIUEI. 27
sGc1, " your evil genius.
You are as a inall lvho
has been haunted by an ~lncleaiz spirit through the
wililerlless, ailil rvho, reaching at length a place of
fountains, by prayer and lustration, rids himself of
the fielid." The simile was singularly apposite; Yar
Muhummucl Khaun hail sent this man to be my evil
spirit at Merv and Khiva. Had I not suspected his
views, my ruin had been certainl. A Anan of this
kind, a crenture of the Vuzeer, is believed to hnvc
contrived the plot to which Coloilel Stoddart is still
a victim. Peer I\iIuhummucl Khauil mas eminel~t~ly
qudifiecl for liis part. Of the lnost gentlemanly
address, the most pleasing and insinunting manners,
he never for an instmt forgot, his place, but was
always watchful and attentive. Then his intelligence
supplied half the words my vocabulal*y wanted, and
he seemed the very person requisite upon my forlorn
expedition, to give ine hints of the custorns of tlzc
people with whom I was to dwell, md maintail1
clccorum amongst the rest of the estabLisl~ment. But
there was one fatal dra~vback to all this,-he was the
tool of Ynr Muhummud Khaun, Vuzeer of Hemut.
The fellow had conbivecl to gain such a shwe oi'
my interest, that I found myself devising a thouw1d
little schemes for re;airiing him, could I but purcl~nse
his allegiance, and make him my own by presei~t
liberality and future prospects. I remembered, how-
ever, too many instances of such attempts proving
dead failures." Whatever the means employed by
* This subject has occupied much of my attention; and I
am inclined to think that the extrao~.dina~*y sscendance of the
Vuzeer was maintained by the conviction he contrived by his
agents to impress upon all classes, and which certainly vas in
operation from the hour of our arrivd at Horaut, that the
instant our treasure was expended he mould exclude the mi,+
j 28
VUZEER OF HERAUT.
I
the Vuzeer for securing his instruments, i t had
hitherto provecl most effectual. They often hated
him, they were assailecl by hopes and prospect,^ on
the other side; yet they faithfully served him. Not
nn illstance t o the contrary had occurred, although
very many such were pretended. I n nothing did the
genius of the man stand inore pre-eminent than in
this-that hated and regzzrclecl by his conntrymen as
t i monster of iniquity, none dared to betray him. I
had questioned Peer Muh~~mmud Kh u n upon this
secret power of the Vuzeer. He said that ere he
entrusted any agent, he got him over t o his quarters,
and made him swear solemnly upon the Koraun to
be faithful t o him; but I could not learn what par-
ticular solemnity rendered this oath upon t he Roraun
lilore binding t hm others, which the natives of the
cot~ntry are colistaiitly breaking, nor was t he expla-
nation otherwise sufficient. It seemed, however,
sufficiently cei2nil1, t h ~ t Peer Muhummud IChaun
~vould not have been entrusted with 11% present
mission, were there any chance of his betraying trust.
Ile had probably been chosen, because t he Vuzeer
hacl formerly injured him, and words of defiance had
passed between them; so that it was easy for him to
pass himself as a personal enemy of the Vuzeer.
, As I bade Peer M~zhuinmud Ehaun farewell, I did
not attempt to hide the egret it cost me. I told him
that if inclined to serve the English faithfully and
sion from his walls ; whilst this f e~l i ng prevailed, none would
unreservedly emblace British interests. This note and its text
were printed in 1841, published in 1843. I need not say t hat
the tragedy has since been acted out, t hat as soon a s Par Mu.
a.
hummud Khaun had strengthened himself with British gold,
he ejected t he British mission from Heraut, and solne time
after murdered his master, Shauh Kamran, and seized the
throne.
sincei*ely, 1
would open
v e wanted
could be pi
prospects w
Khiva. S1
assured he
Vuzeer had
My rout(
and I cros
Khooshk, a
cause of tl
The Moor4
water, a bo~
channel, m
soil of the
and fi-ingel
valley it'se
breadth, b
about threc
bank are
than the v
sandy pla!
thorn, an(
Persia. 1:
well cul t i ~
lataun utstc
of the cot
and rock-I
be found.
buildings 1
- aolitude.
camp amc
and exce
JZEER OF RBRAUT.
; ecuri ng his instruments, it had
lost effectual. They often hated
sailed by hopes and prospect.^ on
t; t h e y faithfully served him. Not
! contlrary had occurred, although
?re pretended. I n nothing did the
s t a nd more pre-eminent than in
~d regarded by his countrymen as
ity, none darecl to betyay him. I
el* M~~hummud Xhaun upon this
le Vuzeer. He said that ere he
.t, he got him over to his quarters,
.ear solemilly upon the Koraun to
; but I coulcl not learn what par-
jnclered this oath upon the Koraun
I others, which the natives of the
ntly breaking, nor was the expla-
sufficient. It seemed, however,
, t ha t Peer Muhummucl IChaun
b e e n elitrusted mith his present
2 any chance of his be t ~~yi ng tllust.
been chosen, because the Vuzeer
led him, and words of defiance had
e m ; so that it was easy for him to
ersonal enemy of the Vuzeey.
Muhummud Khaun farewell, I did
2 the regret it cost me. I tolcl him
serve the English faithfully and
vhilat this feeling prevailed, none would
R~~i t i sh interests, This note and its text
published in 1843. I need not say that
been acted out, that as soon as Par Mu.
strengthened himself with British gold,
~h mission from Heraut, and some time
master, Shauh Kamran, md seized the
sincerely, the note I had give11 him to the Envoy
would open to him the fairest prospects. But thnt
we manted acts, and not professions ; that the latter
could be purchased a~lymhere. I told him that his
prospects would greatly depend upon my reception at
Khiva. Should it prove unfavourable, I should bc
assurecl he had sent on the despat,ches mith which the
Vuzeer had entrusted llim.
My route lay along the left bank of the Moorghnub,
and I crossed by a bridge the CITY cllanncl of tllc
Rhooslik, at its junction mith the former liver. The
cause of this failure of its waters I do not know.
The Moorghaub is here a deep streatn of very pure
water, about sixty feet in breadth, and flowing it1 a
channel, mined to the depth of thirty feet in the clay
soil of the valley.
The banks are veiy precipitous,
and fiinged with tamarisk and a few reeds. The
valley itself is, at Punj Deeh, about nine miles in
byeadth, but narrows as me advauce. Here it is
about three-fourths of a mile in breadth. On the east
bank are sloping sandy hills, about GOO feet higl~er
than the valley. On the west is the desert, a high
sandy plain, overrun with low bushes md camel
thorn, md extending to the mountain barrier of
Persia. The valley of the Moorghaub has once been
well cultivated, but is now from Punj Deeh to Yool-
Iataun utterly deserted, owing to the late distractions
of the country. It abounds in pheasants, chuccores,
and rock-pigeons, The panther and bear are also to
be found. At long intervds are seen the ruins of
buildings ; but I observed not ol black tent in the
solitude. Towards evening I chose a spot for my
camp amongst the brushwood, bordering the river,
and excepting that the horses were occasionally
3 0 PANTHER.
frightened fkom theh picquets by the sudden wllirr
of a yheasantu, the night l~assecl ~vithout accident.
2nd January.-Resuming my course with dny-
light, I passed by n good ancl much beaten road dowil
the river valley. Scene as before. All the party are
rejoicing to be sic1 of Peer Muhumnlud Ichaun, who,
whilst he made himself so especially agreeable to me,
contrived to be llatecl by every individual of my suite.
Instances of his meanness were now related, which to
anyone nnacq uainted with Asiatics, might well seein
increclibie. At evening I found a mell-sheltered spot
amongst the tamarisk trees, ancl settled there for the,
night,. Two large fires were lighted, but darkness
had scarcely fallen, when I heard a, panther prowling
close round the camp, with that mewling cry which
I have so often heard from the tigress. I t approachccl
so near, that my people flecl fkom it, and came to
apprize me. I caught up my gun ifit3 ,a pistol, and
went in search of the animal ; but th6 d,zrluless of
the night, and density of the jungle baffled me. I
therefore made my people light a third large fire,
ztlld keep qp the blaze tl~soughout the night. But
no twithstaliding all these precautions, I was prepared
for some mischief to the cattle. My people lying
close to the blaze of their fires were more secure.
Until miclnight the cries of this unwelcome visitor
continued, and once during the night he again ap-
peared, but morliing broke wit-hout accident.
3rd January.-At sunrise we pursued the course
of the Afoorghnub as before. Mx horse, genesally
remarkable for his steadiness, was starting at every
leaf; he had had a visit from the panther, which had
approached him cluriilg the night so close, that he
had broken f ~ o m his picquets. My new .Yahmoot
horse *a4
baggage @
admi t , p V'
t hi s pr,LIJ
Yaboo. 3
l aden ~ 5 ~ 1 ~ .
back ill c.3
EIeraue,
As 1 a171'
t h e c o ~ 1 ~ ~ 6 ~ :
cent c ~ l ~ ~ l f
on horse.6~(
wa s at hsOc
c o r n p l e ~ i ~ ? r l ~
far f r or n
the s peci l l , c:
some faPtk-el
and a m o r ~ g s
The r o a d 3
canals of zmU
villages of 19
widely 0x1 t;
boulidecl b y
mun to a c c j
hurnmucl A
draving XLCZ
Beeg, me t
of blaclr tau
to stare LXIJCJ
my hand, ELZI
v a n t to G ~ l c
not commit; 1
I was l k a v
A f ew Z O T ~ \%
le sudden whirl*
~t accident.
urse with dny-
>aten road down
~11 the party aye
ud IChann, who,
agreeable to me,
lual of my suite.
belated, which t o
night well seem
311-sheltered spot - : "
ed there for t he
d, but darkness
anther prowlillg
wling ci y which
s. I t approached
it, and came to
&d .a pistol, and
th6 dai*kness of
: baffled me. I
third large fire,
the night. - But
3, I was prepared
My people lying
Ere more secure.
nwelcome visitor
;ht he again ap-
accident.
lrsued the course
horse, generally
starting a t every
tnther, which had
so close, that he
[y new Yahmoot
POOLLATAUN.
3 1
horse was led by the groom, riding a Yoboo, or
baggage gallo~vay : but although the path woulcl
admit of but one horse abreast, ilothkg can persuacri
this proud creature' to follorv in the steps of the
Yahoo. We met a caravan at every third mile,
ladeu with wheat and barley from 31erv.
They t a k ~
back in exchange slaves of both sexes, chiefly fio~n
I-Ieraut.
AS I apllroached Yoollataun, the dogert aspect of
t he country was a little broken by symptoms of re-
cent culture. Three women, one of them mounted
011 horsebaclr, and all unveilecl, met me. No male
was a t hand to protect them. They have a sillplar
complexion, rucldy, but not fair. Their fenturcs are
far frorn agreeable, more partic~darly their eyes. But
t he specimens I have seen are not sufficient. After
some farther advance, a fev mnd walls became visible,
and amongst them here and there a black Tartar tent.
The road was now everywhere elltangled amo~lgst
canals of ilunning water. The Rhails, or moveable
villages of blaclr tents increased, and the valley opeued
widely on either side, being in fact a large plain
bounded by the desert. I sent forward my Toorcu-
mun t o acquaint the governor of the disti~ict, Mu-
hummud Aumeen Beeg, of my approach: and on
&awing nearer, five or six horsemen, sent by the
Beeg, met ancl saluted me. We passed large Khails
of black tents, whose male inhabitants lined the road
to stare upon us. .One of these, approaching, kissed
my hand, and informed me that he had been a ser-
vallt t o Colouel Stoddart. His name I regret I did
not commit to paper.
I was now close to Muhu~nmud Aumeen's place.
A few low wZI]ls, two or three Toorculnun tents, and
3 2 YAHMOOT HORSES.
a routie* of blue cotton cloth, formed the palace of
the rustic worthy. Outside I observed a party of
horse awaiting my arrival. They advaiiced as I drew
near, and I learned on enquiry that the governor was
amongst them. The Birdler Beeg informed me, that
it is t he fashion here t,o shake hallds without dis-
mounting ; but observing that the governor hacl his
hand upon the pommel, as if expecting fiofn me a
similar movement, I drew up my horse and alighted.
The Khetlchoda of the ~ h a a mas there, a venerable
man. The Beeg always gave him precedence. We
embraced very lovingly, touching alternately the
right and left breasts,-a species of exercise infinitely
absurd to the beholder, when there are twenty or
thirty yeTsons to be'embraced in succession. I got
off for the present with two. We remounted, mild
rode together to the mansion. Muhummud Aulneen
Beeg was mounted upon a very beautiful bay Yah-
mootie horse, powerful, active, and full of fire. The
path being narrow he abandoned it to me, and spurred
over t he uneven ground, proud of showing his horse-
manship. One of his servants was almost equally
well mounted upon a grey. I afterwards ascertained
that he had purchased t he two horses for 70 and 60
Tillas, 560 ancl 480 Co.'s Rupees, or $56 and &48+
They were horses of considerable size, and are the
finest I have ever seen in eastern lands.
I dismounted at the door of a black tent prepared
for my reception, md was ushered in by the Beeg
and Khetkhoda, A comfortable fire of wood embers
burned in the centre. My host insisted upon occupy-
* A small double-poled bent with gables.
t The ordinary price for a serviceable Toorcurnun horse of
medium height is &15. These were very beautiful animals.
ing the lo
(you are P
Toorkish,
that it wat
a friend.
and succe
Merv is ce
ing. One
I got on pl
my missiol
tween the :
t o them th
jealousy of
present as
Russia ? "
his head.
tence, 014
Khaun, w
the Britis /
from Maj
of British
then to t
anxious to
and states.
VOL.
t he palace of
:d a of
ced as I drew
governor was
-med me, that
without dis-
,ernor had his
.ng f r oh me a
: ancl alighted.
e, a venerable
icedence. We
~lternately the
krcise infinitely
are twenty or
cession. I got
emounted, and
nlnud Aumeeil
tiful bay Yah-
1 of fire. The
ae, and spurred
fling his horse-
almost equally
sds ascertained
i for 70 and 60
$56 and S48Jr
3, and are the
3 .
: tent, prepared
n by t he Beeg
If woocl embers
d upon occupy-
orcumun horse of
utiful animals.
MUHUMNUD AUMEEN BEERQ.
3 3
ing the owes st sent, aod said, '' Iihoosh numudccf],"
(you are welconle,) several times, mld the11 fiddt!rl i n
Toorkish, "It is all the Persian I koo~~. " 1 rcIllic~l,
that i t was n very pleasant sentence in the moutl1
a friend. Byead, raisins, and sugar mere now brought,
and succeedecl by some enormous melons, Tor wllich
Merv is celebratecl, and which I found very refresh-
ing. One or two of the party spoko Pcrsirr~~, so that
I got on pretty well. I explained, that the ol?icct of
iny mission was the establishment of friendship lie-
tween the English and Khivan governments ; clescrilwtl
to them the state of Euyope, and the rlature of our
jealousy of the qgressions of Russia. An old 111an
present askecl, "Have you evey bee11 at war with
Russia ? " When I replied in the negative, 11c shwk
his head. This suspicion of our jealousy being n pm-
tence, originates with the Vuzeer Yar Muhummud
Khaun, who, anxious t o prevent an alliance betwceri
the British and Iihiva, has taken this method of dis-
concerting it .*
Previous t o my arrivi~l here, I had been in some
perplexity about the presents I had in charge, viz.
three rifles alld a sabre. I thought one of these Inuvt
needs be intended for the governor of Mew ; and. if
so, noue was left for Muhummud Aurnem Beeg, for
whom, nevertheless, I had a strong notion that some-
thing had been sent. Having no mems of solving
my perplexity, I determined to let the notes explain
themselves, ancl accordingly gave the Beeg hia letter
from Major Todd, md another sent him by the prince
* The Vuzeer having from the first determhetl to malrc! use
of British alliance only t o recruit his exhnusted trmury, and
then to thrust the mission from his walh, WU extreulely
anxious to prevent our influence over the neighbouriug tribes
and states.
VOL. I.
I! 34 THE OLD CAUZIE.
1
Muhummud Yoosuph.
Both mere carried off to be
rend and translated to t he Beeg, whilst I continued
to chat with those left iu the tent. Prese~ltly the
Beeg returned, bringing with him an old gentleman,
the Cauzie or Juclge of Yoollataua. The excessive
politeness of this worthy, assured me that he had
some mischief i11 view. The Beeg's face also was full
of busy importance, and a kind of clogged resolution
that boded lne no good. The Cauzie produced t he
lett,ers I had just clelivered. The Beeg desired him
to reucl tilein aloud. He did so, and I was pleased
and i*elicved to find that one of t he rides was intended
for hfuhu~~~mucl Aumeen Beeg.
" Now," said the
Cnuzie after a deep pause, " tlze Envoy says he has
sent t'he Reeg u rifle. Where is the rifle? Let us
see the rifle." It was evident that all present thought
I had intenclecl to defraocl the Beeg. I could scas~ely
forbear llaughhlg, but calmly 01;derecl the gun to be
procluced. The Beeg seized it ns if in .terror that i t
might yet escape him. He tore off t he cloth case.,
aiicl examined it with intense scrutiny. When he
I
came to the lock and foulld a matchlock, he muttered,
r;
6
as if he thought I had palmecl off upon
some
i inferior nrticle.
I On my first arrival at the tent, whilst sitting in a
j
circle with my entertainers, a servant had brought in
d
my holst,er pistols, and some other articles, which I
Y
had hastily made him carry away, lest he should
I
i disturb the company. This had evidently excited
the suspicion of the Beeg ; for he now said, " The
1
prince Muhummud Yoosupll informs me that Major
d
i
Todcl has sent me a brace of pistols ; but I do not see
I
i "
them."
(' His information was not good," I replied ;
il
"the Envoy had intended to send you a brace of
i
pistols int
Hussun as
as they wc
said very
I replied t
that if t h
governrner
me know.
Muhuml
faced Oozb
I-Iuzurut.
inclined to
but full of
and is in
option of'
clTessed i n :
ferred the 1
in the 00:
wretched 1
having givc
ascl this be
tailor to be
' L It '9 a wc
some one '
soon returr
ing and ha1
not worthy
quite recon,
unbelieving
Beeg came
world I had
t he contern]
mannilrin.
6th Jenu;
THE ZUNNUK.
pistols instead of a matchlock, but Cauzie Moollah
Hussun assured him that they would not be valued,
as they were destitute of ornament,'' ' L The Cauzie
said very wrong ; there is nothing we value more."
I replied that I would write f o ~ a brace for him, and
that if there were any other respect in which my
g ~ v e ~ ~ i me n t could oblige him I trusted lie would let
me know.
Mulin~nmucl Aumeen Beeg is a short, stout, rouilcl-
faced Oozbeg, of the fanlily of the reigning R~RUI I
Huzurut. He is said to be a worthy man, and well
inclined toward the English. He is very hospitable,
but full of peculiarit,ies charactei*istic of couiitry life,
and is in hct an Oozbeg'syuire. He gave me the
option of having my provisions sent me raw, or
dressed in his kitchen. To save hiin trouble, I pre-
ferred the former ailrangement. I slept comfortably
in the Oozbeg tent. I n the morniiig some of the
wretched loops and buttoils of my Afghaun attire
having given way, I sent Nizaum to get them mended,
aiid this being accomplished, desired him to call the
tailor to be rewarded. Be was horrified at the idea.
( L It 's a woman," said he. L L Well then let her send
some one for the present." Off welit Nizaum, but
sooii returned with the lady herself, who came smirk-
ing and half covering a face, which; sooth to say, 7vas
not worthy of the pains. I gave lier a ducat, which
quite reconcilecl her to'having boime the glance of i n
unbelieving eye. She had scarcely gone when Birdler
Beeg came breat.hless mith haste to ask what in the
world I had been at with the Zunnuk. Zunnuk is
tlie contemptuous epithet for woman, the feminine of
mannikin.
5th January,-Breakfast was brought, and having
3 "
discussecl it, I prepared to depaTt.
1 repeated my
proffer of wi t i ng to Heraut for any thing that 17~ul d
please tile Beeg. He replied, I r equi ~e nothing but
a brace of flint and steel pistols, 'ather short i11 the
basrels. This was the exact description of my own
weapons, which he had been overhauling, and whi ch
he still persisted in thinking intended for himself. I
woulcl have taken leave of him at t he door ; but he
insisted upon escorting me a fursulr, and off we
started.
Perceiving that the old Cauzie was a man of con-
sequence in tohe householcl, I had been paying his
chilcl great attention; aud now took t he opportunity
of slipping five gold pieces into his hand. The old
gentleman mas clelightecl, ancl as I have since h e a d ,
proclaimed my praises at the top of his gamut.
Colonel Stoddmt's old servant also accompanied us,
following me t o some distance after I had taken leave
of the Beeg. I fell into conversation with hi m, and
found it to be his firm conviction that the imprison-
ment of Colonel Stoddart, mas owing to a l et t er
wsitten by the Vuzeer Yar Muhummud, to t he
UmmeeT of Bokhara. This man has since visited
Bokharn with t he view of effecting Colonel S t ~ d d m t ' ~
release. His opinioii jumps with a conviction I have
long felt. It is well know~l that terms of deficmce
had passed between Colonel Stoddart and the Vuaeer,
I
which the latter was the last man in the world t o
F forget or forgive. An outward reconciliation had
taken place, but such could but serve t o inflame, by
suppressing the resentment of such a man as Yar
Muhummud. It would appeal1 also t hat the Yuseer,
in addition to his letter to the Ummeer, sent a marl
of his o m in company with Colonel Stoddart ; and
to this n
quences
Ilad per$
111pu
me, and
his sent'i
Birdler :
" He is r
him. "
There se
and jealc
them to
one moi
Beeg I li
matters ;
made hir
to the M
ducats, T
without
received
hope and
the moti
cept.ing i
in all As;
I find
amongst
notion tli
the capti
that the
masters lr
mud Khr
om1 tribc
I assured
EIOPES OF THE SLAVES AT YOOLLATAUN. 37
, Y
"0uld
kT bll+
u. the
own
~ l x t c h
If. 1
ut he
ff we
F COKL-
lg his
tunit y
he old
hearcl,
ied US.
L leave
n, and
letter
to the
visit e a
adart's
I have
tefiance
Tu z e e r ,
3rld to
D n had
a, m a r l
rt; and
to this man's advice is attribut,ed all the evil collse-
quences that fell upon Coloael Stoddart, -whom he
had persuaded to believe him an attached follower.
I11pursuing this conversation the mall ~ ~ i n k ~ d at
me, and said in a low voice tIllat he could not speak
liis ~ent~irneats before the Birdler Beeg. I made tile
Birdler Beeg ride on,, and asked why ? He repliecl,
'' Be is a bad man. I liave had mnch dealing with
him." I demanded facts: but he would say no more.
There seems to be, amoiigst Asiatics, a nat,ural hat ~ed
and jealousy of one ailother; which will not suffer
them to rest', so long as by any means they call injure
one another's reputation or interests, The Bipdler
Beeg I knew t o be a rogue of the first water in mone;y
matters ; hut although I have by cross-examination
made him collfess that 11e has aletter fkom the Vuzeer
t o the Mehtur, and that the former gave him twenty
ducats, which assuredly he mould not have bestowed
without hope of profit ; yet, as the Birdler Beeg has
received already six times as much from us, and has
hope and promise of more in case of proving useful ;
the motive t o treachery is not easily conceived; ex-
cepting incleed that there is a natural bias that way
in all Asiatic minds.
I find that my arrival caused many delusive hopes
amongst the slaves of my host's household, The
notion that I was on a mission for the freedom of all
the captives at Iihiva had got abroad, and fearing
that the slaves should seek my protection, their
masters had then1 chained, until my departure. Sum-
mud Khaun, amongst others, saw a poor fellow of his
om1 tribe, whom some time ago I had unwittingly
and who now implored me to release him,
I assured Summud IClia~ul that I would not forget
ttlc lNUr fellow itto a more seasonable mnoinent; b u t
that at prosent to release captives would seriously
l,l*ujudice nly ; as, should all idea that S L ~ C ~
,vfls tile of my mission reach Khiva, the whole
l~oOPUliltio~l vO~~l d be in nlar~n, their wealth consisting
of slaves.
I desired him and my other Ser-
vttnts, therefore, to disconnte1lance this notion to t he
utmost of their power.
Continuin,n to p s s over the sandy plain, 1 arrived
stlortly after noon, near the castle of Merv, where
the govenlor.
I had the night before sent t o
1vlu.11 him of my approach.
I now despatched a rnan
to certify him of my ariival.
Yet he s~~f f er ed me t o
I I P P ~ O U C ~ the castle without any symptom of a greet-
ing. I illerefore determilled upon shamiiig him by
pitching outside, and chose a spot for the pmpose.
In the course of half an hour, a party of horsemen
approached, headed by three confidential servants,
whom the governor has the impudence t o call his
Vuzeers. They saluted me, apologised for delay,
saying that their inaster was abroad when my wes-
senger arrived, and begged permission to escort me
to a Seraie prepared for my reception. I replied t hat
tliey found me pitching my tent, under the idea t hat
I was not welcome to the Bae. That I could still
make myself very comfortable here, if the governor
were less than frienclly in his feeling. That I had
sent a inessenger the night before, ancl another this
morning, SO that the Bae could not fail of being
apprized of my arrival, and any tardiness of hospi-
tality must therefore be imputed to his disposition.
The messengers in reply, entreated me not to dis-
grace their master by pitching outside ; assured me
no nlcusenger had arrived the night before ; and t hat
t.he messenger of
superi nbndi ng t l
object t o drive
mount ed and accc
crowcl of people
men of the escori
t o a13d fro, flouris
I
tent was hastily t
I
accommodation.
I
of canvass. Thc
ance ; otherwise,
attention.
The usual repa;
melons, and aipl
had n o t appearel
Bircller Beeg iiow
be e~pect ~ecl of m
his brot her, the I
proper for me t o
or blessing. I 01
apply to guests, :
had act ual l v calk
J
I
posed, t o know :
his entertainer.
on ally accoui ~t st
01' good will, I w
I h a d sent for
who was t o cash I
and I had some c
t he Missionary Jc
Merv, aiicl spolre
signed for his n
subject is always
history of this pc
L
i
lent; but
seriously
;hat snch
the whole
consisting
~ t h e r ser-
,ion to the
I ar~ivecl
rv, wliere
)re sent to
hecl a inall
:recl me to
3f a greet-
ng him by
le ~ U T P O S ~ .
lzorselnen
1 servants,
t o call liis
for delay,
:a my mes-
escort me
eplied that
.e idea tliat '
could still
e governor
'hat I had
nother this
1 of being
IS of hospi-
position.
not to dis-
5ssured me
: ; and that
the messenger of this morning had found the goverllor
superintendilig the work of x canal. I t was not my
object t'o drive matters to extremity ; I therefore
mounted anci accompanied the messengers. A l a~ge
crowd of people liaci collected to gaze. The horse-
men of the escort, to the number of tl~irtg, galloped
to aiicl fro, flourishing an8 firing their arms. A black
tent was hastily erected within an enclosure for my
accommodation. I n the meanwhile I sate in a routie
of canvass. The governor did not make liis appear-
ance ; ~t~herwise, there mas much shcw of respect and
attention.
Tlie usual repast was set before me-bread, raisins,
melons, and apples. Evening closed, the governor
had not appeared, and I felt that I was slighted.
Bircller Beeg now entered, saying that one tliing would
be expected of me. That as the Bae had IateIy lost
his brotlier, the late minister of Iihiva, it would be
-
proper for me to pay the first visit, and say the fat'li
or blessing, I objected that this custom could not
apply to guests, far less to strangers, since the one
had actually called, ancl the other could not be sup-
posed to know anything of the family aflictioiis of
his entertainer. That, nevertheless, as I would not
on any account seen1 to fail in nny token of attention
or good will, I would humour the fancy of the Bae.
I had sent for Moolla Haroon, a Jew merchant,
who was to cash my bills on Mew. He now came,
and I had some chat with him. I-Ie had entertained
the Missionary Joseph Wolff, in his passage through
Merv, and spoke of the kinclness he had hemd de-
signed for his nation by British benevolence. The
subject is always a touching one. The condition and
history of this people have cleep claims upon public
sympatlly ; and just now they have been subjected at
Meshed to a fi.esh and fearful persecution. A rumour
during the &Johui~um was siread, that the Jews had
killecl a dog in riclicule of Hussun and Hosein, grand-
sons of the Prophet, whose death is at that time cele-
brated. The consequence was a massacre, and the
complete spoliation of the Jews ; their wives and
daughters being sold as slaves. It alg~ears t'hat Mu-
l~ummud Shauh hns sent a nobleman to Meshed to
order restitution of the plunder. Alas! who shall
restore their insulted honour to the wives and
daughters of Israel, or their blood, spilt in tlze streets
of' Meshed ! Several of the Jews of Meshed had fled
lither and found protection. Haroon described the
governor of Merv as a just man, but admitted that lie
was no friend to the English. Whilst he was yet en-
gaged in conversation with me, some person came to
the door and called him, and almost instantly &er,
enteiing, struck him on the head mdcari-ied him out.
I was extremely angry, but had sufficient reflection to
refrain from using my sword. I called my people,
and ordered them to ascertain fi-om whence this out-
rage came, that I might quit so inhospitable a roof if
necessary. They brought the Jew baclr, and with
him an officer of the governor, who assured me, the
offender had actecl without orders, and that he, the
officer, hho instantly rebuked him. I wag< f w lrom ,
satisfied with such an excuse, but, sending for Birdler
Beeg, bade him inform the governor of the outrage
cominitted upon his guest., and insist that the oflender
should be punished. He replied, that he was ready
to obey, but knew that the governor, on getting my
message, would decapitate the offender. That he was
quite certain that the outrage did not proceed from
the Bae
l l 0 W cau
know tl
a11d cou:
such a c
until sol
incumbc
Next
on, wit1
about t~
I verily
horse tc
castle of
men; b~
some lot
saluted
and the]
a rnixtu
a few I
acted in
by askir
tion. I
this bar
slightly,
I again
perceivf
put des
headed,
commit
place in
that Ya
VISIT TO THE GOVERNOR.
41
~ubjectecl at
A r u mo u r
le Jews had
)sein, gr and-
it time celeL
:re, and the
b wives and
us t.hnt Mu -
Meshed to
! who s h a l l
wives a n d
11 the s t r e e t s
hed had fled
escribed the
itted that he
was yet en-
rson came to
linntly after,
ied him o u t .
, reflection to
my people,
Ice this o u t -
lble a roof if
3k, and with
r e d me, the
that he, the
vagi far from
g for Bi r dl ey
the o u t r a g e
the of f ender
le was r e a d y
getting my
That he was
~roceed from
the Bae himself. This assurance, ill-founded I
now cause tao believe it, calmed me for the time.
I
lmotv the l.ol*rible barbarity of native punisbmellt,
ancl could not ~+islr the life of a fellow creature upon
such a quarrel; so I consented to drop the matter,
until some fresh shew of discourtesy should rencler it,
I
incumbent upon me t o seek reclress.
Next morning (6th Jmunry), after having ~vouncl
on, with aicl of my Meerza, my first turban, being
about twenty nlortal yards of white muslin, t o which
I verily thought there was no end, I mountecl my
horse to call upon the Bae.* I entered the inud
castle of Merv, and found a black tent pitched in the
enclosuiw. I n this were seated three Oozbeg gentle-
men; but, as I hacl never seen the Governor, I was at
some loss to distinguish him. Be sat lowest. They
saluted ilze by talring my hancls between their own,
and then mot.ionecl me to the highest seat. Breacl and.
a mixt,irre of syrup and ghee were brought, and I ate
a few morsels. My next neighbour, a greybeard,
acted interpreter, and commeilcecl in a strange may,
by asking my age. I stared. He repeated the ques-
tion. Not understmdiug eno~~gh of the manuers of
this barbarous country t o be prepared to take offelice
slightly, I informed him. He next askecl my name.
I again stared, but answered the question. I did not
perceive, until afterwards, that these queries had been
put designedly, ulicler the iml~reasion that I was hot-
headed, like many of my countrymer~, and would
commit myself by some act of resentment, that should
place me in the power of my enemies. It was thus
that Yar Muhummud had contiived Golollel Stoddart's
I
\ captivity.
* Proiloullcod dways " BOY."
i
42
INSULTING RECEPTION.
They then inquired the purport of my mission,
~vliich I explainecl; and afterwarcls whether the Eng-
lish ancl Russians hacl ever beell at was.
I replied hi
the negative. Whether me spoke tlie same language.
No ! the laliguages were eiit'irely dissimilar. c c Pray,"
inquired the Bae, '' what is tlie English for Doost ? "
c c Friencl." Upoli this the Bae spoke iiz Toor-
kish, and as it seemed to me, was calling in question
t he accuracy of my reply.
"What," I demanded,
is the Russian for Doost ? " He answered L L Braat'h."
I therefore easily saw through the snare laid for me.
The governor had expected me to translate Doost by
our word "brother." Had I done so, I should have
been proclaimecl a spy, for no assurances would after-
warcls have sufficed to prsuade my enemies that the
languages of England and Russia differ. Several ill-
cidents that had occurred at Herant previous to my
cleparture, enabled me to trace this little stratagel11 to
Yar Muh~~mrnud Khauii." I dicl not until evening
lcnow, that his despatches had arrived at Merv before
me, carried by a Toorcurnun, who passed me in the
night.
The pasty repeated several times the IChoosll
Aumucleed, but accust'omed to the long formal visits
of the Herauties, I did not tdce the hint t o move. I
observecl the governor whisper Birdler Beeg, wlio rose
:1iic1 loolced at me. I looked iaquiriligly at my next
neiglibour, who had the ilisolelzce to say ( ( Rooksut,"
a form of dismissal applied only to inferiors. I
walked out of the tent in no goocl humour, but knew
not how to resent the affront, fi-om ignorance of the
* I had heard Major Todd, at Heraut, mention t o Ysr Mu-
hummud this word Braat'h as one of the Russian word^ having
an almost parallel meaning in English. I cannot answer f or
the correctness of the assertion.
PREPARATIONS. 43
T missioll,
the Eug-
hl
l a n g ~ z a g ~
( 6 Pray,"
Doost p ''
in Tool-.-
I quest i on
lemancled,
a Braat'h.''
id for me.
Doost by
lould h a v e
)uld aft er-
3 t hat t he
Zeveral in-
)us to my
rata.gem to
;il evening-
erv bef or e
me i n the
1 Khoos h
ma1 vi s i t s
move. I
, who rose
my next
~ o o k ~ u t , ' '
31.iors. I
but ' knew
Ice of the
to Yar Mu-
~ r d s having
answer for
habits of the country. I therefo~e deemed it wisey
1
not to appear seilsible of it, than to make inyself
a 1011. ridiculous by any impotent ebullition of illcligil t'
I sent my hfeerza to the Khaloofah, a priest of great
reputation, with a polite message, saying, that I had
brogglit him; from the British Envoy at Heraut, R,
beautiful Book of Pmayers, ill Arabic, which I begged
Iiin~ to send a trustworthy person to receive. Tle sent
accorclii~gly his eldest son, a fine youth of about
twenty-t~vo years, to whom I cieliverecl the exquisite
little volume. In return he invited me to (Li e with
him the followiiig day.
I was now busied with prcl~arations for crossing the
desert. As water ivust be carriecl sometimes six
marches, or even ten, when the wells happen to be
dry, camels are requisite for ally number of persons
exceeding four. I hired accordingly six fine camels,
at two Tillas (about fourteen shillings) each, pur-
chased ten skins of water, and laic1 in a store of
Jowarr* for twelve days, at the rate of 12 ib. for each
home daily, there being no grass in the desert. I took
I
bread ready made, and plenty of tea, sugar, ancl
raisins for my servants. I here excha~~ged my Jum-
slieedee' cap for a cylindric+ hat of black lambslrin,
4
such as is ~0111 by the Oozbeg.
Determining that no personal pique should preveilt
me from conciliating, as far as possible, the governor
of Merv, whose good offices it was of importance t o
secure, I purchased here a handsome Persian sabre
and Toorkish firelock, which I sent as presents to
him. My Meerza came back most gaudily attimd .
in a robe of honour, formed of sarsnet, covered with
* HOZCUG 60TgZM12.
-f It i s more properly the frusti*nm of a cone iuverted.
44
THE OLD JEW.
broad flowers of gold and silver thread. The material
resembles kinkaub, but is said to be made in Russia,
and is brought from Bokham. I t is often very hand-
some.
Fiucling, here, that there is not the slightest
prospect of negotiating bills at IChiva, I have been
endeavouring to raise a little money liere. But the
Jew, Moolla Haroon, who was to have assisted me,
dares not, without the governor's permission ; and
the governor mill not grant it, upon the plea that
Haroon is dishonest and a beggar; I am therefore
obliged to use the services of a Jew whom he employs
ancl favours, Ibraheem or Ismaeel by name. He com-
mencecl by making difficulties; but at length promised
me 200 ducats. I conversed with him whilst the
money was coming. He said lie hacl lost all his pro-
perty in the last massacre at Meshed. He then
prayed for the success of the British arms. I told
him we hacl no longer any enemies; that all was now
as we could desire. He laughed, and immediately
addecl, " May ;your sabre be prosperous. " Knowing
that he would not dare use this language in an open
tent, unless assured of the support of the governor, I
began to feel seriously uneasy. He now complained
of his condition, to which I replied by the reports I
had had of the justice of the governor. " Very true,"
he said, "but these people account us infidels. They
regard you in the same light. Don't you wish this
name were for ever extinct ? " " What name ? " I
inquired ia surprise. "The name of Muhummud,"
he replied hi a lorn cautious voice, fixing his eyes
\
upon mine.
I saw the extreme peril of my position,
and that this old fellow had been sent to pump some
mischief out of me, or to entangle me in my talk.
TI
me&
I ha
mysc
of tE
A
sessi
an e,
the I
I loc
race
of tl
said:
and
neitl
eye
plai~
I as:
you:
quit
wha
kao.
Jew
am
lad;
old
par1
idel
fath
aterial
y hand-
I
ilightest
be been
I
gut the
led me,
fn; and
ea that
berefore
romised
tilst the
/his pro-
l e then
I told
vas ll0W
ediately
Llowing
an open
ernor, I
tplained
:ports I
true,"
They
,ish this
i e?" I
nmud,"
.is eyes v
osition,
p some
iy talk.
THE YOUNG JEW. 45
" That is a bad speech of yours," I replied, nild im-
mediately changed the conversation. But- I confess
I have not so easily got rid of my uneasiness, to find
myself so surrouilded with spies iild other miscreallts
of the governor.
A young Jew now entered, of the most prepos-
sessing countenance, features beautifully regular, and
an eye correspondillg in beauty of foilm and in lustre,
t he most clear and guileless that could be conceived.
I looked upon him with much interest. This mas a
son of Israel. How lovely must not hep cla~~~ushters
U
be !
This was one of that scattered and persccutecl
I
race, erst the chosen of Heaven, and now the scol~l
of the World. The young man, as he seated himself,
said, pointing to the old man, '' This is my fathey ; ' I
and the old mail replied, '' This is my son." I believed
neither; yet i t was iml~ossible t,o meet the youtll's
eye with distrust. A mystery there was, uilex-
plained; but its nature I could not coiljecture. 'iVhen
I aslced 011 what terms I was to have the gold, tmlie
young man refused to make any ; saying, that it was
quite sufficient to have done me a service. "But
what," I inquired, " do you know of me ? " '' We
know that the English are everymhere Icind to the
Jews, and we have he&d that your people are s t ~i v i ~~g
to collect together our scattered racc, to restore them
t o their kingdom."
I have met with deceit in so many forms, that I
am not easily duped, I was on this occasio~l particu-
larly jealous of any emotion, because I believed the
old Jew to be acting R dishonest,, if not a treacherous
part torua1.d~ me; and the youllg man had voluntai*ily
idelltifiecl himself with the seilior, by calliilg him his
father, when I felt certain no such relatiollship sub-
JEW%.
,isted.
yet I could not see here the object of deceit,
i
!
i
where I was the person to be obliged, and had no
prospect of ~erviug either of the Jews. If they hoped
to wh my confidence to the betrayal of ally secret,
their labour was lost, as 1 had no secret to betmy- '
I that the English did indeed feel s t ~ l l g
interest in all relathg to the Jews. That many of
our people devote their lives to the good of this per- Jew Mcrc. :l ~r~~l b--TI~~, ~i
~ OO~ I I I I - - I \ LI ~ I I ~tipllt~r~
secuted race.
T ~ E L ~ in Englancl we granted them all
Ifllnuu~i--Dint~c!r -.I!
the
of free citizens, including a share in offices T ~ U Qift IElbrnu -.... Vi
of state ancl legislation.* Tliat there, they form a I I~C-Nirturc! r ~ t i t l ,
Snluh Muhi n~~urud -
rnost respectable and powerfu.1 body, and are amonwst
?
8itt.u Aii~l~e~tietlor
the richest of mankind.
That we believe the Jewish
miselt~l~lu ;i ntZ i t ~ l ~ i w
-8111,vo C ~ L ~ ~ L V ~ I I S - -
Scriptures, and that Jesus Christ was of the house of
t~nil ~ o z l j i ! ~ \VI.)IIII:I~
David, and of the family of Israel. I assured . him,
t i on to tou ~t~i t(rl l lit
of t l ~ r b YoIi~t--,~-( )1111.r
that his brethren sho~zld never repent any service
t l ~ o Wi l t l u r n ~ ! ~ ~ OI
rendered t o the English. That our views in these
Cn~l ~c l e - - - X~~~t : r l i ~~\ ~ c r i
rauu NiNion~ (I!.' tlrtd
couiltlles were quite free fkom guile. That, we clesired
dcrncss.
neither territory nor to promulgate our opiilions by
the sword. That we wished to see good faith and
justice prevail, and security of life and property, and
should use to this end the utmost influence of our
mc it s I ~\ vt L L I I ~ I H(
example; but t h t we had no views of col~quest or self-
muudcd w:w t l l i ~ur,
~ggrandisernent. That these countries were not worth
churgccl nk 1It4n111
r 7
our acceptance, and tllqt our empire was alrendy too
.l110 t *e~~l y ~+*iis,
extensive.
That our views being such as I declared,
prcr~nisc, tlxuctly Ilr
it mas the interest of every creature, whether Jew,
w i l i t 11
Muhulllmudau, or Hindoo, to aid us and ~n&e much
I
4 {Iewn i rr tl ~rssr! 11:~rt:
give8 t110it' \~orrl
MO U M~ A ~ ~ ~ I ~ L I I I ~ . **
fur al ~i cl l j * ot t :l*k
" YCH ! '' rcl~Iicd
to sc~ld it, i t ) l l pi r
terruptecl t l i v you
i
1;
CHAPTER 111.
Jew Merchants-Their estimation at Merv-Visit to the Khir-
loofah-Atmosphere of Merv-The Son of the Soofie ool
Islaum-Dinner-Ignorance of tho state of Europe-Gifts-
The Gift Horse-Visit from the Governor, Nyaz Muhummud
Bae-Nature and proper tie^ of a Gift in Eastern Lancls-
Saleh Muhummud-My Prepossession in his Favour-Per-
&an Ambassador to Khiva-Merv-Departure from its
misemble and inhospitable Plain-Aspect; of the ancient Site
-Slave Caravans-Condition of the Victims-Toorcurnun
and Oozbeg Women-Economy of a Toorcumun Tent-Objec-
tion to too much Bosom-Preference for brolien-in Partners
of the Yoke-Other Toorculnun Habits-A Day's March in
the Wilderness of Kaioa Koom-Lanclmarks-Sagacity of
Camels-Instance of the Excessive Cold at Cabul-Toorcu-
mun Notions of the Glory of the Heels-Aspect of this Wil-
de~ness.
'EXT morning (6th January)-for this conversa-
tion lsassecl in the evening-the Jews brougl~t
a shawl ai d several cloaks, &c. The price de-
manded was absurdly small, not above a third of that
charged at Heraut. I remarked this to the Jews.
The 1-eply was, L L We have told you, accordiug t o
promise, exactly how much these articles cost us, and
we never lie." I t is indeed a singular. fact, that the
Jews in these parts have a character for truth, which
gives their word more weight than the oath of a
Moosulmaun. L L At Heraut," I said, '( this shawl,
for which you ask eight Tillas, woulcl cost tllisty.''
L L Yes! " replied the old Jew, "mcl we were about
to send it to Heraut." "No ! no such thing," in-
terrupted the youth, L L the gentleman has hearcl the
price.
He shall have it for that, or if he likes to
make us some triflhlg per-centage for profit, well and
good." It mas a singular and novel posittion in which
I found myself, The absurclly small price asked was
snfficient assurance of the sincerity of the Jews. It
is true, they had nothing to apprehend in trusting an
Eilglishmnn's honour ; but they might have aslred
double the sums they placed upon their goods, and
still have got the credit of dealing honestly by me.
When I had selected such articles as were requisite
for the Tosheh Kaneh, I placed a handsome per-
centage on the amount, that they might not be lose~s.
At noon I nlounted my horse ai d rode over to the
Klzhloof~h's abode. I had a rare specimen of this
abominable plain, passing through an atmosphere of
dust that almost stifled me. My road lay through
the Bazaar of low huts, which constitutes the present
city of Merv. I issued from thence into thc plain of
deep fine sand, shewing not in the whole of its wide
extent of some three thousancl square miles a blade
of any herb, far less the leaf of' any tree, but raked
~11) by the lightest wind, until the slry is blotted out
by the dust. ' I found the Xhiiloofah's black tent
on the bcz~ks of a sluice from the main canal.
On entering, the iilinates rose to receive me. 1 was
greeted first by the son of the Soofie ool Islaurn, and
afterwards by the KhBloofah. The former is a guest
of the latter. The Soofie ool Islaum, a man of very
extensive power in the spiritual world, had conferred
the title of Khhloofah upon the father of the present
incumbent. The son of the Soofie, persecutecl by
Muhuinmud Zenlaull Khaun, aiid forced to fly fi*om
IChooshk, has found refuge here, aacl is treated with
the highest consideration.
After some
brought round
them, as usual,
cloth of chintz:
was spread oil t
thankless to w
former banquet
the table-cloth
pilaus, hot and
sleeve, I set to
lap, and malring
and elbows of 1
shewed himself
the table ; teayi
'bone, as a bem
victim, and pli
greasy rice. S
said, laughing,
never spare t h
from heaven, yc
The two sou
tendants. This
It recalled sun
histories. At le
faint, and his j
with fists grea
for the water P
our fingers, anc
mass of highly.
handkerchiefs ;
with the stale s
in the fat'h, or
diction off our '
Conversation
VOL. I.
if he likes to
rofit, well and
ition i n which
i c e asked was
t he Jews. It.
in trusting an
~t have asked
3ir goods, and
lnestly by me.
vere requisite
,andsome per-
not be losers.
de over t o the
!cimen of this
at mosphe~e of'
d l ay through
;es t.he present
t o the plain of
~ l e of its wide
miles a blade
ree, but raked
i s blotted out
h's black tent
he main canal.
re me. I was
01 Islnum, and
' mer i s a guest
a man of very
had conferred
3f tlie present
~ersecut ecl by
2d t o fly from
is treated with
FEAST OF THE DERVEIBH.
49
After some ciiscourse, water and a basin were
brought round, and we washed our hands, drying
them, as usual, on our handlcerchiefs. Then a filthy
cloth of chintz, greased to the consistence of lcather,
was spread on the ground before us. It is considered
thankless to wash from a table-cloth the stains of
former banquets, or to suffer n crum to be lost. Upon
the table-cloth metallic trays were set, containkg
pilaus, hot ancl very greasy. Tucking LIP my right
sleeve, I set to worlc, spilling half the rice into my
lap, and making little way against the pl-actised fists
and elbows of the priests. As for the Khbloofah, he
shewed himself a man of might in the mysteries of
the table ; tearing large handfuls of muttoil from the
'bone, as a bear might claw the scalp from a human
victim, and plunging elbom-deep into the hot, and
greasy rice. Seeing how little progress I made, he
said, lrtnghing, ' L We have a proverb, that you shollld
never spare the cates of the Derveish. They come
from Ileaveil, you know, ancl cost nothing."
The two soils of the Rhbloofah were the only at-
tendants. This, I h d , was ordered as a compliment.
It recalled sundry remembrances of the patriarchal
histories. At length even the IChAloofah's arm waxed
faint, and his jaw wagged more slowly ; and then,
with fists greased above the wrists, we sat waiting
for the water which was to laugh at the sIush upon
our fingers, and eventually be absorbed, with a l age
I
mass of highly-scented muttoil fat and gravy, by our
handl~erchiefs; haunting us for the rest of the day,
I
with the fitale smell of pilaus. Ancl then we all joined
i n the fat'h, or grace, and swept the descending bene-
diction off our beards.
Conversation enaued ; questions regarding Europe
VOL. I. 4
50 AFTER-DINNER CONVERSdTION.
were asked and answered.
The existence of more
than one European nation was cz novel idea. When 1
assured the coinpany that there were some thirteen,
the least far more powerful than the Iiir,g of Persia,
4: mas heard mith civility, but probably with very little
credence. As the British had enterecl Canclahnr from
the South, it was scarccly possible to persuade them
that London, as t,hey term England, lies not in that
direction, but North-Nortl~-JYest.
The son of the Soofic is a laandsome aiicl gentle-
manly man, and far better irdbrmed than the gezic-
rality of his countrymen. I explained to hi111 the
system of British policy in .tsia, and the 01,jects of
my present mission. These are quite incomprehen-
sible to most of those in whose society T atn tlirow~l.
They cannot understtund two nations, both called
Christian, both Feringecs, wllo have never been : ~ t
war, becoming in Asia, the one inr.:lrIer, tllo other
benefactor of a 3lahornecl:~n p c ~ ~ ~ ~ c r .
In this country of Tartar. cnl)s, the t~lrlm~l is coli-
fined to the priests, :ulcl is s~ll:eZl : t ~ t l ullgracc:fll, being
a tight thong of ~n~zsl i rl , ~voul l (l r t poai :L o:y fringetl
with black l : ~ I s k i , wiiisln givtas it a sitlgulitr
appearance.
Af t e ~ clinner, a cIlog:~?~, c 1 1 - cio:lk. of' CI LI I ; ~( ~I ' S Ii:iil*,
was pIacecl 1)cli)rc 11i(. OI L :L cll:u.gi:~. c,ltc tj Lr.
a h i l ~ o f h l ~ ' ~ sorts, I , r bi ~l g ci c. +i gr l c! ( l ;li :lir rlu;:l=i21g of
110spit:~lity; :ill(l t he I < l ~ : i l o o f ~ ~ i i i ~ i f i > r t ~ i ( * [ l l l ~ t ~ , t h t t ht *
sol1 of thca Sgioiic* 11: r t l :t I101-..(- f ; ) ~ , I I I J - ; ~ c b ~ v ~ ~ t : t ~ l ~ - t * , , l l f -
siclc- 'rhis .ivxs :L l ~ i r i f to t : t kc a ] i l : l y( L. ' j' ii(. ~ o o [ i t ~ ~ ~
son ~~:~~ ~ O ( J !10ly 1l l : Lf l t , l l*,OL-@* f i . < ) ~ ~ , ]lib l l ~ : L r t k , i)i[t
I
the KII~!OUS~LII X L ! ~ 111t' t t ~
f ~ i s , c ) i ' , : t l l ( i i;,llLjavctl rl l ct
I
outside, where :I t i zl i . - l ~c, ki i : ~ grex 31(12.,Lz mb ~ ~ ~ : l ~ l ldv
I
r 1
:I groonr, a\r.iritiliy I ; ! ! ;;c<ci,t;iilita. jiis !vtik jcij I
i
NYAZ MUHUMMUD BAE.
hefore me to my abode. I fancied it had rather a
lame gait, but it was in high spirits, and extremely
frisky. 1 had been previously informed of the in-
tended gift, and it was hinted to me, that as it might
prove an encumbrance to my march, the Bhhloofah
would send it for me to Heraut ; where it would a
second time serve as a gift, and greatly multiply the
Soofie's credit for liberality. As, however, Major
Todd had already too many of these wretched gift-
horses, and Birdler Beeg's tit had broken down, I
disappointed t'he holy man by taking on the horse.
The governor, Nyaz Muhummud Bae, had ex-
l~ressed his intention to return my call, and was now
announced. Impoliteness is difficult to an English-
man ; and 1 several times detected myself offering the
surly old bear more attention than he deserved. We
sat together at the upper end of the tent in profound
silence, which I broke by some indirect remarks and
questions. The Bae did not, I think, utter above
two words during the interview. I had called for
tea, and there being some delay in serving it, and the
fellow becoming fidgety, he was so impolite as to
issue orders himself for it. He then rose without
any salutation, and marched to the door. I, of
course, conclescended him none.
My Meerza now received a message from the Khh-
loofah requesting his attendance, and on his return
asked mysteriously whether I had written to the
British Envoy to inform him of the Soofie's gift.
Finding that I had done so, he begged, in the name
of the Khhloofah, that I would not entrust the note
t o his particular friend and guest, Saleh Muhummud,
but send it to him. I gave the note accordingly.
Then the Meerza whispered, " What have you valued
4 "
52 PERSIAN AMBASSADOR TO KRIVA.
f
the horse st ? "
" Why do YOU ask ? "
" The Khi -
loofah is anxious to know."
" What do YOU think it
worth ? j 9 1 said.
Forty ducats." " Very well, I
have said forty ducats."
Off the old Meerza trudged
t o deliver the note and the information.
Such is tthe
nature of a gift amongst this people.
I t is as the
meat we generously fling to the ocean with a large
barbed hook in the cent,re. Such, too, is the friend-
ship and good faith between them. Saleh Muhuni-
rnud, son of the principal Cauzie at Heraut, a very
gentlemanly young man, had extolled to the skies
the Khiloofah and Soofieys son. But they could not
trust him to deliver a note, from which they expected
profit. They mere right, too; for his father, the old
Cauzie, would certainly have taken his per -centage.
This youth, Saleh Muhummud, so pleased me by his
intelligence and alacrity, that I have begged Major
Todd to send him to me at Khiva, if he thinks Go-
vernment will sanction to him a suitable salary. It
seems to me that I could make important use of him
in sounding others, and gathering the information
requisite to enable me to steer with security.
I learned at Merv two facts of importance.
First,
that the Persian ambassador has just passed through
Merv in great state, charged with costly presents for
the Khaun Huzurut. Secondly, that Peer Muhum-
mud Ehaun, whom I dismissed at Punj Deeh, has
actually sent on to the governor of Men, by the
hand of a Toorcurnun, the despatches he received
from Yar Muhummud Khaun. All this Eocjes me
no good.
Nerv was one of the most ancient cities of Asia.
It was situated in the plain, about twelve miles east
of the little Bazaar which at present bears its name,
and was watered by a canal from the lloochnu),, tjr
Awb-i-hlowr. I t was founded by f i r e - ~~~r r bi ~i ~c r - ,
of whose fort, called Kullah Ghubbah, them ;in: yrt
remains. And it long formed a portion of the Per-
sian empire, whose boundary on the east am tile
river 0x11s. Its vicinity to this boundary, and it.
disjunction from the inhabited parts of Fenin by
wide deserts, must have early rendered it sbnosiaals
to molestation from the Toorkish and other tribe:!; :u~d
Merv has probably changed masters as often ns :uay
city i n the world. Latterly, as the Persian do~r~i~nias:ns
have shrunk upon their heart, Xerv has alws~ys be-
longed either t o the Too1.k~ or to some of the lserta
- -
principalities of the nei ghbou~i n~ mountainns. It ll;gs
within a few years been wrested from Eokh:gnB hp
the Khaun of Ehiva, and forms one of the nle;?,it inl.
portaat districts of Ehaurism. During tlke ~krni?*r~al~~
and anarchy of the last sixty years, the iulcieraa tithain
of the Moorghaub was neglected and carried riaii.aiym
The city, in consequence, became uzl~ihaibitul~lc, a~nrS
was utterly abandoned. The dam is again set up,
and the lands are brought under culture, but t he
ancient site continues a deserted ruin. The q,res~mt
Merv is an assemblage, upon the Moorgliaub, uf ithrnt
one hundred mud huts, where a conside~~tble B
is held. The entire waters of the JIoorghaub are
dispersed ovey the sandy plain for tlx puvoo~n ui'
irrigation. This profusion of water renders the soil.
productive ; but it has not strength to bear a ~ y ht
the poorer kinds of grain. The p k u is perlinps n!1
area of sixty miles by forty, or 2,400 mi1cb3
on every side into the desert.
About 60,OOo
Toorcumuns are said to live upon this plaiuJ chiefly
as oultivatmk And the revenue in and omor
54 THE RUINS OF ANCIENT MERV.
taxes amounts to about 30,000 Tillas, or 2,10,000
Co.'s Rupees, or about %21,000.
The trade
through Nerv is very cm~sider-
able; Merv connecting Bokhara and Persia, Khiva
and Afghaunistaun. Indeed the position of Merv is
so important, that it never will be long abandoned,
and might, with judicious care, rapidly rise from its
dust into wealth and consequence.
7th January.-My arrangements completecl, I bade
firewell to Merv with no wish ever again to behold it.
I had not proceeded a mile, ere I discoverecl that the
gift-horse of the holy man was dead lame, of an old
and incurable strain. We crossed the dry challnel of'
the Mool-ghaub, and proceeded by a well-beaten yoarl
in direction East-North-East. I soon perceivecl, upon
the Eastern horizon, the ruins of the ancient Merv, of
which a mosque and several forts form the principal
features. The city is said to have been smaller than
Heraut, i.e. less than fbur miles in circuit. From
t,his distance I [night have estirnczted i t at eight times
the dimensions. The fact scerns to be, that several
sites have in turn been occ~zpiecl a i d abancloned, re-
taining each some vestige of its fbl*lucr fortifications ;
and these lying,. in a continuous line, give an im-
pression of vastness to the deserted site. I regal-cled
it with much interest, :mcI regretted the haste which
prevented me from visiting it. On the horizon around
us were many tuppahs, 01. artificial rnou~icls, of curl-
siclerable elevation. These are supposed to lltlve beell
forts.
I was glad to quit thi8 wretched, tliough ~rluch
vau1lf;ed plain, and enter the desert, w1licll is u pa-
radise in comparison. To tlie rlortli of' tlie ancient
city is said to exist the tomb of the hero Uly
SLAVE CARAVANS. 55
Urslaun," one of the most remarkable characters in
Asiatic history. I could, however, learn 110particulars
relat'ive to it. At our halting ground, I discovered
that we have two caravans in company. They had
brought grain from Khiva, and me retmning thither
laden with slaves, many of whom are natives of
Heraut. The whole number, men, women, and chil-
dren may be about twenty-five.
Some of the women
are very decently clad, and seem to have been in
good circumstallc& until seized for this inhuman
traffic.
One poor female was mounted astraddle upon
a camel behind her master. Her child, an infaut,
was lodged i n a grain bag hanging from the saddle.
This poor wretch has an inhuman master, and is the
picture of misery. Her master has lost two children
t o the Persians, and is trying by this horrible trade
t o raise money for the purchase of their freedom.
The other women uut the best face umn their con-
I L
dition. Their masters have no object in treating
them harshly. At' night they share with them their
blankets and cloaks, and in the day-time I often
observe the women laughing with their captors. The
children also, having plenty to eat and nothing t o do,
probably rather enjoy themselves. But the men are
chained together by the throats at night, so that rest,
is scarcely possible, whilst the contact of the frozen
iron with their skin must be torture. For them
* I write this name (generally spelt Alp Arslan) as it is pro-
nounced : the rather, that, knowing onIy the incorrect spelling
of the name, I could learn nothing about the Conqueror or his
Tomb whilst i n Toorkestan. His tonlb is said to have borne
this epitaph-"Ye who have seen Ulp Urslaun's grandeur
exalted to the heavens, come to Merv and behold it buried in
the dust." He was slain by his prisoner Yoosuf KotwB1, whom
he had just sentenced to a death of torture for having defended
his castle and his name fearlessly.
56 OOZBEG AND TOORCUMUR WOMEN.
also no carriage is found, they walk the whole way,
every step of which renders their captivity more
hopeless. These poor fellows look very wretched, ~ ~ n d
unfortunately, any attempt to render their lot less
terrible, would expose them t o suspicion and to fresh
hardships. My heart is full of heaviness, when I
think of all the heart-rending misery of which this
system is the cause.
On the road I stopped at some black tents to make
inquiries. I heard the inhabitants busy within, but
all our calling mas long in vain. At length Birdler
Beeg entered one of the tents and brought out
from it a man, who came and saluted me with much
show of cordiality ; although he had been deaf enough,
so long as there mas any hope of escaping the hospi-
table claims of strangers. From him we inquired
the road, and procured a draught of water. The
women, so curious in cities, did not. even peep. Birdler
Beeg boasts the beauty of the Toorcumun women; but
it probably consists of small, sparkling eyes and a
rosy complexion. Their features can seldom be regu-
lar or very delicate. The women of the Oozbegs are
said to be lovely, but neglected by their brutal lords.
Peer hIuhummud Ehaun declares that they are not
without their revenge, being domed to drive where
they like, in covered carts, with the male slaves of the
family; and having entire charge of the purse. That a
handsome male slave will, in consequence, often refuse
his freedom when it is oEered him. All t.his, however,
Birdler Beeg, as in duty bound, strenuously denies.
The Toorcumun women are by all accounts modest,
and not concealed. When a traveller enters a Yah-
moot Khail, he is accommodated in the public guest
tent, if there be one. If the camp is small, there is
TOOROUMUN HABITS.
57
probably no guest tent, in which case he is admitted
into the family tent of his host, where he finds the
wife and children. At night, under veil of darkness,
the several parties undress. The children are early
married, the boys at the age of fourteen years, the
girls at that of eleven or twelve years, and before the
age of puberty. The marriage is immediately con-
summated, and a tent is provided for the young pair,
which is pitched near that of the boy's parents. I t is
considered a reproach to have an unmarried daughter
to the age of twenty years, and such ladies are little in
request as wives ; for, said Birdler Beeg, their boso~ns
become so large. I have in Hindoostan seen a girl of
nine years, living as wife with a man of thirty; but the
practice is uncommon in that country, where mar-
riages are seldom consummated until both parties
have attained puberty.
Tlie daughters of Toorcurnuns are always pur-
chased. If' respectable, at not less than 100 Tillas,
about 700 Co.'s Rupees, or 701. If the first wife die,
the widower must pay double for a second, although
the husband should be still a child. In return for the
price bestowed, the bride is generally provided by
her parents with furniture of proportionate value. A
widow, if young, fetches a higher price, as being
broken in to the man8ge. Strange as it may appeal*,
men and women never eat together. I asked ~i i dl e r
Beeg the reason. 'L Is woman an unclean animal? "
'' No ! " he said, " but a man would be laughed at
who should eat with a woman; he would be called ' a
pretty Miss.' " He was much astonished at learning
that we suffer our women to eat from the same dish
with ourselves. He asserted that some liberty of
I
choice is allowed the yo~ing people; but I have heard
r
'i
58 A TOOROUNUN PUZZLED.
this denied, and believe, that as a general rule, it may
be said to be quite unknown.
I was describing England one clay to Birdler Beeg,
if indeed a process, in which every idea is to be created
ere it can be applied, can be termed description. He
asked, "And what could induce you to quit such a
paradise ? "
'' The hope of making myself a name."
" What ! your King I suppose will make much of
you ? "
"No! without being known to my King, I may
\vin rllyself a name ! "
L' Oh ! yes ! yes ! your Icing being a woman, cannot
of course confer honour, but her Vuzeer will."
When I iiifonned him, that beside the honour which
the Queen and her Ministers confer, there was a
society, a public, whose opinion was of the utmost
&onsequence t o an Englishman, t4he idea was incom-
prehensible; there being in Toorkestaun neither
aristocracy nor people, nor any right nor honour but
the King's pleasure.
Our camp was at Kara Tuppah, where was a small
Khail (or camp) and a sluice of pure water from one
of the canals. Early next morning, January 8th, I
resumed my march over a plain, encumbered by sand-
hills, and sprinkled with low jungle. The lower larids
are occasionally cultivated, and have old water-courses
and remains of habitations, speaking of a more prospe-
rous period. The country is rather n wilderness than a
desert, produces an abundance of dry fire-wood, and
plenty of camel-thorn, but no grass whatever. I met
an old Toorcurnun gentleman riding a fine horse, and
followed by a young girl of about sixteen years, riding
astraddle, fair, with feminine features, but insipid.
A MARCH I N THE WILDERNESS. 5 9
Her head-dress was remarkable, being adorned with
silver oriiaments, fantastic and pretty ; but I was too
much occupied with the face, to retain any distinct
impression of the sha,pe. The sight of the most ordi-
nary female countenance is a rarity not to be neglected.
We had filled the mater-bags at Kara Tuppah, so
were: independent, when at noon we sat down i n the
wilderness and awaited the arrival of the camels.
It is needless to detail each several stage, where
all were precisely alike ; but it may be interesting to
sketch a single day's trip, with all its pleasures and
inconveniences. I rise then at midnight, and sit at a
blazing fire, sipping tea without milk, until the camels
are laden and have started. I then mount and follow
them ; and as camels walk about two and a quarter
miles an hour, soon overtake them. As the cold is
intense, and our feet are by this time fully numbed,
I alight and spread my carpet; and a large fire is soon
made, around which we all sit half an hour. Wood
is very abundant, and so dry, that when the hoar frost
or snow is shaken from it, it kindles instantly. It is
likewise so brittle that a stem, the thickness of a
man's body, is torn up by the roots without diffi-
culty.
We now mount again, and proceed in silence, for
the path admits not of two abreast ; and the freezing
of the vapour of the breath, upon one's beard and
mustachios, renders the motion of the jaw singularly
unpleasant. Indeed, in raising the handkerchief to
one's face, it is tangled in a disagreeable manner
with the crystals, and the chin has become so brit'tle,
that a very slight tittilation is painful. Jupiter is
now far above the horizon, and Venus is shining
gloriously upon the desolate wild. And by degrees,
we perceive the day itself' slightly winking in the
east, and again we pull up, to light a fire, and to
thaw our .frozen extremities. We sit until day is
fully confirmed, when the Birdler Beeg and my
Meerza, and sometimes Summud Khaun spread
their cloaks, ascertain the true position of Mecca,
and duly say their prayers. The ot'her servants do
not seem to think the ceremony expected from them,
as they have less title to consequence. One day,
when Birdler Beeg and tlie Meerza had both risen
from their knees and were approaching the fire, the
Meerza said to the Toorcurnun, ' L Salaam alikoom,"
which was as much as to say, I hail you a brother.*
The other, however, did not condescend to answer
the salutation, thinking himself far too orthodox to
own such fraternity. I have witnessed the same
scene acted over a purer faith, and in a better land.
The High Churchman speaks with infinite scorn of
the hunlble Methodist, the zealous puritan. The
very enthusiast, upright of heart and gentle of spirit,
whose words are sincerity, whose soul glows with the
least earthly love ; yet deems himself entitled to
speak of " poor dear such an one," and to mourn
the condition of many a perverse brother and sister,
over whom, perchance, the angels are rejoicing.
When shall we behold the bequest of Jesus per-
vading the hearts, and directing the conduct of all ?
When shall we see the will to do good, divested of
the proneness to think evil of our neighbours ? If,
indcecl, so great a blessing is yet in reserve for man's
l~erverteci race, the prayer which those pure lips have
taught us, will be robbed of its forenlost petition.
* Birdler Beeg was a Soonni, the Meerza a Sheeah.
A MAROH I N THE WILDERNESS.
01
The kingdom of Heaven mill be amongst us, ancl the
hope of it shall be s~vallowed up in sight.
Ere the sun breaks from the horizon, we are once
more mounted and away. The profusion of hoar
frost upon the leafless jungle sheds a glory over t he
desolate scene. I t is a sight unmitnessed by me fop
seventeen years, and brings back many pleasant
remembrances t,inged with sadness. Now we are close
upon the traces of the camels. The slave caravans
keep thern company. The hardy Toorcumuns, as
they trudge along in their clouted, laced boots, and
legs wound around with woollen cloths, and their
white sheepskin caps, heavy with hoar frost, have no
cause t o envy us, whose knees are cramped with the
saddle, and whose feet are again freezing in the
morning air. How frosty their cheeks and sharp
noses appear, peeping above the catallact of ice which
clings t o their scanty beards, and below the snowy
mass which overhangs their brows. The captive
ladies are wisely invisible. They have tuckeci them-
selves below the felts of their Kujamurs," and yet I
fear, i n spite of all their management, have but a
chilly berth. But there is one poor wretch, who has
no such defence against the weather. Whose knees,
like ours, are cramped with the saddle of her camel ;
but who has not, like us, a sufficiency of clothing,
nor the option of alighting t o renew l i e at the fire.
IVhat is her condition, and what the hope which
supports her under her misely ? Is it hope of
escape ? Alas ! he who once enters Khiva abandons
all such lzope, as surely as he who enters hell. His
prison-house is girdled with trackless deserts, whose
* Large crates, thrown across a camel, one balancing the
other.
Some are used for merchandise, some for travellers.
6 2 A MARCH IN THE WILDERNESS.
sole inhabitants are the sellers of human flesh ; escape
i s as impossible from Rhivn, as to the wretch thrice-
girdled i n t he black folds of Styx. If she has still
a hope left t o support her spirit, it is the chance,
faint and dim, of falling into hands less cruel, than
those which now oppress her. Her home, her
country, her husband, her friends, are lost, and for
ever ; and the child which hangs like some worthless
article of merchandise from the camel's side, shall,
if it continue t o live, know neither home, nor coun-
try, nor one right that should be commoiz t o the
liuruan race.
The magnificent camels, in their long shaggy fur,
little heed the weather. The icicles hang from their
beards, and hoar frost garnishes their heads. Their
large, full, lustrous eyes, seem acquainted with hard-
ship, but not with trouble. They are the very philo-
sophers of patience, who conquer all things by
tranquillity of spirit. Many a '' Salaam alikoom " is
wished nle as I pass, and Birdler Beeg has just
stopped t o take a puff of the kullyaun, and exchange
a lighted-hearted laugh with his countrymen. On we
march witlz lengthened pace, and at ten o'clock strike
off t he road t o seek a hollow, convenient for a halt.
We choose t hat which is sheltered fsoni the wind aiici
exposed t o t he sun, and has, besides, an abundance of
firewood ; as for camel-thorn, there is never lack of
t.hat.* My carpet is spread, and Skakespeare is open,
and this is real enjoymeilt; for the cramped limbs
may liow extend themselves, and the warmth of the
sun and of the fire are equally agreeable.
But this
I3 L
is not all, for t he camels have now arrived, and I see
* The sandy tracts produce camel-thorn.
The high hard
steppe, farther north, only wormwood.
A MARCH I N THE WILDERNESS.
63
Nizaum, my Nasir, under way t o my carpet, bearing
hot bread and the concreted juice of grapes ; and
having been nine hours in the frosty air, the appetite
i s something whetted. My people also have made
themselves tea, and a stew swimming in the fat of
ram's tails. By degrees the warmth and ease of
rliy posittion L L steal my senses, shut my sight," and
I arn not sensible of external objects, until the
loud " Bismillah " awakens me to see the caufilzl
depart.
Then i t is once more " Mount and go," nor do we
cb-am rein until four o'clock, when we again choose a
position of bivouac and collect fire-wood for tlie
night. Again come the camels, and now my funny
little tent is pitched, and I iiistal myself within i t ; in
due t.ime devour the fat stew they have made me,
and sleep until midnight ; when I Fise, and call the
people who have crept under their thick felt coverings,
aiid are well wrapped in furs
Such is a life in the svilderness, sufficieiitly tedious
and irksome at first, ancl painful until habit has ac-
customed the limbs t o the constraint of the saddle,
for so marly hours daily. This constrailled posture,
aided by the excessive cold, so paralysed the nerves
of the legs, that for twenty days after my arrival at
IChiv:~ I liad scarely the use of my right foot; and
all my servants complained of constant pain in the
extremities. Uufbrtunatcly my old Meerza having
l ust just fbuty of' the two-and-thirty teeth he once
boasted, and having moreover an all-of-a-lieap manner
of sljf &king, so that the first word of his sentence runs
dowIl tllc llcels of the last, all conversation with him
is out of the yuestion; and Birdler Beeg understands
just ellou,all of Persian to misinterllret mine. I there-
64 SAGACITY OF ANIMALS.
fore feel doubly the loss of Peer Muhunimud Khaun,
who spoke the language well, and caught my meaning
readily.
After the second march, tlie path became both
vague and difficult as the sand-hills increased, and
the track was often quite effaced by the wind. In
this difficulty we looked for oeks, or landmarks, gene-
rally t.he skeleton of a camel hung upoil a bush, but
often, masses of dark mood, piled upon some conspi-
cuous point. At night, it need scarcely be observed,
these are utterly invisible. They are also few and far
between, but whenever a camel's bone is to be found
in the sand, you may be sure you are not far from
the true route.
One night, when I rose as usual for the march, I
found the earth a foot deep in new-fallen snow. I
confess I thought i t madness to proceed until day-
light ; but Birdler Beeg assured me there was nothing
to apprehend. " But," I said, " you lost your way,
just now, in broad day-light, and but for my compass,
would never have recovered it." This was fact. The
air was foggy; we wandered off the road, made a
fire, sat down, forgot our bearings, and sent men due
North, instead of South, to look for the camels. Their
errand failing, I had yecourse to my compass, and re-
covered the path by it. The features of this irregular
plain are everywhere precisely similar, and nothing is
easier than to go astray. " What are we to do ? " I
inquired of Birdler Beeg,
" We must follow the camels ! "
" The camels! and who are they t o follow ? There
.
is not a star visible, and the night is pitchy dark."
'' Oh ! " said Birdler Beeg, " the camels never go
astray. "
!
i RIVAL CLAIXS.
6 5
I mas far from satisfied, but had no alte~~iative, so
followed the track of the camels, which, without turn-
ing head to the right hand or left, followed all the
windings of the invisible path thsough the deep snow,
as confidently as in day-light. This faculty is very
wonderful, and utterly unaccountable by any know-
ledge we possess, of animal sensation.
One night, when I had disinounted to thaw 1ny
feet, my Ifeerza asked me how I found them. 1
replied, that if he asked after my knees or rn7 calves,
I could give him some information, but that beyond
them I could not speak, not being very certain that I
possessed feet.
6 L That," said the Meerza, "reminds me of a tale
1
relating t o Cabul, which, as everyone knows, is ex-
cessively cold in winter. Two men were sleeping
i
there, wrapped i n the same cloak. In the morning,
t
one of them awaking, commenced as he supposed to
b scratch his head. Finding very little benefit fkom the
-
operation, he dug his nails in, pretty deep ; and was
ploughing away in great contentment, when his
friend, starting, asked him, what the deuce he mas at ?
" Scratching my head to be sure."
b L Your head.
What, do you mean to say this is
your head that you are tearing t o pieces, like a great
tom cat, with your infernal claws ? ')
'' Of course I do," replied his friend, continuing the
operation with a yawn.
Lb The devil it is ! " replied the other, sexing the
scratching fingers between his teeth, and speaking
through his nose. "If this is your head, these are
your teeth."
And he bit him until he roared a confession of his
error.
YOL. I.
6
66 LOST IN THE WILDERNESS.
The hoar frost upon the bushes greatly delighted
me. I had not seen i t since leaving England. 1
!
robbed the bushes of their crystals as I passed them,
to quench my t,hirst. When the mind, which is gene-
1
rally N.N.East, changed to West, i t brought clouds
from the Caspian, which always fell in snow. The
i .
air at other times was excessively cold ; we preserved
our noses, only by constant manipulation. A case of
felt on the outside of the boot is the only thing that
will effectually protect the feet. No provision, inside
the boot, mill avail, if the leather be exposed .to the t
air; for its poTes become saturated with vapour, and
I
i
in this state it is instantly converted into a mass of
ice.
The greater part of this tract is safe to travellers,
provided with passes ; but, at about the fourth march,
we approached a well, where, Birdler Beeg informed
me, caution was requisite, as the Persian, or rather
Toorcumnn horsemen, subjects of Persia, make occa-
, 1
sionnl forays hither from DBrBguz. We therefore
remained at this well only long enough to procure a
supply of water. Several marches here are consi- 1
dered ~eri l ous from the above cause.
1
1
The next morning, taking precedence of the camels,
we pushed on for a couple of hours in silence, when
i t appeared that Birdler Beeg had lost his road. This
was awkward, and every attempt to recover the track
involved us in hollows, which were as lakes of dense
camel-thorn, extremely annoying to the horses, whose
legs they lacerated. Moreover, every now and then, I
found myself on the brink of a deserted well, so walled
in with thorns, that I was saved only by the sagacity
of my horse, from falling into it. It was very dark,
and I knew not what means Birdler Beeg might have
GLORY OF THE HEELS. 81
finding the path, in a country so destitute of
tures.
He Went on7 however, confidently, througli
jungles of camel-thorn and thickets of tatnarisk, .4p
length we heard voices a-hmd; a d 10U9elle;j
sabres. Bider Beeg coming up, asked in n rvhi.lkr
what I ~hould do, if they should prove to be goozii1.
baush. I replied, that an Englishman had but orse
way of proceeding i n all cases,-md that ~ v a ~ to 82rj-
vance. But he replied " They may be ten lo one.
such cases it is the Toorcumun fashion to rum ; nt j
shame attaches to it ; I myself have oiler1 rt111.$*
I perceived that he was not to be depcnderl u p n
at a pinch. We, however, approached the voiecu wit11
some caution, but soon recognised our owla l~aiople,
whom me were right glad to find,
Another night when we had as usual clisrnoua~t~L
and Ali Muhummud, my interpreter, had madie a tire.
of brushwood, three horsemen, -whose hoof-sound5 Imd
been lost in the deep sand, suddenly stood at my
elbow. I seized my weapons, but Birdler Beeg found
that they were friends ; Toorcunluns travelling froan
Khiva, with despatches for the governor of J1erv.
This was a warning of the ease, vith which even
horsemen may at night, in this desert, sur pr h an
unwary foe. These men had no cmels, but c s ~ r i d
water for themselves and cattIe, their own and their
horses' food and clothing on the crupper of their
saddles, making the mhole distance of about
miles in six days. If it is considered that the homes"
barley alone for this journey, weigh 60 1b. and the
horse clothing at least 20 lb. more, this not RPPekkr
a very light feat. It is constallt~y performed, ihuqr-
ever, by the Toorctuuuns.
The aspect of the desert, or mther Nilclemess
5 *
68 KARAKOOM .
Merv to Khiva, is that of a sandy plain, broken into
the most irregular surface by deep pits and high
I
mounds, the whole thinly sprinkled with bushes of
i
three several kinds, between which grow wormwood
and the camel-thorn. On approaching Hhiva, the
surface is often ploughed into ravines and ridges,
whose course is nearly north and south ; giving some
idea of abandoned water-courses, and traditionally
reported to be old channels of the Oxus. I t is more
possible, that they may have served such purpose to
the Moorghaub, when, previously to the monopoly of
its waters at Merv, it flowed into the Oxus: but my
obsei*vation was too limited to enable me to decide
the question. The ridges are gravelly, but there is
no want of sand. Wells on this route are found at
long intervals, in one case of 160 miles. The water
is generally brackish, but theye are exceptions ; on
approaching Khiva, there appeared a very thin
sprinkling of grass, which our horses eagerly de-
voured. But no dependence is to be placed upon
the pasture of this wilderness, and the traveller must
provide barley or jowarree," sufficient to supply the
place of fodder. The latter is preferable when the
horses have been trained to eat it, 10 lbs. of jowarree
being, in respect of nourishment, equal to 1 2 lbs. of
barley.
* Jowarree-large millet.
CHAPTER IV.
Reception at the House of an Oozbeg Gentleman-Message to
the Khaun Huzurut-Ram Fight-The Light of Mutton
Tails-Birdler Beeg's Return-Reception of my Message by
the Ehaun Huzurut-Escort sent to conduct me to my
Lodging-Aspect of Ehi? and its Suburbs-Dress of Ooz-
beg woman-My Quarters-Extreme Jealousy of this Govern-
ment-Arrangements for my Accommodation-Indelicacy of
the Mehtur or Minister-Ruminations-Anecdote of Hajji
Feroozooddeen-Summary of Difficulties-Difference between
Fate and a Razor.
ANUARY 18th, 1840.-The plain of Khivn is
J visible from some distance, lying much lover
than the surface of the wilderness. I t has no beauty,
and yet the sight of trees, in which it is wealthy, is
evey pleasing to the wanderer.of the desert. At about
2 o'clock P.M. we had reached a large pool in the
cultivated plain. It was so hard frozen, that at'tempts
to get at the water failed, although we assailed it with
our battle-axes. Birdler Beeg recommended me to
halt here whilst he rode on to announce my arrival at
Khiva. He accordingly solicited a night's lodging at
a respectable dwelling in the neighbourhood. The
reply was as kind as could be desired. The father
and five or six grown-up sons came forth, saluted,
and conducted me to the guest chamber, receiving
and disposing of my servants and cattle with much
attention. The guest chamber was the fimt apart-
ment, on the right-hand side as I entered the rude
portico. I t had neither window nor chimney, things
70 NOTICE OF ARRIVAL.
unknown in Khaurism.
The place of both was sup-
plied, by tearing a small hole in one corner of the
roof; a hearth near the centre of the was
speedily supplied with a large heap of live charcoal.
A heavy door of coarse wood, turned upon wooden
pivots, let into the masonry above and below. It was
such a place as an English faTmer would use as a
wood or coal house. But it sheltered me from the
wind, and was not unwelcome.
Bread, raisins, melons, and grapes were instantly
set before me, after an invariable custom of the Ooz-
begs. I found the melons delicious. My people were
cheered at the sight of these dainties, of the value of
which, only the traveller of the desert can form a
proper notion. I now sent on Birdler Beeg, desiring
him t o see the Hhaun Huzurut himself, if possible,
and as it was important at the outset to secure for
the mission a footing suitable to the power and
character of the British Indian Government, I de-
sired him to dwell upon the vast superiority of Great
Britain over Persia (the ambassador of the latter
having been received with distinction), and to procure
for me as handsome a reception as possible. It may
appear strange that such a suit was to be made to the
throne direct, but at this primitive court the king is
the only real man of business, settling with his own
fiat the ceremonies that at other courts devolve upon
ministers or officers of state.
Toward evening, my host came to beg me to come
outside, to witness the combat of rams trained for the
purpose. This is a common pastime in some parts of
India, but I had never witnessed it. I was rather
disappointed in the force put forth by the animals,
and in their power to resist the concussion of meeting
LIGHT OF PIUTTON TAILS.
7 1
heads.
After several severe shocks, one of them was
evidently the worse for it.
He appeared stupefied,
sneezed very often, and shewed no desire to renew
the fight, which the other pressed upon him. 1t is a
spectacle not worth seeing, but it is always some-
thing, to have proved by personal experience so much,
of ally exhibition.
.As the evening closed, large lumps of fat from the
tail of the sheep were b~*ought by my host to supply
the iron pan, which propped upon a greasy and very
filthy pedestal of wood, seTved as a lamp to the
apartment ; and soorl afterwards a pilau of mutton
was served up.
19th January.-In t'lie morning, Birdler Beeg re-
turned, saying that he had seen the Khaun Huzurut
himself the evening before. Being anxious to gain
"
as much knowledge as possible of the forms of this
Court, I desired him to relate exactly what had
happened. The Khaun Huzurut, he said, mas seated
in his black tent, transacting business. Birdler Beeg
informed the Mehtur of his arrival as my guide,
and found that intelligence of nly approach had
already reached Ehiva. The Mehtnr waited upon
the Khaun Huzurut with the information, and Birdler
Beeg was almost immediately summoned to attend
the Khaun. " When I approached the tent," he said,
" I trembled. "
"Why? have you not often appeared before the
Khaun Huzurut ? "
'' Yes ; but a king 's a king. He is not like other
mortals. He has the power of life and death, and a
single word or nod of his suffices for either. I left
my shoes at the door, lifted the curtain, entered, and
joining my hands in front bowed my body, and said,
Salaam alikoom ; ' but my agitation mas so great,
that I could
muster breath for the ~ o r d s .
The Khaun HuZmut received me very graciously,
and I delivered your message. He smiled, questioned
me about the journey, but more particularly of the
doings of the English at Weraut. I said t hat t he
English had done everything for the Herauties. That
2~ alliance had taken place between them and Shauh
Raummun, but that the Vuzeer still sells the people
into slaver^^. After many inquiries I was dismissed,
and lwyled from the Mehtur, that orders had been
issued to receive you with distinction. Accordingly,
a guard of horsemen has been sent in front, and t he
master of ceremonies follows with about a hundred
more; " quarters are assigned you in one of' t he
Vuzeer's palaces beyond the town."
I dressed accordingly, and was scarcely ready when
the master of ceremonies arrived, with his Oozbeg
and Toorcumun horse. He was a fine man, tall and
stout, with squarish face, a ruddy complexion, long
half-closed eyes, good features, and, merit of merits,
a decent beard. He is an Oozbeg, and a good speci-
men of his race. After an interchange of civilities,
we mounted and proceeded toward the city. I had
exchanged my Afghaun dress for my ody full-dress
suit,--an embroidered surtout with golden epaulettes.
The master of ceremonies rode beside me, and the
horsemen followed in close column, some of them from
time to time dashing from the ranks, discharging
their fire-arms, and wheeling their horses at speed ;
my impression of their horsemanship was not'favour-
* At my Audience, the KBaun assured me that he had sent
100 more horsemen to meet and join me on the way, but t hat
f
taking the wrong road, they had missed me,
i
able. Many of the bridles were richly decorated with
gold, silver, and precious stones, mhich gave them a
splendid effect ; there were, also, some very handsome
matchlock and firelock rifles, the fabric of Heraut
and Persia. The horses greatly exceed in size those
of Hindoostaun. But some were disproportionately
small, ancl I observed none that I should have valued
very highly. The Oozbegs and a few of the Toorcu-
muns wore the high cylindric Oozbeg cap of black
lambskin. I call it cylindric, but it is generally
rather larger above than below, so as to be the frus-
trum of a cone inverted. The larger the cap, the
more dignified is it considered. The Toorcumuns,
however, generally wear their own blaclr, lambskin
cap, which is smaller, sits close to the head, and ends
above, not like the Persian in a point, but slightly
rounded. It is a far more convenient head-dress than
the Oozbeg, but is not so graceful as the Persian cap.
The horsemen rode in a dense mass, which would
have had a more lnilitary effect, had there been any
uniformity in their arms. But some bore spears,
others sabres alone, and a few carried rifles.
Aft.er riding a couple of miles, the town of Khiva
appeared on our right, and we entered a country, laid
out in gardens and dwellings of the gentry. The
houses have all one character, being an enclosure of
very lofty clay walls, flanked by oriiamental towers at
the angles, which give them the appearance of castles.
This name (Gullah) they bear at Khiva. The exterior
has but one visible opening, which is the entrance,
lying generally between two towers, and being a
spacious gateway, flat abovc, and roofed throughout,
to its termination hl the court behind the house, or
rather within the enclosure. On one side of this, a
- - - -
4
i
I 74 KHIVIANS.
i
door admits to the men's apartments, and on the
other side, the women's quarters are constructed. The
walls, built with great regularity of rammecl clay, are
generally fluted, an effect given them perhaps by the
hurdles of straight branches, between which the clay
is supported whilst soft, and during the process of
ramming. The gardens are surrounded by very low
walls of similar construction, allowing t,he eye to
command many estates from a single point of view.
The trees" are apparently a species of elm, wide, and
very shadowy ; the poplar, and the plane tree. The
appearance of the country is pleasing, but it is too
flat for beauty, and I observed that neither grass,
weed, nor ~vilcl flower will grow upon the banks,
although canals from the river plentifully irrigate the
whole valley.
The population of the neighbourhood turned out
to stare at the Feringee Eelchie. The men wore the
Oozbeg attire. The women's dress differed from
that of' the men, in the substitution of a species of
cylindric turban for the cap ; and a cloth, which after
passing over this turban, was gathered under the
chh. In other respects, there seemed a strange
confusion of attire, the women wearing a chogah,
or cloak, of quilted chilitlz, precisely similar t o that
of the men, with Wellington boots and very loose
drawers. The complexion of the women was very
ruddy, shewing more red than white. Their counte-
t i nance too round or square for beauty, and their
t
I]
shapes (unless indeed they owe the effect to their
/ / apparel) clumsy in the extreme. Their eyes are
I
i
dark, long, and ill-opened.
The brow delicately
* The trees being out of leaf, I could only guess of their
nature, from the figure of their stems and branches.
A KHIVIAN " PALACE.'^
4
pencilled.
They are accounted beauties, in a region
where fair complexions are at a premium ; many of
them showed their faces boldly, others muffled the
lower part of the visage, in the white cloth which
passes under the chin.
I was not long in reaching tlie house-or as they
were pleased to term it, palace-prepared for my re-
ception. It was a large buiiding, having several
miserable rooms, ill-shaped, ill-proportioned, un-
floored, ~npl ast e~ed, and having neither window nor
chimney. The smallest of these had been spread
with felt. I t was about twelve feet square ; had a
heavy rough-hewn door turning on pivots ; and a
hearth in the centre for charcoal : a small hole had
been broken in the roof to let in light and let out
smoke. I received here the master of ceremonies,
made him partake with me of the refreshments pro-
vided, and then explored the premises. I explained
to Birdler Beeg, that I must have one of the largest
apartments for the reception of the nobles and chiefs,
when they visited or dined with me. He opened wide
his eyes. '' Therefore," I continued, " pray look
out for carpets and felts, and other suitable furniture
without delay, for I suppose the Mehtur (Premier)
will call immediately." He answered me with an-
other broad stare, and when the master of ceremonies
had left me, explained that it was quite unusual for
Eelchies to hold intercourse with the inhabitants of
Khiva. Whether or not the Mehtur would call, he
oould not say ; but had never heard of such a cere- "
mony, and was sure that the Mehtur would not dare
t o do so, without orders from the sovereign. I
asked, whether the nobles and gentry held no social
intercourse, entertaining one another at their several
76 RESTRICTIONS.
abodes.
He said, " Lo ; " that Government, i . e. the
Kliaun, was jealous of any such meetings.
I soon found that I was not alone in the house, but
that the distant. apartnients were occupied by an
officer of the Mehtur's household, placed there, avow-
edly, to attend upon me and supply my wants, but
really, as a spy upon my actions. He came to ask
me, on the part of the Mehtur, how I would like to
arrange my t,able. Whether he should send me the
money allowed by the Khaun Huzurut for my ex-
penses, about 2 Tillas, or 28 shillings daily ; or
whether he should send me the provisions undressed,
or whether they should be sent ready cooked. I re-
plied, that being the Khaun Huzurut's guest, I could
not refuse any food His Majesty might be pleased to
send me. At the same tinie I could not presume to
arrange the nlode of furnishing it. Only I begged to
be excused from receiving gold for the purpose, the
very spirit of the relation between host and guest
seeming to be violated by such an arrangement. That
if the provisions were to be purchased by me, I had
brought with me the requisite funds. If the Khaun
Huzurut should be pleased to send me provisions,
I should receive them as a conipliment from His
Majesty.
The Mehtur was well contented with an arrange-
ment, by which he gained about 14 shillings daily.
Such are Premiers at Asiatic Courts. The day had
not passed ere Birdler Beeg came to say, that the
Mehtur was impatient to see the shawls, which he
had heard I had brought for him. This was the
more indelicate, that the shawls were not sent him
from Heraut, but purchased by me at Merv, and
therefore he could only guess that they might be in-
INDELICACY OF A PREMIER.
7 7
tended for him. I replied, that I expected the usaal
compliment of a visit from him, after ~vhich, I should
think of sending him any present I might think fit. to
offer him. He replied, that the Xehtur dared not
call llp01i me, unless expressly sent by the IChann
Huxurut ; that if, therefore, I should vait for avisit,,
I should, in all probability, hare no opportunity of
presenting the gifts. All this was excessively iude-
licate, but it may once for all be observed, that the
delicacy which is occnsionally affectect in other coun-
tries of Asia, is here never dreamed of. Perceiving
this, and not feeling at liberty to rnake an eneiny of
the Prime Minister, I sent hitn the pair of shalvls by
t8he hand of Birdler Beeg. The latter worthy, in aa-
smer to my queries, said he did not think I should be
suminoned to an audience until the day elisming, the
interval being allowed me t o recruit my strength,
after the passage of the desert.
In the evening, Nizaum cooked for tne a pilau of
pheasant vi t h rice and raisins, This bird is killed in
large numbers during tvinte~, when the snow exposes
it to view. For dessert I had good grapes, some 111-
diff er ei ~t apples, and delicious melons. ' After dinner,
I went out into the court. I gazed upon the stars,
my companions in so many wanderings. Clinle, peo-
ple, manners, language, laws, how often had they
changed : but this page of heaven, those bright and
glorious intelligences, remained as before, unimpaired
and unchanged ; excepting that the planets in their
courses moved from house t o house, presaging happi-
ness or woe to the sons of men. Was I rally at
Khiva, that capital so famous, yet so little knom,
of which half t he existing accounts are fabulous ?
Travellers presuming upon its separation from the
78 VIRTUES OF A POSTEEN.
civilised world, to hang upon it their wildest marvels.
h d in what did this city differ from others, familiar
to the traveller and the merchant ?
The sky was remarkably pure and b d i a n t ; the air
piercingly cold. I drew closer my posteen, or cloak
of fur. I thought of tlie fanciful story which
Summud Khaun had related, when I purchased that
cloak.
" Feeroozooddeen* was one night seated in durbar
at Heraut. The night was excessively cold, the teeth
of his people chattered, in spite of themselves. He
looked round upon them with a sxnile, and said-' We
will soon teach you to bid defiance to the cold.' He
signed to his steward, and bade hiin bring from the
store-room a number of posteens,? corresponding to
the number of his attendants. When these were
distributed, and each had wrapped himself up, he
said to one of these, now Daood Khaun, 'Take a light,
give my compliments to the cold, and beg him to
enter.' The servaiit obeyed, but returned immediately
with the candle extinguished. ' The cold,' he said, ' in
answer to your hospitable invitation, has rudely blown
out the light.' 'Indeed,' said Feeroozooddeen, ' then
give the light a posteen (fur cloak), and now go and
usher in the cold.' " These posteens are generally of
doombha's skins ; the fur inside, the leather tanned
to the consistenceof wash-leather, stained a buff colour,
and beautifully embroidered wi B floss silk. The price
at Heraut was about eight ducats, or $4 each. The
more wealthy, however, wear cloth cloaks, linecl.
throughout with furs from Siberia.
* I insert this anecdote frola memory, and an1 not quite
certain I have attributed it to the proper person.
-f Cloaks of ram-skin, the wool inverted.
AERIAL MUSIC.-DIFFICULTIES. 79
I have said that the sky was brilliant.
It was now
the hour of repose, and the busy muri-nurs of the
neighbouring city had ceased. The light breeze of
night, blowiiig from the frozen wastes of Siberia, cut
like the keenest sabre, whenever it fouiid contact with
the skin. Yet I lingered long in the open air, to
listen t o a singular species of melody with which the
air was filled ; and which resembled the distant music
of a hundred Eolian harps. It was singularly pleas-
ing. To my ear, separat'ed as I was fkozn home,
friends, country, the conveniences, comforts, endear-
ments, and security of civilised lands, the pleasure
was intimately tangled with pain. I could not con-
jecture its origin: but I was not in a mood to ask
questions of my people, and postponed the elucidation
t o a more prosaic hour. The difficulties of m y
position occupied my thoughts until midnight. I
had been sent t o execnte an arduous mission, without
knowledge of the language or manners of the people
or Court, without instruments and without funds.
Yet, strange to say, the sense of difficulty rather
inspired than discouraged nie. I liave felt the same
through life-a deadness and want of enthusiasm for
tasks of easy accomplishment : a self-confidence and
energy, awakened by the presence of difficulty. I
stripped off my heavier garments, and lay down upon
my carpet ; commending myself and my concerns to
the care of HIM, who had been from chiIdIzood my
never-failing refuge; and slept in peace, until day
dawned through the miserable aperture in the roof
of my apartment.
Nizaum, the toughest and slowest of sleepers, was
stirred, after a quarter of an hour's bellowii?g in his
ear, and sundry punches ill the sibs, from the chief
FATE AND A RAZOR.
of the foot-fingers.
He sleeps like one under the in-
fluence of opium. I have seen nothing so helpless.
Be aracl t he rest of my little suite occupied one of the
largest rooms, if room it could be called, t'hat had
floor, ~vnlls, and roof of mud, unmhitewashed ; and
mfiers unfienl. The Old Xeeraa, it appeared, had
heen in much appretlension for his throat ; which Sum-
mud Khaun endeavoured to assuage, by reminding
hirrr, that ~l i at ever is to be, rrill be. That if his throat
is to be found some morning disunited, disunited it
nill be found. This argument, an unfailing sedative
to Summud Khaun's ornil mind, vas not always so
effectual in the case of the Old Xeerza, who could
riot perccil-e the especial advantage enjoyed by him
ivhose throat is cut by destiny, over him whose throat
is tilt only by n mzor. He was, however, ashamed
t o yield in piety to a Inan who received forty rupees
:L lnontli less than himself, so put the best possible
face upon the matter.
t CHAPTER V.
Glistering Atmosphere and excessive Chill of the Air at Khiva
-First Audience at the Court of Khivn-Town-Artillery-
Palace-Minister's Levee-The Mehtur-Ehojeh Mhirahm
-Interpreter-Nobles of Khiva-Access to the Royal Pre-
sence-Black Tent-Audience-Ullah Koolie Ehaun, King
of Ehaurism-Dismis~a1-Suspicions of the Ehaun Huzurut
-Restrictions upon Ambassadors at Ehiva.
.
H
AVING dressed, and being restricted to a single
apartment (the others being too cold and comfort-
less to be inhabited), I took a wall< in what was
ingeniously styled-the Garden, being a high-walled
enclosure, st'uck here and there with a leafless shrub.
The waIls would not admit of my seeing anything
beyond the area, and indeed there mas no outlook
afforded from my miserable palace. The air was
searchingly cold. I n England, nothing is known ap-
proaching to the chill of the Khiva winter. My towel,
hung up to dry in the small room warmed with a
large fire of charcoal, instantly became a mass of ice.
If the door was left open, the passage of the wind
was detected, as it blew over any liquid, by its sudden
coi~version to a solid form, and there was no thaw
excepting in spots where the sun-beams accumulated.
In the shade, the snow always lay feathery and gra-
VOL. I. 6
8 2 YIYERS.
nulatted, incompressible into masses, so that snow-balls
could not be formed.
But the sun now shone cheerily through the cut-
ting air, lighting in its passage myriads of minute
particles of mist (small as the motes of the sunbeam,
and invisible, like them, excepting in the brightest
Light), which the intense chill of the air was con-
tin ually freezing, and which, falling i n an unceasing
shower of light, gave a sparkle to the atmosphere, that
savoured of enchant~neiit. This effect I have observed
only at Khiva. Mixed as it was wit11 the sounds of
aerial music, of the origin of which I was long igno-
rant, it lent an air of poetry to the spot, which was
welconle to an existence so dull and prosaic.
Nizaum now summoned me tlo breakfast, formed of
the flat afghaun bread, and the concreted juice of
grapes, of the consistence of treacle ; and being now
in the land of cows and goats, I had bargained for
a daily supply of milk for my tea, which was accord-
ingly brought me in form of a thick mass of ice, solid
throughout. Half-dried grapes and melons were
produced in abundance. Both these fruits are hung
up by the stalk, and thus p~eserved throughout the
winter. The melon is long in form, very large, and
of the deep green of the water melon. It is a deli-
cious fruit. The grape is probably inferior to that
of Heraut, Fumah, and Candahar. The bread of
Khiva is unpalatable, and it was long ere I dis-
covered, that butter is made and preserved fresh
throughout the winter. It is abundant, and of ex-
cellent quality. The secret of its preservation is to
melt it over a very low fire, and constantly to skim
the surface. The particles more subject to decay are
thus separated from the butter, which instantly re-
PREPARATIONS FOR FIRST AUDIEKCE.
8 3
covers its firmness, and does not at all resemble the
ghee of India.* It is poured whilst melted illto
large jars, which are then closed.
I n this state it
remains fresh and sweet almost any number of
mont,hs, often retaining' it,~ golden hue to the last.
After brealcfast, Birdler Beeg called to say, he
thought I should be sulnmoned to an audience t.hat
evening. I spent the day in arranging my thoughts,
and endeavouring to rnoulcl into Persian such phrases
as I thought I might have occasion for. It mas not
until evening had well set in, that the arrival of the
-
master of ceremonies summoned me to attend the
Khaun Huzurut. I exchanged my Afghaun attire
for my only suit of uniform. Unfortunately, t,he
cocked hat and plume, the most indispensable portion
of an Eelchie's attire in Eastern lands, mere absent
without leave. Instead of a sash I tied a shawl
round my waist; and learning that it was unusual to
brace on-a sabre at audience, carried, instead, a hand-
some Persian dagger.
1 ordered all my available servants to attend,
bearing the sabre and rifle to be presented to the
Khaun, and preceded by the master of ceremonies,
rode slowly toward the palace. A large number
of natives, despite the lateness of the hour, had
collected on either side of the road, to gaze at me.
I afterwards learned that death had been publicly
denounced upon any who should molest me by word
or deed, and was assured that nothing less would
have secured me from insult. I know nothing of
* I have since learnt, that Indian ghee is prepared in the
same manner. I t receives its disgusting odour from the fresh
goat or sheep-skin, into which it is poured, and which pbtre-
fies around it. Ghee not thus tainted may be kept sweet
twenty years.
6 "
84 MEHTUR'S LEVEE.
the people of Khaurism that can warrant such an
assertion. On approaching the town we entered a
considerable suburb, and afterwards passed t hrough
a miserable bazaar to the gateway; for Khiva is
fortified. The house-tops were covered with women,
collected to stare at a figure sufficiently monstrous
in their eyes. It was not long before we reached,
through some very poor streets, the citadel, wi t hi n
rnhich resides the " Father of Victories," the king of
Ehaurism.
It is a poor brick building, forming an angle of
the city defences. Near the gate stood the artillery
of Khsurism, consisting of about 22 brass field-pieces,
of from 6 to 12 pound calibre, very indifferently
mounted upon carriages having wooden axles. On e
or two tumbrils were also to be seen. These guns
are objects of extreme veneration to the people of
Khiva. At the gate, the master of ceremonies dis-
mounted, and begged me to do the same. I then
marched through the dense crowd collected to see
me, and ascended, through the gateway, the pavement
leading to the Vuzeer's Hall. Not being advertised
of the locality, and having no one near me from whom
to inquire, the master of ceremonies being ignorant
of Persian, I naturailly concluded that this was the
royal apartment; so leaving my shoes at the door,
I entered, and looked around me, to discover which
of the assembly was enhitled to homage. A row of
common-looking figures, in the Oozbeg dress, were
seated opposite. The chief of these might be old
Kh g Cole himself, for aught I knew; however, there
was no time for inquiry, so I bowed t o the chief
person, and said " Salaam Alikoom " (Peace be
you). There was a smile, for they all conjectured
the fact, that I had mistaken the Prime Minister for
the Icing; however, no harm was done, and I seated
myself at' the minister's side.
I sat kneeling, to my infinite discomfort ; good
manners prescribe this posture, and to sit cross-
legged (which to an European is comparatively easy)
is regarded as boorish, unless permission of the com-
pany be Grst asked. The Mehtur, or Premier, a
little, dark, high-featured, long-bearded man (who
always reminded me afterwards of the knave of
clubs), dressed in a huge Oozbeg cap and cloak of
quilted chintz, said, " You are very welcome," and
instantly a piece of greasy chintz was spread before
me as a table-cloth ; and bread, raisins, loaf sugar,
and fruit were placed before me. Not yet habitu-
ated to this custom, I asked the Mehtur to partake ;
but he excused himself; it being unusual for the host
to eat with his guest the first meal. I therefore
broke off, and ate a small piece of bread, and the
cloth and refreshments were removed. This hospit-
able ceremony is invariable amongst the Oozbegs,
from whom, I believe, it is derived, even where
practised by the Toorcumuns. The Mehtur now
addressed several compliments to me, and was
evidently nettled at my slowness of reply. The
fact is, that his pronunciation of Persian is barely
intelligible, and my own ignorance of Eastern idiom,
makes me unready in any exchange of compliments.
A messenger from the Khaun Huzurut now sum-
moned the Mehtur. He rose, beckoned me to remain
seated, and left the hall. I had leisure whilst he was
absent to look around me. Next and above me sat
the Khojeh Mhirahm, a handsome old man, who,
having been an instrument of the last Khaun's de-
8 6 FIRST AUDIENCE.
graded pleasures, retains considerable influence at
Court, and is accounted a man of talent. Parallel
with him, but upon the left of the Mehtur's seat, was
a young priest, who, owing t o his knowledge of
Persian, acted as interpreter, and was also one of the
Mehtur's secretaries. On my right, at some distance,
sat about twenty loutish-looking fellows, in the usual
Oozbeg attire. These were the nobles of Ehiva.
They took no share in the conversation, either then
or on about a dozen other occasions, when I met them
at the Mehtur's palace. At the do& sat my own and
some of the Mehtur's suite.
In about half an hour, during which I found my
posture, dressed as I was in the tight attire of
Europe, scarcely supportable, the Mehtur returned,
and begged me to follow him to the royal presence.
We proceeded through some dark and uneven pas-
sages crowded with guards, until we reached a snlall
court in which a black tent was pitched. The
Mehtur entered, and I followed, leaving my slippers
as I lifted the curtain. I bowed, and said " Salaam
Alikoom," and then stood in the prescribed form,
which resembles the military posture of ease. The
Khaun returned the greeting, ' l Alikoom Salaam,"
then assured me I was welcomge to his Court, and
asked the nature of my mission. I replied, that I
had been sent by the British Envoy at Heraut, in
answer to His Majesty's mission thither. That I
bore credentials fkom the British Envoy, and also.
some very unworthy presents, my haste to present
myself at the Court of Ehiva not permitting me to
bear anything more bulky. That I had 'instructions
to promote, to the utmost of my power, the friend-
ship that had so happily sprung up between the
ULLAK KOOLIE KHAUN. 87
British and His Majesty's government, and to
at His disposal whatever knowledge I possessed.
I made a lame business of i t ; but the Ehaun, an
amiable and good-tempered man, smiled at my mis-
takes, and listened patiently to my explanations.
It is to be observed, that as the Khaun understands
very little Persian, I communicated by means of
the young priest before mentioned, who understands
about as much Persian as myself, but speaks with an
entirely different accent, so that the difficulties were
manifold.
It is not my purpose to touch upon political matters
discussed at this audience : a reserve which may abate
the interest of my narrative.
The letter from the British Envoy was received by
the Mehtur, and read aloud t o the Khaun Huzurut,
who again assuring me I was welcome, dismissed me.
Ullah Eoolie Khaun, the present king of Ehaurism,
is about 45 years of age, and so far as I can judge,
rather under t he middle height. His face is round. r
The features are high and regular ; the expression is
the most amiable possible; but there is an absence of - I
I
vigour, for which, at the present crisis, nothing. can
atone, unless it be the powerful interposition of some
foreign power. His eyes are long, and not well
opened.
His beard is decent ; his family having some
mixture of Sart blood.
He is inclined to be,stout.
He was seated upon a carpet; and supported by
cushions. Before him a wood fire blazed up, sending
its smoke and sparks through the skylight of the tent.
He shifted his posture from time to time. I t was
always ungraceful and unkingly. Sometimes cross-
legged, sometimes kneeling, sometimes half reclining.
H ~ B dress was a green cloak, fringed and lined with
88
SINGULAR SELF-DENIAL.
dark sables, and shewing at the waist a gold chain,
exact use of which I know not. On his head
the Oozbeg cylindric cap of black lambskin. He
wore no ornament, and his sole insignium of office
a large dagger in a sheath of gold, which lay
before him. No guards were visible about the tent;
but the cloors of tlze court were guarded. The black
tellt of felt which he occupied mas of the usual di-
mensi ~as, i.e., about 24 feet in diameter, and quite
unadorned, its sole furniture being the carpet and
cushions, on which he reclined. His attendants were
t he Xehtur, the young priest who interpreted, the
fchojeh Mhirahm, the Sheikh ool Islaum, and the
Suqqeeb (I think he is called). The two lather are
t he heads of the priesthood in Ehaurism. None of
these men are of distinguished appearance, nor is their
dress many degrees finer than that of the yeomanry
of the country. The Nehtur brought the Khnun his
kuliaun (or pipe) whenever it was called for. This,
sag7 the strict XIahommedans, is Ullah Koolie Khzlun's
only vice ; for he neither snuffs nor drinks, and has
no more than four wives at a time.
P mounted my horse at the gate and rode quietly
home, musing upon my interview. The night mas
excessively cold, and my clothes were scarcely suf-
ficient protection against the chill of the air.
I n the moniing Birdler Beeg came t o me, and was
,
very anxious to know how I liked my reception. As
I conjectured, that whatever I might say to him
would be borne straight to Court, I mas guarded,
and asked how the Persian ambassador had been
received. He assured me that the Persian was not
admitted into the royal tent, and that my admission
was a mark of particular favour. I remarked, that
RESTRICTIONS ON ENVOYS. 8 9
at other Courts British Eelchies mere allowed a seat.
That at Tehraun a chair is set for the Eelchie. He
.
protested t hat such was never the case here, and I
believe he is right, and that only the Ehaua's brother
and certain priests are ever allowed a seat in the royal
presence. He said that the Khaun mas disappointed
t hat I had said so little.
I replied, that with us it
was considered disrespectful t o speak much, without
sl~ecial injunction, in the pyesence of a monarch.
The Khaun Huzurut, he saicl, had desired him to
ask me for a letter and the rifle, which he heard I had
brought for his brother, the Illauk of Huza~usp. I
learned, upon questioning the Birdler Beeg, that the
Khaun had some suspicion that the contents of the
letter might not be agreeable to himself. I was
therefore happy that he had taken this unklligly pre-
caution, and delivered the letter and gun, begging
that His Majesty would cause botth to be delivered to
the noble hands for which they were destined.
When next I saw Birdler Beeg, I told him that I
wished to look about me, and desired him to order my
horse, and be himself in readiness to attend me i nmy
ride. He appeared perplexed, and at length said, I
had better first ask the Khaun Huzurut's permission,
as ambassadors at Khiva are expected to confine
themselves t o their own abodes. I argued the point,
but he brought instance upon instance, and assured
me t hat the Persian ambassador was under the same
restraint. Soon after, my servants came to report,
t>hat, wishing t o visit the Bazaar, they had been checked
by Yakoob Bae, the officer living on the premises. I
summoned this worthy. He said, that it was usual to
restrict the servants of Eelchies to their quarters for
the first two or three days, and until permission for
9 0 RESTRIUTIONS ON ENVOYS.
them to go abroad had been asked and granted.
I
therefore desired Birdler Beeg t,o step over, and pre-
sent my compliments to the Mehtur, and say that I
felt very unlike a British functionary, and much more
like a state prisoner, under such restrictions ; and
begged him to use his influence with the Khaun HU-
aurut for their removal. That the Khaun Huzurut's
ambassador at Heraut was fiee from the moment of
his arrival, to go and to send whithersoever he pleased,
and that I claimed a like freedom. The Mehtur re-
plied that I must address myself personally to the
sovereign. Birdler Beeg was, howe~ter, in the course
of the day, summoned to attend the Khaun, and being
asked how I was satisfied with my reception, replied
bluntly, that I complained that I had got into a prison
instea,d of a guest chamber. The Khaun laughed,
and sent me word, that I was at liberty to send my
people abroad, and myself to ride out.
CHAPTER TI.
Second Audience -The Russians - Persians-Bokharians -
Colonel Stoddart-Treachery of the Cauzie Moolla Hussun-
Message from &e Minister-Visit to him-Reception-Bo-
khara-Colonel Stoddart-Plan for his Eescue-Particulars
of the late Skirmish with the Russia11 Force N.-West of the
Sea of Aral-Ignorance and Timidity of the Minister-Ex-
treme Difficulty of Negotiation with such a One-Messenger
from the Khaun Huzurut to the Ummeer of Bokhara, for the
Release of Colonel Stoddart.
THAT
night, I was again summoned to attend the
Ehaun Huzurut. He received me as before.
Asked me, whether I was very indignant at being a
prisoner, and whether t,here were any objects in the
neighbourhood that I wished to examine. It never
enters the head of an Asiatic, that a man may go
abroad for the sake merely of air and exercise. I re-
plied that I was the first British Eelchie, that had
ever been thus restricted. That if the usage of the
country demanded it, I would comply without a mur-
mur. I named his garden palace as arr object of
curiosity, and he gave orders that it should be opened
for my inspection. He then pressed me very hard
upon the subject of his requests of the Brit.ish Go-
vernment. I answered, that the points in question
involved considerations too importaut to be decided
upon by Major Todd. That even Sir W. M'Naghten
would probably not act without reference to the
92 SECOND AUDIENCE.
Governor General. That I could not be certain that
the Governor General him.self would decide, without
consulting Her British Majesty. That they were
questions that could not he anticipated, and had
therefore not been provided for in the instructions
issued t o our ambassadors.
His Majesty was not satisfied.
" You call your-
selves my allies," he said, " yet you refuse every one
of my requests, at the moment of my utmost need."
He then discussed the subject of my journey to
Russia, and afterwards asked whether the Russians
are idolaters. This mas a1 awkward question: for a
hlahomedan cannot understand the exact difference
between bowing the knee to images and pictures of
the Deity, and the breach of that second command-
ment which says, " Thou shalt not bow to the image
of any thing i n the heavens above, or the earth be-
neath, or the waters under the earth." Poor ignorant
creatures ! I therefore answeyed with some caution.
" They do not consider themselves such."
" But they worship pictures and images ? "
" They do."
" Are they Christians ? "
" They so term themselves ; but are of a different
faith from the English, who use no images nor pictnres
in their worship, accounting the pyactice sinful."
" I s their language the same as yours? "
c c No ! entirely different- We cannot understand
one another i n our several tongues."
'' Then how are you to speak to them? "
'' I n French, another language of Europe."
' L IS there another European language ? "
'( There are upwards of thirteen, belonging to sepa- .
rate kingdoms. "
PERSIA. 93
" IS Russia the most powerful of these kingdoms?"
'' By no means. England is first in extent of do-
minions, number of population, and in wealth.
If
your 'Majesty* will permit me, I will prepare in Per-
sian a brief account of the political divisions of Europe,
and of British policy in these countries. As I speak
Persian so imperfectly, this may be more intelligible
t o your Majesty, than any attempt t$give these par-
ticulars verbally. "
The Khaun Huzurut nodded, and smiled his con-
sent. He then inquired,
" Are you the enemies of Persia? "
a Far from it. We are the natural allies of all
Moohummedan states, because they intervene between
Europef and India. It is therefore our object to
preserve their independence. Your Majesty must
have heard all we have done for Persia, and that we
.
once interposed to silve her from imminent destruc-
tion." I here gave the particulars of Sir J. M'Neil's
interposition. It was very evident,, that this was
the first the Ehauli Huzurut had ever heard of t;he
threatened-destruction, and unexpected rescue of the
adjoining kingdom. I continued-'( We have at pre-
sent some differences with Persia; Muhummud Sliauh
opened our ambassador's despatches, an insult of
which we insist upon redress." This I pnrticularised,
as a hint to the Khaun himself, that he might not do
the same lightly or unwarily. " When our demands
* I have used here and elsewhere the words " your Majesty "
as simpler than the form in which I actually addressed the
Khnun. which was in the third persou, e.y. "If the Khaun
.
~ u z s ~ k t will permit me."
j- 1 must observe, once for all, that I do not feel authorized
t o publish the explicit terms, by which I found it necessary to
make my meaning understood at this skpl e court.
94 BOKRARA.
are complied with, I have 110 doubt the Queen of
England will again admit the king of Persia to her
alliance. "
" My ambassador at Heraut tells me, you nnder-
stand by looking at a hill, whether or not it contains
gold. "
L L I know a little of the science to which your
Majesty alludes ; but could not say certainly, that
such and such a hill does or does not contain gold. I
could only, by examining the rocks, pronounce
whether gold is ever or often found in rocks of that
character."
" 1 have some hills that formerly produced gold ;
can you tell me anything regarding them ? "
If your Majesty will allow n ~ e to see the~n, I will
do my best."
" Are you friends or enemies of Bokhara ? " was
his next query.
" MTe sent an ambassador to Bokhara, to offer the
Ummeer friendship. He was afterwards to have
proceeded, I believe, to Xhiva, with similar offers
to your Majesty ; but the Ummeer, violating the laws
of nations and the rites of hospitality, seized and im-
prisoned him. Such an act, unless speedily redressed,
may bring the vengeance of my Government upon
Bokhara. Your Majesty must have influence with the
Ummeer, and would do an important benefit to the
~loosulmaun world, in exerting it for the liberation
of Cololiel Stoddart; for the British are extremely
reluctant to enter into war with any of the Moslem
States, their natural allies."
" I am on terms of defiance vi t h the Ummeer; he
will not listen to me."
" Bint his ambassador mas lately at Khiva :! "
'; He departed tvithout ubtuini~rg liE3 c~hier.t,
'TIL4&
Ummeer is mad."
" Your Nsrjesty is a friend and idly cpd" t8.a~ ki i r ~ ~
Kokauu.
If both jourself arlid that n1011hrci"h g l i e ~ i ~ i t l
urge the release of Colonel St ddart , the ITrsrnnldcs
mould not dare to refuse."
" The Cmmeer thinks, fmm the ~~i : ui m: , Fuat atike tisr
Golollel Stoddart's release, tB1a.t he is solane Yery freaat
man ; and as he fears you will sonx day annolvsc ha'ta~,
detains him to exchange for some city. or +k,rnc Ilig..ib
ransom. Would your Gavcrtlmerlt give a:lg !aig,rEs
sum for his release ? '"
" Xy Queen has thousands of subject>, thsc pcju:ll.,
in birth and 13nk to Colonel Sttsdctnrt. Haid C' i J wr ~ l
Stodclart been taken in war, a raaksoall ~nmipPlt Irrsrta:rMy
be thought of. But he was the Unlmeer's guest, and
the represe~ltative of luy King iit the t i ~ m of his
seizure. The insult, if not redressed, tknay be atvualgvrl,
So far from the Unlrneer gaining t i city iri excllanpt.
for Colonel Stoddart, ~t-ere Ire to usk ts111y u birlptc
rupee, the B1-itish Gover~~~nerlt wou2cl r e h e thr, dc-
mand with scorn. The pains we haw t:tketl fim
Colonel Stoddart's release proceed from U U ~ reluc-
tance to war with any of the states of IsP:lu~n. But
for this reluctance, we had long ago herkt ai ccstzpPe of
thousand sol&ers, to drive the Vmmeer out of Inie
kingdom. "
After some time the Khaun asked, '' Do 3-ou h o w
Cauzie Mooh Hussun ? ?'
Yes ! well ! "
" Do you consider him your friend? '%th 1%slight
smile.
He has always so professed Irimwli; mti lzits re-
ceived many benefits from the English."
96 EIND OFFICES.
The Khaun laughed. The cause 1 did not com-
prehend until the day following.
I was now dis-
missed, and r et uned to my miserable quarters. The
next day Birdler Beeg called. I have just seen,"
he said, "a letter fsoni Cauzie Noolla Hussun to the
L
4
Khaun Muzurut; that is, I have heard the Mehtur
i
'eacl it aloud.
He says, ' Pour Majesty desired, that
if anyone mas sent as Eelchie to Khiva, I might be
i
selected.
I told this to Major Todd; but he has dis-
i
regarded your Majesty's request, and sent Abbott
Sahib. I therefore recommencl your Majesty to be
1
on your guard; for had the purpose of the mission
,
been honest, why was not I selected as Eelchie? ' "
I now co~~prehencled the Khaun HuzuTut's smile,
when asking of the Cauzie's friendship. I remem-
bered, also, that t he clay I svas selected for the mission,
the Cauzie had said in my presence to Major Todd,
" The IChaun Huzurut requested, that if anyone was
sent back to Khiva, I might be the person.'' Major
Todcl did not remark the tone in which this mas said.
But when the Cauzie departed, P pointed it out to
him, saying, '' That is a disappoii~ted man, and mill
do all in his power to thwart my mission." After-
warcls, the Cauzie entered with such apparent hearti-
ness into every arrangement for my comfort, and
gave me such solid and valuable advice respecting
the people of Toorkestaun, that I accused myself of
having harshly misjudged him, and felt double grati-
tude for his supposed good offices. My first judg-
ment, i t will be found, was correct ; and to all persons
dealing with Asiatics, and especially with natives of
Afghaunistan, I would recommend, as the ollly safe-
guard t o the duties entrusted to them, the harshest
possible construction of motives. Sucli will be found,
THE MINISTER.
in the end, harsh only as applied to the nations of
Europe; but just, and therefore charitable, in their
present application.
This Cauzie Moolla Hussun is the father of Saleh
Muhummud, the youth t o whom I took such a liking
' at Merv, and whom I had begged Major Todd to
send me to Ehiva, if he could be spared. Saleh
Muhummud was destined to play a conspicuous part
in the sequel. I now added to the letter I was writ-
ing Major Todd, a request, thdt whomsoever he might
send with the cash necessary for my expenses, it
might not be Saleh Muhummud, nor any other mem-
ber of the Cauzie's family, detailing my reason for
this wish. This lettey was not received (it will after-
wards appear) until, providentially, Saleh Muhum-
mud had been despatched to me.
Knowing that the discovery by the Khaun of any
secret correspondence with Heraut, would awaken
his distrust, to the injury of my mission, I had, at
the last audience, begged His Majesty to allow me
the means of sending letters t o Major Todd, and he
readily promised me a Toorcumun horseman for that
The next day I rode over to the Mehtur's palace.
A large number of Oozbegs and Toorcumuns were
seated at the entrance. They rose as I approached,
and helped me to alight. Birdler Beeg ushered me
through the house, to the apartment occupied by the
Mehtur. I entered and saluted him. He did not
rise, but returned my salutations with a clumsy nod:
for his manners (if indeed they deserve such a title)
are the most bearish possible. I sat at his side by
his invitation. He then said, '' Khoosh Aumudeed "
(You are welcome) ; the usual bread and fruits were
9 8 EELUHIES.
set before me, and a basin of horrible tea, being a
strong decoction made over the fire without milk, and
with little sugar. Some nobles of the Court, who
were seated at a distance, were signalled t o with-
draw. I am recording, after a considerable lapse of
time, conversations and events well remembered, but
not in the exact order in which they occurred.
Nevertheless, I conceive it better to endeavour t o
arrange them, because, in so doing, many particulars
are brought to remembrance, which might otherwise
escape me, or find no convenient place of insertion.
The Mehtur inquired through his interpreter, what
were our dispositioiis towards the Ummeer of Bo-
y
khara.
I replied, that they had been friendly until he
seized our ambassador. The natives of these coun-
tries, be it observed, have but one name for all
Government Emissaries, vie. Eelchie, which we may
intrepret as we please, ambassador, envoy, or agent.
They themselves do not understand the difference of
grades. The messenger of a sovereign is, according
to their notions, an Eelchie or ambassador, however
high or low his rank otherwise, and to attempt to
make distinctions, would only subject our agents
to be treated with neglect, as less than the ambas-
sadors of all the petty states around. A British
agent is therefore obliged to assume both the title
and the consequence of an ambassador, and t o insist
f
upon all the rights accorded to such functionaries.
But to continue. I added, " How would the Khaun
Huzurut like to see a British army at Bokhara ? 7 '
" Not at all. I s the seizure of an Eelchie a suffi-
cient cause of war ? "
" Ample ! Nave you not heard that, we are on
PROPOSED RESCUE OF COLONEL STODDART. 99
terms of defiance with Persia, because Muhummud
Shauh presumed to open a letter, addressed to our
ambassador at Tehraun ? Now, as the Khaun Euzu-
rut would ill like to see onr troops at Bokhara, and
we are reluctant to war with the kingdoms of Islaum,
I trust he will prevent the necessity, by inducing the
Urnrneer to release Colonel Stoddart."
" Has any army advanced towards Bokhara P "
"That I cannot say; but it is a thing that may
happen any day, unless Colonel St'oddart be released.
It is a thing which would long since have happened,
but for the reluct,ance above ment4ioned: for we are
k
the natural allies of the Muhummedan states."
He replied, " The Urnmeer will not listen to the
Khaun Huzurut. But the Khaun proposes the fol-
lowing plan for Colonel Stoddart's rescue. The
Colonel is allowed to ride about Bokhara " (of this
I had some doubt). '< The Khaun will send thither
a small party of Toorcumuns, provided with a note
from you t o Colonel Stoddart. These men will meet
him on any day he may appoint, carry hini by force,
on a swift horse, through the gates of the city, and
not pause until they are beyond pursuit; a stronger
party will meet and protect them, and they will
bring the Colonel to Ehiva. What say you to this
proposal ? "
The proposal was so far tempting, that I knew no
other possible method of effecting Colonel Stoddart's
release. But when I considered that t'he execution
was to be entrusted to men, of whose sagacity,
courage and fidelity, I knew nothing ; that Colonel
Stoddart might be so closely guarded, as to render
the scheme impracticable; and that a hint of such a
design being on foot, might cause the Ummeer t o
7 "
I
100 THE RUSSIAN INVASION.
take the Colonel's life, or at any rate to subject him
to fresh hardships and indignities ; moreover, that
it was highly probable this high-spirited officer might
refuse to make his escape; I rejected the proposal
with grateful thanks to the Khaun, upon the plea
of the peril in which it might involve that gallant,
but ill-fated officer.
The Khaun Huzurut had instructed the Mehtur to
give me all possible information respecting affairs
upon the frontier. I now proceeded to inquire more
minutely into particulars, of which I had already
gathered the substance from Birdler Beeg and the
Toorcumuns we met in journeying to Khiva. The
Mehtur's statement was elicited at the expense of
much cross-q~est~ioning ; I shall therefore couch it in
my own words. The Khaun Huzurut had despatched
an army of 40,000 horse, under command of the
Ghoosh Beegie," the second officer of the state, to
repel the Russian invasion. The invaders, the Mehtur
persisted in estimating at four or five hundred in-
fantry and a few guns. This absurd estimate had
undoubtedly in view, to make British aid seem
matter of little consequence. I t had, however, a
grotesque effect, when the result was understood.
The Ghoosh Beegie advanced with the utmost reso-
lution as far as the N.-Western angle of the sea of
Aral. It then suddenly occurred to him, that five or
six hundred Koozulbaush and Toorcurnun horse
would answer the purpose of sweeping the idolaters
from the face of the earth, f dl y as well as 40,000.
SO halting in his position, about 120 milea short of
* Lord falconer, literally lord of the winged things.
He is
second in dignity of state affairs, as the Mehtur, or Groom, is
first. So simple is the construction of a, Toorkish Court.
EXPLOITS.-PIG-EATERS DESPISED. 101
the small advanced post of the Russians, he de-
spatched a party, with orders to sei ~e the Russian
cattle, and do any other mischief in their power.
This party, finding the snow five feet in depth, were
obliged to drive before them unladen Kuzzauk gallo-
ways, to beat a path or channel through it. Through
this track they advanced, the snow standing high on
either side. They fell valiantly upon the cattle of
the Russians, and were carrying them off in triumph,
when the Russians perceiving them, sent in pursuit
a party of about one hundred fusiliers, who coming
up with the frozen horsemen, and warmed with their
own exertions shot them like sheep. The Toor-
cumuns fled, leaving some thirty or forty of their
party on the field, and bearing witth them the con-
soling hope, that one Russian had been hurt. The
Russian field-pieces opened upon the fugitives,
who never drew rein until they reached the main
army.
The Ghoosh Beegie, fro111 this little affair, con-
ceived so supreme a contempt for the enemy, that
he immediately mot e the Khaun Huzurut, saying,
that he and his horsemen found the weather very
cold; that the Russia~is were a miserable set of
wretches, in all not exceeding three or four hundred
half-starved, pig-eating, idol-worshipping sons of
burnt fathers ; and that, as the Khaun Huzurut
-
could, at any leisure moment, give them a brush
with the besom of destruction, he humbly opined
that it was quite needless to expose 40,000 men and
horses to the rigour of the season, and that he should
be very much obliged t o His Majesty for permission
t o return. The Khaun Huzurut, on hearing this,
very good-naturedly recalled the force to winter
102 RUSSIAN ADVANCE.
quaders at Ghoonguraut, near the southern border
of the sea of &al. They had returned in a miser-
able condition : many of them mutilated by the frost;
some had lost one, some both hands; others the feet,
the nose, the ears, the lips, the whole cheek, in some
cases even the tongue; for the intense chill so para-
lyses the nerves, that those subjected to it are ~nc on-
scious of the state of the members of their body ;
the tongue at night finds its may out of the mouth,
and is instantly frozen and destroyed. The troops,
however, had not yet returned to Khiva; they came
in previous to my departure from that city.
Such, amid a thousand hesitations and contradic-
tions, I learned to be the state of things on t he
frontier. The Russians had advanced from Oren-
burgh, and occupied a fort, or, as I conjectured,
an intrenched camp upon the Yem (called by the
Kuzzauks Djem, and by the Russians, Embah), a
small brackish stream, forming, with the Irghiz, the
northern limit of Khaurism. They had also pushed
on a detachment, which was intrenched half way
between the Yem and the sea of Aral, and it
appeared to be with this detachment that the skir-
mish had taken place. The Mehtur believed that
there were about 12,000 troops at Orenburgh, as a
corps of reserve. He had heard of no advance from
Astrakhan.
I then. questioned him as to the limits of the fron-
tier bf Khaurism.
"YOU must ask the Ehaun Huzurut," was the re-
ply. It would, of course, be impossible for the Mehtur
to conjecture where it might seem good or convenient
to the ghaun to ~IX the boundary of his kingdom.
Al l other geographical queries were equally unsatis-
.C
RUSSIAN MUSTEB. 103
factory.
It mas evident that the Mehtur knew next
to nothing of the features of his country, and that
was in terror of disclosing even that nothing, lest it
should in any way clash with the Khaun's will and
pleasure. To transact business with such a man wa.s
next to impossible. This he didn't know; that he
would not answer; and the other I must ask the
Bhaun at my next audience. Great part of what he
told me I knew to be false, and being restricted from
all intercourke with other natives, it was extrelliely
difficult to me to form a satisfactory judgment of the
real aspect of affairs. Two ICuzzauks had, I was
secretly informed, estimated the Russian force at
100,000 men, which was the estimate brought by the
Khivan ambassador. The Ghoosh Beegie had killed
another Ruzzaulr who had just reconnoitred the Rus-
sian camp, because he had openlyYdeclared their num-
bers 10,000 just as the Ghoosh Eeegie had written the
Khaun, rating them at 300 or 400. The Khaun him-
self called them between 4,000 and 5,000, and my best
intelligence estimated them at 7,500 fighting men.
Yet the Mehtur insisted that they were no more than
400 or 500. 1 was afterwards told by a soldier who
affected to have been upon the expedition, and who
had either contrived to enter my room at Ooralsk, or
been sent purposely ; that, including the reserve, they
did not exceed 7,500 ; a force too small for the pur-
pose, yet which I was inclined to believe to be all
employed until Genera.1 Perroffski, their commander,
a man of the strictest honour, asserted, as a reason
that Great Britain should take no umbrage at such
an expedition, that his entire force did not exceed
10,000 fighting men.
1 asked the Meht,ur whether the Russians had issued
104 RUSSIAN PROCLAMATION.
any proclamation previous to the invasion, informing
him that such was an invariable custom amongst the
nations of Europe.
He replied in the negative. This howeve? was not
true; for Russia printed and issued a statement of
her grievances, declaring that she made war, not with
the people of Rhaurism, but with Ullah Koolie Khaun,
and inviting his subjects to rise against their lord ; a
proclamation, be it observed, which entitled the Khaun
to treat every Russian captive as a common robber,
and hang him without trial. I am not sure, however,
that the Mehtur was aware of this proclamation. I
was not, until I reached Wuov Alexandrof (Dahsh
Gullah).
I asked what the Mehtur believed to be the plea of
Russia for this invasion ; but he referred me to the
Khaun.
&' When was the invasion first reported ? "
" The Russians have been always encroaching, and
building forts on our frontier. This year they have
come in greater force and a little farther than usual."
I told the Mehtur that I must urge, in the strongest
terms, the speedy delivery to Russia of all her sub-
jects enslaved in Khaurism ; that, vithout this act of
justice, they could expect no assistance f+om us in the
adjustment of their quarrel; that justice was a sacred
law, which we aould not infringe for any considera-
tion ; that the reason we were the greatest nation on
earth was, that we werevthe most just, and had there-
fore the confidence of all other nations.
He assured me that the Ehaun would release all
the captives. d
Afterwards, our discourse took a turn which need
not be detailed. Suffice it that, when I had been
A SHREWD QUESTIOX.
obliged t o excuse myself from directly answering any
one of the demands of the Khaun, the Vuzeer bluntly
asked me, " What then have you come hither for? If
you will grant none of our demands, of vhat use is it
t o call yourseIves our allies ? "
I replied that, if I had come in vain, the loss a.as
my own, and not his, nor his master's ; and that I vas
quite ready to return. But that I offered them, ~vhat
none had ever repented of accepting,-the good oilices
of the greatest nation on earth. It was for the Khaun
to judge whether he should accept or reject them, or
whether, without them, he could secure his kingdom
against a Russian invasion ; or ~vhet~her the deeds of
arms lately exhibited gave him any confidence of suc-
cess in a struggle with Russia. 1 begged him to re-
member that the late result was from the oppositio~n
of 40,000 troops of Hhiva to 400 Russians,* and asked
what he purposed doing, if Russia should appear
40,000 strong, as she easily might, and wol~kd, if
necessary. This lowered his assumed tone. I enquired
whether the Khaun purposed using my services.
He replied, " Yes ! yes ! " and Tvas evidently alarmed
at the picture I had drawn.
The result I derived from this interview was simply
that t he Vuzeer was bent upon deceiving me, with a
view to hold cheap the assistance of England. Infor-
rnation I had gained none ; all that was true I had
previously heard, and the greater part I knew to be
false.
T h t night I was awakened by a messenger from
the I(haun Huzurut, who informed me that he was
to proceed in the course of an hour towards Bokhara,
* I here used the Mehtur's own estimate against him ; the
numbers of the Khivan army were much smaller,
%
"""*""'"7
A MESSENGER TO BOKHARA.
with a letter for the Ummeer, urging the release of
Colonel Stoddart. It was hinted to me that the Khaun
had written in terms which the Ummeer would not
dare to disregard. I gave this messenger a handsome
present, and I believe he was sent me for the purpose
of receivingit, as much as with t21e view of satisfying
me of the Khaun's solicitude for the release of Colonel
Stoddart.
CHAPTER VII.
Third Audience of the Khaun Huzurut-Explication of British
Policy in Afghaunistan-The Great Mogul-Dismissal-Pro-
posal that my Letters should be read by the lchaun Huxurut
-Difficulties of Correspondence-33apaity of t he Minister
--Fourth Audience-Promise to restore the Russian Captives
-My Objection to their unconditional Release whilst a Rus-
sian Army was advancing upon the Capital-Nature and
Origin of the Misunderstanding between Russia and Khiva-
Russia the Aggressor-Estimated Strength of t he Army of
Invasion-Its Arrest by the Snow-Skirmish-Terrors of s
6-lb. Shot-Ruminations.
my next audience, I read, at tE, Khaun's desire,
the sketch I had drawn up of the political divi-
sions of Europe, with which I deemed it important
he should be acquainted-showed him how a nation,
politically allied to us in Europe, had, in Asia, inte-
rests separate from ours. I presented t he Khaun
with a map of the world, wherein I had inserted, in
Persia11 characters, the names of the principal states
and cities-shewed him how important t o the inte-
rests of our Indian Empire was the integrity of
Khaurism and Persia, yet how useless to us would
be the lands of those states, too poor to pay the ex-
)
pense of occupation, and a stronger barrier to India
in their independence than they could be in our
hands. I painted to him, in strong colours, the
horrors of war between the higher powers of Europe,
costing the lives of millions, the trampling t o dust of
108 BRITISH POLICY.
lesser states, the expenditure of endless treasure.
I
shewed that true policy consisted in avoiding such
wars, by timely measures in preventing the approach
of a mighty nation, whom, nevertheless, we did not
fear.
I then gave a brief narrative of the late campaign
in Afghaunistan. His Majesty Shah Shoojah-ool-
Moolk had been our guest the last twenty years.
We protected and supported him ; but to his entreaties
for an army to recover his possessions, we had re-
plied, that we had no quarrel with Doost Muhummud
Khaun, and the chiefs of Candahar. That we could
not constitute ourselves judges of the affairs of neigh-
bouring states, so long as they did not molest us.
But that when me discovered that the Ummeer and
the chiefs had entered into a compact with our ene-
mies, to admit through their territories an army for
the invasion of India ; the aspect of the case was
changed ; and giving His Majesty Shah Shoojah an
army of 20,000 men, we reseated him upon the
throne of his ancestors. That it was our system
never to break a t.reaty, nor to be the aggressors in
a war. That in the heart of our Indian possessions
existed several Muhum~nedan and other states, hav-
ing rich lands and revenue, and no armies for their
protection ; that, nevertheless, we never had molested
nor ever should molest them,* unless they should be-
come the aggressors. That our empire was built on
justice and good faith, and the confidence which those
principles begot for their possessors.
When I had concluded a paper, of which the above
contains but the heads of matter, and which was
C
* How little did I foresee that this statement of national
probity was to be falsified by the annexation of Oude.
ARTILLERY XATTERS. 109
therefore somewhat lengthy, His Majesg insuirecI;
" Of whom did you conquer Delhi ? "
"Of the Mahrattas, a race of Hindoos who had
wrested it from the Moguls."
" Does not a Mogul king still reign there ? "
''Yes ! on taking Delhi we guaranteed to the
Emperor, whom we found beleaguered there, all the:
territory left him by the Mahrattas. He enjoys it
still. The revenue is twelve lacs."
After some enquiries as to the military force of
Russia, the Khauli inquired, " How nlany guns has
Russia ? "
" I cannot form an idea, but the number is great."
"I," said the Khaun, '' have t,wenty, how rnnny
has the Queen of England ? "
c c The number is too great to be reckoned, and
therefore no account is kept of them.
The seas are
covered with the ships of England, each bearing from
twenty to one hundred and twenty guns of the
lalagest sfze. Her forts are full of cannon, and thou-
sands lie in every magazine. The very posts in our
streets are often made of guns, which, in Persia and
Afghaunistan would be considered excellent.
\Ye
have more guns than any nation in the world."
I was now dismissed, but not until I had again
urged the necessity of conveying my letters to
Heraut, and had again been promised an immediate
opportunity. When I afterwa~ds urged this subject
upon the Mehtur, he said, " Cannot you r a i t e your
letters in Persian, and submit them, in the first place,
for the perusal of the Kbnun Huzurut, ? " I replied
that such an indignity would not, I was assured, be
put upon an agent of the British Government. That
my services were not forced upon the Ehauu, who
110 TRIBUTE.
was at liberty to trust or distrust me, as he thought
fit. That if he trusted me, he would not distrust my
letters. If he distrusted me, the sooner he dismissed
me on my return to Hermut, the better.
The Mehtur said, l C Very well, prepare your letters
as you please, they shall be sent forthwith," Never-
theless, ,no orders were issuedefor their conveyance,
. .
and I was still reluctant to engage in secret oorre-
spondence with Heraut (a matter of the utmost
difficulty from a position so isolated by deserts),
because, the discovery of such a. system would
increase tenfold the suspicioas, already haunting the
Khaun's mind.
I once lllore urged the Mehtur to remember his
promise of giving freedom to Umnleer Beeg, a
Goolaum, or Government officer attached to the
Persian mission; who had been taken prisoner and
made a slave by Toorcumuns, whilst carrying de-
spatches from Colonel Stoddart, at Heraut, to Sir
John M'Neil. He promised that the man should be
speedily released.
Birdler Beeg, a few mornings after my arrival,
came to me with a message from the Mehtur, asking
whether I had not got some little presents for him,
such as a brace of pistols, penknives that cut steel,
telescopes, and watches ?
l c You, of course, assured him that I had not.
That I travelled Ghuppah (post), and could with
difficulty carry the few presents destined for the
Khaun Huzurut."
It was sufficiently manifest, from Birdler BeegYs
manner, that he had told a very different tale.
c c Your watch," the Mehtur says, " will do very ,
well."
*IC
INVOLUNTARY GIFTS. 111
Tell him he cannot have it. It was the gift of
a brother no longer living.
And besides, I cannot
march in any comfort without it." The fact is, that
all m distances were estimated by tlie watch, and
-x
when, afterwards, I was deprived of it, I had the
utmost difficulty in cal~ulat~ing them.
_
" The Mehtur," replied Bil-dler Beeg, " has set his
heart upon it."
" He cannot have it. I will procure him one from
Heraut or Cabul."
" Then your pistols."
The pistols also were a gift. They had their
history. T was most reluctant, of course, to part
with them. Fortunately, their extreme simplicity
rendered them valueless in the eyes of men with
whom decoratioii is everything. Even my tele-
scope was an old and tried companion: but it
was necessary to produce somet'hing, so I gave it
and my thermometer, and several other trifling
articles. The Mehtur, I found, dared not to keep
to himself the telescope and thermometer. They
became the property of the "Father of the con-
queror of Heroes, the Father of Victory, the King of
Eha~r i sm. ' ~
At my next audience, I commenced by a serious
remon~t ~ance upon the delay attending the trans-
mission of my letters. " It is now," I said, " several
weeks since my arrival at your Majesys capital; and
my Government knows not whether I am alive or
dead. Whether I have been received hospitably,
or as Colonel Stoddart was received by the Ummeer
of Bokhara,"
" Wliat," said the Khaun with n smile, passing the
edge of his right hand across t,he top of the middle
112 SUSPECTED COALITION
finger of the left, '( does Major Todd think I would
treat you so ? "
He then desired me t o be seated.
I obeyed, but
almost immediately rose, saying that I thanked him
for this attention to my Government, but that, as
his prime minister and all the nobles were standing,
with his permission I would do the same.
Some very importcant arrangements, respecting my
farther proceedings, were then made and discussed.
During mhich I urged, as a sine qua non, the surren-
dei- of all Russian slaves.
The Khaun said that he was ready to restore them,
and asked, whether I thought they should be sent
with me to meet the General commanding the Rus-
sian expedition. " Ti1 that case," lie said, " what secu-
rity have I that he will not keep the prisoners, and
continue to advance upon my capital? "
I could offer him none: I had no power that could
have sufficed to arrest the progress of a Russian
invasion. I had been sent on the spur of the moment
without even credentials from the head of the Indian
Government. I saw the full delicacy of the case.
That it was almost a certainty, that this tardy sur-
render of captives would only hasten the march of
the Russian army upon Khiva; and that my share
in the release of the captives would then naturally
be regarded by the Khaun and all the Tartar states,
as a connivance with Russia; a notion that would
blast all our influence in these countries. I was
even now labouying under some lingering suspicion
of being a Russian spy ; a character which Par
Muhummud Khaw had pi-epared for me at Khiva,
before my arrival, and which several persons had
attested on oath before the Khaun; and there was
WITH FtUU8SIA.
a panic in these countries, ~vaiting only some s i ~i l ay
plea for gaining full activity, founded upon the belief,
that Russia from the North, and England from the
south, (both nations of Christendom, aiid Fer b~~ees, )
mere advancing in concert, to sweep the religion of
Muhummud from the face of the earth. I t ms for
this cause that, in speaking of our alliance, I was
careful t o make it embrace all the Muhummedm
states, lest we might be thought to be playing one
against the other, and ~eakeni ng all. I need not
say, that I most strictly adhered to fact iu this repre-
sentation ; for the grasping policy of our neighbours
has rendered all these kingdonls the barsiers of our
security. Bearing these reasons in view, I declined
urging the immediate and unconditional surrender of
the captives, although I insisted, in the strongest
terms, upon the necessity of their ultimate and u11-
reserved restoration ; for which the I<haun gave his
ready promise. I also shemecl the necessity of fus-
nishing me with every minute particular, relative to
the misunderstanding with IZussia, from its eadiest
origin to the present moment,. The Khaun assured
me I should know all, offering himself t o supply the
greater number of particulars, and referring me for
the rest to the Mehtur. He desi~ed me to question
him fi-eely, and I took advantage of the permission,
of the result of which the folIowing is an abstract.
" I n the days of mi father, Madreheem Ebaun,
there was friendship between Russia and Khiva, a
free interchange of commerce and civilities. Khiva
was at mar with Bokhasa, and, you are aware that
my territories separate Bokhara from R U S S ~ SO
that caravans, passing between those countries, are
obliged to pass through Khaurism. About twenty
114 ORIGIN OF THE WAR
years ago, during the war of Khiva and Bokhara,
Russia sent a rich caravan to Bokhara, escorted by
two hundred regular infantry and two guns. Should
this force have joined the Bokhara army, the rein-
forcement, owing to the discipline of the Russians,
had been formidable to Khiva. Madreheem Khaun
therefore sent the commander a polite message, say-
ing, that he could not suffer any troops or rein-
forcements to pass through his territories to his
enemies, but that the road to Ehiva, his own capital,
was free to the Russians, who should receive pro-
tection and hospitality. The Russian commander
refused the invitation, and endeavoured to force a
passage through the Khaun, my father's, terri-
tory, thus flagrantly violating the subsisting peace.
Madreheem Khaun, of course, ordered that he should
be opposed by the Toorcumuii and Kuzzauk horse,
just after his passage of t,he Sirr, or Jaxartes.
But the Russians, drawing up in a compact body,
and stockading themselves, made a most desperate
resistance, so that after much loss, the Toorcumuns
and Kuzzauks contented themselves with plunder-
I
l
ing the caravan. The Russians, however, retreated, 1
losing many of their men, to their own frontier. I
Thus originated the first breach between the states,
I
which has widened, gradually, by petty aggressions
on both sides; the Russians enticing over to their
I
I
country my subjects, who are the wealth of my
land; and my Euzzauks and Toorcumuns, on the
"%
frontier, occasionally capturing Russians. About
five years ago, the Russians built Dahsh Ghdah
(literally the stone fort, which I afterwards found
I
I
to be Nuov Alexandrofski, on an inlet of the Cas-
pian), within my territories ; and three years after
WITH RUSSIA. 115
they seized my caravans, trading in their country,
and five hundred and fifty of my merchants, whom
they retain prisoners in Russia."
'' And what steps has your Majesty taken for their
release? "
c c I sent, three years aao an ambassador with
letters for the Emperor, begging him to exchange cap.
tives. The governor of Orenburgh (not the Emperor)
wrote me in reply, that I must first release every
Russian in slavery, and that then he would release
my meychants. I sent again an ambassador, and
with him, ill earnest of my intention to release the
captives, six of the Russian prisoners; begging that
an equal number of my own people might be returned,
in proof of the Emperor's willingness t o exchange;
and promising, in that case, to surrender all the Rus-
sians. The Russians kept the captives, imprisoned
the brother of my ambassador, and sent the ambas-
sador back with a verbal message to my letter, to the
same effect as the former. The relations of my mer-
chants assailed me with petitions, and yielding to
them, I condescended to send a third ambassador
with 110 captives, and a letter as before. The
Russians retained these, but rendered no return. h-
other verbal message from the governor of Orenburgh
was the sole answer to my letter to the Emperor. I
therefore perceived that Russia was only playing upon
my credulity. It is six months since the return of
my last alnbassador."
c' And how long has your Majesty known of prepa-
rations for the invasion? "
L L It has sometime been reported to me, that the
governor of Orenburgh had promised the Emperor
.of Russia possession of Ehiva in the space of seven
8 "
116 NEWS FROM
years, of which the present is the fifth year.
About
six or eight months ago, the Russian governor sent
agents into the northern part of niy territories, t o
purchase camels, upon some feigned pretext. Guess-
ing for what they were designed, I forbade the sale,
upon pain of death to the seller. Neve~t~heless, some
of my Kuzzauks, on the northern frontier, supplied
a
a considerable number to R,ussin."
" And what is t'he strength of the invading force? "
" From four to five thousand fighting men, and some
guns."
' <But other troops must be folloving this small
force? "
" At Orenburgh are 12,000 more."
",Is there any Russian fort or town south of Orea-
burgh ? "
Yes ! I have heard that the Russians constructed a
fort or entrenchment (Sungur) called Auk Gullah, hal f
may between Orenburgh and the lake of Khaurism
(sea of Aral). They have also an entrenched camp
upon the Yem (Embah), and an advanced post, be-
tween that and the lake of Khaurism, upon one of t h e
springs of the Yem." s
" And what are they doing ? "
'< They are arrested by the snow, which lies t,here t o
the depth of five feet. They await a thaw, to advance."
' (What are your Majesty's news from the seat of
war ? "
c c My horsemen had a skirmish with the Russians,
whom they mould have swept from the face of t h e
earth, but for the severity of t he cold, which froze
i
them in their saddles. The Russians, sitting over
I
fires, aimed with deadly certainty, and killed many
* Dungiz i Ehrturism.
I
TEE SEAT OF TVAI~. 117
of my horsemen. As the latter retreated, t he enemy's
guns opened up011 them. See," he adcted, producillg
from the corner or rathey side of tile tent, by a nod
to the Mehtur, a six-pound ball, highly polished, as
if it had been used for the game of bowls; "that is
one of the deadly missiles, mith which rny subjects
mere assailed in their retreat."
I could scarcely restrain a srizile, as I looked at my
old playfellow, the six-pound shot, and then glanced
at the lengthened pllysiognomy of "t he Father* of
the conqueror of Heroes, the Father of Victory, the
King of Khaurism." I perceived pretty plainly, that
so long as the six-pound shot remained in the royal
pavilion, it mould keep ajar the door of reconcilia-
tion.
I returned to my house in a state of mind not
easily described.
I examined and re-examined my
position, but reason assured me there was nothing to
amend. The most extensive benefit to my country
might be the result; evil, should i t ensue, would be
confined to my own head. I only hoped the l3.hari.n
would use despatch in my mission, as every hour in-
creased the peril of Elliva, and placed the means of
averting it, farther out of reach. My position was *
novel and romantic. I was already the representa-
tive of two states, Great Britain and Heiaut, at the
Court of Ehiva. I was now t o become in fact, though
not in name, the ambassador of a Khaun of Tartary
to the Court of the Muscovite. There were su5cient
difficulties and dange~s in my path; but it was the
path of duty,
* One of the letters with which I was entrusted by the
Khaun Huzumt commences thus-" The words of the Father
of the Conqueror of Heroes, the Father of Victory, the Eing of
Khaurism."
118 A TALISMAN.
1 could not sleep that night, but went ofiten into
the snow-covered court, to gaze upon the stars, and
think of the possibility, how faint, yet how precious,
that amid my mauy adventures, some happier wave
of destiny might cast me upon my native shore. The
nine hundred miles of snowy desert disappeared before
my excited fancy. The difficulties at posts and out-
posts were all as nothing. I had, in the determination
to succeed, a talisman, which nothing could impair or
confound.
CHAPTER VIII.
Discussion of Routes-An Oozbeg Chart of the World-Rela-
tive Ext ent of the British and Russian Dominions-English
Habits-The Ehook and its Varieties-My unhappy Igno-
rance-Apology to the Tuscans-Necessity of foregoing all
Geographical Research, imposed by the extreme Importnnce
of my Mission, and the extreme Suspicion with which I was
regarded-Another Audience-Meyendorf'sTravels-The Air-
gun-Discussion of Routes-Impracticability of that by the
Balkaun-Difficulties of the Orenburgh Route-Recornmen-
dation by the Khaun Huzurut of that by Mungh Kishlauk
and Astrakhan-Questions relative to Europe, Dress, Dael-
'1 nY-
lings, Climate-Telescopes, Astrology, Female Soverc'g
Number of Cities, Russia, China.
THE
next day I had an interview with the Mehtur
a t his palace, in which we discussed my purposed
journey t o Russia. I thought that the route by the
Balkans, and thence to Astrakhan, seemed the most
feasible.
But the Mehtur, who was utterly ignoraut
of the subject, promised to consult the Kham Huzu-
rut. I declined any large escort. And in respect of
an Oozbeg ambassador accompanying me, I could not
recommend it, seeing that three such ambassadors had
already been arrested. This mt t er , however, I left
t o the decision of the IXhaun Huzurut.
A map of the world, the production of a profound
Oozbeg philosopher, was then produced; I begged a
clue t o this singular chart, and was rather surprised
t o find t hat Italy lay north of EngImd ; and Russia
south of China. My poor English map of the world
would, I foresaw, fall into great discredit, in presence
of so me11 authenticated a chart. As to pleading the
cause of Italy or China, I was not fond enough to
attempt anything so hopeless.
But after turning up
the whites of my eyes, in compliment to the profound
.
science of the Ooabegs, returned the map, consider-
ably enlightened upon the subject of Eastern geo-
graphy.
My own map, or rather the map I had given the
Ehaun, mas called for, and the Mehtur begged me to
point out the British and the Russian dominions.
Ah," he said, " Russia is larger than England."
" You are mistaken. This very question was the
subject of a bet between the ~n~l i s h- a nd the Russian
missions at Tehraun, which, after the most careful
investigation, was decided in favour of the English.
England has absolutely more territory, about five
times the number of subjects, and several t i mes more
revenue than Russia. But this is not all; for a glance
at the map mill shew you, that the wat er of the
world exceeds, about three times, the dry land, and,
wherever the ocean rolls, there my Queen has no
rival. ' '
We then fell into conversation upon the habits of
Europe. i
" Are you fond of hawking ? " he enquired : " dzes
E'
your Queen hawk ? " , P
" My Queen is an ac,complished rider, but hawking,
i
although much practised in former days, is at present
almost impossible in England, owing to the hi gh state
of cultivation." a
" But in the wilderness ? "
L L We have no wilderness; at least the f e w scraps
left by the plough may be several days' journey (i. e.
WHAT IS XHOOE?
Eastern days of journey) distant. The whole country
is like a garden."
( ( But you could ride over the fields? "
" The iields, in England, are each a separate gar-
den, so to speak, enclosed with ditches and a wall of
thorny trees; the entrance being a high gate on
hinges. Now, as it is necessary, in following the
falcon, to keep the eye ever fixed on the heavens, it
is impossible to hawk over enclosed fields; but we
follow the stag, the fox, and hare."
" But how, over these walls ? "
" We teach our horses to leap them."
" That must be dangerous. Our horses cannot
leap."
"We account this the most exciting circumstance
of the chase, because i t tries the mettle of the horse,
the courage and skill of the rider."
Do the English eat Khook (pig) ? "
Eat what ? " I inquired, very innocently.
L' Khook " (pig).
" What is Khook ? "
Now, neither the Mehtur nor the interpreter having
ever seen a pig, in all their lives, it was no easy
matter for t#hem t o describe the unclean beast. The
interpreter commenced a clumsy attempt ; I heard
him out patiently, and then said-
'( YOU mean that animal with long ears and a sweet
voice. The Khur (ass). No! we never eat any-
thing so unclean."
This was a back stroke at the Oozbegs, which I
thought might be useful. . They devour the wild ass.
( 4 1 don't mean the Ehur," persisted the interpreter,
a 1 mean Khook, Khook," looking me in the eyes.
L L Don't you know what Khook is ? "
122 APOLOGY TO THE TUSCANS.
I hadn't the slightest intention of knowing.
c c ~ ( h ~ ~ k , " I repeated dreamily, with a lamb-like stare
of innocence ; ' L Khook.
Oh !
you mean illat big
bird with red cheeks, that flaps his wings and wakes
us in the morning; yes, me eat him."
" No ! I don't mean the cock; but Khook, Ehook."
" Well then," I said, if i t is neither beast nor fowl,
perhaps it is a fish.''
The interpreter could not, in politeness, press the
matter farther.
The question, I well understood to
proceed from anything but idle curiosity. The
knowledge, that the English are a pig-eating genera-
tion, would have been, at that moment, an effectual
barrier to all alliance between the states ; for a hearty
detestation of pork may be said to be the only vital
spark surviving, in the religion of him of Mecca. My
own servants had not a suspicion of our monster-
eating propensities. For they had seen me slay
several plump wild hogs, and leave the carcases in the
field-a necessary precaution, which every member
of the mission equally observed.
Ah! ye luscious, cosy ones of the earth ! ye savory
haunched Tuscans ! Beloved of Achilles and Theseus !
Not abhorred of the all-beauteous Helen! How often
hath my heart bled, my mouth watered ill vain, as I
left you to the foul jams of the grave-digging Hy ~ n a ,
the fouler beak of the loathsome vulture ! Visit not,
with lean haunches, my involuntary crime ! Think
of the glorious amends I made you in London, when
out of eye-shot of the faithful Summud Khaun !
Think, ye jolly ones, of the thin red slices, deep set
in consolidated marrow, edged with melting amber,
stuck with cloves from the Indian Isles ! Say, did I
not make amends in those few days, by the keenness
ENNUI. 123
of my gusto, for seventeen years of lean &sthence
from your classic bounties, eaten to the tulle of
" fresh rolls and golden butter," digested (O! for-
give me) beneath the inspiring influence of my native
skies !
My time passed heavily enough at Khiva.
I had
once gone forth to see the King's garden and palace,
but I was attended by the Major Domo, and received
a hint, that it might be as well not to speak to, nor
even to 1009, attentively, at anyone I might happen
to meet. On visiting the Mehtur aftermarcis, he
inquired what I had made the dimensions of the
garden, and seemed incredulous, when I assured him
I had made no measurements. This little incident
was a lesson to me, to prefer complete seclusion, to
the humiliation of being dogged by spies, and of
being myself suspected of spying out the nakedness
of the land. I had early perceived, that the main
difficulty at Khiva, and my most important duty,
would be, to win confidence, in spite of all the engines
set on foot, to render me suspected. I was not with-
out my share of curiosity, and knew of how much
consequence t o the learned world are all particulars,
relative to the Oxus and the Sea of Aral, which I
had long thirsted to visit. But I remembered, that
in a few months, could I only win the confidence of
the Khaun, all these objects would be ope11 to our
investigation, and that my own polit.ica1 duties couId
not, for an instant, be weighed against those relating
only to science. I therefore resigned with a sigh, but
without j edousy, to some more fortunate successor,
discoveries quite within .my reach, but which pru-
dence forbad me to stretch my hand t o grasp.
I had brought with me a few oft-perused books,
124 COLONEL STODDART.
which were some relief to the tedium of my imprisoll-
merit ; but my furniture was so miserable, that I had
little temptation to use the pen ; an exel'cise, during
which I mas obliged to bolt my door; and, indeed, I
dared not make any memoranda, which sent to
Ileraut, and opened on the road by the Khaun, might
have seemed to him the productlion of a spy ; or
which, falling into the hands of Russia, would have
been useful hints to her, in her designs upon Khiva.
Certain very important particulars, of which a copy
had been sent to Cabul, and which I wished to bear
to the British ambassador at St. Petersburg, lest the
said copy should be lost, I travestied, threw into
verse, and committed to memory, destroying the
paper. They are curious, but cannot just now see
the light.
At my next audience, speaking of Colonel Stoddart,
the Khaun said, " I hear, that the Russian ambas-
sador at Bolcliara applied to the Ummeer, for Colonel
Stoddart's freedom, and that he should be delivered,
for the purpose, to the Russian government. That,
upon this, the Ummeer summoned Colonel Stoddart,
and asked him whether the Russians were likely to
treat him well, and what he thought of the proposal;
and that Colonel Stoddart replied, The Russians
would undoubtedly treat me well ; but when my
own Government demands me, what will your high-
ness answer ? ' That the Ummeer was much struck
with the nobleness of such an answer, from one who
was in prison, and in hourly danger of death ; and
taking off his own rich cloak of sables, made them
clothe Colonel Stoddart in it, and lead him, on horse-
back, through Bokhara." This anecdote, which the
Iihaun f d y credited, I have not, to this day, means
DISCUSS10N OF ROUTES.
125
of confirming or contradicting. I t accords so veil,
however, with the spirit of this high-minded officer,
whose sufferings were paralleled only by his fortitude,
that I had no difficulty i n believing it. General Per-
roffski afterwards confirmed the fact of his attempt
to release Colonel Stoddart.
My approaching journey was discussed. L L What
retinue did I require ? "
The Khaun Huzurut knew best what was necessary
to guard me through his territory : but I thought
that three or four Russian slaves, placed at my dis-
posal, might facilitate niatters, serving as an earnest
of the Khaun's intention t o free the remainder, and
acting as guides and interpreters to me upon the
Russian frontier. The Khaun readily promised I
should have them, and gave orders to that effect to
the Mehtur, who, by a manceuvre, eventually deprived
me crf them. I referred to nzy late discussions with
the Mehtur, and enquired the route vid the Balkaun.
He replied, that the people of those parts, Yahmoot
Toorcumuns, were in open rebellion to his authority,
and were plunderers by profession. He could not,
therefore, secure iuy safety by that route. But that,
farther north, was t8he port of Mungh Iiishlauk,
whence the Bokhara caravans embark for Astrakhan,
and vice ves.s&. That the distance was about 16 days'
journey from Khiva, i.e. 480 miles. That the Cas-
pian mas at.present frozen, but that inquiries should
be set on foot respecting this route: and the Toor-
cumun chief of those parts be called to consult with
me. I strongly the vital necessity of despatch ;
blzt the Khaun answered, that the roads at present
.mere closed by the snow, and the Caspian by the ice.
That were I now to start, I should, in all probability,
126 ENGLISH HABITB.
be brought back a cripple, like his Toorcurnun horse-
men. I replied, that I would run any risk to myself,
rather than incur the detention, which would be
certain ruin to my project. But that 1 would clothe
myself and servants in furs, and had no apprehension.
He asked, whether I did not find my scanty EuTopean
dress much too Light for the climate. I explained,
that it had been made in Hindoostaun, of which the
climate is very warm. That in England, we wore a
dress of similar fashion, but admitting of several
under-garments.
" England, then, is cold. Is i t as cold as Khiva? "
'' The cold there is of a different character ; here it
is excessively dsy, with little wind and a clear sky;
in England the sky is generally overcast, there is
much wind, and too much rain."
LLHow then can the people exist, with such a
dress ? "
" Our houses in England are better adapted to ex-
clude the weather; they have a chimney in each room,
glass windows, and floors of plank."
'' Yes, your rich men's houses. But what do the
poor do ? "
"The poor have glass windows, chimneys, and
floors of' plank.
The house of a labourer in England
is far more comfortable than the palace of a nobleman
in Persia or Heraut."
L L But your poor cannot be always at home."
" When abroad they aTe either walking or labour-
ing, either of which occupations keeps them warm ;
and besides, their dress is of thicker materials than
mine, and its closeness to the body excludes the wind
better than does the loose dress of Khiva."
" When you come to see me, put on your witnu
TELESCOPES. 127
Asiatic dress. You look cold in that which you
wear."
I bowed.
Have you any telescopes with which you can see
the interior of a fort or house ?
I have hea~d of an
Englishman who had one."
' L No ; we have telescopes that turn people head
downwards,* which, perhaps, has given rise to your
Majesty's idea, and we have instruments for measur-
ing from a distance the height of the walls ; but we
have none that mould shew us the interior from with-
out." I then described Herschel's grand telescope.
Re asked the use of it. I replied that each planet
had its own peculiar form, which could be ascertained
by means of a telescope ; that the moon, in particular,
appeared dram11 so near that we could make maps of
her surface; that by means of telescopes we had dis-
covered planets that were not previously known to
exist, and fixed stars where, t o the naked eye, there
appemed but a void in the heavens.
'' Do you practise astrology? "
" No ; v e make marly calculations by the position
of stars, of the sun, and of the moon, but we do not
believe that the destiny of man can be discovered
thereby."
cr 1; your king really a woman ? "
L L She is."
The Khaun smiled, and all his satellites, as in duty
bound, giggled.
* When surveying i n Rohilkund, I once occupied the castle
of a village in the Shahjehanpoor district, and exhibited to the
principal Zumeendar the effects of my night telescope, which
inverts objects. A report got abroad that I had a telescope
which sets people, at any distance, on their heads, and all the
women of the village were instantly shut up, lest I should take
this liberty with them.
128 FEMALE SOVEREIGNS.
' L How," he inquired, " can she rule, being roo-posh
(concealed) ? "
" Our females, like those of the Toorcumuns, are
not concealed.
The Queen of England has ministers,
who transact business for her."
L' Are they women ? "
c c No, they are men.
They receive their general
instructions from the Queen, and act accordingly."
L' But how can your Queen administer justice ? "
L' Our kings do not, like your Majesty, administer
justice in person; there are Causies appointed for the
purpose. These commit the proceedings and the evi -
dence to paper ; and in cases of - life and death the
Queen reads the particulars, and confirms or annul s
the sentence by a stroke of -her pen."
" Do you always choose women as your kings ? "
l L No, we give preference to heirs male ; but when
there is a female and no male, rather than disturb the
country by introducing a new family of claimants of
the crown, we crown this female. One of the greatest
of our kings was a woman."
" I s your king married ? "
L L No ; she is very young.""
" But she will marry ? "
c c Inshallah."
L' And if she marry, does her husband become
king ? "
' L By no means. He has no authority in the state."
Here there was some more smiling.
c c How many cities has your king ? "
L L They are too numerous t'o be computed."
" Russia," said the Khaun, L L has four hundred,
* I did not hear of Her Majesty's marriage until severd
months after this con~erset i os~
CHINA. 129
Hindoostaun two hundred, but China has the greatest
number.
Do you know anything of China ? "
' ' We have merchants there. "
L' It is the most powerful of empires."
"We do not consider it such. About five-and-
twenty years ago we sent thither an ambassador in a
gull-ship; the Emperor insisted that he should knock
his head on the ground seven times on entering the
presence ; he refused, but consented to bow seven
times, provided the prime minister of China would do
the same before a picture of the king of England.
The Emperor, in great wrath, ordered the guns of
his fort to open upon the ambassador's ship. The
ambassador's ship returned the salute with about
forty heavy guns, and speedily destroyed the castle.
The Chinese have neither army nor fleet, but their
country is highly populous and productive."
I give the last anecdote as I related it, but although
I believe the main facts are correct, 1 ma.y veTy pos-
sibly have failed in the minutia? ; my remembrance of '
Lord Amherst's Embassy not being very distinct.
VOL. 16.
CHAPTER IX.
Delay in my Mission, and the impatience under it-Cross Exa-
mination upon Articles of Faith-Rawff-Baub-001-Mandeb
-People and Customs of Hindoostaun-Mungh Kishlauk
Guide-His Testimony-Another Audience-Inhabitants of
the Ocean - Fish - Serpents - Sub-marille Sailing - Gun
Vessels-Sea Fights-Towns in the Sea-Magic-Con-
trivances as Wonderful in Common Use by t he British-
Steam Looms-Mints-Telegraphs-Steam Vessels and
Steam Carriages-Our Well of Alchemy-Origin of the Ducat . I
-Private Intelligence-Extreme Anxiety of t he Khaun
Huzurut to effect Colonel Stoddart's Release, and bring *him
to Ehiva.
s
EVERAL days elapsed, since the Khaun had ex-
pressed his determination to use my services : blnt
the day of departure seemed as diqtant as ever. I
fretlted with impatience at a delay, which threatened
to render my agency vain. The Khaun Buzurut in
reply said, that the roads were not yet open, that the
direct route, vid Orenburgh, was buried five feet be-
neath t'he snow, and that the Caspian mas still frozen.
I said, that I would run any risk, rather than the
failure of my mission, which delay must occasion.
That if it were necessary to await tlie breaking up of
the ice from the Caspian, I had better do so on the
shores of that sea, to be always watching my oppor-
tunity, lest the first boat should escape me. But I
1
could, at any rate, even now t ry the Orenburgh route,
which, by one properly clad and mounted, might be
i
passed, 1
I 1
ETHICS OF EUROPE. 131
I was summoned to an audience of the Ehaun
Huzurut. I n the Mehtur's' palace I found an unusual
assembly, of which the Khojeh Mhirahm, the Nuqqeeb
and several other priests formed the conspicuous
group. After the withdrawal of the usual symbols
of hospitality, the Mehtur commenced a cross exami-
nation relating to our religious tenets. The Khaun,
it appears, was in dread, or some of his holy men
were so for him, lest he should commit his affairs to
an idolater or other unholy person.
"Are the Russians Chi-istians ? "
"They so profess themselves."
L' DO they worship images ? "
" They employ images* and pictures in their wor-
ship.)'
L' DO the English employ such ? "
By no means. It is now about three hundred
years since England separated herself from t,hose
nations who use such symbols, believing it to be a
forbidden custom. "
'' What do YOU think of God ? "
'' That He is a Spirit, without figure or material
substance. That He is one, and has no partaker of
His deity. That He has existed from all eternity, and
will exist for ever. That He is pure, holy, almighty,
and omniscient ."
And which way do you turn when you address
God in prayer ? "
'< We turn towards God."
L L Where is He ? "
" Everywhere, above, below, around ; creation is
filled with His presence."
* This 1 believe was a mistake : they use pictures, but not
statues,
9 "
132 ETHICS OF EUROPE.
&' We turn towards Mecca."
" And we, towards God."
d L What do you do withVyour dead ? "
, dr
L L We bury them in the earth."
How do you turn the bodies ? "
'
'' We have no order oil this head, but I believe they
are generally laid east and west."
l1 Do you believe in the resurrection ? "
L L We do."
'l What do you believe of it ? "
C L That at the appointed day, the dead shall arise.
They who have done good to life everlasting, and
they who have done evil to the torments of hell.5'
"We believe the same. Do you believe that Christ
shall come again ? "
"It is so written in our boolis, that at the resur-
rection, Christ shall appear, to judge the quick and
the dead."
"But do your people expect him now imme-
diately ? "
&'There have, ever since tlie death of Christ, been
men so simple as to interpret the Gospel thus. But-
it is not the general belief of Christians, nor of any
of the sober-minded amongst them." This was a
ticklish subject, at the rnoment of a panic, caused by
the Christ,ian arms.
'' Do you believe Christ t'o be the Son of God ? "
I
" What do you call him ? "
" He was the son of Huzurat Mariam."
" And his father ? "
They could not answer this. '< But what," I added,
I
I *
I
"do your own books call him? " Another pause. I
"Do they not call him Rooh-oollah-the Spirit of 1
God ? Will you explain this,
The spirit of a spirit,
KAWFURS. 133
I mill then inforrn you, why we call him, as he cailed
himself, the Son of God."
They had no answer. To my accomplished and
ever-honoured friend Major Todd, Envoy at Heraut, I
was indebted for this query, which is ~manswerable
by an orthodox Muhummedan.
"You don't use images or pictures in your worship."
" No; I have already assured you that me regard
it as senseless and forbidden, because God is without
form, and He alone is to be worshipped."
" But the Russians use them? "
" I have heard that they do."
L L And what do you say of those who do so ? "
" TVe say that they are unwise."
" Do you not call them Kawfurs (Infidels) ? "
" Kawfur is a term of reproach, and we are com-
manded to bestow no ill names upon fellow-men, for
we are all alike the work of God's hand. Idolatry
is simply ignorance. No man, knowing that God is
without form, would worship an idol."
" God's hand you say. Has God hands ? "
" I spoke figuratively. God is a spirit, and has
no members."
" But the Russians are Christians ? "
" They so call themselves."
' ;And they worship images. The English are
Christians, do they not the same ? "
" Are you a ~ a wq u r ? I have twice told you,
that the English do not worship idols, are not Kaw-
furs. How do you like being asked if you are a
Kawfur ? If you do not like it, why do you insult
your guest by the question ? "
This I said with much assumed warmth of manner,
for I was anxious to close a discussion, that might be
134 MOUNTAINS OP KAWE.
embarrassing if carried farther.
The Nehtur apolo-
gised, and begged me not to be affronted. The inter-
preter, at a signal from him, discontinued the questions,
which had all been concocted and written down for
the occasion. What followed were matters of curiosity.
" Have you ever seen the mountains of Kawf? "
" Never ; but many of our travellers have crossed
them."
" Indeed ; where are they ? "
" They separate Persia from Roume."
" These are not the mouiitains I allude to. I meall
those, in which Alexander the great shut up Gog
and Magog and the jins, in large caverns."
" These are the very same."
No ! no ! The Kawf, I mean, has never been
seen, and cannot be crossed. The first morning
shews itself, through a chink i n these mountains,
which are far away t o the east, but nobody knows
where. You say that Colonel Stsoddart has sailed
round the world, did he never see them ? "
" Not the Kawf you allude to, but he has probably
seen the mountains which we, the Persians and Turks,
call Kawf, although their present name is Elboorz, for
he was long in Persia."
" Have you ever seen Baub-001-Mandeb (I believed
this was the name), where an angel stands whirling
I
i
a fiery sword ? "
'6 The entrance to the Arabian sea is so called, but
I
I have never heard of the angel."
" The next question related t o some well in Hin-
doostaun, wliere some other angel dwelt, or was con-
\
fined, but it has escaped my memory.""
I
I
* Perhaps t he well in Lughman from which tempests arose
when it was defiled. I
I
HINDOOSTAUN. 135
" HOW is Nindoostaun peopled ? "
'' Chiefly by two races, the Hindoos and the XIoosul-
mauns : the first being the original inhabitants, the
second descendants of the soldiers of Xooltaun Mai-
mood of Ghuzni, who mas a Toork, although his sol-
diers were generally Afghauiis ; and descendants of
the soldiers of Tinioor Lungh, who mere Moguls.
The number of my Queen's Muhummedan subjects
exceeds the entire population of Khaurism and Bo-
kha1.a. They are undisturbed in the exercise of their
faith, and their riglits and property are as secure as
those of Englishmen. The bulk of our Indian cavalry,
those employed at Cabul, are Moosulmauns, generally
Soonnies. This will shew you how absurd are the
reports made t o the Khaun by our enemies, that we
cast the Koraun into the ditches at Kabul. Such an
act would lose us, in all probability, our empire in
India."
'( Are there any men in India who worship dogs ? "
" I have heard of none; one of their idols has the
shape of a monkey, another has an elephant's head.
The cow is sacred, and they will not kill the wolf, nor
the most deadly of their snakes, because they are
sacred to the Goddess of Destruction. Their most
extraordinary superstition is the tenderness some of
them have for animal life. This is carried so far,
t hat lands are left by the pious t o feed men who are
to feed upon their bodies the lice and descerldants of
t he lice of the testator."
These topics were continued, to the extreme amuse-
ment of all the company, but the rest of the conver-
sation has escaped me.
The Mehtur, who had been summoned by the
Khaull, now returned and asked me whether I wished
136 ROUTES AND GUIDES.
to go to St. Petersburg.
I replied that I wished to
do exactly as the Ehaun Huzurut might command ;
that for myself the undertaking was fraught with
peril, not only to my life, but to my fame; for, if it
should not succeed, I should be in disgrace with both
my own Government, and the Khaun Huzurut : that,
nevertheless, I was quite ready to go, and saw the
necessity of losing no time in doing whatever was to
be done ; for the snow was fast melting, and opening
the road of the Russian advance. He assured me I
should be speedily under weigh, and added that the
Orenburgh route not being open, the Ehaun Huzurut
thought I had better proceed by Mungh Kishlauk.
To this I readily assented ; and a Kuzzauk of that
heighbourhood was introduced, in a sheepskin cloak
and molfskin bonnet, both with fur inverted; who
gave a satisfactory assurance of the feasibility of that
route.
I then attended the Khaun Huzurut. He was as
usual very gracious ; asked whether I had selected
my route, whether I had consulted the guide, and
when I should be ready to start. I replied that I
was given to understand His Majestay preferred the
Mungh Kishlauk route, a sentiment in which I
heartily concurred 1 that I had consu1ted the guide,
and would be ready to start in three days, provided
that orders were given to allow me to lnake the
requisite purchases. He then asked many questions
relating to Europe. "Was it true that the ocean
contains monstrous fish ? "
" Quite true ; I had seen many that were upwards
of fifty feet in length, and had walked in the skeleton
of another of ninety feet."
" Are there any sea-serpents ? ''
" There are, undoubtedly, in the sea, serpents of
ordinary size. I myself have see11 many. ~~t it is
reported that the sea contains a serpent of ellormous
size, upwards of 100 feet in length and of great
thickness, with head and long mane like tllose of the
horse ; vhich it elevates to a great height above the
waters. This I had not seen, and its existence was
doubtful."
" I s it true that your ships sail undep water ? "
L 6 It is not true ; we have machines by which we
can descend safely and remain at the bottom of the
sea. Indeed an American invented one, in which a
man could travel about under water. It s object was, .
to convey and fix to the bottom of enemies' ships
boxes filled with gunpowder, to be ignited by means
of a lock connected with clock-work."
L6 1 have heard that your ships cassy g~zns."
c c This is quite true ; the largest vessels have 1.30
or 120 guns, the medium 74, carrying balls of 32 or
64 lbs."
cc What is the use of these guns ? Do ships ever
fight ? "
( < Ships of dser ent nations have the most terrible
engagements.
I t sometimes happens that the guns
on either side amount to 1500.
A ship of 120 guns
fires sixty guns at once at the same enemy, and that
when the ships are grappling. No battles on land
can compare for terror with sea engagements: some-
times a shell or a red-hot shot falls into the powdell-
magazine of a vessel, and its crew of 1200 souls are -
blown to atoms. But ships are also employed to take
towns and fortresses."
" What ! are there towns in the sea ? "
i c Yes, there are towns 011 lands surrounded by the
138 TELEGRAPHS.
sea; there are many others by the sea-side. St.
Petersburg is one of these. Such towns can he
destroyed by ships of war. England is surrounded
by the sea. Your Majesty has outposts of horsemen
on your frontiers, who place a single sentinel on
watch, to prevent intrusion : instead of that sentinel,
we plant a ship of seventy-four guns, which flits to
and fi*o, day and night, about the point it is t o guard,
and suffers nothing hurtful to enter. Your Majesty's
sentry carries, perhaps, a matchlock ; my Queen's
sentry carries seventy-four of the largest guns, and
700 armed rnen."
" Do the English practice magic ? "
" 'No ! but they have machines and inventions
more wonderful. Looms with wheels innumerable,
moved by steam, that weave cloth, almost without-
the direct agency of man. Mints worked by steam,
which coin silver at the rate of 100,000 pieces a day ;
and at which men are enlployed only to feed the ma-
chine. Telegraphs, by which we can send news, t h e
distance of four hundred miles, in two hours. Steam
vessels that move in the teeth of a gale ; and steam
carriages that travel at the rate of forty miles a n
hour ; so that, were such introduced into the Khaun
Huzurut's dominions, people might start this evening
from Khiva and dine to-morrow at Ileraut, which, a t
present, is a journey of twenty-two days."
The Khaun Huzurut inquired the nature of our
telegraphs.
+ At that time I had not heard of the application of
galvanism t o this purpose. I said, " they were of two
kinds, one a series of towers, at long distances, upon
which flags were displayed, as signals one to t h e
other, these flags being moved by machiiiery into
OUB WELL OF ALCHEMY. 139
different figures, for each of which there is a corre-
sponding word or sentence known to those stationed
at the towers. The other process was effected by
means of thin iron tubes, running under ground
from station to station, and filled with water. This
water, being struck at one end, rises instantly at the
other and strikes a little drum or bell; the number
of pulsations giving the word or sentence to be
communicated." For want of terms common to
the two languages, and, indeed, from my imperfect
knowledge of Persian, I found it very difficult to
explain these things. But the importance of the
telegaph seemed to be felt by the Khaun. He in-
quired, if it would not be possible to introduce it
into his dominions.
I replied, that it was not impossible, but would be
a very difficult task, and the expense would be in
proportion, as chains of towers must be erected at
intervals of fifteen miles ; each of these towers must
have a telegraph, telescopes, and an establishment of
intelligent men to make and receive signals.
" I have heard from good authority that you have
wells of such wonderful property that lead or iron
L
dipped into them becomes silver, and copper is
changed into gold. Is this the case ? "
" By no means."
' L Whence, then, do you get the ducat, which, every
one knows, is made thus ? "
(' The ducat is not an English coin, but the cur-
rency of several other states of Europe. It is made,
like other gold coins, of gold found in mines. As for
British gold, the commerce and credit of the entire
world is our well of alchemy." -
I was now dismissed, and returned full of hope of
140 TERRORS OF A COCEED HAT.
speedily departing on my mission - a mission,
fraught with peril and perplexity, yet in which every
hope and interest was embodied. My secret intelli-
gence tallied very well with what I observed. The
Rhaun had been assailed by those who aflirmed
that they knew me for a Russian spy, and that the
English mere only a clan of Russians, but, by cross-
examining the Persian ambassador, he had got the
better of these suspicions. At the same time, it
had been represented to him, that the English are a
nation very jealous of insult, and very chary of the
blood of their people ; that, although they never break
treaty, they never forgive the death of a fellow-sub-
ject ; and that they might, should any evil befall me
on the journey, attribute it to treachery, and make it
subject of quarrel ; lieace all the expedients used to
make me beg to be sent to St. Petersburg. This
mas a point I had been unwilling to concede at first,
from fear that it might strengthen suspicion bf some
connivance with Russia, and, latterly, for the sake oi
consistency. One cause of delay, I was assured, mas
the desire of the Khaun to get Colonel Stoddart over
t o Ehiva, either that he might send him, and reserve
me as a hostage, or reverse that arrangement. Colonel
Stoddart was represented to him as a very tall man,
who wore a cocked hat and plume, and this, and the
efforts made for his release, had given the Khaun a
great idea of his rank and consequeace.
CHAPTER X.
X~iterview with the Mehtur-The Book-Audience-Account of
the anxlrtle~-ed Strangers-Purchase of Ummeer Beeg's Free-
dom-%inister's Love of Watches and of Calomel-The Air-
ynn-Pnpcr Kite of I<haurism--Its musical Properties-Itts
Vechanism.
next I saw the Mehtuz; he asked what
clocuments would be requisite for my mission.
I inforfried him.
He sent for his interpret&, and for
s book, handsomely bound and secured by a lock of
gold set with turquoises. This he opened, and read
aloud at several parts. It was in Tooskish, and
seemed to be a register of letters, writ,ten by Kings of
Khararism to other potentates. He asked me several
particulurs, and seemed much at a loss how Her
JErejesty of England was to be addressed, being a
female. I explained to him the nature of the form,
usual on such occasions.
In t he evening I attended the Khaun Huzurut.
The particulars of this audience are not all fresh in
niy rimem brance. After some preamble, he observed,
Two travellers arrived at ~ h i v a , some time ago,
calling themselves Englishmen. They came from
Xeshed, and were attended by five Persian servants.
It was told me that they mere Russians, and I de-
marldud $heir passports, or other testimonials. They
bad zlone, and had entered my territories and capital
f 42 MURDER OF CERTAIN TRAVELLERS.
i
without perniission or report.
I ordered, that they
t
should be searched and cross-examined. They t
proved t o be Russians, and I gave orders for their
execution."
He related all this with a pleasant countenance:
but, i t may be believed, I heard it with feelings in
which indignation mingled. The travellers, indeed,
if Russians, were spies, and therefore justly treated ;
and, if of any other nation, had no business there
without the testimonials necessary to identify them,
or without compliance with the usages of the country.
There was also no doubt, that they were supposed to
be Russian spies when executed. But still, to the
native of a free and civilized land, such murders (and
death without open trial deserves no better name)
appear both cowardly and horrible. I could not
express indignation at an act, just, according to the
notions of the countyy ; but I expressed my deep
B
regret that the Khaun Huzurut should so have acted,
and my voice perhaps expressed something more.
If," I added, "your Majesty had imprisoned or
otherwise secured them. But God alone can restore I
life. "
"It certainly is n pity," said the Khaun, with a
good-huiuoured smile, and in the tone i n which mere
mortals speak of the death of rats, "but they were
Russians and spies, and arrived at a moment when
I was incensed by the seizure of my ambassador.
They called themselves English, but were proved to
be Russian spies. At that time, I had never heard
of such a nation as the English. Some days sub-
sequently, the gallantry of an Englishman (Captain
Pottinger, the hero of Heraut) was reported to me,
and I inquired who the English were, No one could
QMMEER BEEG. 143
satisfy me, but the most learned were of opinion,
that the English were a petty tribe (Taifah) of the
Russians. soon after this, news was brought me,
that the English had conquered Hindostaun, and were
invading Cabul."
The Khaun then inquired, what assurance I had
that the Russians would not murder, or at any rate
arrest me ? I replied, that our Governments weye
at peace. That an English ambassador was at St.
Petersburgh, a Russian ambassador at London. That.
amongst t he nations of Europe free intercourse was
maintained between the states until declaration of
hostilities, and that Russia had too great respect for
Great Britain to molest a British subject.
The Khaun remarked, that they had arrested all
his ambassadors.
Such things, I said, might occur where ret2aliation
was impossible ; but that the capitals of Great Britain
and Russia were only ten days' sail apart, and that
the naval and military force of England were too
formidable to be trifled with.
At my next interview with the Mehtur, certain
letters were produced, and translated fiom Toorkish
,
into Persian, for my information. I took copies, and
corrected several capital errors ; I discussed with him
other public business, and then pressed upon him the
release of the Goolaurn, Ummeer Beeg, reminding him
I -
of bis oft-repeated promise to release him.
a What," said he, L L will you give me for him ? "
I t is to be observed that he had promised to free him
1 without price.
Any fair price."
6 ' You shall have him for a thousand ducats."
66 Such a sum was never given for a slave, unless
144 A WATCH FOR A SLAVE.
he were a chief. Forty ducats would be a large price,
but, for the sake of friendship, I will give you a
hundred. "
" 1 won't take money for him ; I will give him for
your watch."
This was a hard bargain, but I could not for ail
instant hesitate to end, by any sacrifice of sentimelit,
the misery of poor Ummeer Beeg, so I drew out anct
gave him my faithful companio~~, and he promised
that the Goolaum should be released, a promise of
which the execution was long deferred. Uinrneer
Beeg mas a Govei*ninent servant, and his release
formed part of my instructions. I did not, therefore,
scruple to charge Government the price of an ordi-
nary silver watch ; though, had i t been necessary, I
had willingly stripped myself of all my propert'y to
procure the freedoin of this gallant fellow.
The Mehtur was as delighted with the watch as I
have seen a child with his first rattle. But far from
being contented with this addition to his stock of
three or four, he begged me to write to the British
envoy and minister at Cabul f o ~ another; adding,
that no iiumber of watches would satisfy him, and
t.hat he very much desired a night telescope. He
also begged for some more calomel, but this I
declined, regretting that I should already have
suffered his solicitations to prevail. I was cuiious
to know the purpose for which he required it. He
had obtained the former supply upon .pretence of
some alchemical experiment. He now assured me
that he took it daily. T remonstrated in the strongest
terms against the folly of employing this medicine
idly; telling him its horrible effects, but he only
laughed. Mercury is n nostrum, to which Asiatics
KITE OF KHAURISM. 1.45
ascribe nlaiiy rniraculous properties ; for instpanee.
t h e determining of the sex of the child to be begotten.
H e afterwards pressed me for what he called warm
medicines, to invigorate the constitution. I am very
dul l at such hints, being myself a water drinker; and
he was at length obliged to state pretty broadly t,he
nature of the medicine i11 request, to wit, brandy or
other spirits. I assured him I had none, and never
used such things. I could indeed have procured him
a supply from the Jews and Hindoos, who, in spite
of priestly and royal edicts, make this article for the
nobles of Khiva, had I deemed it either a safe or
respectable rneans of ingratiating myself with him.
As I had now completed the repairs of the Ehaun's
air-gun, I exhibited it, t,o his great astonishment and
delight. I shewed him how to use the pump, to load
and discharge the piece, and explained to him, by
means of the former, the principle of the steam engine.
I was not present when it was taken to the Khaun,
but understand that he was equally delighted.
I n riding home, poor Ummeer Beeg, whose release
I had just purchased, carne and kissed my hand. I
b e begged him, for the present, to keep aloof; lest he
d
should incense his master against him ; telling him, I
doubted not he would be set free in a few days.
Seeing some children on the road with their paper
kites, I approached to examine the contrivance by
which these toys emit a musical sound whilst floating
i n the air. The contrivance is very simple, and quite
worthy of adoption into England. The kite is a
square, formed upon two diagonals of light wood,
whose extremities are connected by a tight string,
forming the sides of the square. Over the whole
paper'is pasted. A loose string upon the upright
VOL. I. 10
146 RITE OF EHAURISM.
diagonal receives the string by which the kite is to
be held, and a tail is t o be fastened to its lower
I
extremity.
The tra,nsverse diagonal or cross-stick
I is then bent back like a strung bow, and so fastened
by a cat-gut. Of course, every breeze that passes . 4
. . 1
the kite vibrates this tight cord, and the vibrations I
are communicated to the highly sonorous frame of
..
the kite.
And, as numbers of these kites are left
floating in the air all night, the effect is that of aerial
music; monotonotzs, but full of melancholy interest.
On my first arrival at Khiva, I* was much struck
f
with this novel, dreamy melody, which continued the
I live-long night. My servants had assured me it pro- 1
ceeded from the Jew's harps, which the women of
Khiva are fond of playing, and that the Mehtur,
,
whom I had once asked about it, turned pale with
anger, thinking that, like the last ambassador fyorn
Heraut, I had been serenaded by the fair ones of
Khiva. Alackadgy ! no such good forf,une was
mine.
Zhs
la
*
,* -
I CHAPTER XI.
Feast given by the Ehaun Huzurut-Arrangement of Guests-
Purgatory of Knees and Ancles-Perslan Ambassador-
Punishlnent of Dinner-odosy-Inauli of Huzarusp-The Bee
-An Oozbeg Dinner-Holy Ardour of the Priests-Accounted
for upon Muhummedull Principles.
FEW days subsequent to the Mohurrum the
A master of ceremonies waited upon me, and
informed me that the Khaun Huzurut had prepared a
feast, at which he requested iny attendance. He added,
t hat as I should have to sit a long space, I had better
dress in my Asiatic attire; and it was suggested that
I should wear the Oozbeg cap, sent me by the Khaull,
instead of my turban of white muslin. This was
probably to avoid scandal to the priesthood, who
alone, in these countries, wear white turbans, and
~ v h o were to be there in full divan.
I went accordingly at the hour appointed, and was
xzsherecl into a large hall of the palace, in which I
founci assembled some sixty or seventy persons,
chiefly, priests. The principal of these, the Sheikh-
001-Islaum, was seated at the head of the room. On
t he right hand, a11 unbroken line ~f priests succeeded,
seated kneeling, their backs against 'tlie wall. A mem-
ber of the royal hmily divided the place allotted me,
from the lowest of these priests. A space was left
vscaiit 011 the left of the room, below the principal
10 *
I
148 ROYAL BANQUET.
priests, but above the rest of t hat line. This was
afterwards occulsied by the Inauk of Huzarusp (bro-
ther t o the king) and the Bee ( I cannot give the
sound by any other arrangement of letters), son of
the of Madreheern Khaun, the present
Khaun's father. A11 sat in profound silence ; h gave
then1 "the Salaam alilcoom " and took my sent, a
little disgusted at finding i t so low. The lzend
Moolla assured me I was welcome, and asked several
questions, some relating to the distance of places;
whether Shauh Shoojah had not married a daughter
of England, and whether the English were really
masters of India, &c. &c. On all mllich points, I
satisfied the clxriosity of his holiness.
Meanwhile the priests sat, very much like a couple
of rows of jackasses 111 the mood digestive; eyes
earth-fastened in deep abstraction, and heads hang-
ing, like gourds, at various angles with the body.
None but the Sheikh-001-Islaurn ventirred to utter
a word, and the few, which I addressed to the sprig
of royalty beside me, were answered with screwed-up
mouth and knitted brows alone. I t mas evidentsly not
etiquette to converse at so solemn a banquet.
My knees and ancles now begail to give me the
most exquisite torture. None but n creature so
stiff-jointed as myself, can imagine how much I
suffered from this posture, in spite of considerable
practice. Once, at an audience of Shauh Kaumraun.
when attempting t o rise from the tortul.ous posture
prescribed by etiquette, I fairly fell on my face,
unable to support the weight of my body, up011 my
almost dislocated sncles. I now sounded the royal
sprig, to know whether I could, without indecorum,
shift my posture; but my sole answer was glum
DINNER-ODOXY. 149
looks; and the Sheikh-001-Islaum was at so great a.
distance, that I: hesitated to make the uproar, neces-
sary to attract his attention. At length flesh and
blood got the bett,er of shame, and L exclaimed, '' I
am in great pain, excuse my shifting my posture."
The effect was quite electric.
A11 the hanging
gourds of heads, all the half-closed mutton eyes, all
the pendulous tympana that garnish those hanging
excrescences, were suddenly upraised, awakened as
from a trance, and fixed upon me in startled horror ;
whilst, with infinite pain and difficulty, I unbent my
knees, and twisted thern into the posture by tailors
loved.
We had sat thus, I think, a full hour, when in
marched the Persian ambassador, a handsome fellow,
evidently of the Gujjur tribe." He had all the ease
of: the higher orders of his countrymen; ancl he
needed all, in an assembly of the most virulent
enemies of his religious creed, who, moreover, could
scarcely be supposed in the best of liumours with one,
who had kept dinner waiting a mortal hour; an
offence not easily pardoned by churchmen, and equi-
valent i n most countries to a charge of heresy. He
took his seat on the side of the room opposite mine,
i.e. the left side, and t.hree grades lower. The
Sheikh-001-Islaum gave him welcome, and after a
I
short pause, put him through his doctrinal facings,
I
as an orthodox Moosulmaun.
A ceremony in which
Soonnies greatly delight, owing to the torture it inflicts
upon their catecliist, and without which no Soonnie-
8
Moolla would condescend to hold intercourse with a
Sheeah. All eyes were fixed upon the luckless
ambassador, in anticipated enjoyment of his con-
* To which belongs the present king of Persia.
fusion ; but with the most perfect sang jqnoid, he
answered orthodoxly all the insulting questions, and
held at naught all the sneers. Sheeahs having no '
scruple thus to act, when life would be endangered
by sincerity.
This ambassador had been sent on a special mission
of harmony, with the profession of belief of all Mu-
hummedans as the message of his master to t he
Khaun, and had probably been instructed to make
any religious concession, i a order to gain his point,
of which one item was the release of the 30,000
Persians, said t o be slaves in Khauiysm, which was
equivalent to asking the Xhaun to give him 900,000
ducats, or about &450,000, a sum by no means exor-
bitant, as the price of the service to be rendered, viz.
the rescue of Khaurism from the invasion of Russia.
After about half an hour more, the Inauk of Hn-
zarusp, brother to the Tihaun Huzurut, and his cousin
the Bee entered, and took their seats at the head of
the left row, below the principal Moollas. To enter
late is an assumption of consequence, which the Per-
sian had exercised pretty freely, The Inauk could
not have made his appearance with propriety until
some time after all were assembled. The Inauk is a
tall, large-built man, with high features, and an air
of sound sense and intelligence. He stoops in his
gait, like all natives of the country, who, when not
rolled up in the saddle like sacks, are rolled up like
balls upon their nummuds." He is considered to
be a man of clear judgment and decisive character, ancl
is, perhaps, the only real soldier in Ehaurism. His
stature and strength are much vaunted, and few
horses, it is said, can carry him. Be was dressed in
* A carpet of felt.
AN OOZBEG DISXER. 151
n cloak of dark green, linecl vi t h fur, and, like that of
the Khaun, secured or ornamented at the mist In
front vi t h a chain of gold. On his head vas an Ooz-
beg cap, of black lambskin. The Bee, who, with ex-
ception of the gold chain: was similarly attired, is a
ht , heavj--looking man, who appeared to me of rather
lon. stature. His eyes are never lifted from the earth,
probably from the sense of being an object of suspi-
cion to the Khaun, as son of the first Oozbeg king of
Iihaurism. He is, nevertheless, treated by the Iihaun
~ ~ i t h marked distinction. He is said to be amiable.
Symptoms of dinner now appeared ; several long
pieces of chintz were brought in, and spread around
the room, opposite the company: on these were
ranged flat cakes of bread; then basins of mutton
broth, swimming in fat., and finally some wretched
pilaus and cups of mingled butter and grape-juice.
For the soup, which was served in earthellmare basins,
clunlsy wooden ladles were at hand, but none of those
exquisitely carved spoons of wood used in Persia and
Afghalxnistaun. I, who abhor SOUPS and broths of
all kinds, played a miserable spool1 on this occasion,
in spite of all the exhortations and the excellent
example of him at my elbow. But I observed that
the priests had entirely lost their supineness now that
work was in hand. The hanging, pumpkin heads be-
came firm set upon their stalks, the half-closed, greasy
eyes shot scintillations of consuming fire upon the
sacrifice; the jams, that seemed so languid, 'twas
doubtful if they could masticate anything so profane
as a jelly, began their preliminary cross-cuts, and
flourishes, like the shears of Gattie or of Ross, shears
whose keen, vigorous slashes have many a time made
us shudder for o m ears.
152 DEW OF BENEDICTION.
I
The cloth was removed ; the cold water was poured
1
over our greasy fingers. The fatness of the dinner
i
was carefully wrapped in our handkerchiefs, and as
carefully deposited in our pockets. We blessed God
for the meal, and stroked our beards, as many, at least,
as were so fortunate as to possess any. I t must be
confessed that the greater number of flourishes c u t
the impassive air, and might, to a fanciful view, have
I
seemed as signals to Rowland and Son to hasten t o
I
the rescue. It is somewhat absurd, at first, to see a
1
1
gentleman, with chin as smooth as a glass soda-water
bottle, sweeping away at arm's length with all the
grimace of a curly lion ; as if the dew of bellediction
could settle for an instant on that barren excrescence,
or require both arms to gather it in. We now rose
and broke up, the Inauk leading. I need hardly
say, it was a welcome relief. I t may here be observed
that, whilst the Afghauns cook the most snvoury
stews and kawaubs, or fries; the Tartars have no
I
notion of any method of cooking meat, save t hat of
boiling.
CHAPTER XII.
Prospect of my speedy Departure-Extreme Difficulty of pro-
curing Money-Promises of Shroffs and of the Minister
equally false-Delay in transnlitting my Despatches-Private
Channel established-Liberation of Ummeer Beeg-Mutila-
tion of his Ears by Yakoob Mehtur-Release of Twenty-two
of the Daughters of the Afghauns in honour of H.M. the
Queen of Great Britain-Captain Pottinger's Rescue from
Captivit, ~ of some Forty or Fifty Children.
I
HAD now some prospect of speedy dismissal, on iny
journey. I was permitted to consult a few guides,
supplied by the Mehtur, and also a very intelligentl
Hindoo merchant, named Diardm, on the subject of
my journey. Tliis man readily promised to supply,
upon my bills, any sum I might require : and having
at heart the release from slavery of two young women
of the royal family of Heraut, and to send in honour
to that city, a blind prince of the family of Shah
Shooja-ool-Moolk, as well as to make a few presents
to influential people, to keep up a good feeling toward
our Government, I desired him to have in readiness
8.00 ducats, which he promised to do. He, however,
delayed the supply of this money, and eventually
declared he could not procure me a farthing. He .
made a profound mystery of his reasons ; but I have
no doubt that the Mehtur interdicted his good offices;
for I complained of the conduct of Diaram to him,
but he took no notice of it. This put me to the
154 RELEASE OF FEMALES.
utmost inconvenience ; for, depending upon t hi s
supply, and anxious to preserve in the breast of t he
Khaun Huzurut that good feeling which the capri-
ciousness of despots renders obnoxious to the most
trifling causes, I had, in reply to the Khaun's offer of
procuring me all needful supplies, said, that I had
come as the friend of the Government, and not to
t<ax it in the hour of danger, when the Khaun would
have need of all his funds and resources. I11 my
present extremity I was obliged to apply to t he
Mehtur, begging he would obtain me the means o f
cashing bills on Heraut, for which I would give a
handsome premium. He promised to do so, and I
thought the matter concluded,
The Mehtur now consulted me upon the nature
of the presents proper to be sent to the Emperor of
Russia and Her Mqjesty tlie Queen of England. For
the Emperor, I recommended rare sabres and daggers,
and the beautiful, jewelled harness of the country.
For my Queen, I said, .it would scarcely be appro-
priate to present arms; horses I could not convey
with me, and the country produced nothing else.
But, I added, that the Khaun Nuzurut had it in his
power to present to Her Majesty, the Queen of Eng-
land, the richest, noblest, and most acceptable of'
offerings.
He asked what that might be.
" The freedom," I said, ' L of some of the daughters
of the Afghauns, who are pining in slavery at Khiva.
If the Khaun will send some of these, say twenty,
in honour back to their homes, I will answer for it,
my Queen will esteem it the most precious of gifts,
and the highest of compliments."
When this was repeated to the Khaun Huzurut,
AN EXPRESS. 155
he was much struck, and calling his favourite \ ~ f e ,
asked her what she thought of the taste of English
ladies, a n d a Brit,ish Queen, who delighted not in ricll
jewels and omamenis, but in acts of mercy to tho
human race. He gave instant orders to carry the
measure into effect. Owing, however, to the avarice
of the Mehtur, who was charged with the execution,
a gr eat many old women, I was told, were of the
number. I remonstrated, saying, that I had specified
daughters, and not grandmothers ; that some of these
poor creatures had outgrown their desire to revisit
Heraut . That many of them, probably, had no
homes, nor any t o look to, for support; and that to
send t h e worst of any article, as a gift to a sovereign,
was a species of affront. The Mehtur, however, had
made hi s arrangements, and replied, that if my Queen
desired others, the Ehaun Huzurut would at auy
t,irne release them, at her request. I was invited to
inspect them, but from delicacy to Asiatic prejudice,
would not go. The conversation in the king's haran1
I received from very good authority, but could not,
with safety to the party, explain inore.
About a week previous to this period, I had, by
t,he most urgent remonstrances, persuaded the Kha~xn
t o pl ace a courier at my disposal. This man had re-
ceived my letters for Major Todd, Envoy at Helrtut,
and Sir W. M'Naghten, Envoy and Minister at Cabul,
*nd wit6 them a handsome present. But he evinced
not t h e slightest symptom of moving, although the
Meht ur had the effrontery to declare, that he was on
his journey to Heraut. I remonstrated to no pup-
pose ; but a curious observation was elicited. I came
to Ehi va very ill supplied with sealing-wax, and the
Russian wax there is quite useless. Some odds and
156 WAX AND DESPATCH.
ends of Indian wax, black and dark green, were all
left to me ; and with these I had secured my packets.
L L Why," inquired the Mehtur, " do you use dark
wax? "
" Because I have got no other."
'L That is not the reason. It is for fear we should
break your seal."
" You would not be so mad. See what Persia has
suffered by such a breach of the faith and hospitality
of nations. But why could you not break a black I
seal? "
" ]Because there is no black wax at Khiva."
" And there is red wax ? "
Abundance." t
It seemed pretty evident, that the idea of breaking
the seal had crossed the mind of the Mehtur. The
+P
j6
worst of it was, that should they break the seal, in all
probability they would destroy the packet, to prevent
discovery. I discovereci also, that by a truly Asiatic
spirit of economy, the messenger was destined to
convoy to Heraut, when in due process of time they
should be collected, the twenty-two women, whom
the Khaun intended to liberate. I appealed t o the
Khaun himself; assured him that t'he most mischie-
vous consequences might result to his own kingdom
from the delay. That my Government, taking it for
granted, from my silence, that 1 had been either mur-
dered or imprisoned, would interest themselves no
farther for the safety of His Majesty. He laughed,
and said, that the courier should be instantly de-
spatched; but the man did not really quit Khiva
until twenty-one days after his receipt of my packet.
I had, however, previously despatched to Heraut
packets by two separate messengers. The operation
GOLDEN DREAMS. 157
was a delicate one: for, after receiving the packet
and gold, the messenger might have taken them t,o
the Khaun, and have received my head in exchange;
and the loss of liis own mould have been the certain
consequence of any dete~t~ion ; but I trusted to the
power of gold, and to the fir111 faith in t he vord and
promise of an Englishman, which prevails throughout
these countries. One of these messengers was the old
Cauzie of Yoollatnun, him whose clam I had anointed
with the niammon of unrighteoilsness.
It seems, that from that moment, I had become the
subject of the honest gentleman's prayers and holy
reveries. Never distilled the dulcet ai d etnollient oil
of palms upon skin moYe happy fi.om the unction.
Being a magismate as well as priest, he was an excel-
lent judge of the weight of a plump Bokhara* Tilla,
and conceived that a tree producing such superlative
fruit, was worthy to be cherished by all of orthodox
principles. So, after vainly endeavouring, for weeks,
t o satisfy his craving for my presence by dreams and
reveries, he mounted his nag, and rode across the
desert, 380 miles, or thereabout,^, in quest of me : the
scent of the golden fountain refreshing him as he
proceeded. On reaching Rhiva, he contrived, but in
t he most cautious manner, to intirliate his presence
t o Sun~mud Khaun; informing him that' he had come
t o purchase the freedom of a relative, but wanted five
ducats to make up the sum demanded. I imme-
diately sent hirn fifteen, ancl wit,h the111 the tiniest
little packet in tlie morld, which, I assured him, was
an order on Heraut for fifteen inore. The ecstasies
* The Tilla of Bokharrt is one of the purest of gold coins.
Its value may be about thirteen shillings. The Tilla of Ehiva
is very inferior in purity and value.
158 UMMEER BEEG.
of the old gentleman are indescribable. I n the
conveyance of despatches, liberality cannot be too
strongly enjoined. The objects of a mission costing
thousands, and involving interests more precious far
than gold, may he defeated by grudging a few
guineas for the conveyance of intelligence. But in
Central Asia especially, letters are generally conveyed
a t risk of life, and a handsome reward is therefore
just, as well as politic.
I feel myself here embarrassed by anachronisms,
into which I have fallen. I t mas about a week pre-
vious to my departure from Khiva, that poor Umrneer
Beeg, the Goolaum whose liberty I had long since
purchased of the Mehtur, was at length released and
sent to me. My room mas full when he arrived. He
threw himself at my feet', and, seizing my hand,
covered i t with kisses, and bathed it in his tears. I
was deeply affected. The full sense of liberty call
perhaps be felt only by the spirit that has fought and
struggled and suffered and pined and done dl but
crouch to win it. The sense of all his wrongs and
torments, his years of bondage, oppression, and scorn,
came over him in that moment of weakness, and
those were probably the first tears that since his boy-
hood he had known. I raised him up with the
greatest difficulty ; I was not ashamed of the moisture
in my own eyes, as I said to him, '' You have suffered
long and deeply for the British Goveimment, but your
sufferings are at an end, and your reward is come.
You have been despised, for our sake, by tlie Toor-
cumun and Oozbeg. You shall now be honoured and
cherished by the English. Your sufferings shall be
forgotten by you, to be remembered by us; that is
your place, Ummeer Beeg (pointing to the highest
F~DELI TY REWARDED. 159 I
I
seat).
None here has done and suffered for the
Queen of England what you have; none, therefore,
here is your equal in honour."
Nothing, however, could induce him to sit in my
presence. He stood before me weeping like a child ;
every word of kindness but called forth fresh tears.
It seemed that to such a spirit there was no medium
between the entire mastery of his own ernotiolls and
prostration before them. I perceived, that so long as
I spoke words of comfort to him, his sorroms must
flow; and conjecturing all it must cost him to be
seen in that unnerved condition, led the conversation
t o his immediate views and wishes.
' L What were these ? What did he desire ? "
He would follow me over the world.
C'Tt is not to me that you owe anything. I am
but an agent of my Government. I should be de-
lighted to have you with me; but I go on a most
perilous and painful mission. The chances of death
or captivity are greatly against me. You have suf-
fered enough already, and shall not, mith my mill,
suffer more. You shall return whither you please,
t o Heraut, or t o your home in Persia."
I never can return to Persia," he replied, mith a
gloomy look, pointing to his mutilated ears.
You are wrong, Ummeer Beeg, they are your
greatest glory :-they are testimonials of your fidelity
to the British Government, and of your personal
courage and gallantry. I mill give you such a certi-
ficate as shall make everyone envy you the loss, and
Blejor Todd mill give you another. He bade me
greet you kindly, and say : ' The Toorcurnuas have
cut off Ummeer Beeg's ears, but I will re-make them
of gold.' "
160 UMNEER BEEG'S TALE.
I then asked him the particulars of his capture.
I t appeared that he had been entrusted by '2olonel
Stoddart (then at Heraut) with despatches for the
British Envoy and Minister at Tehraun. That on
approaching Toorbut-Sheikh-Jnmi he found himself
confronted with some fortmy Toorcumuns. That he
sate at bay with cocked carabine to ~ a r l e y : but being
surronncled and resistance being hopeless he had sub-
mitted according t o t he advice of Colonel Stoddart,
vhich forbade him to sacrifice his life fbr no purpose.
Being placed upon a horse with his arms bound
behind him, and thus carried by five of the party
towards Rhivn, he had remained perfectly passive for
several clays, ~znt.il his captors had become careless
regarding him One day, whilst they all lay at full
length on the sand, some smoking, others sleeping,
he had contrived t o loose11 the fetlock of the horse
which he deemed the fleetest, to creep upon its back,
and t o set it, off at speed, in the hope of escaping.
He had been instantly pursued, overtaken, thrust at
with a spear which had grazed his ribs, and cruelly
backed with a sabre ; for with fettered arins he had
heen unable t o hold up or guide or properly urge his
horse. In this wouncied stsate they had carried him t o
Khiva and had presented him to the Khaun Huzurut,
who had given him t o the Prime Minister Agi Yoosuph
a kind master and a good rnan. His people, like other
Oozbegs, were cruel, especially the overseer. He was
made, like a horse, to drag carts and carry heavy
burthens. One day, when very ill, the overseer had
insisted with blows upon his rising to work. He
had sprung at and felled tlle overseer, and had been
prevented from killing him, only by the illterference
of the other servants. The minister having heard
both sides of the dispute had commended his spirit
and forbidden the overseer again to strike him. He
had then been treated more gently. But the love of
freedom had twice tempted him to escape, and twice
had he been brought back by his pursuers. His kind
master had pardoned him, but thenceforth he had
been watched more vigilantly. Then the Mehtur
Aga Yoosuph had died, and his son had succeeded
him. Ummeer Beeg had, one night, contrived toget
possession of a sword and of some food, and had fled
again to the desert ; although the ueasest, place of
refuge is 350 miles from Ehiva. But water was
nowhere to be had, and he was eventually found by
a Toorcuniun lying apparently lifeless on the sand,
and carried back to Khiva, where his new master had
cut off his ears. This severity is said to have been
used because he had cut down two of his pursuers;
but I could not understand this part of the narrative.
Cmmeer Beeg could not speak of this mutilation
without uttering a threat to drink the life-blood of
the minister.
A4 m011 as the room was clear, I called back Um-
meer Beeg, and, making him close the door (a pre-
cuutio~l I woulcl recomrnecd to all in these countlies
~vheu cash is to be discussed), drew out my purse,
wlliciz was full of gold, and poured it into his hands,
I ~r ~mi s i ~l g him a further supply, should I be able to
cash my bills. 1 then reminded him that he was now
urlctcr j.jritiuIl yyotectio11, and that any violence to the
3lclltur would bring reproach ~xpon us.
" You
purchased my lifb," he said; '' if you
conxlltl:tncl it the Melltur shall live, but my palate is
parG:cllcd with 3 thirst which his heart's blood only
curl nlliiy.'"
VOL, I. 11
He stood before me a genuine child of Nature,
with all the stormy power inherent to her sons.
Faithful as steel to his trust, attaching himself to
those who treat him kindly, and ready to avenge hi m-
self upon his oppressor. Nevertheless, his word
being pledged to me not to harm the Nehtur, would,
I knew, be religiously kept, and I gave myself on
that score no further uneasiness. I felt how invalu-
able would be such a follower in the perilous a n d
difficult enterprize before me ; yet I would not for
woylds have suffered him to endanger his liberty and
life any further. Had he accompanied me, I believe
I could have baffled all the artifices of those be nt
upon my destruction: but who shall say, I should
have been the gainer ?
I sent for a dress of honour for Ummeer Beeg. No
cloak in the house was long enough by many inches,
so I was obliged to purchase one expressly for hi m.
Be soon cut a very different figure in a handsome
Oozbeg cap and cloak, and I desired him t o look out
for a good horse and handsome sabre. I was, how-
ever, unable in the end to raise money for the pur -
chase of these articles. His release cast a gleam of
sunshine upon the troublous prospect around me.
I had previously enjoyed a ray even more consola-
tory. The night succeeding that on which I had re-
quested the release of the daughters of the Afghauns,
a deputation came from the Khaun himself, sayi ng
that the order was issued for the release of t hese
miserable captives; that the instant they could be
collected together, they should be sent whithersoever
I chose to name, and that the Khaun wished to know
whether that should be Calcutta or London. I was
infinitely amused by this simple query, and, with my
RELEASE OF AFGRAUN WOMEN.
163
most grateful and heartfelt acknowledgments, begged
to represent that to the sovereign of about 250
millions of subjects, the persons of twenty-two
females were no great boon; whereas the happiness
of a single individual of the number mould be ac-
cepted as such by my Queen; that, to effect such an
object, it was necessary only to restore thein in
honour to their own homes at Heraut ; that Shauh
Kaumraun would participate in the satisfaction their
release would give, as they were His Majesty's sub.
jects ; and that-my ~ueen,bein,g a woman, wduld feel
t he compliment of selecting individuals of Her Bfa-
jesty's sex for release. He departed with this message,
after I had refreshed his fingers with gold ; for a royal
message is supposed to be always entitled to such se-
compense. Unfortunately, my pretty speeches having
to undergo, in the first place, the purgat,ory of my
own imperfect Persian, afterwards the rack of my in-
-
terpreter's dulness, and then the wheel of the Ooz-
beg's asininity (if there be such a word, and if not,,
it is high time there be) reach the Khaun Huzurut,
I
I suppose, very much as a fine lady would reach her
ball-room chased and torn by fox-hounds-a thing of
rags and tatters.
As soon as tbe messenger had departed, various
i
I yemarks were made by my people. Old Summud
Khaun said, " Your journey, Sir, has not been in
1 e vain. "
I
/I
'( No," I replied, " whatever now befalls me, death,
I
captivity, or success, I shall bless God that I have
visited Ehiva."
On reaching Heraut, we had found a large number
of children, who had been rescued from slavery by
t he exertions of Major Pottinger, and were now
7 + 11 "
I
164 RUMINATIONS.
brought up, under proper instructors, at the expense
of our Government. I confess I envied Major Pot -
tinger more the glory of this deed, unknown and un-
noticed as it was; than that which he had spread
through the world as the defender of Heraut. He
however had, by greatr- exertion, by manly and deter-
mined interference, and sometimes by force of arms,
effected the enfranchisement of these children. I
had but to intimate the taste of a British Lady, and
the fetters fell, as by magic, from the neck of t'he
slave. " Now," I said, as I settled my head upon the
bundle of clothes which served me as a pillow, '' if I
can but effect the exchange of the Russian and Oozbeg
captives, I will leave, without an envious sigh, t,he
glory of slaughtering their fellow men, to conquerors
and kings." The prospect had in it more of difficulty
than of hope, yet my labours, aided by the able and
zealous exertions of Captain Shakespear, were even-
tually crowned with success.
CHAPTER XIII.
The Ummeer of BokharaJs Refusal to release Colonel Stoddart
-Endeavour to make me solicit the Company, on my Mis-
sion, of an Oozbeg Ambassador-And to persuade me to
prefer the Orenburgh Route-Private Intelligence-Presents
for the Emperor of Russia-Arrangements for the Exchange
-
of Captives-Reasonabl~ness of the Ehaun's Propositions-
His extreme Anxiety, and evident Sincerity on this Poiut-
His Amazement at the Motion of my Pen-And Curiosity
respecting my Epaulettes-His Majesty's Tribulation at my
Want of a Cocked Hat and Plume-Dismissal-Rkveil of
Nizaum, the Sleeper of Sleepers-Visit from a Relation of
Birdler Beeg-His Account of the Skirmish with the Russians
-Difficulty of raising Funds-Visit from the Minister-His
happy Confidence in Destiny-Heroic Spirit.
AT
my next audience, the Khaun Huzurut in-
formed me, that the Ummeer of Bokhara had
sent a decided negative, to his (the Ehaun's) two
several remonstrances, for the release of Colonel
Stoddart. The reply of the Ummeer was, '' You
have one English Eelchie, what would you do with
another. Do you grudge my having one ? "
I replied, that I deeply regretted the Ummeer's
insanity; but that the Ehaun Huzurut's friendly
attention to the request of my Government, could not
be impaired by the conduct of the Ummeer, but was
as precious as if crowned wit,h t'he desired success.
I begged, in the name of my Government, to offer
His Majesty the warmest thanks.
166 ROUTE TO BUSSIA.
'( And when will you start for St. Petersburg ? "
"Whenever the Rhalln Huzurut, commands. I
require three days only for preparatioii: provided that
I have free liberty to purchase and to hire ; and that
the Bazaar shop-keepers and camel-owners be allowed
to supply my wants.""
My route was next discussed. It had been already
dictated by the Khaun Huzurut himself, after careful
inquiry. But he seemed now bent upon my following
the route direct to Orenburgh, and upon persuading
me to solicit that an Oozbeg should accompany me
as ambassador. To this I replied, "That I had
adopted the route by Mungh Kishlauk at the Khaun
Huzurut's own recommendation : that if he delibe-
rately preferred, that I sl~ould go straight to Oren-
burgh, I would attempt it, though I deemed it
impracticable : and would take with me his ambas-
sador if he desired me to do so. Sf left to follow
my own judgment, I should travel by Mungh Kish-
lauk, and alone. He would not distinctly ask me to
change the route or to take the ambassador ; but he
evidently wished me to solicit both arrangements.
My private intelligence stated, that this extreme
anxiety to change the route, proceeded from a wish
that some of the Khaun Huzurut's people should be
present, when I met the Russians, to judge by my
reception, whether I was a spy or a true man, arid
also what degree of influence I possessed with that
nation, in my capacity of British agent, This was
probable enough ; and the desire to send wit,h me an
Oozbeg ambassador, robbed the scheme of all appear-
ance of a wish to destroy me.
* At that time, no shopkeeper of Khiva dared deal with a
stranger without special sa~iction of the Khaun.
The presents for the Emperor of Russia were then
produced. They consisted of a double-edged dagger,
the handle of which was a mass of jewels elegantly
set in ivory. A small head-stall studded with pure
gold, in which were set rough rubies and emeralds;
and an Isfahaunee sabre. The Ehaun asked me
what I thought of the latter. I could not judge from
the scabbard.
" Draw it," he said.
'' Not in the presence of a king."
He laughed. " You have my permission."
I drew it accordingly, and examined the blade.
" That' s a better blade than you brought me,"
observed the Khaun.
"The shape is not so perfect ; but the water is
finer. Your Majesty remembers that Heraut is a
ruin, and that I rode post, at a few days' notice, to
place my services at the Khaun Huzurut's disposal.
Our Tosheh Khaneh (magazine of rarities) had been
quite emptied, by our liberality to the king and nobles
of Reraut."
My despatches, enclosed as usual in bags of sarce-
net flowered with gold, were delivered to me. They
were written in Toorkish, the Court language, but a
Persian translation had been given me. They are
curious, but I have not permission to publish them.
The Ehaun Huzurut bade me read aloud to him my
Persian translation, whilst his Meerza followed me,
word by word, on the originals.
I then inquired, C L What shall I say if the Russians
object to the exchange of captives, upon the plea of
distrust ? The Russian slaves are much scattered in
your kingdom ; how are they to feel sure, that all
' have been restored ? " .
168 CAPTIVES.
" In that case, say that a Russian agent may come
here, and shall have full power and opportunity to
search for and release every Russian captive, and to
carry him to Russia, provided, of course, that he
wishes to return. Some have lucrative employment
at Khiva, as artificers. Write this down in my
presence, that you may not forget it; and add, that
if the Emperor please to send me a responsible person
as security, he shall receive the whole of his subjects
wit,hout further demur, upon condition t sat mine be
released when those reach Russia. Or, if the Emperor
prefers to reverse the arrangement, I will send him a
responsible person as a hostage, whilst he releases my
subjects."
I sent for my pen and ink, and stepping down into
the dry cist,ern of masonry sunk in the tent, placed
my paper upon the ground, and wrote as the Khaun
Huzurut dictated. He made me repeat what I had
written, t o make sure of its accuracy, and was evi-
dently in earnest. His a~t~onishment at the rapid
motion of t he pen was great, and that it should tra-
verse from left to right. He sent for the pen (which
was of steel in a travelling case of ivory), and ex-
amined it attentively. When all was complete, he
inquired-
" Who gave you those golden things (my epau-
lettes) on your shoulders ? "
'( I purchased them."
'; Did not your queen give them you ? "
I was the more amused at this question, because
ignorant at the time that military rank at Khiva is
conferred by the Khaun himself, by the present of a
daggkr in a golden or silver sheath, according to cir-
cumstances. The golden scabbard entitles to the .
TERRORS OD A COCKED RAT.
169
command of a thousand horse ; the silver, of one
hundred. The Father of Victory was evidently fishing
to find out t,he consequence of the person whom he
was entrusting with such high offices and authority.
How he would have been horrified, could he have
conjectured that the person who was giving himself
such airs at bis Court was still but a subaltern in his
o m corps, and a Captain only by brevet. It also so
happened, that the epaulettes on my shoulder were
those of an Ensign's rank : for, my own having been
worn to pieces in hard service, I had purchased those
of an Ensign whom we lost in the Bolaun Pass.
These epaulettes underwent some strange vicissitudes.
They were taken from me by the Kuazauks, but aftec-
wards surrendered ; and being similar, or nearly
so, to those of a Colonel in Russia, received much
homage from guards and sentinels, not to mention
post-masters and inn-keepers. I replied to His
Majesty-
LLThe queen had given me the rank which en-
titled me to wear them."
'' But Colonel Stoddart has a large cocked hat and
plume. "
" I have just come from the wars, nnd a march of
some 2000 miles, and have lost all my finery."
I had secret intelligence that the Father of Victory
was in much tribulation at my want of a cocked hat
h d plume.
He could not be satisfied that I was
quite the right thing, or that Russia would pay any
respect to a little man in a forage cap. Colonel
Stoddart had been described t o him as a tall, stern
man, with the hat and cock's feathers aforesaid, who
would frighten the Russian Generals out of their
shoes ; and I believe that, could Colonel Stoddart's
170 THE SLEEPER OF SLEEPEBB.
release have been effected, he would have entrusted
him, in preference, with the negotiation.
I was now dismissed, but not until the Khaun
Huzurut had repeated his instructioils to me, respect-
ing the release of the Russian captives. He was
evidently in earnest on the subject. His manner to
me was kinder than ever.
I rode home in silence, wrapped in many thoughts.
How despairing had been my first visit to the palace ;
how triumphant my last. A Hand of Might had
prepared and smoothed the way.
After thundering at the gate of my dwelling for
upwards of half an hour, Nizaum, by the greatest
good fortune in the world, happened to awake, and
hearing certain dim sounds, which were terrifying
the neighbourhood for a mile around, began to sus-
?
pect there might possibly be someone at the door,
and came accordingly. This man's talent for slumber i
amounts to genius, and commands reapect accord-
ingly.
I have nearly forgotten to mention the particulars
of a visit from one of Birdler Beeg's relations, who
happened to have belonged to the detachment sent
by the heroic Ghoosh Beegie to saeep the Russians
out of the land. I inquired how i t had come to pass,
that 40,000 invincibles of Khiva had received such a
reverse from 400 half-starved Russians. Birdler Beeg
had, I said, all the way from Heraut, vaunted to me
the prowess of his brethren, and given me an impres-
sion that they were very Roostums.
L L Why," he said, '' we fought at great disadvantage.
The snow was five feet deep, our path a deep ditch,
so t o speak, trampled through it, where we could
make no front. The cold was so intense, that if we
TOORKISH EXPLOITS. 171
let our hands down from the ample sleeves of our
cloaks, to grasp a sabre or a spear, they withered in
a moment. None of us wore less than four or five
thick cloaks, and as many nether garments as he could
procure. Of course, our arms were huge bundles of
woollen cloth stiff with ice ; a,nd were as useless to
us, as if they had been made without joints. Those
amongst us who had sense, and the slightest regard
for their ears and noses, had drawn over their heads
the nose-bags of the horses, in which they had per-
forated two holes, as means of reconnoitring the
enemy. We were, in fact, large heavy sacks of
frozen cloth. The Russians, meanwhile, were sitting
over fires i n their trenches, amusing themselves at
our expense. Now they rubbed their hands over the
kt
fifire, and now they up with their muskets and shot
us, and again they warmed their hands, loaded, and
fired. It was fine fun for t'hem; but we thought
it no joke. And when they started in pursuit of
us, the exercise kept their blood warm, and we sat
on horseback wholly at their mercy, or dropped off,
slaughtered like muttons, until we had the sense to
take to our heels."
I had, for some time past, been most anxious about
the funds necessary for my journey. As this journey
had for its object the salvation of the Khaun Huzurut's
kingdom, i t seemed impossible that he should place
in my way any insuperable difficulty; and yet the
merchants of Khiva had either been instructed not to
cash my bills, or else the report which began now to
prevail, that the Ehaun meditated my destruction,
deterred them. The Mehtur, to whom I had re-
3
peatedly applied, always promised that everything
should be arranged as I desired. Once I had hopes
172 THE GUIDE.
that he would be tempted by the handsome ~rerninm
I offered, to cash them from his own funds ; but this
hope at length failed me. I told him, that although
the journey I had in view was for the Khaun Huzurut's
own interest, and my life and fame were to be perilled
in his cause, yet that I did not wish .to draw upon
the resources of His Majesty at a moment of emer-
gency ; but, as I could not possibly stir without money,
begged he would either procure itl from the bankers,
or grant me a loan, upon my bills, from the royal
treasury. He was profuse of promises, and it was a
subject with which, as a British agent, I could not
decently trouble the king himself.
The Orenburgh route was again suggested t o me.
Against the difficulty of feeding my suite, it was
proposed that I should ride Chuppah (post) with a
Kuzzauk guide and one servant. I agreed, and the
guide was sent me, accompanied by an Oozbeg, who
partly acted as interpreter ; the Kuzzauk dialect and
pronunciation being difficult to those acquainted only
with the Toorkish of Khiva. Umrneer Beeg, how-
ever, assisted, being perfectly acquainted with the
, Toorkish tongue. This guide, whose manner betrayed
his eager desire that I should follow his route, assured
me, that the snow on the Orenburgh route was nearly
melted, and would be entirely gone in a week; an
assertion, which I knew to be utterly false, as six
weeks would not suffice to dissolve it. He stated,
that there was not the slightest difficulty in passing
the 900 miles of desert, to Orenburgh.
I enquired, whether he could himself guide me the -
entire distance t o t,he Russian camp.
The Oozbeg
explained the question to him, and a sharp contro-
versy immediately ensued between t,hem, in the heat,
AN ALARMING DISCLOSURE. 1 73
of which they forgot that Ummeer Beeg was present,
and understood all they said. At the conclusion of
t he controversy, the Oozbeg gave, as the Kuzzauk's
answer, that he could and. would conduct me the
ent,ire journey. Ummeer Beeg immediately desired
t o speak to me in private ; I cleared the room, and
he said-
" For heaven's sake, Sir, do not go with that guide,
for the Oozibeg did not give you his real answer,
which was, that he could only guide you through his
own tribe, where he must make you over to another
tribe, which would deliver you to a third, and so 011.
If you go with that man you are lost. The Khaun
Huzurut's protection will avail you nothing, unless
the man to whom he delivers you here is held respon-
sible for your safety to your journey's end."
Upon this subject there could not be two opinions.
Moreover, several of those Kuzzauk tribes were in
open rebellion against Khiva; all were expecting
daily a change of masters, and, of course, the Khaun
Huzurut's authority, in such a country, must be held
extremely cheap, and might be of little avail, even
should the first guide accompany me throughout.
This, however, was a risk previously foreseen, and
which I was willing to incur. The other was not to
be thought of; it was death, without a reasonable
chance of success. When, therefore, I saw the
Mehtur, I fiankly told him what the guide had said,
and that I could not, of my free choice, be bandied
from guide to guide, and from tribe to tribe. He
strove hard to shake my purpose, but in vain.
He had volunteered to pay me a visit before my
departure, and arrived, one morning at an early hour,
when my only room was being swept, and 1 was walk-
174 VISIT FROM THE MINISYER.
ing in the space called a garden.
My servants were
out of the way, and the servants of the house neg-
lected to sumnion me; so that when, by accident, I
passed into the court, I found him sitting there, on
his haunches, against the wall, without even a carpet
or a nummud; and looking much more like a large
watch-dog, than the Prime Minister of the Father of
the Conqueror of Heroes. I hastened to him, and
made a thousand apologies, and endeavoured, by the
most assiduous attention, to make amends for the
apparent slight. I suppose he received my apologies
at the usual valuation of such ware. He, however,
affected to be satisfied; and sundry huge loaves of
sugar, some fruit, bread, raisins, and tea, being set
before him, our conference commenced.
His object was to persuade me to solicit as a favour
permission t o travel the direct route to Orenburgh,
instead of the route so carefully selected by the Khaun
Huzurut himself. But I had taken up my ground
after the most careful consideration. I was quite
sure, that the alteration of route was the suggestion
of an enemy to the mission. Not an answer could be
offered to any of my ~bject~ions to it. He also wished
me to ask for the company of an Oozbeg ambas~ado~.
I had Tepeatedly assured hirn, that if the Khaun Hu-
zurut wished such an one to accompany me I should
not, object to it ; but that I could not yecommend it.
The Mehtur had come prepared to carry his point
with a high hand. But I was firm, and his petulance
recoiled upon his own head.
I begged once more to recommend precautions in-
dispensable to the safety of the kingdom, and without
which my mission must be unavailing.
" Oh ! " he replied, " God will never give us into
UI LROAD TO PARADISE.
the hands of Eawfurs; yet, if our ctestiny be thtns
mitten, no effort of ours can alter or prevent it.''
'& Believing all tllis, I wonder you take the trouble
to eat and drink. Your destiny being predeteraniraed,
you would not die an hour the sooner, should you
starve, nor be a whit the rrorse than is ~vritten.''
the loss of Khiva."
" Oh," said the AIehtur, fiercely, Lb if me 611fight-
ing the Kadurs, me pass straight t o pnnidise."
" And your tvolnen? \\'hat kind of paradise will
your wives and daughters find in the artnls of Russian
soldiers? "
He was silent.
" You have seen," I continued, iEie result of' a
skirmish vith 400 Russians. Are you ~z'~praBB to
meet, face t o face, 7,000 with their artillery ? ff you
had rather starve them, than be beaten by tllern, take
the advice of a soldier in this matter."
I perceived, however, that my words mere thrown
away upon this incapable minister. It was one of the
most serious impediments I had to eneou~lter, that
my business was to be transacted with one who could
neither think himself, nor adopt the idem of others.
Had his noble father, the late minister, been %Eve,
my difficulties had been greatly diminished, and my-
influence at this Court complete.
CHAPTER XIV.
Departure of the Persian Ambassador-Difficulty of procuring
correct Intelligence-Inefficiency of my Establishment-Pre-
sence of the Persian Ambassador, horn far useful to me-
Alarm occasioned by the Reports of the British Advance-
Resolution of the Khaun to put down Slave-dealing-Final
Audience-Sub ject of change of Route renewed-The Guide,
Hussun Mhatoor, Chief of the Chowdhoors-The Khaun's
Charge to hilll--TO me-His Message to Her British Majesty
-Importance to Europe at this moment of the Eingdom of
Ehaurism-Parting Charge and Farewell-Fruitless Endea-
vours to cash my Bills-Deceit and Treachei-y of the Mehtur
-Inhospitality and Meanness of the Court-Quit Khiva i n
the almost certain Prospect of perishing in the Wilderness-
Parting Instructions, and Farewell t o Ummeer Beeg-Depar-
ture from Khiva.
T
HE Persian ambassador had, some days since,
departed from Khiva. The Khaun Huzurut had
sent him, for his travelling expenses, 900 Tillas of
gold (about 6540), and, I believe, presents for his
master. My information respecting his mission was
always imperfect. I was destitute of proper instru-
ments of intrigue. My Secretary, to whom I had
made over the Persian depa~tment, was far too timid
to carry into effect any of my orders to him, to busy
himself with the palms and sleeves of the Persian
suite. He never even became acquainted with one of
them. They lived many miles distant, but he must
often have met them in the bazaar, to which the
tether of my suite was restricted. . My position at
EXva had quite paralysed t h2 faculties of my fol-
DEFECTIVE ESTABLIBHXENT. I77
lowers ; they were like men of weak heads, sur-
rounded by precipices. Surnmurl Khaun, indeed,
with an immense assu~nption of importance, but infi-
nite caution, raked about amongst the Afghauns, but
this race could afford him little useful intelligence,
being strangers and without influence, a t Khiva. Ali
Muhummud, the only one who understood the lan-
guage of the country, had been fifteen years a slave
at Ehiva, and had there a wife and child. He was tl
new servant, and at a Court where a single false step
of an inferior agent, may bring ruin upon the mission,
where, to seek for intelligence, is it capital crime, I
could not venture to elrlploy him in matters of
moment. Nizaum, whom I had found the dirtiest
of Feraushs (or porters), and who had since become,
by the usage of the country, the most slovenly of
Nauzirs (or chamberlains), by a singrllar instance of
good fortune, and by the very last nleans attributable
to such a figure, procured me important intelligence,
but it reached me late ; and the rest of my people
were mere grooms.
It appeared, however, that, at this primitive Court,
the easy address, and command of language of the
Persian ambassador, weye thrown away, and that the
Khaun Huzurut complained of his multiplicity of
words, and, in speaking of him and of myself, to his
MoolIas, had given me the preference, as one who
said little, and that the truth. It was the Khaun's
custom, after dismissing me, t o send for the Persian,
and cross-examine him upon the particulars which I
had communicated; and, ad this man had visited
Europe, and was an intelligent feTlow, and a detected
lie might have cost him his life, but cert.ainly the
bastinado, his testimony generally corroborated mine,
VOL. I. 12
178 ROYAL COMPLIMENTS.
-a fact of the greatest consequence, because, at that
moment, our Governments were at variance, and our-
selves were regarded as rivals, at the Court of Rhiva.
The Persian ambassador, hearing one day, of two
very beaut,iful women for sale in the baza,nr, sent and
purchased them.
The Khnun Huzurut llearcl of it
and was very angry, though on what plea, I 1rno.w
not. He sent, however, to the arnbnssaclor's house,
and took from hirn his new purchase.
With the Persian ambassador, on his return t,o
Tehraun, tlie Ehaun Iluzurut sent an agent of his
own. I was assured that i t was only to play the
game of words ; that, tlie message of the IChaun to
the King of Kings was not very flattering,--"Your
king offers to rescue Iny kingdom from a Russian
invasion, and in return deinnncls only 30,000 slaves
as a gift. Tell Muhummud Shauh that he is yet a
child ; his beard is not yet grown. Why does he
not first drive the Russians out of Persia ? " I can-
not answer for the truth, or even the probability, of
this courteous speech ; but, as it bad been rliy care
t o explain t o t he Khaun Huzurut t he subservience of
Persia to Russian counsels, ancl make known to him
the events which had lately marked the history of
that kingdom,-its invasion by Russia; the kind
offices of Great Britain; its rescue from absolute
annihilation, only that, by the weakness of' ,z monarch,
who owed his sceptre to the British, it might dwindle
into the condition of n province of Russia,--the snb-
stance of the message may possibly have been as
above, however politely couched.
My private intelligence assured me that our sup-
posed advance t o Bulkh had occasioned great ahnn. ;
that the Khaun Huzurut vowed that he ~vould put
DISCUSBION OF ROUTES. 179
down slave-dealing throughout his dominions, a reso-
lution easily taken, but practicable only as the result
of long years of the most vigorous government.
I n the evening of ahe 3rd March, I was summoned
to my final audience. The Khaun asked when I
should be ready to start. I replied, " I n three days."
" And by which route ? "
'' The Ehaun might ordain as he thought fit; but
if allowed a choice, I should prefer that by Mungh
Eishlauk. If any other route were determined on, I
must positively have a guide, that should accompany
me the entire journey to the Russian camp." I re-
lated what the Orenbuygh guide had been heard to
say in my presence.
" I will give you no order," said the Khaun, but
I recommend the Orenburgh route. You will, in at-
tempting the other, be long impeded by the ice." He
ran over the reasons already detailed, but they had
been often answered ; and I replied that, if His Majesty
commanded, I would try the other road; but, after
many inquiries, was assured that my mission, even
i
I should I reach the Russian camp, must be futiIe by
that route ; whereas, could I but reach any con-
siderable Russian town, my Government would get
intelligence of me, and I could not be detained by
excuses and delays.
t
The Ehaun Huzurut sent for the guide, Hussun
Mhatoor, chief of the Chowdhoor Toorcumuns, a tribe
of 12,000 families, or about 60,000 souls, scattered
over the t,ract between Khiva and Mungh Kishlauk,
\
and all-potent in the latter district. He entered ; n
t.al1, hale, handsome old man, who in his youth must
have been very robust, and who, even now, betrayed
no symptom of +,he enfeebling influence of years. His
12 "
180 HUSSUN MHATOOR.
profile was noble, and a perfect model of manly
beauty; his head, and long ample beard, were a
study ; but his deep-set eye was the very charnel light
of avarice and treachery. The Kl ~aun desired me to
question hini as I pleased. His answers fully corro-
borated my own opinion. " There was no snow on
this route ; the Caspian in a very few days would be
free from ice. There were always plenty of R~zssian
and Nogay boats at Mungh Kishlauk, of all sorts and
sizes, waiting off shore for the Bokhara caravans.
The present hostilities would in no wise banish thern
from the port, because there was an island not far off,
where they could lie in perfect security until called to
the port by signals from the caravans ; that they car-
ried cannon, and had therefore nothing to apprehend
from the Toorcurnuns by daylight : that he himself
would give me the use of a boat, to visit, if necessary,
the island or the Russian vessels lying off shore ; that
it was one or at most three days' sail from thence to
Astrakhan ; that at Mungh Kishlauk were no houses,
but an abundance of Buzzauk and Toorcurnun tents,
where I could procure everything."
This was for me a triumphant contradiction of all
the arguments by which I had been assailed ; but in
fact it was no evidence ; for my liberality to Birdler
Beeg, my first guide, having got abroad, every guide
was ready to swear his own route the best and most
practicable, in the hope of some similar good for-
tune. The Khaun Huzurut then addressed Hussun
Mhatoor.
" You will conduct Abbott Sahib in safety and
comfort to Mungh Kishlauk. You will procure hirn
the means of embarking for Astrakhan."
Hussun replied that he had been so active an enemy
PARTING CHARGE OF THE KHAUN. 181
of the Russians, that he dared not himself approach
any of' their vessels, but that he had a boat at my
service, and would put me in the way of speaking to
the captains of vessels ; that in this 1 need not appre-
hend the slightest difficulty."
i
" And if;" said the Iihaun to me, you should not
find a passage at Mungh ICishlauk ? "
" In that case I niust go on to Dahsh Gullah."
" Do so ; and should you reach St. Petersburg,
you will let t'he Queen of England know that T have
not sent Her Mqjesty any rare presents of arms or
jewels, because you have represented that Her Majesty
is better pleased with the release from slavery of the
daughters of the Afghauns."
" I will do so." At the same time I thought that,
it would have puzzled His Majesty to produce from
the royal treasury anything that could be decently
offered to a British queen. Emeralds and rubies of
every ugly shape, uncut, ancl not worth the cutting,
full of flaws, and set in the most paltry fashion, these
may be said to form alniost the only ornaments of t,he
wealthy, bearing in these countries an inordinate
value, but utterly worthless in the estimation of a
London jeweller. A few rare exceptions are known
amongst the royal treasures, but these are preserved
with most jealous care, and nothing worth keeping is
ever bestowed as a gift.
Li You are sure," said the Khaua Huzurut, " that
the Russians will neither murder nor imprison
you ? "
<' Quite sure ! "
" But they imprisoned my amb;lssador's brother."
" That was at a time, when your Majesty's do-
rrlinions were far removed fkonl thc sight of' Europe.
182 PARTING CHARGE OF THE KHAUN.
The eyes of the whole world are now turned upon
them, aid upon nly movements, watching both wi t h
intense interest."
L6 Wherefore ? "
Because your Majesty's dominions form t he
barrier between two of the mightiest Powers of the
earth, and are invaded by one of those Powers.
Should the other Power awaken to a sense of her
danger, tlie consequence may be, the convulsion of
the world."
He replied with a smile, " I t 's very harcl that t hey
carinot find, in all the world, some other battle-field
than just my dominions."
He again cautioned me to bear in mind his in-
structions respecting an exchange of captives ; re-
peating and making me repeat his words. Of hi s
sincerity, there could be no doubt. But as it was
inspired by fear, I confess I mas not very certain it
would endure, after the failure of the Russian expe-
dition, which, in the eyes of a nation so barbarous,
would be magnified into a triumph. And I am still
of opinion, that had any officer of' less genius, pru-
dence, and engaging manners than Captain Shakespear
been sent after me to Khiva, the negotiation mi ght
have had a different result, from the brilliant con-
clusion to which his prompt and judicious mediation
brought it.
The Khaun Huzurut now dismissed me, com-
mending me to God. I assured him, and it wa s
from my heart, that I would maintain his interests
to the utmost of my abilities and my life. I ha d
received from him more favour than he had perhaps
ever bestowed upon another. I loved and respected
his character; and even had not his interests beera
FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES. 183
insepa~able from those of my country, would have
risked much in his service. His after-conduct anni-
hilated every obligation I might have acknowledged
to him, and brought me on the creditor's side; but
I attribut,e to circumstances all that was to my dis-
advantage, and am willing, rather, to dwell upon the
undoubted virtues of the sovereign and the man.
The rerrlaining days were spent in the most painful
negotiatiolls for procuring funds for my journey. The
Mehtur had to the last moment assured me, in answer
to my enquiries, that there should be no difficulty in
cashing my drafts, at Khiva ; he had even sent me a
Hindoo Shroff, Diarhm by name, who had readily
promised to cash them. At my final audience, there-
fore, I had not troubled the Ehaun Huzurut with
the subject, the more especially as ancient custom
enjoined the El -~aui ~ to frank all my expenses through
his dominions, and the Persian ambassador had actu-
ally received a large sum on that account ; so that to
have ment,ioned my difficulty to the Khaun had been
almost equivalent to asking a similar gift. But now
DiarBm assured me that he dared not a s h my bills,
i
without express authority from the Khaun ; and it
I
was manifest that he and other Shroffs had been
prohibited from so doing. The Mehtur declined to
interfere ; and now discovered that I ought, at my
1
I last audience, t o have asked the Khaun. I was at
last obliged to address a letter to the Khaun Huzurut,
, t
explaining my predicament, and "begging his fur-
maun to remove the fear of his displeasure from the
minds of t,he bankers ; reminding him that my mission
I
was for the benefit of his empire ; and that, should
1, start without cash on a journey of 2,500 miles, I
I
i
must perish in the wilderness." I had pi*omised to
184 INAIJSPIOIOUS DEPARTURE
march on a certain day, and that day was Come.
My
servants, alarmed at sinister reports, pressed upon me
the gold they had saved ; but of course I refused to
receive that, which might become as life-blood to
them. Birdler Beeg, who had taken my letter t o t he
Khaun Huzurut, retu~ned in cor~fusi o~~, saying that
the Khaun had given way to a burst of displeasure
on learning its contents, and had asked why I had
not mentioned my difficulty at my final audience. I
then consulted Hussun Mhatoor as to the possibility
of cashing my bills at Muiigh Kishlauk, the place of
embarkation, on the Caspian, or at Igoneh Oorgunj ;
but although he said there should be no difficulty,
my previous enquiries had assured me that there was
no settled habitation there. I wrote a second letter
t80 the Khaun, explaining the reasons which had
prevented my t,roubling him with the subject at my
last audience : both his Minister and the Shroff
Diarhm being then under promise t o supply me.
Hussun returned without being able to see t he
Khaun; but he left my letter, to which no answer
was returned. Summud Khaun, coining in, said
that my well-wishers at Khiva entreated me not t o
delay my departure; my enemies having taken ad-
vantage of my embarrassment to inflame the sus-
picions of the Khaun Huzurut, and were urging him.
to destroy myself and suite. Whether this should
happen, or he should renounce, at a moment so criti-
cal, my services as mediator, I felt it my duty t o
be gone. I left Khiva, therefore, under the most
melancholy auspices. I had just money sufficient t o
carry me to the shores of the Caspian. There, with
the sea on one side and the desert on the &her,
unless I could get the captain of the Russian vessel
FROM KHIVA, 185
occasionally touching there to take me and mny suite
aboard, in exchange for my horses, there was a fair
- prospect of our perishing.
I wished, therefore, to
leave my whole suite behind ; but as I had promised
t he Khaun Huzurut t o write him in Persian on em-
barking at Mungh Kishlauk, and I could not at that
time write a legible Persian letter, the presence of
my Mirza was necessary, and my interpreter Ali was
:indispensable,
Alarm had t,aken possession of the
rest, and they dared not be separated from me.
Poor Ummeer Beeg, the released slave, came to
bid me farewell. He wept again, as he kissed rlly
hand, but this time it was for me, for the forlor11 and
hopeless circumstances under which I started on so
wild a journey. I had intended to equip and provide
him handsomely for his journey, that all might see
how he is honoured and rewarded who faithfully
serves my Government ; but my funds were quite
exhausted by what I had already given him. I bade
him explain my melancholy prospects to the blind
prince of B. M. Shah Shoojah's family, whom I had
intended to send in lionour t o Heraut, and also t o
the unhappy female slaves of the royal family of
Heraut, whom I found myself unable t o enfkanchise.
I had begged they might be included in the number
whose liberty was granted at my intercession, but
my purpose was defeated, either by the Mehtur, or
by some feeling of shame on the part of the Khaun,
t o return t o Heraut princesses who had been exposed
t o such usage i n his dominions; and now, for want of
funds, I was obliged to leave them in captivity.
A large crowd had collected at my gate, t o stare at
me. I mounted my horse, and seeing Ummeer Beeg
near, stretched out my hand to hhn, which
186 FAREWELL TO UMMEER BEEG.
however he mould only raise to his lips and forehead,
and then said aloud, and made my interpreter repeat
it ill Toorkish after me, " This is an honoured ser-
vant of the British Government. God preserve you,
Umineer Beeg, good and gallant and faithful fol-
lover ! "
I t was all I could now do to honour hini in the
eyes of tlzose by whom he had been oppressed and
despised." Even in that desolate hour, my inability
to reward the sufferings and faithful services of this
,
gallant follower was felt as ail ~dditional woe.
* I11 all that I have written of Ummeer Beeg, the
i s
Legged to observe t hat I have written according to my Imow-
ledge of him. I am far from supposing that a man so educated
should have been free from the almost univel-sal faul t s of
Asiatics. I vouch only for his high spirit, his courage, and his
fidelity under trust, virtues found occasionally even amongst
outlaws. My attention to him was so blended with sympathy
for his sufferings endured i n the cause of our Government, t hat
i t would have given me great pain to have detected in h i m any
serions blemish ; but my acquaintance with him was very
slight, i~lld I derived my high opinion of his firlelity a n d cou-
rage from Majar Todd, whoill he had served in Persia.
CHAPTER XV.
Departure from Khiva-Palace of the Toorruh-Priggery of the
Toorcumuns-Uinbarr, an ancient Site-Report of gigantic
human Bones-Dahsh Howz-House of the Guide-His
Obstinacy-Message from the Nehtur-The great Mare's
Nest-Its Origin-Journey resumed-Inhospitality of the
Guide-Capture of a Russian Interpreter-Journey resumed
-Reception at the Den of Thieves.
OUR
road traversed the richly-cultivated and well-
wooded valley of the Oxus, amongst the houses
of the nobles and gentry of Khiva. The scene is notl
unpleasing.; but the level character of the prospect
deprives it of all pretensions to beauty,-and, in my
present mood of mind, nothing could be more melan-
choly. The prevalent trees are the poplar, plane,
and elm, the latter a fine shadowy mass of tangled
boughs and the densest foliage. A11 the trees at,
this season were leafless, and there was not a blade
of grass, nor a wild flower upon any of the b d s , a
deficiency for which nothing can atone. Occasionally
as we proceeded, the sandy desert, here utterly
divested of its sprinkled shrub and herb, jutted into
the t'ract of hard and fertile clay. Villages and small
towns appeared at no long intervals ; and on the road
we occasionally met laden camels, one-horse carts,
with their enormous wheels, each freighted with
some fair Oozbeg, and driven by a male slave ; and
188 ORDNANCE OF POSITION.
Toorcurnun horsen~en.
Amongst the lattes Hussun,
the guide, had many acquaintances, on meeting whom
he pulled up his horse, throwing his right asm, whip
and all, across that portion of the body which mortals
call the belly, but which, the sentiment originating
the gesture, designates the seat of the affections, as
undoubtedly it often is. These were picttlresque
groups, though somewhat monotonous. Hussun
himself, well rnounted 011 st white Toorcu~nun horse,
his body bowed, and his head deep sunk upon his
shoulders, was, nevertheless, the pre-eminent figure ;
his stature, his noble features, and flowing beard of
snow, were not to be matched amongst Toorcumuns.
Hussun Mhatoor, in addition to his office of guide,
had charge of what was called a train of artillery,
being in fact two bundles of Gre-arms carried upon a
camel ; some of these were wall pieces, and the
remainder niatchlock rifles ; they were destined for
the defence of an import,ant military post, were
regarded with great complaceiicy by him, and with
much reverence by all the country.
At night we reached the residence of a Tbrra, or
prince of the blood royal. I was ushered into a guest-
chamber, something worse than that I had occupied
at Khiva, where dinner was provided, and I passed
the night. This palace I found precisely similar t o
other buildings bearing the title in Toorkestaun, i.e.
externally rather imposing for an Asiatic dwelling,
internally a very indifferent kennel.
. I had warned Huesun (whose title of Mhatoor, or
the Hero, acquired by his prowess over the Russians,
I shall generally drop) that 1 purposed starting at
about two o'clock next morning, and that he must be
ready a t that hour. When, however, I rose, he was
not forthcoming, and, on being su~nmsnecl, sent to
excuse himself. This was the first specimen of his
insolence, but not the last. I started without him,
a d , of course, soon lost the road, which I recovered
only by means of a Toorcurnun, who vas persuaded
to accompany me. The country was precisely similar
to that of the preceding day, excepting that the
houses were generally smaller, and canals and sluices
in abundance intersect the plain.
Summud Khaun, the steward, who had fallen illto
t.he rear, overtook me about midway, conlplaining
that one of Hussun's relations, a Toorcurnun, had
stolen two of the cloaks of my suite. That Iie had
discovered the fact, taxed him Mth it, and, upon his
denial, had opened his bundle, and clrawn out the
missing articles in presence of many witnesses. This
was an ominous commencement. The Inan IT~LS
known, afterwards, by the name of Doozd, 01. the
thief.
I n passing ovey the abandoned she of the t o ~ w
Ulibarr, walled around, as if to be re-occupied, I
inquired of my interpreter, Ali Muhumn~ud, the
M.
history. He said, it was supposed to have beell the
capital of Khaurism, under the Culmauks, whom
we call Calrnucks. That these were slain in au
invasion by Russia. That the late Khaun purposed
rebuilding this city, and hacl walled it accordingly ;
but that, in digging, some ~ o n s t ~ o u s human bones
were found, which proved it to have been a cemetery
of giants. That the Khaun had, on this account,
prohibited any profanation of the spot, by the erec-
tiorl of fresh buildings. That tlze Toorcumulis,
resorted thither, to carry off the soil,
which formed an excelleut manure. That LWll~ of
these gigantic bones were turned up. That he had
seen many.
That they were decidedly human : he
could not be mistaken, because he had seen the
skulls and the teeth. That the former were of such
size, as barely to admit of being embraced by his
I
arms.
That after a few days' exposure in t,he'air,
they fell to powder.
The last circunlstance is the only one that gives an
air of probability to the assertion, t,hat these bones
are human. Had they been fossil, they might have
been confidently pronounced to belong to the brute
creation ; but it is difficult to imagine the preserva-
tion, in an osseous form, of animal remains from the
remote period* mhen the Oxus could have been the
resort of any of the larger varieties of mammalia. I
recommend the subject to any who may succeed me.
At nooii, we passed through Dahsh Howz (the
stone cistern), a town, near which is a royal garden,
and a mud fort of some size, of rectangular form,
mith curtains and round bastions, in a double row
of defence. It is new, yet has already suffered from
the weather. About three miles fhrther, me reached
the abode of Hussun Mhatoor, an ordinary farm-
house, standing unsheltered in the cultivated plain.
Here there was much show of hospitality. A guest
chamber was allotted me near the entrance, and my
people mere accommodated in another. Hus s ~~n so011
informed me, that it would be necessal-y to halt here
three days. I was now conlpletely in this man's
power, being cut off from all communication mith
Khiva. I argued, insisted, commanded, explained
* I have, however, since found large quantities of the bone
of the elephant, in an osseous form, in the soil iinmediately
north of the village of RUSSOO~, 011 the left ban11 of the Jelum.
the extreme importance of my mission, the inevitable
ruin to his country should it fail, as it must, if de-
layed, and the consequent ruin to himself, from the
anger of the Khaun Huzurut ; but nly words were
all thrown away upon this man, whose temper is as
obdurate as his heart. He heard me with the greatest
composure, and then quietly repeated his determina-
tion to remain. Hussun was amare of the state of
my purse, and how little he had to expect from my
liberality; and as t o a note for cash upon Heraut,
the idea was incomprehensible to this son of the
wilderness, t o whose speculations had never occurred
the idea, that shred of paper could be exchanger1
for gold, or that anything but fear could prevent the
breach of a promise involving loss, My funds, illdeed,
were so low, that I could not evenventare t o promise
him part of my property, horses, arms, or accoutre-
ments ; as they must soon form my sole means of
purchasing my onward may.
Again, and again, I sent for Hussun, to expostulate
with him, and at length solemnly assured him, that
unless he obeyed the Ehaun' s orders, to conduct me
with all speed to Mungh Kishlauk, I should quit his
house, and return to Ehiva, for another guide. This
step I was extremely reluctant t o adopt, because the
news of my return woulcl certainly reach the Khaun,
through one of Hussun's emissaries, who would
attxibute it to my perverseness, and probably, in the
present state of the Khaun's mind, induce some rasli
'act, which would interrupt all harmony between the
Governments ; when, therefore, Hussun reduced his
demand t o a single day, 1 felt it prudent t o consent,
rathey than resort to the alternative.
10th March, 1840.-The arrival of tt messeiiger
102 MEANNESS OF A GOVERNMENT.
from the Minister of Khiva was announced by my
people, Fvith many smiles. He produced a letter, and
100 ducats in silver ; I had applied for 800. The
letter stated, that these were all that could be col-
lected in the capital of Khaurism, and that, being the
property of a banker, interest was required by t he
owner for his risk. The excessive meanness of this
transaction was a severe reflection upon me, for
having treated this Court, as if either King or
Minister could comprehend, far less appreciate, libe-
rality and disinterestedness. In justice to myself,
and the cause in which I was embarked, I should
have -ivsung out of it every possible advantage, and
r";
have risked the least possible in return.
4
1.
I sat down and ~vsote an order on Heraut for the
sum, vi t h interest, and in answer to the Minister's
letter, represented that he had sent me just one-
eighth of the sun1 I had required of him. That I
hoped he would be able to procure and send me at
least four or five hundred more ducats, upon the
same terms.
Ny servants had been to me the night before,
and had again pressed affectionately upon me their
savings, amounting together, to a sum considerable
enough, under my present circumstances. But I
replied, that the cause in which I was euzbarked mas
that of my own, and not of their country ; that my
country could require, and was welcome to my life,
but not to theirs ; and that I begged they mould
never again mention the subject. By the nlost rigid
economy, I might now, I thought, reach the Russian
frontier, and it seemed probable, that some of the
Russian sea-captains at Mungh Kishlauk n~i ght take
my horses and arms in pal-t lxiyment of my passage
CONDUCT OF MY SUITE. 193
to Astrakhan, and, at Astrakhan, theye was just
a possibility that I might meet with some Af-
ghaun or Jew merchant to cash my bills upon
Heraut.
Hussun, who had been all smiles, since the arrival
of the silver, let me know that a fine horse was at the
gate, awaiting my acceptance. I replied, that it was
impossible for a British agent to accept gifts unless
he could make a suitable return, which he well knew,
was not my case ; so, after much remonstrance, the
horse was commuted for a sheep and a cloak, in
acknowledgment of which I made his young son a
handsome present of cash, and gave him a dress of
honour.
The sleet had been falling all day, and, at night,
lay upon the earth to the depth of ten inches. It
still darkened the air, forming a gloomy and suitable
preparation for the tale with which Mi Muhummud
had alarmed my servants, and which, when night was
well set in, the old Meerza brought for my edification
and comfort.
" Salaam alikoom," said the old gentleman, en-
tering.
'' Alikoorn salaam ; take a seat."
He sat down, and spread his hands over the heap
of ignited charcoal before me.
" Have you heard, Sir, anything regarding our
guide, Hussun Mhatoor ? "
" Only that he is chief of the Chawdhoor Toorcu-
muns."
I
I
\
" He is a great villain, everyone says so, and the
greatest thief in the country, and all his people are
thieves. You had a specimen this morning of a
C howdhoor's honesty."
VOL. I. 18
" The greatest thief, in a country of thieves, is the
only safe companion for a traveller."
" But Russun is the most avaricious wretch in the
world."
" I and my suite have not much to tempt avarice ;
he well knows how low my funds are."
"Ah ! but your horses, Sir, your arms and
clothes.''
" Fear nothing.
The Khaun knows the import-
ance of my mission, and Hussun leaves his family as
pledges of my safety."
" Have you heard, Sir, Ali Muhummud's tale ? "
in an indifferent tone of voice, and rubbing his hands
over the fire, as if his whole attention were absorbed
in them.
" No ! what saith Ali ? "
L' Ali has a friend in the minister's service. This
friend was bent upon accompanying Ali in your
suite ; but, the day we started, he came to tell Ali
that he could not go."
" Well, what does his going or staying signify to
me? "
"You have not heard his reason yet, Sir." Here
the old gentleman rose, and, cautiously opening the
door, peeped out, to assure himself there were no
eaves-droppers. He then closed the door, resumed
his seat, and proceeded.
He not only excused himself from going, but
urged Ali, in the strongest terms, not to think of
it."
" Well ! well ! what is all this to the purpose?
I
suppose he had some silly t,ale of massacre to tell,
and I have not the slightest doubt that Ali was ass
enough to believe every word of it,"
OF KHAURIYM. 195
" He said," replied the Meerza, in a mysteriously
low voice, " that he had overheard t,he minister say
you had been discovered to be a Russian : that three
fresh men had just identified you as such, on oath,
before the Khaun Huzurut. That the Khaun feared
to slay you, as he had slain the other Englishmen, in
his capital, on account of the advance of your army
t o Bulkh, and had therefore sent you t o be murdered
in the wilderiiess." That the Khaun was now fully
satisfied that the interests of England and Russia
were one and the same."
I laughed heartily at this tale, and sent for Ali,
who repeated it.
" Do you yourself believe it ? " I enquired.
"1 do!"
(' Then you are a great fool to accompany me.
What did you reply to your friend ?"
" I said, t,hat my blood was not redder than my
master's; that he had redeemed my child from
slavery, and that I would not desert him at a
pinch."
This child was redeemed at the Government ex-
pense, as Ali well knew; but he knew that I was a
servant of Government, and that, in serving me, he
served my country.
" Would you like," said my Meerza, " to see the
young Afghaun Syud ? he can tell you something
more ? "
<' Another mare's nest (Ashigneh-i-Madiiin). Yes !
let him bring it in."
He entered, and asserted that the belief in Ehiva
* Strange as it may seem, Col. Arthur Conolly, who suc-
ceeded me at Ehiva, gave full credit to t,his tale of treachery,
and endeavoured to persuade his Government of it.
I, of
course, fully refuted it.
13 *
196 ORIGIN
was general,
the Khaun H u z u ~ ~ ~ , fearing t o
murder me in his capital, had sent me into the
wilderness to be destroyed.
his report was so easily accounted for, that it
gave me very little uneasiness, although it sharpened
my attention to the most trifling incident's in the
conduct of those around me. Let it be remembered,
that the only persons supposed to be English, t hat
had ever visited Khiva, had been put to the torture
at night, by the reigning Khaun, murdered under t he
cloak of darkness, and buried in the desert, under
the same circumstances of mystery. People spoke of
the thing only in whispers, and with extreme caution.
These men, calling themselves English, and murdered
as Russians, had, by theil* fate, confused together the
two nations in the minds of the Khivians; and, as it
was well known that many had identified me as a
Russian, and as Russia was actually invading the
country, and the British arms were supposed t o have
advanced to Bulkh, for the purpose (many believed)
of concerting with Russia the extermination of
Islaum ; and, as the nature of my mission, and t he
explication of our policy, were strictly confined to
the precincts of the Court ; it was ~c a ~c e l y possible
that the people of Khiva shoc~ld form any other judg-
ment of 111y destination than that which alarmed my
followers. As for the man who had heard -&he
minister say this, or that, he was probably a tool of
Ta r hhd-mnrnud Khaun, who had agents at Ehiva,
and was bent upon defeating, by every possible
means, an alliance which would close against him
this door of retreat, should his perfidy at length
exhaust the patience of the British Government. T~
him I have little hesitation in attributing also the
OF THE RUMOUR. 197
host of tidings tending to alarm the Khaun Huzurut,
which at this moment poured in like a flood upon
us ; the messenger that had seen the Persian Gulf
covered with our fleets; the other, who had seen
our armies at Bulkh; and the third, who had been
in the Rozeh Bagh (garden of fast), at Heraut, when
a British force was encamped there. All these men
were Afghauns. The endeavour to prevail upon Ali
Muhummud to desert me, at this critical. moment,
was a master-piece of strategy, because, without him
(the only one sf the party who could speak Toorkish),
my ruin was inevitable. That the Vuzeer kept up a
constant intercourse with the minister of Khiva, I
was aware: and, although I had trumped his best
card, in dismissing his agent, Peer Muhummud
Khaun, I knew the man well enough to be certain
that his design would not be abandoned ; whilst his
personal enmity to myself would be inflamed.
On the other hand, my secret intelligence seemed
quite worthy of dependence. It could not be a for-
gery of the Court of Khiva, because its tendency was
t o defeat the wishes of that Court. It could scarcely
be attributed to Yar Muhummud Khaun, because the
agent was the least likely person in the world to be
applied to by me, or anyone dse, for information,
and had not offered it voluntarily, but yielded i t to
the power of gold. Moreover, this intelligence tallied
perfectly with my observation of the Court intrigues,
and rendered the whole system intelligible ; whereas
the report just mentioned was at variance with a
variety of important particulars, and tended only to
confuse. None of my servants, excepting Ali and
the old Meerza (who had the heart of a hare),
thoroughly gave way to these base suspicions of the
198 MARCH RESUMED.
I
I
Khaun Huzurut. Ali Muhummud, unfortunately,
l
owing to his long residence at Khiva, was a formidable
I
authority to them ; and being himself fully impressed
I
with the sense of a peril which had aid him the
compliment of addressing itself first to him, con-
1
trived, every now and then, to win the otheTs to his
views,, and ended by himself abandoning them in
I
toto.
I was aware that the Ehaun's suspicions of me had
lately gained great strength, and now ~erceived the
I
cause.
I knew, also, that the minister would do me
I
as much mischief as he dared. I think it possible,
that these reports may have encouraged the treachery
a,fterwards practised, and that the perpetrators may
have been assured of the minister's good offices t o
!
screen them fkom the consequences. But, be this as
I I
it may, no one will wonder, that the good people of
Khiva, having at my departure the persuasion referred
to, and seeing their anticipations fulfilled to the letter, -
,
should still attribute the villainy to him fkom whom
they had expected it. The reader, after what has
been detailed of the meanness and inhospitality of my
treatment, will scarcely suspect me of any undue bias
i n favour of the Khaun.
March 11th.-Besumed the journey through deep
snow, and a mist, hurried by the east wind back to
its source, the Caspian; the vapour, in the process of
congelation, had given out sufficient heat to temper
the otherwise cutting wind. The road was well occu-
pied by horsemen, amongst whom Hussun had many
acquaintances. Two summits of inconsiderable height,
3
rising from the right bank of the Oxus, were in view,
but we clid not approach within sight of that river.
These hills are said to have yieldecl gold in former
HUSSUN MHATOOR~S OBSTINACIY. 199
days, At about two o'clock, we halted at a Toor-
cumun village, where a tent was pitched for my
reception.
Here Hussull again demanded three days' halt to
procure camels, all of which might, under proper
arrangements, have been waiting in readiness for me.
My remonstrances were renewed, but with less effect
than ever, for we had receded from Khiva, where
alone could be found any counterpoise to the for-
midable power of this chief. He, moreover, insisted
upon my laying in fifty days' supply of provisions for
'man and beast, and positively refused to stir with
less, although there remained before us but fourteen
days' journey. For this supply ten camels were re-
quisite, which were to be hired of his relations.
Exhausted as were my funds, I did not readily sub-
mit to this fresh imposition. The point was debated
wikh much warmth through my interpreter. Nothing,
however, could move Hussun from his purpose. Ac-
customed from youth to almost kingly authority,
obedience was an art he could not comprehend, and
to have separated from him' had been destruction.
Low as were my funds, my principal objection to lay
in so large a supply of provisions was the plea it
would afford him of lengthening out a journey upon
which he lived at free quarters.
Maroh 12th.-I completed to-day my thirty-third
year, and the date will long be remembered for the
bitter disappointment I am experiencing : cramped,
and all but strangled under the burthen of this " old
man of t,he sea." Loitering, to suit the ease of a
subject of Khaurism, whilst speed alone could save
that kingdom from destruction. Even the ruin
which everywhere stared myself in the face was for-
200 IvIELANCHOLY PROSPECT.
gotten in consideration of the wide-sweeping mischief
to others which this delay seemed to render inevitable.
Five days were past, and me had advanced but one
day's journey and a half on tfhe road, and it was evi-
dent, fkom the supply of provisions demanded, that
the guide intended to move very deliberately the re-
m&der of the journey, instead of conveying me, as
he had promised, to Mungh Kishlauk in sixteen days.
The weather n~eanwhile was becoming milder. The
army of invasion would soon be at liberty to advance,
and should it reach Khiva ere I could reach St.
Petersburg, all was lost,.*
March 13th.-Still halting for the amusement of
Hussun. News has arrived from the Russian fron-
tier, that a fleet of seven boats, carrying supplies for
the Russian fort, Dahsh Gullah, has been stranded on
the ice, and burnt by the Toorcumuns, and Kuzzauks
of Mungh Kishlauk. That a Russian officer also, who
had visited the coast to purchase sheep, &c., of the
Kuzzauks, had been seized, and was within a march
of this spot, in custody of his captors, to be delivered
t o the Khaun Huzurut at Khiva. This may probably
deter other vessels from approaching the coast, and
thus create fresh difficulty in the way of an enter-
prize, already sufficiently arduous.
The Toorcumuns of this village are rude and noisy.
It is difEcult to escape their constant intrusion,
especially, as the customs of the country impute in-
hospitality to him, who closes his door. My follomers
are pestered by them, and we find it difficult to pro-
vide food sufficient for any meal, since we never can
* From what I have since learned I believe that Hussun
lingered in expectation of an order from the Khaun Huzu~ut
for my murder, which vas generally expected at Khiva.
conjecture, how many guests there may not be. They
laugh boisterously and constantly, a habit com~non to
Toorcumuns, proceeding from a certain coarse good
nature, high spirits, a sound constitution, and a super-
lative opinion of self.
March 14th.--With the utmost difficulty, I have
this day persuaded Hussun te resume the march.
The road still skirts the clay valley of the Oxus, but
the houses here are fewer, the tents in greater pro-
portion, and t,he land newly cleared. The black tent
is so much more comfortable, than any permanent
habitation known in Central Asia, that the Toorcu-
mun abandons it with reluctance, and only when he
has become, t h~~ougl i l y and exclusively, an ngricul-
turist. For many Toorcumuns, who have taken to
the latter avocation, retain their love for the wilder-
ness and its comparative freedom; and continue to
resort thither, yearly, to pasture their flocks and
herds, which, at other seasons, are watched, there, by
their children or retainers.
We approached, shortly after noon, a considerable
Khail of Chowdhoor Toorcumuns, and our friend the
Thief, handsomely mounted, rode forth to escort me
to the tent of his elder brother, the Yuze Baushie,
Kooch Muhummud. I was shown into a beautiful
black tent, of the largest size and handsomest mate-
rial, forming the most agreeable dwelling imaginable.
The women of the house had collected to gaze. They
are fair, with high complexions, and irregular
features ; certainly not ill-looking ; but seldom, I
imagine, beautiful, when their blood is unmixed. As
the Thief had here four brothers, the place has since
been known amongst my people, as the Den of
Robbers.
CHAPTER XVI.
Visits from Toorcumuns-Ehail of Yahmoots-Dress of Toor-
cumun Women-Fierceness of the Watch-Dogs-Visit to the
Ruins of Old Oorgunj, and to a Toorcumun Fair-Entertain-
ment at a Khail-Cure of Jaundice-Toorcumun Dinner-
Economy 02 a Toorcumun Tent-Dress of Children-Ruined
Fort Shoomauki-Deserted Bed of Oxus-Distant View of
Oxus and the Lake Loudahn-Slaves-Cliffs of Chalk and
Marl-Ruined Castle of Eohna Wuzeer-Of Barrasun Gel-
mus-Another Enchanted Castle-Ibrahim Aat'h-Entrance
to Kuzzauk Land-Distant View of the Channel occupied by
tbe Oxus when it fell into the Gulf of Ballraun-Anecdotes
of the Bahrukzye Chiefs.
THE
chief men of the Khail paid me a visit, and
were treated to tea; and afterwards, the elder
brother, Kooch Muhummud, a broad-shouldered, deep-
chested, bull-necked, and bandy-legged Toorcumun,
with coarse, good-natured features, rather an honest,
trumpiform, red nose, and the voice of a bear; led in
his young daughter, a child of some eight or nine
years, and seated himself, at my invitation, near me.
The little girl wore a scarlet hemispherical cap, with
silver tassels and bells over her light brown hair,
which was braided in four tails. Her introduction
was regarded by my old Meerza with holy horror;
and Sumrnud Khaun afterwards gave me a, aermkt,
upon the same text, from which-I learned, that a
father should not see his daughter, after the age of
eight or nine years. As for me, I was delighted at
YAHkIOOT KHAIL. 20 3
this symptom of escape, from the brutifying and
hateful habits and prejudices of the Muhummedan
world.
Four slaves afterwards entered, to pay their re-
spects. One of them, a Tymunee of Heraut, had sold
]himself to.escape starvation. The number of captives
in Khaurism is supposed to exceed the Oozbeg popu-
lation of 700,000.
March 15th.-Resumed my journey through a
plain, less highly cultivated, and less densely inha-
bited, but cleared of jungle, and sprinkled with black
tents. A march of twenty-four miles, in the teeth of
a storm of sleet, which the loose dress of the countsy
is ill-calculated t o resist, brought me to a small arm
of the Oxus, having water about 2$ feet deep.
Koneh (i.e. old) Oorgunj had been sometime visible,
but was still five miles distant, and nothing could
persuade the old sulky guide to advance a step fur-
ther, until the arrival of the camels. We therefore
sat an hour in the snow-storm, and then. proceeded
I
farther down the stream, to a Khail of Yahmoot
Toorcurnuns. Here the relations of my old guide,
Birdler Beeg, welcomed me warmly-a couple of
black tents were emptied for my accommoclation, and
speedily filled with heads and faces, in all moods and
I
tenses of curiosity. A large wood fire was lighted in
the centre of my tent, and half the coveling of the
sky-light was removed; and I found the change to
these snug quaTters, from the cutting wind outside,
extremely grateful. Heye I saw many Toorcumun
women, engaged in various occupations about the
camp ; one of them appeared beautiful, the generality,
comely, decidedly European; and often with features
almost English. The eyes, indeed, though sparkling,
904 TOORBUMUN WOMEN.
are small, and the lids are ill cut, the arch above
being precisely similar to that below. The corn-
plexion, even when the hair is light, cannot be termed
blonde, because the white of the skin (so to speak)
is a transparent sunny hue, such as we see upon a
ripe nectarine, or an evening cloud. Their colour is
rich. The hair is plaited in two tresses, which fall
down either cheek. The head-dress is a high caftan,
nearly similar to that worn by male Ghubbres," but
of gaudy colours, usually crimson ; a scarf, tied around
this, falls behind, fluttering in the breeze. The dress
is a pair of very ample coloured drawers, and a chogah,
or cloak, of striped cklintz or silk. The dress of
young maidens is a low, cylindric cap of coloured
silk, and a chogah, or cloak, of the most gaudy and
varied colours. They seem clad in the wings of but-
terflies. This dress is singularly becoming, and seems
to confer upon them a fay-like kindred with the wild
creatures, and wilder fancies, proper to the desert.
Many female faces came to peep through the crevices
of the tent ; and I hoped that some of the children,
at least, would be permitted to enter. Our camels
arrived at a late hour.
One of the inconveniences of lodging in these camps
arises from the ferocity of the large watch-dogs. At
our third stage, one of these lamed my Yahmootie
horse by a bite on the haunch; and my Heraut horse
narrowly escaped the same fate to-day. I left the
camp to saunter toward the river; but, being warned
by past experience, had my sabre under my arm. It
was well that I had adopted this precaution;-almost
before I could draw to defend myself, six fierce dogs
were upon me. By the wildest capers and flourishlhes,
* Fire-worshippers.
RUINS OF OLD OORGUNJ. 205
which I cannot remember without mirth, I contrived
to keep them at weapon's length ; but had not a half-
a-dozen Toorcumuns seen my predicament, and run
to my assistance, should have been much torn, although
I might have immolated two or three of the curs.
This were a very unsatisfactory way of receiving in-
'
gloyious and unpensioned wounds.
March 15th.-Although I am indebted t o the
people of these Kbails for shelter al o~e, having a store
of my own supplies, it is distressing to me to have
no means of acknowledging their hospitality, espe-
cially as a surpassing notion of English wealth and
liberality prevails. Ere I quitted the tent, the youngest
child, a little girl, was brought in to see me. She sat
awhile upon my knee, but toddled off the instant I
had given her a piece of sugar. I beckoned to four
others, all little girls, and greatly delighted them with
the loaf sugar, which is a rarity, although evidently
not unknown. I now said, " Khoosh Ullah Yar "
(farewell), and started, with two Toorcumuns, for the
ruins of ancient Oorgunj ; it is situated on the right
bank of a river channel? said to have once held the
main stream of the Oxus, and still communicating
with it. The extent of this city was, perhaps, one
mile by half a mile, with extensive suburbs on the
north. At the east angle is the citadel, a brick fort
i
.
of square figure, flanked by eight circular and pro-
jecting bastions. The site of this fort is astihially
elevated about ten feet, and was girdled by a ditch;
but the whole is now a ruin, as is the ancient city :
I.,
the walls of the latt,er, which were probably of un-
baked brick, having subsided into mere mounds. On
the north of the site (I speak at hazard), stands a
brick column, erected by Chengis Khaun; it is the
206 TOMBS.
frustrum of an extremely taper cone, surmounted by
a cylinder, and is very sufficiently ugly ; it has no base,
and its sole ornaments have been zones of bricks, of
alternating patterns. The frustrum continues erect,,
notwithstanding the mouldering of its base; but the
summit is shattered, and has suffered a very obvious
declension from perpendicularity by the violence of the
north-east wind : close at hand, is the tomb of Huzu-
rut Sheikh Shurreef, a very holy gentleman. It is a
singular edifice, having a conical roof of coloured tiles,
supported upon a prism of twenty-four sides, not in-
elegantly moulded into columns and recesses ; tfhe base
is a square building, with door of pointed arch. It
was far too holy for my unsaintly feet, as my people
ascertained from the Toorcumuns, so I did not attempt
to enter. Farther on I found another tomb, having
the remains of a conical roof, which had surmounted
and enclosed a vaulted dome. This building was once
lined with glazed and coloured tiles, but only the roof
retains them; it is elegantly constructed, but the tiles
are coarse. It is said to have been built by a lady of
the family of Chenghis Khaun, to the memory of her
lover. These, love and death, are restricted to no
clime, to no age of the world, and to no state of
society; we find their record everywhere. They are
the two great powers that influence the destiny of
man, the one inspiring his thirst for, the ot,her setting
seal to, his immortality. The lady's tomb stands side
by side with her lover's.
I had now seen all the curiosities of this deserted
site, but, being still desirous to view a Toorkish mar-
ket, rode on to the present inhabited site, which must
not be confounded with new Oorguiij, a flourishing
city on the banks of the Oxus. This is s mere village,
TOORGUMUN FAIR. 207
about one and a half miles north of t,he ruins. I met
here a party, headed by a venerable and well-dressed
man, who saluted me. He begged me t o accompany
him to the governor's palace, which I did. There I
received much civil it,^, and a pressing invitation to
put up at the palace, which I declined. The bazaar
afforded but a poor spectacle, consisting of a few huts
and a throng of Toorcurnuns and Kuzzauks. Some
Kuzzauk girls were of the number; they rode astrad-,
dle, unveiled, and without attendants : they are Euro-
pean in feature and complexion, but coarse and ugly
specimens. Finally I found my tent pitched near a
Khail, on the road t o Mungh Kishlauk.
March 16th.-At 8 o'clock A.M. I started again,
and the camels at noon being considerably in the rear,
we halted at a Ehnil on the roadside, to allow them
to join. Here I was consulted as a physician upon the
remedies proper for the jaundice, with which the Ehet
Klzoda was afflicted. After prescribing such atten-
tion to diet and exercise as I thought might benefit
him in a country destitute of medicine, I found my
advice fairly nonplussed by that of my Meerza, who
knew a certain and very pleasant cure. "Jaundice,"
said he, with all the gravity of a father of the faculty,
c 6 proceeds from the heat of the blood. Now the fish
is a cold-blooded, flabby animal, and lives in a cold
element; therefore, it is an antidote to jaundice."
I
was rather angry with the old fellow, because as he
wore a turban, a head-dress in these countries conhed
to learned and holy men, and I had but a Tartar cap
of Cashmere shawl, his advice will certainly carry the
day, and'the poor yellow Ehet Khoda will eat cold.
blooded fish daily, without the slightest a4ttention to
necessary precautions. I was farther amoyed by
2 08 TOORaUMUN DINNER.
hearing my interpreter Ali explaining to the roomful
of Toorcumuns, in very good Toorkish, which he sup-
posed unintelligible to me, t'he end, object, and nature
of my mission.
Bread and trenchers of mutton-broth, having huge
wooden ladles weye now placed before us. The ladles
were passed fkom mouth to mouth, the tongue being
the only napkin ever found in T~o~kest aun. The
bread was plunged into the broth, and kneaded about
by the filthy hands of the company in a truly horrible
manner. Then a dripping handful was scooped up
in the hand, and crammed into the mouth, which was
held over the dish, that nothing might be lost, for
there are no beaTds here to profit by the overflow. I
had tthought the Afghaun dinner sufficiently revolting,
and the system of Ehiva is some degrees worse; but
the Toorcurnun surpasses either, and I had yet to see
the Kuzzank.
We remounted, and proceeded on our journey,
reaching at evening a Rhail, of two or three tents, in
a hollow; a tent was vacated for my use, and I was
soon sumounded by a crowd of rude figures, who
assailed me with numberless questions in Toorkish. I
was not long in discovering the burthen of the chorus
to be, '' Give us some silver ; give us some gold."
But, as the state of my funds made it extremely in-
convenient for me to understand so much Toorkish, I
replied in long-winded stanzas of Persian, at which
they all shook their heads, and exclaimed, ' r Wonder-
ful ! " One man, to back his request, produced his
testimonials, not, as in England, a broken leg, an arm-
less sleeve, or an extinct eye, but a rosary of large
black beads, the symbol of a fuqueer. Are they for
me ? " I asked innocently, making my meaning obvious
TOORCUMUN TENT. 209
by my gesture. The fellow could not help laughing,
and there was as much mirth as disappointment at
m y stupidity. Two sweet little girls had long been
peeping in at the door ; one of them a pretty brunette,
was encouraged to approach, and sit upon my knee.
The other, a bona Jide blonde, was more shy; and
regarded me with wonder and fear.
To my surpi.ise, the men now left the tent, and the
mistress of the family, a woman of forty, entered and
commenced preparations foY the evening meal. An
iron tripod was placed astraddle of the fire, which is
always burning in the centre of the tent, and a huge
I
hemispherical cauldron of cast iron, the work of
I
Russia, was placed upon it. Then, with a clumsy I
wooden ladle, the good dame scooped from another
cauldron, in which stood a high mass of snow, the
I
I
subsided water, and transferred it to the cauldron on
I
the fire. She then proceeded to knead some dough. I
Four young kids were tied in a corner, listening I
and bleating by furns for their dams. A sudden I
I
scuffle took place at the door, and in rushed two
1
milch goats ; and in spite of all opposition, forced t'heir
I
way to t he. spot where they were usually fed. One
1
of my little play-fellows brought a dish of food for
each of the goats; and whilst they were eating, I
I
heard another scufle, and in came a pretty little girl
I
of twelve years, evidently in trepidation, at the step
she had taken. She seized two of the kids, and car-
I
ried them out.in her arms, never l avi ng her eyes. All
this while, I sat delighted. But my feeIing can be
* i
appreciated only by those, who have been, like myself,
seventeen years in a land, from which the companion-
1
ship of woman is banished. I played with the chil-
dren, and took lessons in Toorkish from the dame ;
VOL. I. 14
210 CSE OF AN UNKNOWN TONGUE.
1 soon found, however, that avarice, the universal
demon of Asia, has dominion even in the female
breast. Every time I caressed or noticed the children9
the dame enjoined me to make them a present,
either of money or dress. I took care t o answer all
her demands in the unknown tongue, and we had
much laughter, at our cross purposes. An unwel-
come intruder now entered, my old Meerza. He
came to say that my tent was ready. I had made up
my mind to pass the night here, after the Toorcumun
fashion, and objected to so many of my servants in-
trucling upon the family, who had evidently no design
of ~.acnting this tent. It was far better, I thought,
that they should occupy mine. But the old wretch
had set his heart upon enjoying the blazing fire, and
had u thousand strguments at hand. My tent was
ready. A11 ruy goods and chattels had been arranged
in it. Hussun Jlhatoor had made the arrangement;
and, in short, had I persisted, I might have been sus-
pected of some ungenerous and inhospitable motive,
so I yielded with a good grace. I had, however, the
satisfaction to see the old Meerza served according to
his deserts; for, no sooner had I left the tent, than
the ome r bundled him out without ceremony, and
he passed the night under the freezing heavens. I
was vexed at his ~Eeiousness, by which I lost a rare
opportunity of studying the manners of Toorcumuns.
But the fact is, th%t curiosity of this kind is so utterly
incomprehensible to an Asiatic, that great caution is
necessary in its indulgence.
Early nest morning, I spied my two little
fellow^ half venturiug towards my tent,, then running
back, laughkg to their own, where their elder sister,
the little maiden of twelve years, was encouraging
TOORCUMUN ORILDREN. 211
them t o persist, with many a nod and smile. She
wore a close cloak or dress of chintz, of gay and fan-
tastic, but becomilig colours. On her head was a
close cap of red cloth, fringed with black lambskin.
Eight plaited tresses of brown, silky hair, fell from
beneath this. Her face was too full for beauty: but
she had a rich colour, sparkling black eyes, and pearly
teeth. The two little things now peeped shyly into
my tent; I caught them, and after inflicting sundry
kisses, which they endured with all bashfulness, sent
them back, each with a silver coin in her tiny hand.
The elder sister was delighted, she ran in and
brought the infant, whom she sat astraddle of the
blonde's back, and sent in this cavalier fashion, to my
tent.
I now took my position outside, but still perceived
the little maiden peeping at me, from her tent door.
The blonde, after much coaxing, took her seat at my
side, and I was content. The cap, this little puss
wore, was similar t o those so often described, a close
shell of red cloth, trimmed with black lamb's wool,
worked with black silk braid, and tricked with small
silver bells. From the borders of the cap, long tas-
sels of black silk fell down on either side, mingling
with her plaited tresses of light brown hair. This
head-dress is so becoming to children, that one is
often disappointed on nearer approach to features,
that, at a little distance, liad seemed so lovely
beneath it.
March 17th.-Mounted and pursued my journey.
To my extreme disgust, the obstinate old guide pulled
up at the distance of twelve miles, and neither argu-
ments nor threats could persuade him to progress.
We, therefore, camped at a small Khail, close to the
14 "
212 LAKE LOWDARN.
ruined fort Shoomaukie, dese~ted since tfhe Oxus
found its passage northward, and forsook the Caspian.
Shoomaukie is upon the high bank of one of the river
channels; up t o this spot, the whole lai in, which is
the valley of the Oxus, has been richly cultivated in
former days, and is now much neglected.
18th.-Resumed march down the abandoned chan-
nel for about six miles, when, on clinlbing the high
bank, or rather hills, left by the sinking of the river
valley, a wide expanse of water burst upon my eye,
which I concluded was the sea of Aral; my delight
mas very great. The Oxus was visible upon the
horizon, pouring its waters into this lake, of which
the N.W. coast mas formed of high cliffs and the
southern portion of the river valley. To t he east
only, water was visible ; I mas, however, mistaken in
my conjecture, for this is only the lake Lowdahn,
which receives an arm of the Oxus.
Striking across the high ground, we, afker a mile,
again descended some cliffs, which wall in another
valley in a singular manner. The cliff is of alternate
strata of chalk and marl, the latter preponderating.
The high ground, over which we had passed, was
stony. The bottom of this valley mas clay or marl,
covered with a jungle of bushes. Towards evening
we put up at a Khail of three black tents.
On this march a little boy of Heraut, who is bdng
carried by the Toorcurnuns for sale to the Kuzzauks,
attracted my attention.
He is a beautiful child,
about seven years, with the regularly handsome fea-
tures and large full eyes of the Herauties. He is full
of spirit, and, in short, as fine a child as can be imam
gined. My people make much of him, I am deeply
interested in his fate, and determined, that soon as
CRALE AND XBRL CLIFFS. 213
we ~ s a e h 2Iungh Kishla~llr, Imill offer any horses and
srlns tEzat cannot be sold for his freedom. A girl of
&kmut eleven years is another of the slaves. She is a
'E"a.anunnee.
Bearch 19th.- Crossing this hasin, in a direction
nearly west, we reached, at a distance of ten miles,
R, CEB eol~taiaaing two artificial caverns, that have evi-
derltly been formed as habitations. Sear them are
s j me Euzzauk tombs, formed of a circular palisade
of tlho~uy bushes, firmly fixed in the cart-h and bound
rir.aunad by withes. On the summit of this cliff, is the
tc,mls of a nmn named Ibrahim, and the place is called
Ibmhim &~t'h. We soon afterwards ascended from
this basin, to the height of about three hundr d ket-,
and sampecl at the summit of t,he cliffs walling in t.he
~talky. These cliffs are of strata of chalk and marl,
susm~ounted by n stratum of shell limestone, contain-
iang very perfect pet ~i ~ct i ons of the cockle, mussel,
s1.d spirorbis. The substance of this stone is hard
zkrncl brittle. It rings like porcelaiil, and separates
inito ba-ond laxnine. It seems, generally, the upper-
most stratum, but sometimes is covered with clay.
It is almost entirely composed of the three shells
above named, and I have never found any others
in it, although I have examined a thousand speci-
mens.
From this height, at the distance of twenty miles,
on an Azimuth of 10SO, I saw the ruined castle
Kohna, Tuzeer, occupying an elevation in the midst
of the wide valley, and isolated by steep and lofty
precipices. I t was built by demons in the reign of
Aclil Khaun ; but more of its history I could not
learn. Enchanted castles abound in these parts.
About forty rniles north of Shoomaukie, is one called
214 ENCHANTED CASTLES.
in Toorkish, Burrasun Gelmus," or L L the castle from
which there is no return." The ruins are girdled by
a ditch full of quicksands, and exhaling vapour and
flame. The gate is guarded by two mighty dragons,
who have never been known to sleep ; many have,
in olden times, attempted to explore these ruins, in
search of the rich treasure deposited in their vaults
-many have entered its precincts, but none have
ever returned. It,s mysteries are as inviolate as the
secrets of the tomb. Of late years, the attempt has
been abandoned : men do not account themselves (at
least not in eastern lands) wiser, or more valiant, or
more holy than their fathers.
Another castle exists in these parts, but its name
I could not learn, filled with treasure beyond price,
and guarded by enchantment. Madreheem Khaun,
the late king, sent, seventeen years ago, a party of
pioneers to explore the ruins. These had the courage
to venture as far as the ditch of the fortress, when a
venerable man, evidently a saint, from his snowy
robes and flowing white beard, appeared upon the
battlements, and exclaimed in a marrow-curdling
voice, which, nevertheless, was mild and gentle,
" Return, rny children, return. This adventure is
not for you ; the season for it is not at hand. It is
reserved for a man, yclept Muhtmmud, who is even
now an infant, hmging from the breast. He shall
come, in the year of the Hijjera, 1274 (or A.D. 1880),
and shall prosper."
March 20th.-We pursued our route over high
land, dappled with half-melted snow. The marl
* The site of this enchanted castIe appears to be t he island
in the midst of the sea of Aral. Ali could not give me any
particular clue t o the position of either of these ruins.
KUZZAUK LAND. 215
soil, saturated with snow water, yielded beneath our
horses' feet, giving them much toil. This is our
first march in the Kuzzauk country, of which the
boundary is at Ibrahim Aat'h ; and Ibrahim Ant'h
lies in a line, irregularly drawn from the south-
western angle of the sea of Aral, west by south, to
the Caspian. All, north of this line, is Kuzzauk land.
Nevertheless, in the district of Mungh Kishlauk, and
in some other parts, Chowdhoor Toorcumuns feed
their flocks and herds ; and upon the borders of the
sea of Aral, are found some families of Kahra Kul-
pauk Oozbegs. At a shallow basin of snow water,
at the summit of the ascent, I saw large flocks of the
antelope or sheep (it is neither) of this steppe. We
then descended, and encamped on lower ground,
though still considerably elevated above the valley.
Hence I perceived, gleaming in the distance, about
twelve miles south by west, the wide, deep channel
of the Oxus, filled with snow watel; and tending in
a direction nearly south-west, toward the gulf of the
Balkaun. Here then was a fact, fully established, of
the accuracy of which so many have doubted, and
which I did not, until this moment, fully believe.
The extent t o which the country has been excavated,
for a channel to the waters of this mighty river,
admits of no doubt of the nature of the cause pro-
ducing such effects-and having traced the river,
thus far, there is no possibility of its finding any
&her termination than the Caspian, because the land
northward of its channel, i n this part, is elevated far
above the river valley, and besides I have since tra-
versed it in a line which must have crossed the river
had it returned toward the sea of Aral.
The reader, if he has curiosity and patience suf-
216 THE FAIR POPULZYE.
ficient, may find the subject detailed and discussed
in the Appendix.
It is my custom, on long marches, occasionally to
call my followers to my side, and make them relate
some anecdote to beguile the may. Those of my
Nazir, Nizaum, are very curious, but for want of
timely notes, great part of them is lost. He was
porter in the service of one of the Sirdars of Can-
dahar, Ruheem Dil Ehaun, I think. This chief was
married to a fierce Populzye of high family? who had
been very beautiful, but was now somewhat pass&
wit'hout having lost any of her pretensions. His
brother's widow, however, a very lovely creature,
won his heart, and she consented to marry him. He
had kept the matter a profound secret from his wife,
but he was obliged, at length, in decency, to inform
her. They were sitting, at the time of the explana-
tion, upon a carpet, a brazier of live charcoal before
them, it being the winter season.
"And so," said the fair Populsye, in an indifferent
tone of voice, shifting a little nearer to the fire, and
stretching her hands over it, " SO you are really bent
upon marrying this lady ? "
Delighted to iind his wife take it so quietly, the
chief put on an air of double consequence, as he
replied, " We are ! "
" 'Then take that wit,h her," said the Amazon,
emptying tthe brazier of live charcoal upon his face,
and then marching out of the room with great
dignity.
The retaliation was very severe. Not only was his
face scorched and blistered, but nearly the whole of
his fine beard, that dulce decus rneum of a Muhum-
medan, was singed to the roots, leaving him in the
SIRDARS OF CUNDAHAR. 211
most pitiable plight imaginable. Meanwhile, the
approach of the English to the Kojuk mountains
was announced, and he was summoned to aid his
brother in council. He shut himself up in his Zenana,
and pleaded illness. The moment was one of such
urgency, that his reputation was at stake, as a man
and a patriot, by his seclusion; whilst, to appear
without a beard in public, and have it known that a
i
woman was the destroyer, could not be thought of
for a moment. The Populzye, however, would not I
suffer him to escape through his precaution. She
spread the story abroad, and it soon became the
theme of mirth throughout Candahar. This Amazon d
was a woman of great muscular strength, and used to 4
beat her husband when it suited her purpose. He
dared not put her away, on account of the power of
1
i
her family, and she kept him in complete subjec- i
tion. l enquired about the daughters of these chiefs,
whether they were beautiful or not, but Nizaum
1
t
replied- t
d
" I have eaten their salt, and will not reveal their
secrets." %
"But sureIy it is no breach of trust to say that
c
fi
such a lady is pretty or ugly. Perhaps you have
it
never seen them ? "
i
" Yes ! I have often seen them ; .but they would
F
1
not like their secrets to be discussed."
I honoured Nizaum for this delicacy; and had never
thought so highly of him as at that moment.
I I
He described the chief, Kohun Dil Khaun, as the
I
i
best of the brothers, in regard to abilities for govern-
3
ment ; but said that, disputes and jealousies between
!
the three, prevented the adoption of any system of
I
resistance. Had infantry pursued the chiefs, on our 7
i
first reaching Candahar, he says, they would have
overtaken them on this side the Helmund. Every
one must regret that the vigorous policy urged by
our Envoy and Minister, on this occasion, was not
pursued. He described the farewell of the chief, to
those of his followers whom he had dismissed, as most
affecting. Nizaum had offered his services, but they
were declined, it being the object of the chiefs, to
reduce the number of their suite, for the sake of
celerity.
Unfortunately, my opportunities of committing to
paper, any intelligence collected on this route, were
so limited, that I have lost the greater part of Ni-
zaum's anecdotes, many of which were highly inte-
resting. We were often not settled until night,
when, having neither chair, table, nor candle, writing
was out of the question. At other times, we pat up
on the miry earth, in a storm of wind and rain, when
it was just as much as we could do to defend our-
selves from t'he weather. Writing, under such cir-
cumstances, is irksome, and often impracticable. But
whenever it was possible I jotted down the events of
the past day.
Chase of the wild Ass-Niry state of the Steppe-Intense Cold
on the higher Land-Antelope of the E3teppe-Dr-j Basin of
a Lake-Particulars of the Murder at Khiva of the t ~ o Euro-
pean Travellers and their five Servants-Xanuers of the Knra
Kulpauks and other Oozbegs-Character of the Country-
Chalk Cliffs, &c.
ARCH 21st and 22nd.-After traversing about
M fou~t een miles of plain cou~try, sprinkled with
wormwood, we halted to refresh the horses, and suffer
the camels to gain upon us. Observing here a herd
of about a hulidred wild asses, feedkg at no great
distance, I mounted, and went in pursuit. Two
sportsmen, on foot, with matchl~lis, mere directed to
circumvent them. Three mounted Toorcurnuns rode
in another direction, for the same p r p s e , and I,
with two servants, filled up a fourth gap in the chain
of this circle, our main party supplying the third.
The herd took alarm, before ow arrangements were
completed, but,, fortunately t'aking the direction of
one of the footmen, the report of his matchlock
checked, confused, and eventually drove them at full
speed through the gap, between myself and bhe horses
at gr5ze. I spurred after them, but the state of the
country was fay too favourable to light weights. My
enormous horse, encumbered by h i body clothing7
and his own and my weight, sunk, at the least infirm
220
I
URASE OF THE WILD AS&
portions of the soil, over the fetlocks, and often above
the knee. Nizaum, far better mounted, and less
encumbered, shot ahead of me, but his horse's feet
lighting upon an unusually deep slough, horse and
man rolled head over heels. I could only approach
near enough to give them a couple of long shots from
my carabine, and they soon were far ahead of me,
their hoofs leaving little impression upon the quaking
soil.
We were returning in disgust, when we observed a
straggler whioh we had cut off, endeavouring t o re-
join the herd. So we spumed after him, and Summud
Waun, mounted upon a lighter horse, and having
the start of me, soon gained upon him, to my great
surprise. I was still more astonished to observe, that
the wild ass, instead of increasing, slackened his pace,
and eventually stood still, whilst Summud Hhaun
.
rode up to him with a pistol. The pistol burnt
priming, and the ass attacked the horse with teeth
and heels, not seeming to understand that the rider
was in reality his enemy. Summud Khaun drew his
sabre, and cut the animal over the crest, and one of
the Toorcurnuns coming up with a spear, despatched
him.
I was disappointed in this game, which I had sup-
posed infinitely more fleet and staunch. The fact ia,
that the wild ass which feeds in herds in the steppe,
is very different from that which lives an almost
solitary life, at the skirt of the mountains, in Persia,
Heraut, and Syria. The difference is probably con-
fined to their respective habits. The latter is chased
with relays of dogs and horses ; the former soon flags,
becomes obstinate, and finally halts, to kick and bite
the horse of his pursuer. Sumnlud Khaun, who has
HEAVY RAINFALL. 221
chased many of these in the plains of Candahas,
assures me, that a well-mounted horseman can always
overtake them. The quarry just killed was a v ~ i -
table donkey. The only ob~e~vabl e difference, that
the ears are not much larger than those of an ordinary
horse. The back sinews are farther separated from
the bone, and the hoofs of wider spread. In size it
did not exceed the ass of England. At the close of
this march, we found ourselves on the skirt of a
valley, formed probably by the Oxus in very remote
days. A coarse-featured old man rode out from the
Kuzzauk Ehail, to meet us, upon a double-humped
camel, and having the usual bonnet of wolf's fur
(hair inwards), which I and my people have been
glad to adopt in this severe climate.
His figure
would have afforded an excellent subject for the
pencil, and his double-humped camel was as strange
an animal as himself. We could only learn from him,
that some sugar would be very acceptable, and that
we were welcome to his Ehail. His language defied
the ingenuity of my interpreter.
March 23rd.-A large bank of clouds had been
visible all the preceding day, on the north-east, over
the sea of Aral. In spite of a strong easterly mhd,
they appeared immoveable ; butl, being warned by
previous experience, I anticipated rail1 and snow, nor
was I deceived. The rain commenced during the
night, and continued until the next evening, to our
great discomfort. The country, already saturated
with snow water, has become one wide marsh, and
our perplexity is increased by the deceitfulness of
appearances, the soil which the eye judges firmest
generally proving the most treacherous. In other
countries of such uneven surface, water runs off t o
i
t
I 222 MIRY STATE OF THE COUNTRY.
I
I
the valleys, but this soil imbibes eveiy drop ; the
earth probably having acquired porosity by the freez-
b
ing of the water it contained, which would enlarge
the pores; the subsequent thaw of this ice leaving
them open. With infinite toil we accomplished ten
miles, the rain falling all the while, and our horses
sinking deep at every step. We then sat down upon
some wet herbs, which we gathered, and disposed to
prevent our sinking in the mud, and continued thus
three hours in the rain, until the arrival of the camela.
These luckless animals, heavily laden, sank at every
step in the most hopeless manner. I pitched my
tent over the mud, and took up my abode for the
night, but not until I had seen my servants as well
sheltered as circumstances would allow. The bags of
grain, piled in walls, form some protection from the
wind, and a large thick nummud or felt, stretched
above, forms something of a roof ; nevertheless, these,
and their abundant supply of woollen and furs, would
not have saved them from wet, had not the rain
ceased early in the night.
March 24th.-We resumed our march through a
4
country in the state I have just described, and pro-
1
ceeded fifteen miles with the utmost labour. No tent
9
has been visible during the last two days. The sky
i was overcast, but the rain spared us. The surface,
I
here, is furrowed by deep rhvines, whose course is
i south by a point west. The soil mas everywhere
trampled by the hoofs of wild asses, and manured
1
1
with their dung. We put up for the night beyond a
4
4
trifling eminence, called Ulla Suckul, or the " pie-
bald beard," in consequence of the snow melting
j d
from its ridges, and lying in the ravines.
! I
March 25th.-The country to-day was somewhat
INTENSE COLD. 223
firmer. The route, we have hitherto travelled, is
practicable only in winter, +hen snow water is pro-
curable. The summer route is farther north-east, but
has no firewood. At the distance of fifteen miles we
fell into this track, which is indeed bare. At twenty-
five miles distance halted. No habitation in sight all
day.
March 26th.-We entered, this day, upon a region
much colder, from its elevation, than any we have
passed, although we have made little north latitude,
and the season has progressed sixteen days, since
leaving Ehiva. The snow was here lying in great
abundance, and the spots from which it had melted
were so miry, as to distress the cattle. My
best riding horse is spavined from his exertions. He
was a present from Shauh Eaumraun, king of Heraut,
to Najor Todd, the British Envoy; a beautiful figure,
and about sixteen hands high, but having no legs
equal to his great weight. We struck south-west,
to avoid a valley inundated with snow water, and en-
camped again in the wilderness. No human dwelling.
The cold is now excessive. The cattle, though abun-
dantly supplied wit11 warm clothing, suffer from ex-
posure to the wind all night, for it was not possible
to secure their legs effectually, or to prevent breaches
below, through which the wind penetrates to the
belly and haunches.
The intense chill of the. north ,
wind, in these parts, cannot be conjectured by any,
who has not wintered on an extensive continent.
The breath clings in icicles to the pillow and bed-
clothes, within the tent. Towels, hung up to dry in
a close room with a fire, or in the sun, are instantly
stiffened into ice, and water freezes hard, within three
feet of a charcoal fire. By dint of incessant manipu-
224 LIMBER ANCLES.
lation, I contrived to preseyve my nose. All the rest
of my head and face was snugly packed in fox's fur,
but in spite of every precaution, my nose would
project ; every now and then, as I exerted the rnuscles
of the nostril, I felt the process of congelation corn-
mencing ; and although my fingers were of a violet
colour, and stif? as sealing-wax, yet my hand formed
an arch, under which the heat of the breath collected
and thawed the proboscis. My feet were however
perfectly secure. Over cot.t,on socks, I had drawn
stockings of shawl-goat's wool, over these a pair of
wolf's-fur stockings (hair inwards), over these the
huge riding boots of Persia, and over those a stocking
of thick felt. The north wind was completely puzzled:
but I was very helpless when dismounted, as all
heavy dragoons are, the more especially, as these
elephantine shanks were propped upon heels three
inches high, and tapering downward to an acute
point, so that a gardener might have followed me
with young cabbages, and have dropped a plant into
each heel-print, as I moved.
March 27th.-Ascended some high land dappled
with snow, and camped near a well called Ooroosse
Kooia, because a Russian captive, halting here on his
way to Ehiva? assured his captors, that they would
find water, by digging in this spot.
March 28th.-Ascended some high land covered
with snow. Wind scarcely endurable. Thence de-
scended into a valley, and camped at the distance of
twenty miles. We every day see herds of wild asses*
and flocks of antelopes (if so, I may term them).
One of the lattei; a male, was brought me to-day.
The glare of the snow had blinded it. It is truly a
'fi I counted 100 wild awes in a single herd,
ANTELOPE OF THE STEPPE. 225
singular animal.
The body, legs, and tail, resemble
those of the colmon, small antelope. The fur, horn-
ever, is almost white, and the horns, shaped like
those of the antelope of Ehorussaun, are white and
pellucid. The ear resembles that of the camel. It is
small, round, and hidden in the long hair of the neck.
Th e head in profile is like the sheep's, the nose ex-
cessively arched, and formed of flesh and cartilage,
not bone. It terminites like a double-barrelled gun,
in two circular holes destitute of the fungus, coinmon
t o that organ in the brute creation, and appears as if
lopped of its natural termination by some sha~p in-
strument. The nostrils are invisible in profile. These
o~i fi ces however, have vertical muscles, by which the
upper arch is brought down flat upon the lower, as in
the camel's nose. The eye is small as the sheep's,
but black like the antelope's. The head is singularly,
ludicrously ugly. It has the action and habits of the
antelope, but is much smaller than that of India.
It seems to form a link between the sheep and an-
telope, and is essentially different from the mild sheep
and goat of the mountains. The Toorcurnuns call
it Eaigh : they hunt it with their large coarse grey-
hounds.
March 29th and 30th.-The country continued as
before, a high table-land, deeply furrowed by parallel
ravines, whose course is nearly south by a point or
t wo west. Tlie heights generally betraying the shell
limestone, upon which the soil rests; the whole
sprinkled with wormwood, camel thorn, and a brown
her b without scent, which is not eaten by cattle.
When I call the whole of this country a steppe, it
will be understood, that I have not seen the leaf of' a
t ree, nor a permanent habitation, Bince quitting the
VOL. I. 15
226 MURDER OF TRAVELLERS
valley of t he Oxus ; many of the Kuzzauks have
never seen either. At the close of this stage, we
descended nearly 1,200 feet, into the basin of a
quondam lake, and there encamped. The descent is
by a ravine, scarped on either side by cliffs yielding
crystallized carbonate of lime, of which large and
beautiful masses had rolled to the foot of the preci-
pice. The descent is very gradual. The. bottom of
this ravine is encrusted with saline exudations ; and
a crystalline spring, which tempts the eye, is strongly
impregnated with salt.
I n descending from the table-land, I called Ali
Muhummud t o my side, and questioned him upon a
variety of particulars.
L L I was a t Khiva," he said, " when the two English
travellers were murdered."
6 6 Why do you suppose they were English? "
I know they were. They said so. It was not
until they were tortured, that they confessed them-
selves Russians. One was a light-haired youth, the
other was older and darker. They had five Persian
servants, and had arrived from Meshed. Just then
the Khiva ambassador had been insulted in Russia,
his brother being imprisoned there. The king's
Dewaun Beegie, an avaricious and ill-natured man,
told the Khaun that they were Russians. He de-
manded their passports. They had none. He sent
them to the house of the Dewaun Beegie, and soon
after the Ghoosh Beegie was sent to them by night
with a party of torturers. Red-hot skemers were run
through their flesh, and red-hot iron trailed over
their skin. The result is not known, but the Ghoosh
Beegie, who had an eye to part of their plunder, said,
they had confessed' themselves Russian spies, and he
AT KHIVA. 227
gave this testimony to the Khaun Huzurut.
The
Ehaun was still furious, at the repeated insults his
ambassadors had received, and ordered their execu-
tion. They had on the first occasion been taken
asleep, so could make no defence, and now they were
unarmed. Their throats were cut in the dead of night,
and their bodies and those of their five servants were
carried out at night, and buried in the sand of the
desert. People say they made no confession; but the
Ghoosh Beegie and Dewaun Beegie had an interest in
asserting the contrary. Their arms were lodged in the
royal treasury. Their hooks were given to the Mehtur.
No one dares t o mention the circumstance at Ehiva,
especially since your arrival, for your case is exactly
like theirs."
" And where was the late minister, Aga Yoosuph,
who is so highly spoken of ? Did he give no better
counsel ? "
"He, unfortunately, was on a11 expedition to the
south, and did not hear of the matter until his return.
It was then too late. He remonstrated strongly with
the Khaun Huzurut upon the cruelty of the proce-
dure ; and there is no doubt, that had he arrived in
time, it would not have happened."
Such is the substance of Ali's answers to my queries.
He had no proof to offer that these men were Eng-
lish: I had many circumstantial arguments against
t he supposition. Major Todd, the Envoy at Heraut,
had resided many years, in an official capacity, at
Tehraun, and had still co~respondence wit-h our func-
tionaries i n Persia. He had heard the circumstances
of t he case, and it was his firm belief, that the mur-
dered men were not English, and that, in all proba-
bility, whatever their nation, they were spies of '
15 *
228 KARA KULPBUKS.
Russia. All the more intelligent natives to whom I
had access were of the same opinion. The common
people believed t,hey were English, but had not even
circumstantial evidence to support the supposition ;
and as they had believed, until my arrival, that the
Russians were the only European nation, so they now
divided Europe between England and Russia; and i n
saying that such and such an European was English,
meant no more than to assert that he was not Fiussian.
Had these travellers been English, some of our autho-
rities must, in time, have learnt the fact; but I could
hear nothing of them from the Home Government, ;
and my brother, who was in Persia when they were
murdered, believes they mere neither English nor
Russian. The Russians explicitly deny them, and
are very anxious that we should believe the travellers
to have been English.
Ali had visited Ghoonghuraut, a town of the Kara
Hulpauk Oozbegs, near the southern coast of the sea
of Aral. He assures me, t,hat the singular custom
attributed to the inhabitants, is really observed by
them. This I shall notice in the Appendix, lest it be
stumbled upon at some unlucky moment. The pic-
ture he draws of the manners of the Kara Kulpauks,
is sufficiently disagreeable. But we must be careful,
in reprobating them, to avoid the injustice of con-
demning the people themselves; who must, of neces-
sity, form their standard of morals from ilnmernolial
custom, and the example of their fathers.
The manners of the Oozbegs of Khiva are equally,
if not more revolting. The wife, utterly neglected
by her lord, is naturally careless of his and her own
honour. Nay, it is asserted, that not a few wives
divide with their husbands the wages of tlieir hurni-
ALI, THE INTERPRETER. 229
Eation*
This is the more glaring, that the outward
observances, in the intercourse of the sexes, are so
extremely rigid in Central Asia; and the fallen angels
of our European cities are here utterly unknown.
Much of Ali's information will be found in the Ap-
pendix, mixed with that acquired from ot he~ sources;
I shall, therefore, not here repeat more of the con-
versation of this day, from which I derived rnally
interesting particulars. Ali is a sensible fellow, and
has a good memory. But having been sixteen years
a slave at Rhiva, and being an extremely good-
natured fellow, my Meema and Summud Khaun have
contrived to subject him to themselves, and from
being my interpreter, he has fairly become their slave.
I have several times interfered to prevent t8his, but to
little purpose. Ali's easy nature renders the bondage
light ; and as soon as my back is turned, the others
exert their authority, and Ali submits without a
struggle. I mention this, because in the sequel it
proved of t he utmost consequence, confounding all
my precautions against the treachery with which I
was surrounded. Ali's good nature proceeded from
no want of spirit. One of the Toorcumun camel-
drivers, after long provoking him, was laid flat on his
back by a box on the eur from the quondam slave,
who grinned his delight to see one of' his old op-
pressors pt-ostrate at his feet. Ali is a good-looking
fellow, and has a handsome beard, which were pro-
bably the keys to his liberty, being irresistible argu-
ments wi t h the fair Oozbegs, who enrich their
favourites at their lord's expense, being al.rvays
keepers of t he purse. He had accordingly purchased
his discharge in sixteen years.
March ~~1st.-Everything here has the appearance
230 DRY BED OF LAKE.
of proximity to the sea; the basin of this large lake,
scarped with precipices, and girt with land of con-
siderable elevation, having a bottom still destitute of
vegetation, dark and level, as if but a few years
abandoned by its waters. The chalk cliffs visible in
the distance, the whole form and character of the
surface, lead one to anticipate a sight of the Caspian
from every fresh height we ascend. Nevertheless,
Hussun assures me, me have still some five or six
marches before us ; and as he always under-estimates
the distance, it is reasonable to reckon it some eight
or ten marches.
We crossed the bed of tthis quondam lake, which,
notwithstanding the appearances I have mentioned,
has not been occupied by water within memory of
any of the Toorcumuns present, or of the traditions
handed down to them. The portion visible at a coup
d'&Z is an area of about twelve by seven miles, but
I suspect it winds on the south, until it reaches the
Caspian. After passing this lake, we ascended chalk
cliffs, which wall in the valleys here in a singular
manner, speaking of a much higher level in the waters
of the Caspian than they at present hold.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Rapacity of the Guide-Physiognomy of the Euzzauks-
Nizaum's extreme Amusement at the Sight of beardless Men
-The Dragon of Heraut-The Petrified Dragon of Candahnr
Existence of a Species of Boa amongst the Mountains of
Bfghaunistaun-Anec,dote of Shauh Eaumraun-Singular
Fate of a Tent-mallet-Chalk Cliffs-Kuzzauks.
PRI L 1st.-We are now fairly in Kuzzauk land.
A The country is everywhere spotted with their
black tents, their flocks and herds. Yesterday, whilst
halting near a Khail to refresh the horses, half-a-
1
dozen of the women came to me to beg. They were
all so hideous, that my heart was not melted, so
I gave the little children each a lump of sugar, and
I dismissed them. T o-day, Hussun called at several
Khails to plunder. At one of these a woman, with
face like the sun in Cancer,. and person half naked,
was leading a young camel swathed in an old cloak.
Never, surely, was there such a failure in the tailor's
: department. The effect was infinitely ludicrous, for
the young camel did not half approve of the vestment,
nor of the guidance of the fair Kuzzauk; whose
fairest, by the way, was a hue more generally esteemed
4
j, beet-root than in woman.
The fair thing started
when she saw us, and like the Iiishman troubled with
a short blanket, endeavoured, by a rapid counter-
.
march of garment, to supply deficiencies. Indian
women, on such occasions,"are far more economical.
They hide only the face; all the rest is a mere question
i n natural philosophy. The guide asked, if t,he master
of the tent was at El he, and received the invariable
answer, " Yokh " (he is not). The Yuze Baushee
entered the tent, and found him there. I pleaded
hard for these poor creatures, but in vain. Avarice
htis no ears, The Yuze Baushee, as he remounted,
was assisted by the fair Kuzzauk, who, whilst she held
down the stirrup on the off-side, gave him her hand
over the saddle, t,o the infinite horror and amazement
of Summud Khaun, whose face lengthened pitiably,
as he exclaimed three times, " La hola ! '"avaunt).
The Kuzzttuk women have no bashfulness. It does
not follow that they want modesty, as is generally
believed.
We proceeded to another Khail. ,4 girl of about
thirteen years, dressed in a cloak, and having the
head bound carelessly with a red scarf, was adjusting
the tent. She had in her ears a pair of silver ear-
drops, set here and there with what seemed precious
stones, and not less than half a foot in length. They
were flat, and shaped like the head of a spear. Here
the ceremony of plundering was renewed, but I would
not sanction by my presence, that which my remon-
strances failed to prevent. The Kuezauks are the
ugliest race I have yet seen. Their complexion is a
dirty white, burnt here and there, as on the nose and
cheek bones, to the colour of raw beef. The cheek
bones are high. The face is either circular or triangular.
The lips are thin, eyes small, ill-formed, ill-coloured,
and half'openecl. The nose is a hideous aquiline-
r ?
with spra~vling nostrils. I he men have generally no
sy~nptoms of beard, which greatly ilniused Nizauni,
-who has six ill-curnditioncd hi-ales ujroaa l t i - c a 1 ~ 3 1 e'a~ija.
He couldn't co~lt:tin his nlirth. Thi3 hrl i cbt l t k: l , ~-. ~ 6 I!
lip and chin, arid the sianilnsity ial tk~c itttirt! ad tile
sexes. render i t very d i ~ c ~ l l t fbr a stra~nger tc~ 4i9-
tinguish them. The fleitrl-dress is 11 k~on1nc.t (,IYinlrertc.tl
lamb's or wolf't; fur. The cloak i~ genentl8~- uf skirr.
The feet are cased in I~cssinns: of' brown leather. Ti nt *
avewge stature of tE10ae tve have hitllerto seen: is
about fivc feet three inehcs, hut I art1 : : ~ ~ r e c l thebe
are u~lfavous:~ble speciwellb.
As ave rode tlon.11 the ~t ~l l c y, I cnB"lk.rE Siamn~ucl
Khaun to rfiy aide, to clrquire alwut :i tn':~diiio~a. I h:rc&
heard at Hcraut collecrniing the origin1 roC the IirftEze ..,
t her e. He had not heard it, so I w:ls obliged to relati,.
it to him, ill the hope that lit: might eitl1t.r racld sc>!nne-
thing to it, or give 111e tinother ~liarvel 111exeEa~~:ge.
111 days that have left us but :i few dim records r s i '
their existence, the city of Eeniut wits clcsc~Itttea3 b j :i
monstrous dragon, which lived ilr a cavern at the f'w~
of the mountuins northward of the city, here his
trail has left, t o this day, n scattering of' rubies.
This monster, 1~110 had a predilectioxt for hea~nlusm flesh,
and who found, by trial, that yourag makleims were
the choicest morsels, conti~lecl himself' t o this delietite
dish. Now, as this nightly visit to the cit;v, i ~ s seare11
of his prey, greatly incommoded housebecpcrs :nlktd
other valuable seivants of the State, the king, hy
means of his annbassador, Sheikh RobAr-ool Islaurn,
eompunded with the dragon for a scarcity of his
presence, upon conditiorl that he, the king! shu~alid
send nightly to the monster" ccuvern, a young nnld
tender virgin.
Kow there lived at Hernut a brother anand sister,
whose hearts vere knit together iu the most devoted
234 DRAGON
affection.
They had early lost their parents, and
were all in all to one another. Each mind seemed
formed to be the echo of the other. When the one
spake, the other sat as in a dream. The words had
been before heard in the depth of t he spirit, i n the
stillness of thought: the idea, fresh and new to
others, was fresh to her, but not new : it had shaped
itself into being before, but it waited t o appear upon
the lips she loved best. A chord no less real that it
was invisible, knit those hearts together i n a single
sympat,hy.
Often, the one paused and restrained his
words, because he saw the thought t hat burthened
his tongue in those mirrors of the soul-his sister's
eyes. Mirroi-s of the soul I have called them. They
were mirrors of his own soul, and when he would
search out its hidden mysteries, he gazed into his
sister's eyes. The lines he addTessed to her, were
feeble records of his love, and yet, t he most tender
language of which we are capable naturally moulds
itself' into verse. I cannot repeat then1 all, but here
is a fragment :-
We grew not, my sister, as others have grown,
Twin buds, whom stern Nature's decree
Hath combined, on one stem in appearance alone,
Whilst their hearts remain single and free.
No ! the blest bond of Nature was never so dear,
Nor the chord of accordance so sweet,
As was proved, in contracting and closing t he sphere,
Where our souls were to mingle and meet.
For what was the life of my childish del i ght ?
Oh ! was it not centred in thee ?
And knew'st thou a bliss so engaging, so bright,
As was bliss till partaken with me ?
No ! never was echo more true to the note,
Stealing lightly its slumber away,
Nor the star in the lake to the planet remote,
Hanging o'er it in fondest delay ;
OF RERAUT.
Than the soul of my sister was true to the love
Which reposed, like an infant at rest
(When secure i n the clasp that affection has wove),
On thine artless, thine innocent breast.
And again, when accidentally absent for a few days
from the house, which was his country, since it encir-
cled all that earth held for him of precious :-
0 doubly an exile, since sever'd from thee !
The wilderness blossoms no more ;
'Tis the fitting abode of the tameless and free,
But my heart loved the fetters i t wore.
The gentle gazelle, with her large, mournful eye,
Gleaming sad in the midst of delight,
May love o'er its sands with the whirlwind to vie,
For her partner still lingers in sight.
But had she a sister's affection e'er known,
The endearment of answering minds,
How sad would she traverse that bleak waste alone,
'Mid the strife of the desolate winds.
For 'tis hard for two hearts that have grown up in love
Till their roots are inwoven and twined,
To snrvive the stern wrench that would seek to remove,
Or the shock that would seek to unwind.
Together they flourish'd, together they fed
At the same desert fountain, and all
Their leaves to the same sunny radiance they spread:-
Together, together they fall.
Heaven is rich in blessing, to our thankless race,
but has no blessing more pure, more precious, more
lovely, than a sister's affection; neither is there aught,
in the wide circle of the universe, which the Most
Holy contemplates with greater complacency.
Now it happened, in the natural course of events,
that the lot fell upon this maiden, to be devoured by
the dragon. It was in vain that the brother, hearing
of the sentence, implored the king to substitute him,
in disguise, for his sister. The monarch, though
touched, dared not comply with a suggestion tending,
236 DRAGON
ii
if discovered, to incense the monster against his
people ; neither could the sister have survived her
brother's loss. But, as it was equally impossible for
him to live without her, he determined to accompany
her to the dragon's den. It was then, when his reso-
lution not to survive her had been taken, that his
courage rose, and called upon his invention to save
the being that was existence to him. He purchased
the fattest sheep in the city, a Doombha ; a sheep of
mighty tail ; a sheep goodly throughout, but increas-
ing in goodness toward its latter end.
Ah ye Schoolmasters ! Why! why was there no
Doornbha variety of school-boy ?
The Doornbha,, we have said, was purchased, and
the youth proceeded to flay, to disembowel it, and to
fill the cavity with quicklime. The fatal morning
dawned, and found them at the mouth of the dragon's
den. - ,
Now, it was the especial whim of this dragon, never
t o commence with the head of his victim : for, when
the body was fairly down his throat, and his teeth
were grinding on the skull, a dexterous movement
of jaw and tongue enabled him to eject the scalp,
with its hair and accompaniments of pomatum 'and
tortoiseshell combs : not to mention those long and
formidable double-pointed pins, the steel traps of
our fair ones' heads. The brother and sister, aware
of this, and each anxious for the escape of the other,
had long vied with one another, which should farthest
protrude the feet; and the strife had terminated in
their lying heads outward and feet together.
The sun had thrown his first gleam upon the snowy
mountains, when a hiss resounded from the recesses of
the cavern ; and a volume of blue and yellow smoke,
OF HERAUT.
231
villainously rank of sulphul; issued fronl thr rah.n.
Then came the rattle and the screech
aal ai ,
t he head of the dragon appeared. jets fire
spouted from his nostrils, shedding lurid ~ I e n m
upon the bleak air of morn. Gliding in mighty ctlils
of green and gold, he came on. The scaltv of hi^
belly were transparent. The fire, rolling with the
current of his blood, suffused them with a ruby Emuat.
He lifted his head into the clouds, and, f o ~ a moment,
t;he sun's light paled upon the distant rnount~i~nh, i n
t he glare of those terrific eyes.
But now he stooped his head slo~vly to the earth,
and snuffed at his shuddering prey-for even lave
could not wholly quell the trembling of tile flesh-he
snuffed at tlle end, nearest to him. His nostril was
tickled by a straggling tress. He nest essayed the.
other end : with a like unsatisfactory result, dnd tlow
he was fairly bewildered.
As he sniffed from end to end, in estretnv per-
plexity, a something of that rosy, i t mb e r ~ ) ~ ~ ~ , cinlatt-
mony hue, with which mortnls are familiar on tiac
surface of roast mutton, attracted his eye; and, at
t he same instant, a zephyr flutterin.. 9 fsonl the cnge
of Aurora, strewed upon his nost d an srolura 30
appet'ixing, that instantly he was bending over tile
carcass of the sheep.
He bowed hie head caressingly tovard it.
Be
applied his nostril.
He lifted his nose above sir of
t he seven heavens, whilst with curling silsut Iae ~l r ew
in, t o the very medulla of the brain, this new tin4
delectable savour. He dipped his tongue, for a ;t;a%te,
into the marrow of the tail. Be determined, hence-
forward to eschew raw maidens, and chew only roasted
mutton. It wi s his k s t less011 in virtue. It ])roved
238 DRAGON OF HERAUT.
his last.
He laid himself, at full length, upon the
earth, and sucked down the savoury morsel.
The brother and sister, meanwhile, lay still as
death, awaiting the result. Hour after hour passed,
and the monster lay supine before them, groaning
from excess of conifort, and lolling out his forked
tongue. But, when the juices penetrated the mutton
case, the irritation produced by the quicklime, occa-
sioned an insufferable thirst, and the monster trailed
his slow length toward the Hurrie Rood, where at
present it is crossed by the Pool-i-MBliin, or bridge of
Mglil~in. There, he plunged his head amid the waves,
and drew the powerful current, from its immemorial
channel, into the caverns of his own bowels. The
tide, rushing through his parched jaws and gullet,
and meeting the quicklime, burst forth into vapour,
and then into flames. In vain the huge serpent
wallowed in the cold and glittering waters of the
river, they were but as fresh fuel to the consuming
fire within. The men of the city, terrified.with his
groans, retired each to his inmost chamber, and
secured the doors. The king issued a proclamation
permitting his loyal subjects to funk. Even his Lord
of the Kulleaun was not beheaded, although the
tobacco burnt blue that night in the royal Kulleaun
-an instance of mercy still quoted in honour of
the better days of ages gone. But, at midnight,
t he groans and bellowings had ceased, and, when
morning dawned, the lifeless carcass of the dragon
was found extended across the river, and arresting
t he waves.
The brother and sister had risen from the earth,
and embraced one another in a transport of emotion,
which vented itself in thanksgiving and tears, These
PETRIFIED DRAGON. 239
havi ng subsided, they explored together the den of
deat h. It wound for miles beneath the mountain,
but the sulphurous trail of the s er penhas a clue
to t he inmost recess. There they found his bed, a
mi ght y heap of emeralds, rubies, and diamonds.
They loaded themselves with treasure, and returned
t o report proceedings to the king. Being a singu-
l a r l y benevolent monarch, he graciously issued an
edi ct , bequeathing to them and their heirs for ever
all the husks and chippings of the jewels in the pro-
cess of cutting, an edict which made them the riohest
subjects i n the land. Their subsequent fate is not
known, but the lady, in commemoration of this great
deliverance, employed part of her wealth in building
that wonder of the world (I speak as an Herautie)
across the Hurllie Rood, in t,he very spot where the
carcass of the monster was found.
I need not particularize how much of this tale I
rel at ed t o Summud Khaun, how much have since
added. The tradition is a bond Jide tradition of
Her aut , and the embellishments, if such they be,
will be easily detected,
Summud Khaun could tell me nothing additional
to this tradit,ion, which he had never heard, having
be e n only fifteen or sixteen years at Heraut ; but he
related a similar tale, more generally known, and
religiously believed, of a dragon which had almost
depopulated Candahar.
" I n the days," he said, "of his Highness Ali,
whom his Highness Muhummud called the ' Sword
of the Faith,' there dwelt, one short march from the
c i t y of Candahar, a terrible dragon, the very fac-
simile of t hat you have just described ; the same his
fiery breath, his propensity to human flesh, his unac-
240 ~ T R I F I E D DRAGON
countable preference for young maidens. What is
yet more remarkable, is the fact that the king of
Candahar, who was an idolater, like all his people,
made precisely the agreement you have narrated
with the dragon, and every morning a young maiden
was sent upon a camel to be devoured. But t he
Candahar dragon must have been very much larger
than him of Herant, for so soon as the camel and
his burthen came within a certain distance, the
dragon drew in his breath violently, thereby oc-
casioning a whirlwind, which hurried both camel
and rider down, through his jaws and gullet, into
his meat-safe. "
" Prodigious ! " I ejaculated with due gravity, for,
as these marvels form, it may be said, part of the
religion of Afghauns, I would not, for worlds, insult
their feelings by a symptom of incredulity.
"Now, when the lot fell upon the most beautiful of
the virgins of Candahar, the whole city was plunged
in the deepest affliction. She was placed upon a
camel, and sent t'oward the dragon's abode, amongst
the hills which you left to your right on the road t o
Girishk. By the mercy of God, hii Highness Ali was
riding toward Candahar, and met the maiden on the
road. He was struck by her extreme beauty, and
much more by her evident distress. He reined up
his fiely steed, enquired t,he cause of her tears, and
offered his services for her deliverance. She told her
tale, hopeless of relief, for she knew not it was the
Sword of the Fnitlh that accosted her. But Ali bade
her be of good cheer, and to believe that Heaven ha,d
sent her deliverance. He carried her t o a shepherd's
tent in the neighbourhood where he deposited her;
and, himself mounting her camel, rode toward the
PETRIFIED DRAGON.
241
monst,er's abode, on the summit of a ridge of heights.
No sooner did the dragon behold the approach of the
camel, laden, as he supposed, with his daily meal,
than, sucking in his byeath, he opened his huge jaws
like the gates of hell, and the camel was hurried, like
.a shot', forward, as it seemed, to destruction. But, at
the instant preceding contact, the hero rose high in
his stirrups, and, giving full swing to his resistless
sword, smote tthe dragon over the crest with such
strength that he sank his head, writhing, to the earth,
his neck half severed by the stroke.
'' The rapture of the maiden may be imagined; the
joy and jubilee of t he inhabitants of Candahar cannot
be described, but they soon found their triumph to be
premature. The decay of a carcass so enormous pro-
duced a fearful pestilence, and the dragon in his death
proved more mighty than in his life.
" I n this extremity, the king sent a deputation to
%he rainsomed virgin, entreating her to seek out Ali,
and make known t o him t,he state to which Candahar
was reduced.
L' Hi s Highness Ali consented to rescue them from
this pestilence, upon condition that the king should
issue an edict to all his subjects to believe in the true
and only God ; and, as this condition mas to cost the
monarch only one sheet of foolscap, and the heads of
about ten thousand of his subjects, who either could
not, or at any rate would not, believe ; His Majesty, of
course, instantly complied.
" His point gained, the sainily Ali caused proclama-
tion to be made that no living thing should approach
within a mile of the carcass of the dragon ; an order
obeyed by all, but an old woman and a goat, the two
most wilful of animals; the latter because she liked t o
VOL. I. 16
stay, the former because others wished her to be gone.
Ali then bent his knee, and lifted up his eyes and
hands t o heaven, imploi-ing Him who crested all things
to remove this scourge of His creatures. Instantly
there fell from heaven, by the mercy of the Almighty,
a petrifying influence, acting upon all substances
within a limited circle. The trees, the shrubs, the
fowls of the air, the insects, the mighty festering
carcass, and the unclean birds and beasts that had
approached to devour it, all were suddenly converted
into stone. The old gentlewoman, who, with arms .
akimbo, mas just begi&nR to laugh at Ali's pros-
trations, comparing him to a woodpeclcer tapping a
hollow tree, and the old goat, who was just devouring
a plant of asafetida, because the cow had warned
her that it mould poison her milk, were alike changed
into black rocks, and remain to this day as testi-
monies of the piety of Ali, the unsavourinws of dead
dragons,. and the perverseness of old women and
goats.''
"Have you ever seen them ? " I enquired inno-
eently.
l' Seen them ! of course I have ; not only have I
seen the old woman and goat petrifactions, and the
skeleton of the dragon, but have actually seen the
gash made in the crest of the dragon by the mighty
Ali. Did you never see them, Sir ? "
l' I can't say that I have ; I have, however, seen
something almost as wonderful, a deep notch of some
three hundred feet, in a ridge of mountains (on your
left, after leaving Gb.ishk for Furrah), said to be
chipped by the sword of Ali, in a fit of idleness, as
he sat upon another mountain, about five miles off ;
did you never see this ? "
BOA-CONSTRICTORS. 243
LL 8 0 1 Sir? but 1 have seen many people who
have. "
" what is the skeleton of the dragon like ? "
" It has been so woln by the weather, that at pre-
sent, it is no better than a chain of stones, each about
three feet in height, stretched over the mountain
ridge. They are now of a black colour, but no doubt
were at first white, the colour of bones. The gash
made by Ali's sword is very remarkable."
L' And the old woman and goat ? "
" They look just like rocks."
This tradition I had previously heard from several
natives of,Candahar, but was glad to allow Summud
Khaun to tell it his own way, for the sake of com-
paring his narration with others. There are, pro-
bably, few considerable cities of Central Asia, that
have not their tales of dragons and young virgins.
That a species of Boa-constrictor is found i11 the
mountains, I can scarcely doubt, owing to numberless
accolmts, current, of their appearance. They are, I
presume, similar to those found in the Himalaya
range, seldom exceeding twelve or fourteen feet, but
of disproportionate thickness, and great muscular
power.
His Majesty Shauh Kaumraun, of Heraut, told me
that he was one day resting his gun upon a rock in
the mourltaiYis, to fire at an antelope, when a large
serpent rose up beneath his gun. He coolly fired and
killed the antelope, and then de~t~royed the snake.
This account of the royal courage mas confirmed by
eye-witnesses.
~t the termhation of the valley we had been cross-
ing, we ascended some cliffs, and encamped at the
summit. Snow lay in great abundance under the
16 *
244
FATE OF A TENT MALLET.
brow of these cliffs, affording us a supply of excellent
water.
Observing Summud Khaun driving tent-pins, with
the back. of his battle-axe, 1 inquired after the tent-
mallet.
e C Oh ', replied Summud Khaun, ' L nobody knows
what has become of it."
Presently his horse, which he held by the bl'idle,
stepped up to a small heap of firewood, collected for
our use, and ate five or six sticks, of very decent
dimensions, with evident relish.
c e What can be hoped of a country," exclaimed
Summud Khaun, L L in which the horses steal our fire-
wood and call it hay."
Oh ! " replied the old Meerza, rubbing his hands
slowly over the fire, "that accounts for the loss of
the tent-mallet."
The entire want of grass, in a country famous for
nothing but its horses, is a phenomenon. Our cattle,
since leaving Khiva, have had nothing in the shape
of fodder, excepting a little sapless brushwood.
April 2nd.-We continued our march over a coun-
try little altered in aspect, and encamped at night, in
a high, bleak plain, where we were supplied from a
puddle of snow water, clear and refreshing.
April 3rd.-At the distance of five miles, found
ourselves at the brink of some chalk cliffs, and a dif-
ference of level of' about seven hundred feet. Followed
the brink about ten miles, and t hen struck over a
table-land on an azimuth of 385O, a nd ellcamped in a
shallow valley. Five Kuzzauks, t h e nlost hicleous I
have seen of this ugly race, came and with
us. Hussun had plundered them of several articles
of furniture, as tribute; alleging that he nas in
FATE OF A CHILD. 245
sf two hundred horse, and half-a-dozen large cannon,
besi des an English ambassador.
April 4th.-After progressing twelve miles, we
agai n reached the brink of the chalk cliffs, and de-
s cended into the deserted bed of some large liver,
t h a t had once flowed into the Caspian, perhaps the
J axar t es . The bottom is hard sand, and extremely
bar r en. Here we found a small Kawreeze (or chain
of wells) called Sogun, but no fodder. At sunset we
encamped near some Euzzauk tents.
Here I, for the first time, missed our little com-
pani on, the Afghaun boy, belonging to the Toorcu-
m u n slave-dealer. I inquired for him, and Summud
Kh a u n replied with tears in his eyes, that the poor
l i t t l e fellow had been sold, the day before, t o Kuz-
zaul rs of that neighbourhood, for a cert'ain nunlber of
sheep. I was angry with my people, fbr not giving
m e timely intelligence. Some arrangement might
h a v e been effected for his freedom. I had set my
heart upon it, and felt keenly the disappointment.
T h e fate of this child hung heavy upon me for the
rest of the journey. It had never occurred to me,
t h a t a purchaser might be found for him, ere we
r eached Mungh Kishlauk. His light-hearted prattle,
h i s occasional moments of depression and of tears,
wh e n he remembered better days, all haunted me
wi t h sadness, which nothing could dispel.
April 5th. - During the process of loading the
camel s, I wandered towards the nearest Euzsauk
t e nt s , which I found preparing for a removal ; the
t e n t s and baggage being packed upon about sixteen
camels, led by the women, in their high-peaked bon-
n e t s of wolf's fur, and coarse cloaks, girt at the waist
wi t h rope or leathern thongs. The children were
2 46 MIND AND MATTER. .
securely packed above the baggage, in a situation
seemingly, on first view, sufficiently perilous. I saw
a child of four years, wrestling with a young camel
of four days, which had no notion of obeying such an
urchin.
It was an absurd sight ; the camel, although so
young, towering far above the little bully, and twist-
ing and wi-ithing its long neck above his head to
.avoid the blows. Mind, however, at length mastered
Matter. The women, at a short distance, resemble
peonies. Their faces are furiously red. Their fea-
tures extremely coarse. They have the figures of
bears, and the dress of toad-stools, torn by the gale.
CHAPTER XIX.
Story of Hautim, the Arab-Face of the Country-Melancholy
Prospects-Some Account of the Descendants of Cyrus the
Great-Herds of Galloways-Euzzaulis-The Snake-Ali's
Dream-Origin of Tobacco-Lawfuhess of Pigtail-Goat's
Milk-Liberty of the Fair Sex sometimes abused.
W
HEN we had mounted and ridden to some dis-
tance, I called upon the Meerza for a tale. The
old fellow has a considerable store of anecdote which
he relates with some humour.
"Did you ever hear the story of Hautim ? " he
inquired.
" Never ! let me have it."
" Hautim was an Arab chief, in the days of Nom-
shirmaun.
He possessed a horse, marvellous for its
beauty and speed, the wonder and pride of Arabia.
The king, who had heard of this horse, sent a noble-
man of his Court to purchase it. This emissary
arrived at Nautim's tent, when every item of house-
hold stores, his camels, sheep, goats, and even horses
had been consumed in hospitality. The beautiful
Arab horse alone remained. Hautim's heart bled for
his steed, as without hesitation, he slew him to feed
his guest. The next day, the emissary opened his
mission, by stating that he was sent by the king to
purchase, at any price, Ha&imYs famous steed.
" ' I deeply regret,' answered Hautim, ' that you
did not at once intimate your purpose ; you ate the
flesh of my horse last night. It was the last animal
left me, and my guest had a right to it.'
" The king, on learning his disappointment, instead
of admiring the munificence of Hautim, burst into a
fit of fury, and sent another noble to bring him the
head of Hautim, on pain of death to himself. This
messenger, losing his road, was invited by a stranger
to put up at his tent. There, he was entertained in
a style of hospitality, so kind and magnificent, that
he was struck with admiration, and penetrated with
gratitude. After dinner, he elated the purpose of
his mission, and begged his host to put him in the
way of discovering Hautim; to which the host readily
consented. He retired to rest ; at midnight he was
awakened, and opening his eyes, beheld his host
st.anding over him, with a drawn sword. He feared,
at first, he had fallen into the hands of a robber, but
his host quickly re-assured him.
" ' You seek Hautim,' he said. ' He stands before
you. You require his head. Take it,' (presenting
the sabre, and baring his throat). 'You are his
guest, and ha,ve a right to it. Fear nothing, but
strike. My family are wrapt in slumber, your horse
is saddled at the door. I did it with my own hand,
that none might be disturbed. Why do you hesitate?
Is i t fea'r ? You are perfectly safe ; do you deem
Hautim a niggard of his hospitality ? '
The messenger fell at Hautim's feet, and vith
tears sought forgiveness. Death awaited him on his
f
return to his master ; but it seemed a light penalty,
I in comparison with the crime of murdering Hautim.
He returned to the monarch, and related his tale, ex-
B
B
4
!
BAUTM THE ARAB. 249
pect i i ~g instant execution. But the king's heart tvas
at l engt h touched. He repented of his cruelty, and
wishing to malie some poor amends, and farther to
put t o t he proof the generosity of Hautim, sent to beg
of hi111 a hulldyed beautiful camels. Hautim instantly
despatched messengers throughout the land, to pur-
chase t he choicest, and soon sent the king a hundred
camels, without blemish, aud of the best blood. The
ki ng ordered them to be laden, horn the royal
treasuyy, with all that was beautiful and rare, and
ret urned to Hautim with their burthens, as an offering
of admirat.ion and esteem. Hautim most gratefully
acknowledged the king's liberality ; but it was not in
t he nat ure of this high-minded Arab to profit by it.
He sent the camels, each to its original owner, beg-
gi ng his acceptance of it, and its burthen of merchan-
dize; reserving for hin~self only the gratification of
such munificence, and the praise of being superior to
the bounty of a king.
" Such was Bantim, until the angel of death re-
moved him from a world unworthy of him. His
brother, fired with emulation, determined to imitate
his princely generosity. But his mother rebuked him,
saying, ' My son, this is not for thee.
Thy brother,
when an infant, would not take my breast until I had
given t he other to thee : but thou, whilst tthou wert
taking thy food, dfdst hold my other breast with thy
little hand, that none might participate thine enjoy-
ment. Meddle not with things too high for thee.
The world had hut one Hautim, and it hath pleased
heaven t o bereave the world.' "
Apri l 6th.-The country to-day was ~ndula~ting,
-
t he soil remarkably smooth, being sand, tempered with
clay and vegetable matter, and resting upon shell
250 MELANCHOLY PROSPECTS.
limestone, beneath which is chalk and marl. It is
sprinkled with very low herbage. Hussun Mhatoor
sent, last night, to beg I would give myself no anxiety,
for that in five marches more, we should reach our
journey's end. I t is just six days, since he assured
me we had but five marches to make. He now adds,
that as we are in a fat land, where he makes money
at every step, he hopes I will not be in a hurry, but
allow him t o glean it down. I have replied, that he
will have to reckon with the Khaun Huzurut for
this delay. That the Khaun, when he kliows that
the object of my mission has been defeated by his
(Hussun's) avarice, will, in all probability, put him
to death.
Indeed, although I have forborne to weary the
reader with a daily detail of my melancholy feelings;
my prospect is overcast with misery. I have, already,
been as long upon this trifling portion of my journey,
as might have sufficed to carry me to the Russian
capital. Should I fail of finding a passage to Astra-
khaun, ruin stares me in the face; my supplies are
almost consumed, my purse is at a low ebb, and I am
thousands of miles from aid that could avail me ; my
name will snffer with my Government; as success
alone could have reconciled them to such an under-
taking, and success no longer appears possible.
I enquired of Surnrnud Rhaun, particulars of the
descendants of Cyrus the Great (Ky Khoosro), who
are just now living at Heraut, having been driven out
of the last of their hereditary possessions, in Seistaun.
The names of the brothers are Humzur Khaun and
Jellaulooddeen Khaun, and there is a third, son to
the first. They retain, in a remarkable degree, the
personal beauty which distinguished their fathers.
Jellaulooddeen Hhaun is said to be without a rival
in this respect, and the family resemblance is very
strong. W hell Captain Pot+tinger was presen tinp
shawl robes t o some of the nobles of Heraut, none
could be found of suecient length for Humzur
Khaun and Jellauloodcleen Kbaun, and it was neces-
sary to make up a set, expressly, for the sons oi'
Cyrus.
" When Jellaulooddeen Khaun appeared at any
public festival," added Summud Khaun, "he walked
like the peacock amongst lesser birds- His nlajestic
stature, graceful person, and perfect features, at-
tracted universal admiration, and everything vas
forgotten, t o gaze upon the son of Cyrus. His eyes,
in particular, are the largest and most beautiful in
the world. Humzur Khaun was the seventh in de-
scent of his family, since it has been driven into a
small principality of Seistnun. Of this he was dis-
possessed five years ago by Muhunn~llud Rezza
Kham, one of his own family, who still retains
pos~ession.'~
At the distance of about thirteen miles, me found
five or six wells in a valley, and near them a small
cemetery, in which rude attempts had been made, to
rear and carve monuments, of the coarse shell lime-
stone of the hills.
One of these graves, had, at the
head, an upright piece of mood or stone, around
which was mound the hat of the deceased, a female.
It appeared t o be of coloured silk.
I could not
regard it without emotion. Ali, my interpreter,
gave this explanation of the symbol ; but I have
never seen any silk stuffs a~llongst the Kuzzauks,
whose bonnet is lamb-skin or wolfs fur, inverted.
Another upright headstone was carved into figures,
resembling somewhat the fleur-de-lis. Others had
enclosures of limestone flags, built up like boxes,
and having but one small aperture. All were more
or less mutilated. Perhaps by cattle, perhaps by the
rapacity of man.
We now entered a tract of shallow valley, abso-
lutely devast,at,ed by the vast herds of Kuzzauk
galloways; so that we could find no spot capable
of yielding our horses even the miserable browse of
wormwood, their sole fodder, since leaving Khiva.
At night, we pitched near two or three Kuzeauk
tents. A young woman, from one of these, brought
out a mattock, and commenced digging the dry stems
of the wormwood, as firing for us. Nizaum, sup-
posing she vas working for herself, very gallailtly
hastened to her assistance, and worked away furiously.
The lady, accustomed to the selfish neglect of her
own people, did not understand his devotion, and left
t,he wormwood ~nt~ouched, for his use ; but Nizaurn
was far too high-spirited to appropriate it. At an
intermediate halt, he asked my'permission to take
a lesson in carpet-weaving, of the inhabitants of a
neighbouring tent. I saw him there, between two
fair instructresses, laughing and learning, and making
love in a breath.
April 7t)h.-We marched, this day, about twenty
miles in a drizzling rain. Hussun entered a black
tent, midway, leaving me very politely, without a
guide, to sit in the rain during his absence. We
crossed again the deep, wide river-channel already
mentioned, and which we had been following at a
short distance. It s course is to the Caspian, a little
north of ours, and it is here about one and a half
miles in breadth. On the left bank, we found three
children, seat ed in a circle, playing with pebbles.
The eldest, a little girl, was beautiful, although a
K~zzauk. Our guide, a Kuzzauk deputed by Hussun,
could not forbear remarking upon the security of a
country, where children can amuse themselves, with-
out protectors, at a distance from home. Half a mile
farther, we reached a Kuzzauk Rhail, and our guide
chatted with t he inmates, who came out to see him.
The Kuzzauk salutatioi~ is made, by interjoining the
four hands. Women and men thus salute. The
Toorcumun women salute men, by laying their two
hands on the men's shouldem. My Afghauns are
scandalized by this profane intermixture of sexes;
but it is welcome to me, as a symptom of our ap-
proach t o l ands, where woman holds her just position
in society. The women appeared at the tent doors,
laughing at my strange attire, and that of my horse,
the latter bei ng a parti-coloured body clothing, of red
and green worsted, beautifully ~vbveu by the Toor-
curnuns, b u t quite unknown to Kuzzauks. These
women have a hideous disguise. A posteen, or cloak
of sheep's hi de inverted ; the yellow, and usually
greasy, l eat her appearing outward. This envelops
the whole body, and renders it impossible to con-
jecture what is beneat'h ; unless indeed we happen
t o be aware of the great scarcity of rat er in this
country, and that the fur is never washed, from the
day it leaves the sheep, to the day its last tatter falls
from the owner' s back. We may then congratulate
on the intervention of this leathern case,
between o u r senses and the person of the wearer.
The greasy and cluinsy boots of buff leather appear
below this, and above, is a fiery red, round &ce~
with two small holes and a large one, and
2 54 THE SNAKE.
having a broad tumulus between ; the whole swaddled
in linen, intended to be white (which passes in a
ragged turban round the head, and in a filthy bunclle
under the. chin), and looking very like a red-hot
warming-pan, singeing its way through a dirty dish-
clout..
A few steps farther, we came upon a small snake.
Summud Khaun had lifted his sword t o kill it, when
the Meerza shouted aloud, " Stop, stop, let the Sahib
catch it."
I had been telling him of the ease and security with
which the most venomous serpents may be caught by
the hand, and although not over-pleased with the old
man's officiousness, thought it of less consequence t o
resent the disrespect, than to prevent my people sup-
posing me a romancer. I therefore dismounted,
seized the reptile by the throat, opened his mouth,
and finding therein a pair of fangs which no harmless
snakes possess, perceived that he was worthy of death,
threw him on the earth, and killed him with my
horse-whip, to the great horror of Yakoob, the Meer-
a-Khor, who declared that the whip would now poison
my horse. I remounted, and proceeded. After riding
a short distance, i t suddenly occurred to the Meeraa,
that I had just fulfilled in part a dream, which Ali
Muhummud had told us, two days ago. Ali i n his
sleep had seen a venomous snake approach our party,
at sight of which my people took to flight: I killed
this snake. From its blood sprang a bird, which I
knocked down with a stone, ordering him, Ali, t o
pick up its feathers. This dream had been much
discussed; for all my followers are firm believers
in such supposed revelations ; and val4ous auguries
were drawn from it, relative to my mission ; most of
ORIGIN OF TOBACCO. 255
them flattering me with success. The serpent was
Russia, my people the Toorcumuns, who had fled the
serpent. But what the bird or bird's feathers could
possibly signify, no one could conjecture.
" This," said the Meerza, &' is, unless I mistake, the
very viper that His Highness Muhummud restored to
life. Did you ever hear the story ? "
" Never ; let me hear it."
" His Highness, peace be to him, was passing in
winter over the desert, when he found a small frozen
viper. He was touched with compassion, and placed
it in his sleeve, where after a while the heat of his
blessed body restored it to life. The viper, upon
feeling itself perfectly recovered, poked its head from
out of the sleeve, and said, ' 0 prophet, 1 am about
t o bite YOU.'
" ' Wherefore,' enquired the prophet, ' have I done
you injury ? '
' L ' On the contrary, you have done me good; never-
theless, I '11 bite you.'
" ' Wherefore ? give me a sound reason, and I will
be content.'
" ' Your people kill my people constantly.'
" ' Your people bite my people constantly. The
balance between our kindred is even ; between you
and me it is in my favour, I have done you good.'
" 'And, that you nlay not do me harm, I will bite
you.'
C' ' DO not be so ~znpateful.'
"
I will ; I have sworn by the Most High God that
I will.'
" At that name, the prophet no longer opposed
the viper, but bade him bite on, in the name of God.
The viper fixed his fangs in the blessed wrist, and the
256 ORIGIN OF TOBAOCO.
prophet, shaking him ofY, would not destroy him ; but
put his lips to the mound, and sucking out the venom,
spat it on the earth.
From these drops, say those
hfuhummedans who chew tobacco, sprang that won-
drous meed, which has the bitterness of the serpent's
-
tooth, quelled by the sweet saliva of the prophet,
Therefore, it is allowable to chew pigtail."
" There is but one little objection to this tale," I
replied, " which is, that tobacco was first discovered
about 900 years after the demise of His Highness
~uhur nr nud, in a country which he had never heard
of, i . e. Yungee Doonia (the new world). The same
fact is proof that tobacco is not forbidden by the
~or a un; since it mas quite unknown to the author of
that book. Therefore the Faithful may chew pigt,ail,
Q. E. D."
As all my people are more or less votaries of t he
weed, either in a solid or a gaseous form, they were
well contented witch this settlement of a question which
still troubles the weak conscience of many a devout
tobacco-loving Moslim. Let us look at home, and see
if zae have not scruples as absurd, and infinitely more
mischievous, m7hicli take the place of that true religion
of the heart, which owns neither form nor ceremony,
nor any excuse for uncharitableness, rancour, or dis-
cord; but which scruples not to mingle its spirit with
whatever is pure and beautiful in the religion of a
brother, though prevented, by the fear of miscon-
struction, from conforming to any outward ceremonies
excepting those of his own people and faith.
Finally, I reached the spot destined fop our halt,
and, spreading my carpet, and drawing round me nly
cloak, sat two more hours in the rain, until the camels
were announced. A few black tents were at hand,
VARIETIES OF MILK. 257
and from these, in spite of the weather, I enticed
several children around me, by means of loaf-sugar.
With them came two women, and sat thernselves
upon the skirt of my caypet, delighted with the sugar.
When t,he camels had arrived, and my tent was pitched,
one of them brought me dried horse-dung for fuel,
-
and then a skinful of fresh sheep's milk, villainously
flavoured with the aroma of mutton, a common defect,
proceeding, perhaps, fiom some want of care and
cleanliness in milking ; camel's milk is far preferable ;
but for tea, commend me to fresh, frothilig goat's milk ;
mare and camel's milk art: preferred by the Toorcu-
muns. Of the former tz, fermented liquor is made,
which I afterwards tasted in Russia, and to which the
Oozbegs are very partial. I, who dislike the effect of
fermentation upon liquids, am no judge of its merits.
I had, yesterday, vindicated the liberty of the fair
sex ; and, in upholding that enjoyed by the Kuzzauks,
had appealed to the virtue of the daughters of my
people as an example. The evening did not pass,
ere I found reason to regret the comparison ; for the
two fair Kuzzauks made a somewhat over-free use of
theirs.
VOL. I.
CHAPTER XX.
Ferocity of Toorcu~nun Horses-Cliffs of crystallized Lime-
Account of the Death of Futteh Ehaun, Vuzeer of Heraut-
Resistless Power of Destiny-The Falcon and the Crow-
Perverseness of Guide-Tent of Dina Bae, the Euzzauk-
The Napkin of Khaurism-The Desert Bird.
A
PRIL 8th.-Hussun Mhat,oor, coming to me this
morning, as we were preparing to start, proposed
leaving the Yuze Baushie and his party to follow at'
leisul-e, whilst he himself rode on with me. To the
first proposition I agreed, but. objected to the second;
for he had the day before left me outside a Kuzzauk
tent,, exposed for two hours to the rain, whilst he
entered to plunder it. I insisted, therefore, upon
having a guide to ride on with me on such occasions,
as I could not sanction, by my presence, his depreda-
tions.
Meanwhile, a most unpleasant commotion had arisen
amongst the horses of my suite. The presence of a
gelding, ridden by the Kuzzauk guide, had made
them all furious. They broke from their pickets,
and attacked one another with teeth and hoofs, so
violently that we had the utmost ditEculty in sepa-
rating them, and not until they had several times
DEATH OF FUTTEH KHAUN. 259
rolled together upon the ea~t h, and AX Muhummud's
horse had been lamed and otherwise wounded. Yet
these animals, when neither mare nor gelding is
brought near them, are the most quiet and tractable
of creatures, travelling in very compact bodies,
Fvithout either kicking or biting.
We descended into a wide valley, scarped with lofty
cliffs of shell limestone, marl, and crystallized lime.
Nizaum here discovered that he had dropped my
silver drinking-cup, and rode back with Summud
Khaun t o h d it. We sat at the foot of a cliff.
Large masses of crystallized carbonate of lime had
rolled down from above. The weather, acting upon
these, moulded them into figures of great beauty, and
a surface yielding all the prismatic colours. The
masses were often cubes of a foot. I selected a few
of the smaller specimens.
My servants now joined me, having found the
silver goblet in t he road. Summud Khaun, who had
been much about the person of Shauh Kaumraun,
gave me the following particulars of the death of the.
Vuzeer, Fut t eh Khaun. It is a characteristic page
of ~ a s t 6 r n history.
Fut t eh Khaun, Vuzeer of Shah Maimood of Cabul,
was sent t o t he aid of the king's brother, Hajji
Feeroozooddeen, viceroy of Heraut, who was threatened
with invasion by Persia. He was kindly t'reated by
the viceroy; and, on the third day, getting possession
of the gates of Heraut, seized upon the government
in the name of Maimood's son, the prince Kaumraun.
Hajji Feerooz fled to the hills, where, during five days,
he had nothing t o eat but grass and the roots of wild
herbs. He t hen descended to the valley, and sought
refuge in the cottage of a husbandman, who at once
17 *
2 60 DEATH OF FUTTEH KHAUN,
recognised him and treated him kindly.
From this
cottage he rode upon a bullock to a neighbouring
place of pilgrimage, where he thought he should be
more secure.
The prince Kaumraun, hearing that Her aut had
been seized in his name, hastened to take possession,
announcing his arrival in the neighbourhood to the
Vuzeer Futteh Khaun : but the latter, perceiving the
sweets of supreme authority, seemed in no hurry to
vacate the throne.
From the hour of Kaumraun's arrival, jealousy
and distrust were visible. An impression prevailed
amongst the followers of either, that each had designs
upon the liberty of the other. Three days had
elapsed, and Futteh Khaun had not called t o pay his
respects to his prince. Shah Pussund Khaun (at
present chief of Laush) determined to call upon
Futteh Khaun, and sound his disposition. Th e prince
Kaumraun consented, with reluctance, t o this step,
fearing that his friend might be seized, Shah
Pussund Ehaun, with a handsome suite, wai t ed upon
Futteh Ehaun, and was received with all appearance
of cordiality. Their attendants were dismissed,
whilst they held secret consultation. A copy of t he
Koraun was produced, and each swore solemnly upon
it. Futteh Ehaun, that he would warn Shah Pussund
Khaun of any intention, on his own part, t o seize the
prince ; and Shah Pussund Ehaun, that he would
warn Futteh Ehaun of any intention of the prince t o
seize him. Futteh Khaun then gave very handsome
presents and dresses of honour to Shah Pussund
Khaun, and all his suite ; and so they part ed.
Next day, Futteh Khaun waited upon prillce
Kaumrauii. The prince treated him with t h e utmost
VUZEER OF HERAUT. 261
affection and distinction, and lavished rich presents
upon him. A few days afterwards he called again,
and received still greater marks of favour. Futteh
Khaun, himself the most treacherous of mortals, might
have been warned by such a profusion of cordiality of
his impending fate. The prince, taking from his own
side a remarkably costly dagger, placed it in the
girdle of Futteh Khaun, and bade him take command
of an expedition against Meshed; Futteh Khaun pre-
pared himself accordingly, pitching his camp upon
the spot since occupied by the Persian army of invest-
ment.
He then waited upon the prince to take leave.
Those who have visited the dwellings of kings and
nobles in Asia, are acquainted with the variety of
contrivances by which a visitor is separated from any
effectual aid of his followers, in approaching the
lion's den. The narrow, dayk passages, often lined
on either side with armed men, through whom he has
to squeeze his way. The narrow, precipitous stair-
cases, terminating above in a pigeon-hole, which is
crept through almost on all-fours, so that an old
woman may master the visitor ere he can stand up-
right,-all these approaches place him, who is obliged
t o pay his homage a t Court, completely in the power
of t he monarch ; and the failure of such homage
leaves no doubt as to the nature of the subject's
views. Futteh Khaun, throughout the whole of these
manceuvres, betrayed the grossest inattention to the
signs of the times, and the most deplorable oblivious-
ness of the nature of the game he was playing.
On this occasion, instead of finding the prince in
open Durbai:, t o which he could bring his followers,
he was admitted, as a particular mark of confidence,
262 DEATH OF FUTTEE KBIAUN,
to the prince's inner apartment, which was t o be
attained by ascending a narrow flight of stairs ; as he
was stooping to pass through the door above, he was
seized from both sides at the same kstant, ~inioned,
and thrown upon his back. Red-hot irons were in-
stantly brought, and his eye-balls were seared. It is
probable, that Kaumraun, having no longer cause to
fear him, would have been content with this punish-
ment, or rather precaution. But Futteh Ehaun had
been a reckless character, guilty of much violence,
and his blood was demanded on all sides, by the rela-
tives of those he had wronged. Kaumraun, not yet
established in his government, dared not disgust so
many, and yielded to their demands. Futteh Khaun
was, therefore, brought into a tent, pitched between
Heraut and the liver, in which sat a circle of his
mortal foes.
They commenced, by each in turn accusing him of
the injuries received at his hand, and heaping upon
him the most opprobrious epithets. Uttah Muhummud
Khaun then stepped up to him, and seizing one of
his ears, cut it off with his knife, saying, this is for
such and such an injury, done to such an one of my
relatives. Shahaghaussie Nuwaub cut off the other
ear. Each, as he wreaked this unmanly vengeance
upon the victim, whom he would have crouched to
the day before, named the wrong of which it was
the recompense; thus depriving him of the highest
consolation the mind of man can possess under
torment-the conscience void of offence. h o t h e r
of the barbarians cut off his nose; Khana MoolIa
Khaun severed his right hand ; Khalook D$d lE(haun
his left hand. The blood gushing copiously from each
fresh wound. Summundur Khaun cut off his beard,
VUZEER OF HERAUT. 263
saying, " This is for dishonouring my wife." Hitherto,
the high-spirited chief had borne his suffering without
either weakness or any ebullition of his excitable
temper. He had only once condescended, in a calni
voice, to beg them to hasten his death. Tlie mutila-
tion of ears and nose, a punishment reserved for the
meanest offences of slaves, had not been able to shake
his fortitude ; but the beard of a Muhummedan is a
member so sacred, that honour itself becomes con-
founded with i t ; and he, who had borne with the
constancy of a hero, the taunts and tortures heaped
upon him, seemed to lose his manhood with his beard,
and burst into a passion of tears. His torments weye
now drawing to a close. Goo1 Xuhummud Khaun,
with a blow of his sabre, cut off his right foot, and a
man of the Populzye tribe severed the left. Uttah
Muhummud Khaun finished hi6 torments by cutting
his throat.
Such was the end of one of the most, talented and
ext r a~~di nar y characters of Eastern history. He may
be considered a type of his count.rymen, exhibiting
traits, more strongly developed, indeed, in his own
instance, yet common to all Afghauns. The courage,
the t,alent, the fickleness and inconstancy, the oc-
casional generosity, the unscrupulous treachery, the
genius to conceive, the pr~mpt ~i t ude to perform ; dis-
concerted by a want of system, by an inability to
resist tempting opportunities, diverting him from
the end of his enterprise. If we consider his moral
character, it is not perhaps much fairer than that of
other Afghauns who have enjoyed power, or rather
been cursed with opportunity to do evil. But his
foes, by their barbarous and cowardly revenge, have
blotted from our n~emory all that was damning in
264 DESTINY.-FALCON AND CROW.
t he page ; and left us only his brilliant and versatile
talents and powers, sealed in his last moments by the
courage and constancy of a hero.
I inquired, whether, at his seizure, he had not made
resistance, as might be expected from so energetic a
character.
c c No, Sir; when a man's death is decreed, he is
powerless to struggle against destiny. Futteh Khaun
had in his girdle a brace of detonating pistols and a
dagger.
Yet he made no attempt to use either."
" It is surprising that one so conversant with peril,
so prompt, and courageous, should not have struck
one blow."
"It was not the will of fate. I remember when
Hajji Feeroozooddeen endeavoured to cut down three
unarmed prisoners who were brought before him.
His weapon was a Damascus blade of great price,
keen as a razor, and capable of severing iron ; but it
was not the will of heaven that it should harm those
men ; and, after several vain efforts, he threw away
his beautiful blade in anger, and desired that it might
never again be brought into his sight."
The Meerza soon after related a fable, which is pro-
bably not very new. A falcon soaring over a tree in
which a crow was cawing, was struck with the music
of the notes, and immediately desired to cement an
alliance. This continued for some time, until the
falcon, returning one night from an unsucce~lsful
foray, sat down hungry and out of humour near the
crow. " Vuzeer," he at length exclaimed, in a voice
of thunder, "how is it that you presume to sit at
your ease in the pleasant sunshine, whilst I am stand-
ing here in the dark ? "
" O king," replied the poor crow, "your gracious
Majesty mistakes ; it is night, and darkness is around
i
1
US both." $
" What ! you miserable reptile, do you presume to
4
make me a liar ? " And falling upon the poor crow,
11
he ate him up with much relish.
I
li
We now emerged from the valley upon a high
i
ul
P
plain, and saw on our right, in the distance, the
!
double summit of a dark hill, or Kara Daugh, at
1 .i
which, so far as we can understand, lies Dahsh Gullah
i
(the stone fort), the Russian sethlcment on the coast
$1
of the Caspian. A long, low, black line of clouds on
<I
; "
the north traced out the course of the sea, of which
a
we are entering one of the promontories. We en-
camped near some Iiuzzauk tents.
April gth, 1840.-Starting as usual, we soon
reached a valley, in which we found several copious
wells, surrounded by flocks of Kuzzauk sheep. Two
Kuzzauks were watering them. A third good-
naturedly watered our horses in a trough of Russian
manufacture. The vaIley was scarred by innurner-
able impressioils of wells which have fallen in. We
afterwards descended into a wide and deep valley,
scarped with cliffs of very rotten sandstone ; and
passing up one of its narrow tributary ravines,
watered our horses at the highest of a loug chair1 of
wells. The water rvas very pure. Snow was lying
in the shaclow of thc cliffs. Emerging from the
valley, we enci5myed for the night upon a high un-
sheltered plain, ill-supplied with the coarse herbage
of the steppe. The wind u l day had been excessively
bleak, attended with drizzling rain from the inlet of
the Caspian on our north, tmcl we have had no night
so co~nf'ortless as the last.
April 10th.-The morning was bleak and fbggy.
266 KUZZAUK TENT.
We lost our road, perhaps intentionally on Hussun's
past, as he wished to breakfast at the expense of the
Kuzzauks. Accordingly, he inquired of some men
tending a large herd of galloways, the way to the
nearest tent. At this we were hospitably received by
Diina Bae (pronounced Boy), the master. On enter-
ing the black tent, I found four or five women still
within it, the men having vacated it for me. The
eldest woman took both my hands between her own.
I went forward, and met rather a pretty girl of
fifteen years, who seemed half shy of the salute, but
returned it when I put out my hands. We were
soon seated, the women still remaining. I felt quite
in my element in this rustic household. A screen of
reeds on one side hid a flock of young kids and lambs,
some of which, however, contrived t o extricate their
heads or noses, and see what was going on.
Hussun Mhatoor asked, whether he should allow
thern to kill us a sheep. I objected. He said they
were pressing it upon me, and that he should like to
taste it. I thought it better to give my consent,
determining to remunerate the good people. A11 the
matrons wore the dirt'y white cloth, elsewhere de-
scribed as their head-dress; but the two maidens had
the Kuzzauk bonnet of inverted fur, which, like'all
small bonnets, is becoming to the face. Their hair
was braided in rich and heavy tresses, partly con-
cealed by the bonnet. 1 gazed upon them with much
interest. Observing a tall and rather handsome young
man standing behind the master of the tent, I was
struck witlh their mutual resemblance, and asked, if
they were not father and son. The old man was
evidently gratified by the discovery, and with some
reason, for he is himself an ugly little fellow. The
SNUFF-MAKING. 26 7
family have better feat,ures than the generality of
Iiuzzauks, and no Tartar peculiarities. The second
daughter is decidedly a pretty girl, and the elder
is not ill-looking. The bonnet of black lambskin,
shadowing the wild and prominent features and rest-
less eyes of the young man, gave him a romantic air.
Nevertheless, his was not a prepossessing countenance,
and the old man's expression was that of one-of the
meaner of the Jewish race. These men were destined
to exercise over my fortunes an influence which I
could not foresee.
A large, hemispherical, cast-iron cauldron, was now
placed over the fire, and a sheep was led to the door
to shew its face : a ceremony that quite unfitted me
for the banquet. Summud Khaua objected to the
food being dressed before me, and Nizaum was called '
to dress it after my own fashion ; but I replied, that
the friends who had provided the entertainment must
complete their kindness by preparing it. Whilst it
was in preparation, the old man asked for some to-
bacco, a weed with which travellers in these parts
should be provided. Hussun gave him a piece, and
our Kuzzauk guide volunteered to pound it into
snuff. Seizing a wooden goblet, and the handle of a
spade, as pestle and mortar, he comme~lced accord-
ingly. The root of some wild plant was reduced to
ashes and cast amongst the tobacco leaves, probably
to assist granulation. The pounder filled his mouth
with water, which, from time to time he spurted in.
Whether the product was Prince's mixture, or Black-
guard, 1 will not take upon me to say. I observed
that all articles of furniture were Russian, either of
cast iron or of wood turned upon a lathe.
The food was now brought in, upon a dozen
268 NAPKINS.
wooden bowls, or pltitters, and placed before us. I t
consisted of boiled mutton, soused in its own soup.
Bread and vegetables are things quite unknown in
these parts. Kuzzauks are exclusively carnivorous.
The whole party fell on, like a pack of wolves ; my
own stomach, weakened. by sight of the victim's face,
was quite turned by the scene before me. Never did
I see so much flesh devoured in so brief a space. Yet
I have witnessed the feasts of tigers and wolves.
The father and son would not partake until the
guests had concluded, although I entreated them to
do so. The women did not appear until chins had
done wagging ; but two of the senoras entered, after-
wards, t o serve out curdled milk (mahss) in large
bowls. The broth of the mutton, also, was brought
in and distributed, being swigged as if it had been
beer. The bowls were handed to the women, who
scraped them clean with their thumbs, then plunged
those members into their mouths, and again into the
bowls, with a rapidity truly admirable. The thumb
and tongue are the only napkins in Khauiism-water
is never thrown away upon either bowl or person.
The Tartars are right not to eat with their women.
Imagine a pretty girl, with a sheep's head in both
her lily hands, t ea~i ng off the scalp, picking out the
eyes by the insertion of her fore-finger, cracking
them between her teeth, like gooseberries, thrusting
the same pretty finger in ttft'er the brain, and. sucking
away at the apertures. A11 which I saw executed
by one of the men, in a most natural and edifying
manner.
Summud Khaun, who, being steward, and know-
ing what is good, has generally several pounds of'
sugw and other sweetmeats in his breeches pockets,
THE DESERT BIRD. 269
greatly delighted the party by distributing them.
I
singled out the prettier of the maidens, and made her
blush, as I presented her a lump of loaf sugar. We
rose and took leave. I met a grandson of DSLna Bae,
ca~rying an empty bowl. Into this I slipped four
rupees, rat'her more than the ordinary price of a
sheep. The old man followed me to my horse, and
shook hands cordially with me. He seemed to have
expected some gift ; but I felt 'delicacy in paying
him, in person, for his hospitality. We proceeded,
but could not find our camels ; we therefore made
across the country for a Khail, where we obtained
direction, and overtaking them, encamped in a valley,
near a wall of loose stones, of semicircular form, piled
up by travellers as a screen filom tlie north-east wind.
While I was sitt,ing waiting for the complete prepa-
ration of my tent, one of the camel-drivers brought
me a little bird, resembling the water-wagtail ; one
of the rare inhabitants of the steppe which, by a
homeless, friendless wanderer like myself, had ever ,
been regarded with peculiar tenderness. He had
injured the poor little thing in catching it ; and
grinned as he gave it wounded, and half dead &om
fear, into my hand. I rebuked him harshly for his
inhospitality, and placed the little bird i n a hollow
in the loose wall, where it was tolerably secure ; at
night, when my candle was lighted, it hopped in,
and took its seat near the foot of my bed. I was
touched with the incident, and disposed my baggage
so as to shelter it from accidental injury. None
but he who has been similarly circumstanced, can
conjecture the hold which the little thing had taken
upon my heart. In the morning, my first care was
to attend to my wounded guest. I found it lying
2 70 THE DESERT BIRD.
dead in the spot where it had slept.
I dug it a Little
grave, and buried it there. My servants tried in vain
to make this incident into a fulfilment of part the
second of Ali's dream. The bird had indeed risen,
as it were, from the dead serpent, and had been
destroyed, but not by my hand, which would gladly
have saved it. Incidents, trifling as this may seem,
affect the tone of our feelings, and I was melancholy
on the death of the little desert bird.
CHAPTER XXI.
Cliffs of Shell Sandstone-Burial Ground-First Glimpse of
Caspian-Difficulties suggested by the Guide-Entire Ab-
sence of Boats-Desperate Posture of my Mairs-Expedient
suggested by the Guide-His Refusal to accompany me
farther-Prospect of utter Ruin-Alternatives-Basin and
Cliffs of the Caspian-False Report of Sails in sight-Signals
-Resolution to proceed to Dahsh Gullah-Repetition of
Signals-Their Fruitlessness-Appearance of Dana Bae, t he
Euzzauk-His Agreement to conduct me-Announcement
and Departure-Letter to the Ehaun Huzurut-Suspicious
Circumstance-Ruinous Habits of my Interpreter.
PRIL 10th.-The reports I received, from t i me
A to time, from Kuzzauks, made me very anxious.
One declared, that no vessels had, this season, ap-
peared off the port, and that none ever came, without
express licence, from Astrakhaun. Another man as-
sured me he had seen a large fleet, about twelve days
ago ; that they sailed close to the promontory, as if in
search of caravans fkom Bokhara, and, after lingering
for some space, returned to the neighbouring island ;
but, since the destruction of the Russian fleet by t he
Toorcumuns, I fear that all boats will be excessively
wary in approaching this coast.
After marching about ten miles, I reached a cliff
of shell sandstone, resting on chalk. This, in past
days, has been rudely fortified, and, so far as I can
learn, was occupied by a very extensive camp of
II
CEMETERY.
Calmauks.
Some miles farther, in a sheltered nook,
where the furious and bleak north wind, that has met
B
us all day in the teeth, is scarcely heard, I found a
considerable cemetery of the Salars, Ghowdhoors, and.
Kuzzauks. The headstones are of chalk, and of soft
sandstone.
The former carved with some elegance,
and inscribed in Persian characters. I read one
or two of the insci-iptions, which proved to be
genealogical rolls, sometimes running up seven or
eight descents: There was some resemblance between
these tombstones and those of Europe. A building,
which had once been rudely domed, enclosed the
circle of rest of some chieftain ; but the monumental
portion was gone. Another Goombuz, or domed
building, stood on the height, at hand. Such objects
are curious only to the wanderer of the steppe. A
few miserable mulberry trees, out of leaf, had con-
trived to spring here, the fi'st trees we had seen for
thirty days. The spot was sheltered, and well chosen.
We, who had just emerged from the cutting and
blusteying wind, felt it to be a place of rest.
Emerging fiorn this valley, we traversed a high
plain, covered, like the rest of the steppe, with a low
growth of wo~mwood, amongst which some scattered
blades of grass appeared. From Shawl to Orenburgh,
a distance of some 2,000 miles, the country is a worm-
wood-covered waste, broken only by an occasional
chain of mountains. The plain we had entered was
well sprinkled with black tents and large flocks of
sheep ; near one of these tents we halted for the night.
Once I caught a glimpse of the blue Caspian, about
twenty miles away on the south.
April 12th.-I was now close to that Caspian, so
long and earnestly desired, whioh had seemed to
THE CASPIAN. 2 73
recede from me in proportion as I advanced. The rich
Kuzzauk, whose tent was at hand, sold Ine a sheep,
which was a welcome addition to our almost exhausted
supplies. I sent for Hussun Mhatoor, and desired him
to find for me some camping ground upon the brink
of the sea. He said that the Russians frequently land
there, and massacre all whom they meet; that he
dared not encamp there, and that if 1 was determined
upon it, he must sepasate from me, and could afford
me no protection ; that he would choose for me the
nearest safe neighbourhood to the landing-place, and
that I could ride thence as often as I pleased to visit
the coast. To separate from I-Iussun, I knew to be
destruction, so I mas obliged to comply with a measure
to which I was extremely averse,. At the distance,
therefore, of three miles from the Caspian, I occupied
a spot selected by Hussun, and, leaving there my
baggage, rode with him and a few of my suite to the
landing-place. m e proceeded over a high, irregular
plain, and at length came in sight of the wide expanse
of blue waters, from the edge of a cliff of some 500
feet.
I cast my eye over the waste of waters-, and perused
most anxiously the line of coast, but not a vessel was
in sight. Again and again I explored the long-desired
Caspian, and again my eye, wearied and worn out',
rested in despair from its wandering." That gaze was
one of the most disheartening, the most appalling, my
eye had ever known. I inquired of Hussun what
method merchants adopted to advertise the Russian
vessels of their arrival. He replied that in general
* The loss of my telescope, which I had been obliged to pre-
sent to the Khaun Huzurut for want of proper gifts, was now
keenly felt, the distances being far too remote for the naked
eye.
VOL. I. 18
274 A PREDICAMENT.
there was no want of boats lying of f - ~ho~e, but that
the burning of the Russian fleet at present deterred
them from approaching, and might prevent their visit-
ing the coast at all. I reminded him of the assurance
he had made me, in presence of the Rhaun Huzurut1
that 1 should find abundance of vessels, and no diffi-
culty whatever in embarking, and of his offer to
supply me with the use of his own boat. He denied
having made this offer with the utmost effrontery :
said that there was an island about five hours' sail
from shore, at which t'here $ere always vessels. He
recommended me to sell my horses, and purchase a
boat and two Russian slaves t o man i t ; to embark i n
this boat for the island, and there procure a vessel for
the conveyance of' my suite and baggage to Astrakhaun.
This was truly a promising expedient. The sale of
my horses would have rendered it impossible for me
to retuyn to Ehiva, or to proceed t,o Dahsh Gullah,
the Russian fort, should 1 fail to procure a vessel.
Nor was this all ; for I was so ill provicled with cash,
that I depended upon the sale of my horses for the
means of prosecuting my journey, and could not afford
t o part with them for the mere use of a boat for a
single day. Neither could I venture to quit the coast
without my servants, as any plausible report of my
departure would have been seized by Hussun as a plea
for plundering my goods, and selling my people as
slaves, or the governor of the island might detain
me, when their destruction would be certain, 1
therefore declined this offer, and told hirn that, if
next day no vessel should arrive, I must proceed,
as the Khaun Huzurut had desired, to Dahsh
Gullah.
" And who will C O ~ I ~ U C ~ you ? " he replied9
- - i
L
- -4.
A PREDIOAMENT.
" You of course will, according t80 the Khaun Hu-
"I zurut's instructions."
" The Khaun gave me 110 such instructions; he
ordered me to conduct you hither, and I have done so.
i
If you like to wait here for a vessel, I will remain with
you ; or, if you prefer returning to Khiva, I will be
your guide, but I will not go a step jarther with
" Then you must find me a guide. "
" No ; I have no orders to do so."
" Then I will go alone; and if any evil befall the
1
JKhaun Huzurut's ambassador, he will visit it upon
you and your family."
" What do I care for the Khaun Huzurut ? " was
I begged all present to mark the words he was
uttering. Three or four Kuzzauks and Toorcumuns,
for whom my speech was translated, grinned at the
appeal. Hussun was alarmed, for had it reached the
Khaun's ears, the whole of his fiamily had been in-
stantly extirpated. He qualified his words, therefore,
by adding, I have done the Khaun Huaurut too good
service, to have anything to fear from him."
I then appealed to the Toorculnuns and Kuzzauks
present, Ali Muhummud interpreting after me. '' I
take you all to witness, that I have required Hussun
i
Mhatoor's guidance to Dahsh Gullah, according to the
I
desire of the Khaun Huzurut, signified to me in the
1
i
presence of Summud Khaun and Hussun Mhatoor
I himself. Summud Khaun, what were the Khaun
i
i Huzurut's instructions ? "
The Khaun Huzurut asked you what you would
do, in case no boat were procurable at Mungh Kish-
la&. You replied that you would go on to Dahsh
$7- *
, r d, DESEEARTESIBG PROSPECT.
Gu!juh, The Khnun Huzurz~t said, ' Do so-' All
tlgi* 1 jlCflrI]. Xhnun Huzurut added, ' Hussun
Jlli:ata.filr e;talnob :LccoInpany YOU h t o the fort, but
will ijriiy ~ 4 1 . ~ within sight of it.' "
b b YS*rilg hc:ay this. Son. I take you to witness,
~L l t t t I $ u ~ . B ~ I ~ :\lh:~too~* refuses to guide me himself or
t l ~ tirnrial~ lire :I proper guide, although he knows that a#
r f i t * Kk"Er:iunl Rejzurut's interests are at stake."
Iltl\-t111 AI L I ~ t ~ r g ~ v e me a surly look in reply, and
rcjdc c dl', la1:lcing nne to my reflections.
. .
f iat.iu avt'rr* hufifieiently appalling.
Before me was
t11e x; e, witimt,ut a vessel ; behind a11d nrou~ld me was
tint. cltwrt, i~rl~nljltecl I,!.. Aucl ~u~l Khors (as they are
k*.rll&:~i), nscra-c:tturs. 31y food and forage were reduced
l ( 3 t 2 l u 0:26 2 ' 3 1 l l t ~ ) I x ; raeirher grain llor forage was pro-
c-iir:ahltv,,t ;t nettref distance than four hundred and
fifty ~ ~ i f c s . ,\E- guide :~nd sole protector mas the
gl.tb:itrA-t roltlicr in Khaurism, ~vho mas on the watch
tilr ~ ~ J ~ Y I C gblausihtie pretest to plrulder and destroy me.
For thi3, u single unnrury step of llline mould be suf-
kiuicnt ; or, %:ding thttt, it was easy for the chief of
t;r9,000 c:ml!iiluls, -whose po-iwr iu this district ren-
t
-
clerctX 41im :~lrnsrst irldependent of his sovereign, t o
Ilrocurc. ftilse eviclence, that I had quitted his guidance,
~311t 1~1' circ u~llstallces that freed him from all respon-
-
sihility. To separate from him, promised destruction.
To rc~m:iin, even tt few days here, would render ad-
\
varnee t t ~i ci retreat, alike impossible.
To return t,o
lihivl, n.ns worse than cleath ; i t was dishonour.
Tile :ilt ernntives, therefore, mere eit,her to wait here,
huyirlg for the appearance of a boat, or proceed, at aU
I
I~axnrcis, t o~~arci s Dahsh GuUah.
Now, even should
bot~ts :mire, I was not certain they would receive me.
The Government of llussia is so jealous, that I was
ALTERNATIVE.
inclined to believe the assertion of one of the Kuz-
zauks, that no captain would venture to receive me,
without express per~nission froin the governor of
Astrakhaun. With money, indeed, I might have
bribed them to the risk: but my purse was nearly
exhausted. The chances, then, should I remain, were
that I should be disappointed of a passage ; and, my
supplies being exhausted, should be obliged to make
over my horses and property, item by item, to Hussun
Mhatoor, in exchange foY the merest necessaries of
life. Already, he had contrived to quadruple, around
me, the price of such articles of food as the Kuzzauks
would sell. The price would, of course, rise with our
necessities, until a draught of curds would be ex-
changed for a horse or a sabre. I believe, that in
order to ensure such a result, he would not hesitate
to warn off Russian vessels from the coast, and place
me under suspicion with the captains. The end of
this seemed to be, that we must sell ourselves as
slaves, and pass the rest of -our days as Kuzzauk
shepherds.
The alternative was to proceed, at onee, towards
Dahsh Gullah ; and as Hussun was determined not to
accompany me, to procure, if possible, another guide.
I called Ali Muhummud, the only coulisellor I had in
this emergency, being the only one possessed of any
information regarding the habits of the people of
Kha~nrism. He would t ry to procure a Kuzzauk
guide, he said, and thought that the Kuzzauks of
those parts were too strong to be in awe of the Toor-
curnuns, and that they could protect us. He consi-
dered them a better and more honourable race, than
either Oozbeg or Toorcumun. I objected to the tirst
part of his proposition, inasmuch as we had seen
278 BASIN OF CASPIAN.
Hussun plunder the Kuzzauks at his pleasure.
He
replied, that t,hose were poor and weak individuals.
That, if we could procure the guidance of a man of
wealth or consequence, he thought we should be
secure. 1 did not feel convinced by his arguments ;
but this alternative was cheered with a ray of hope,
which the others wanted ; so 1 bade him use his
utmost endeavours to procure such a guide.
Meanwhile, the sea was before me - an object
longed for, during an exile of seventeen years ; an
object of affection, almost of reverence, to the children
of the Isles. The storm was gathering blacker and
blacker over my head. I perceived that the future
had few sunny hours for me, and I determined t o
enjoy the moment ; and as, in my light European
attire, (which I had put on, in the prospect of meeting
Russians,) I bounded down the cliff, I felt my spirits
rise, and determined to submit my soul as little as
possible to the dominion of desolating care. I first,
however, despatched Ali on horseback, to a spit of
sand, projecting about a mile into the sea, with in-
structions to load his horse with grass and dry weeds
on the road, and light a fire at the extreme point.
Such, he had heard, was the usual signal made by the
Bokhara caravans.
The cliff I was descending, could not be less than
five hundred * feet high ; it was of chalk, marl, and
shell limestone. The basin of the Caspian, I found
here, to be a clean wave-worn vase of the same shell
limestone, precisely similar in textme and contents,
to the limes?;one I had found throughout the steppe.
I examined, all along the shore, the shells thrown up
by the waves. They were of three kinds only: the
* See note on next page.
A COLD BATH. 279
cockle, the mussel, and the spirorbis.
Precisely the
same shells, and no others, are found in t,he shell
limestone from the neighbourhood of Khivtt t o the
shores of the Caspian, sometimes elevated, by my
estimate, more than one thousand feetq above the level
of this sea. Here, then, is a proof, that this table-
land has once formed the basin of the Caspian; though
how elevated, or why deserted, remains a mystery.
All other seas produce a greater variety of shells ;
and therefore, when the shell limestone in question
was formed, the Caspian must have been, as now, a
lake dissevered from the ocean, although, possibly,
connected with the Euxine sea. .t.
I found the water very salt, but not bitter. It
was clear as crystal. Its colour, in the distance, is a
very delicate and liquid blue. Gazing froin the clifE,
towards the island of Koulali, I had perceived the
white line of ice, which girdled it on the 12th of
April. But I was now at the foot of the cliff, amongst
huge masses of $nell limestone, watching the crystal
waves, as they dashed themselves against this iron
binding of the shore. I stripped off my clothes, and
leaped from a rock into the sea. But the chill of
waves, scarcely restored from a solid to a liquid form,
almost paralysed me, and I was glad to scramble back
to land, and bask for a while in the sun. I spent
-
here an hour, thankful for this respite from my
troubles, and then proceeded to reascend the cliff. I
was scarcely half way to the summit, when my ser-
vants shouted to me in a joyful tone of voice. So
* I n the first and second editions 1 wrote these numbers
respectively 700 and 2,000.
But I have since had great er
experience in calculating heights than I then possessed, and
prefer under-estimating them.
j- See Appendix,
280 UNEXPECTED ARRIVALS.
soon as I could catch their words, I found they were
warning me of the appearance of several vessels, close
at hand. I turned to the sea; but it was just as
before, an unbroken expanse of blue. I therefore
hastened to the summit, and inquired of my people
the cause of their shouts. " Oh," they replied, " the
ships have arrived. Mahood was the first to see
them. There, Sir, there," pointing dowli to the spit
of sand, where Ali and his fire were barely distin-
guishable, and where the breakers, curled by a fresh
breeze from the west, were hurling then~selves in foam
upon the sand. iL Now don't you see them, Sir ? "
I looked over the waters in vain, now to the coast',
now to the horizon ; at length, after much interroga-
tion, I discovered that the breakers mere mistaken
by my people for the white sails I had bade them
search for. As they now saw the sea for the first
time in their lives, they had begged me to explain to
them what a ship was like. I told them, they would
see a dark speck upon tfhe waters, surmounted by a
little pyramid of snow. And, as snow had suddenly
appeared, where none had previously been, and the
natives of the inland countries of Asia have a shrewd
suspicion that our vessels travel under water, like
fish; it was not very surprising, that honest Mai-
mood, the groom, should have fallen into the error.
I was less disappointed, at discovering the nature of
t he new arrivals, than in perceiving how poor a figure
Ali and his fire cut,, even at this small distance. The
strong wind from the sea prevented the smoke from
rising in a column, whilst the flame must be buried
in the convexity of the earth's surface. That, at
twenty miles distance, such a signal should be visible,
seemed quite out of the ques'tion.
HOPELESS SIGNALS. 281
We spent the rest of the day upon the most con-
spicuous point of t,he promontory, and eyected a flag,
viz., Ali's spear, surmo~znted by a white muslin tur-
ban, spread out to the winds. There mas just a
possibility, that ourselves, the horses, and the flag
might be discoverable, by aid of telescopes, from the
island. Toward evening, I recalled Ali from his
watch-fiTe, and we rode back slowly to our bivouac.
I endeavoured, on the road, to organize means of
securing some Kuzzauk guide in my interests, and the
rest of the evening was spent at my tent in discussing
the probable result of any measure I might decide
upon. The case was sufficiently grave ; but me
helped it out with a little merriment, as each selected
the part he was to play i n Kuzzauk land, should we
sink to the condition of slaves. We endeavoured to
fiatter ourselves with the hope, that Kojeh Muhum-
mud, the eldest son of Hussun, a young man highly
extolled by report, and one who openly expressed
abhorrence of his father's villainy, might join us here,
Could we have ascertained the exact position of his
tent, I should have made for it at once ; but the
Toorcumurls in our company could, or would, give us
no information upon the subject. Indeed, it is pro-
bable, that they were ignorant of the present locality
of a tent, which had been wandering whilst they were
absent.
Two short marches back I had learned, that Dahsh
Gullah was distant two short marches for a horseman.
It, therefore, could scarcely be farther from Mungll
Kishlauk than three days' journey for a horseman, or
five for laden camels. Several persons on the spot
confirmed this calculation ; and I fancied the hill
had been pointed out to me, beneath which the fort
282 SCHEMES.
lies. Excepting Summud Khaun, all my followers
were sanguine that we could make this distance with-
out much hazard, could we secure t,he guidance of
some trustworthy Iiuzzauk. Ali Muhummud was
especially confident. When I objected, that Hussun
Mhatoor could raise t'housands of horsemen to follow
and attack us, he replied, " Openly he dare not
attack us, for fear of the Ehaun Huzurut ; and
during the three or four days of our ma~ch we will
never be out of the saddle, nor off our guard for a
moment."
As this was my sole resource, I was glad to see
even one of my people in such good heart, and would
not damp his confidence, but I confess I regarded the
enterprise in a far more desperate light ; for I knew,
th{t Hussun's influence in those parts was sufficient
to enable him to dog our steps with thousands of
Toorcumuns ; or, if he feared employing his own
tribe, with Euzzauks of the country ; and I had but
four fighting men, including myself; if, indeed, I
could venture to calculate as fighting men mere
domestics, who had never seen the gleam of more
deadly steel than the metal of a carving-knife.
The next morning, 13th, I again rode to the cliffs
of the Caspian. My princi~~al object in desiring to
camp on the shore, was the facility it would afford of
kindling beacons a t night. I could not do this at
present*, because Hussun refused to attend, or to send
me any of his people: and had I attempted it alone,
he would probably have organized some attack upon
me, which could plausibly be laid at the door of
Russia. Nevertheless, bad I intended to remain
ano6her day, I should have made the attempt. To
do so, with the prospect of departing next day, was
DANA BAE. 283
quite useless, as the signal, if observed, could not be
answered in time. I renewed the fire at the spit of
sand, and again spread my flag upon the most con-
spicuous summit. The wind blew the smoke violently
along the surface of the shore, and I felt that t,here
was no hope of its attracting notice. About the
island of Koulali, I could just perceive some sails, or
rather vessels, apparantly anchored off this island.
One or two others seemed sailing t o and from t he
east, in the direction of Dahsh Gullah. I watched
them with an intentness which my desperate position
begot.
Once or twice I fancied a vessel was making in
the direction of this port ; but hours passed, and
my hopes were for ever dispelled. Nevertheless, I
continued anxiously to watch them until evening,
when I rode back to camp, more disheartened than
ever, and more than ever convinced of the necessity
of hurrying on t o Dahsh Gullah, whilst any provisions
remained.
On dismounting from my horse, I was greeted by
a little Kuzzauk, who seized my hand bebeen his
own. His face was familiar, but I did not instantly
recognise DSina Bae, my late entertainer, who had
been profuse of offers of service, and whose name I
had written in my pocket-book. On entering my
tent, .AX Muhummud came and informed me, that he
had spoken to Dzna Bae, and found him ready and
willing to guide me to Dahsh Gullah. After dinner,
I sent for Dgna Bae, who repeated this assurance,
saying, that five days would suffice for the journey,
and that he would himself furnish lne with camels.
That he knew the route well, and could ensure my
safe passage, but must stop short of Dahsh Gullah,
284 HUSSUN MHATOOR DISMISSED.
lest the Russians should molest him.
I pl*omised to
indemnify him for all loss sustained in my service,
and to reward him handsomely. L L But," I said,
e
" what will Hussun Mhatoor say to this arrange-
ment ? have you nothing to apprehend from him ? "
" What has Hussun Mhatloor to do with me ? " he
replied ; " is he my lord ? "
L C Hussun Mhatoor has great authority in this dis-
trict ; could he not attack you ? "
He dares not. The Kuzzauks here are too strong
for him. It will be necessary that you proceed first
to my tent, that I may make arrangements, procure
camels, etc."
I fixed upon the following day for this movement.
I then sent for Hussun Mhatoor, from whom I antici-
pated some opposition. But he at once proposed it
himself ; a circumstance that gave me some uneasi-
ness, especially as I afterwards heard that Hussun
was in some way connected with Dana Bae's family.
I lay down that night relieved of the most anxious
part of a dangerous undertaking-the decision. The
plan adopted was full of peril, but it afforded also a
glimmer of hope, which I could not view in any
other.
The next morning, April 14th, Hussun Mhatoor
was sent for, and entered my tent, where, after the
ceremony of tea, I thanked him for his escort thus
far ; regretted that it was here to cease ; mentioned
how ill-provided I was with the means of rewasding
service, but begged him, in token of kindness, to
accept the tent in which I was sitting (and which I
knew he coveted), and gave him a dress of honour.
I then had the camels laden, and proceeded on uly
journey, accompanied by the old rogue, who hoped
AVARICE OF GUIDE. 285
still to get something from me. My servants begged
me to satisfy him ere we parted. I asked them
whether they had observed the basin of the Caspian.
" Yes." " Then fill up that, and I. will satisfy Hussun
Mhatoor." I would, indeed, have purchased his for-
bearance at any price, incensed as I was against hirn.
But my circumstances were no secret to him, and I
reflected that avarice such as his would only be in-
flamed by possession. That the more of my property
I should bestow upon him, the inore he would covet
the remainder ; and upon the sale of this property, at
an immense loss, I depended for defraying my journey
to Astrakhaun.
The reader has seen, that I had pledged myself to
the Khaun Huzurut, to write His Majesty, and the
British Envoy at Heraut, an intimation of my de-
parture from the territories of Iihaurism. Hussun
Mhatoor had no right to demand this, because my
journey still lay through the Ehaun's territories.
But hk would not suffer me to depart vithout some
certificate of his having quitted me, and I had no
means of bringiiig him t o reason. I had now no tent,
and was dependent upon a cloak of felt for shelter
from the weather. We were at this time near a
Kuzzauk tent, which the owner was cleaning for my
accornrnodation. I t was about seven miles from our
lat,e camp. I entered it, and wrote to Major Todd,
the British Envoy at Heraut, dictating a letter for
the Khaun Huzurut, which my Meerza wrote upon t he
back of the other, according to the Khaun's par-
ticular instructions. I n the latter epistle, I stated,
that owing to the great delay experienced on t,he
road, the Russian vessels had visited, and again
quitted, Mungh Kishlauk. That, through the same
286 KUZZAUK FLOCKS.
delay, the fifty days' provisions I had taken, for a
march of sixteen days, were nearly exhausted; so
that I could not linger at Mungh Kishlauk, on the
chance of getting a vessel, but was hastening, ac-
cording to His Majesty's orders, toward Dahsh Gullah.
That Hussun Mhatoor would conduct me no farther,
but had furnished me with a Kuzzauk guide, etc. etc.
.
etc. The old Meerza was so nervous in the presence of
Hussun Mhatoor, that he but imperfectly expressed
what I dictated. I, of course, did not venture to state,
the extent of Hussun's misconduct, in a letter which
he was to carry. I sealed and delivered this letter to
Huss~zn ; and as evening was fast falling, walked forth
t o look at the flocks, assembling for t'he night around
the tents. All the young lambs and kids, of which
there were about one hundred, were tied neck by
neck, in a spot apart from their dams. Each, in turn,
was allowed a swig at its mother's teat, and after-
wards withdrawn. The quantity seemed to me
insufficient for the nourishment of the young. I n
the day time, the stronger and older of these kids
form a separate flock, attended by one of the children
of the family ; and being of every pretty colour, look
.very beautiful, browsing upon the sides of t6e ravines.
The sheep of Tartary is as tall, perhaps taller, than
the cornmon English breed, but shorter in the body.
It is the Doombha, or large-tailed sheep, comnaoli
throughout Central Asia. The tail is a huge sack of
fat, in two lobes, growing at times to an enormous
bulk. And this fat is a delicious marrow.' Wheri
the army of the Indus entered Candahar, the Euro-
peans, unaccustomed to anything so delicate, ate too
freely of it, and many lives were in consequence
lost. The fat was found congested iri their bowels,
EVIL PORTENTS. 287
The natives of the country, accustomed to it, eat it
without restraining their appetite. Being the only
oil possessed by the Kuzzauks, it is very valuable to
them.
It may be believed, that with so many causes of
anxiety, surrounded by men, plunderers from habit,
whose language I did not understand, my eyes were
sharpened to scrutinize keenly the countenances and
gestures of those with whorn I had to deal. Some of
Hussun Mhatoor's Toorcumuns, who, heretofore, had
seldom ventured to approach me, were now thrusting
their heads into the tent, poin~ing at articles of my
property, and gazing upon them as if already in their
clutches. All this added nothing to my sense of
security. I pointed it out to my people, wishing them
to use all their faculties of observation, in order to
get timely warning of any treacherous attempt. But
there was a supineness about then1 all, from which
nothing could awaken them. I was, therefore, thrown
upon my own resources, and could I have spoken the
language of the country, these might have been suf-
ficient. As it was, though I watched whilst my people
slept, and endeavoured by day to multiply my pre-
sence and my observation ; this incessant anxiety and
wakefulness, and care, served but to defer the evil for
a while. I passed that night in the Kuzzauk tent, and
the ensuing morning took leave of Hussun Mhatoor,
who blessed me very devoutly, even as the jolly priest,
in Hogarth's L b Gate of Calais," blesseth the English
sirloin of beef. I then started, in company with Diina
Bae, the Kuzzauk, for Dahsh Gullah.
CHAPTER XXII.
The Treacherous Messenger-Perplexities-Resolution to return
-How altered-Further Symptoms of Treachery-Appear-
ance of a Clump of Toorcurnun Horse-Bivouac i n the Rain
-Symptoms of Treachery in the Guide-Fresh Perplexities
and Difficulties-Reach a Kuzzauk Tent-The Kuzzauk
Bride-The Hyaena-Reach Diina Bae's Tent-Interchange
of Spoons-Arrangements for the Journey-Greed of Dana
Bae-His formidable Oath-Dismissal of the Nysna-Night
in a Euzzauk Tent-Journey resumed-Incessant Anxiety
and Watchfulness-Arrive at a Chain of Mountains-The
Black Russian Ambassador-Singulm Weather-worn Rocks
-Fresh Causes of Suspicion-Reach the Caspian.
PRIL 15 th. -We had proceeded upon our journey
A about nine miles, hoping that evening to reach
Dana Bae's tent, when we heard loud shouts in our
rear, and soon after a hideous Kuzzauk, clad in the
skin of a bay horse, hair outward, and having a
bonnet of black inverted sheepskin, rode up, vocife-
rating loudly his injunction to us, to turn ; for that
a fleet of ten Russian vessels had just arrived, and
anchored off shore. " Did you not hear their guns ? "
he said ; ' L you must be deaf not to have heard them."
9 h e air and aspect of this man were singularly sus-
picious. His tale was in the highest degree impro-
bable; and yet, far too important to be neglected.
I called him to my bridle, and inquired who sent
him.
L b No one sent me ; 1 was wandering along the
THE TREACHEROUS MESSENGER. 289
shore, when I saw ten ships approach and anchor
close to the beach."
" What is Hussun Mhatoor's advice ? "
6c I have not seen Hussun Mhatoor. I know no-
thing of him.
You must come back, or you wiIl
miss the ships.
They saw your signal from the
island. "
He spoke with a great deal too much vehemence to
be speaking truth, and his mission was exactly what
might be expected of Hussun Mhatoor ; who, having
my letter of dismissal, could now be doubly anxious
to detain me, at Mungh Kishlauk, where I should
gradually melt into his jaws without his incurring
responsibility .
By interrogating separately DZna Bae and this
new cornel; and by watching the movements of the
latter, I satisfied myself that he was playing me false :
but not, until I had actually changed my dress,
to ride back and ascertain the truth or falsity of his
tale. Once satisfied of this, I determined to press
on with all despatch to Dahsh Gullah; hoping to reach
that fort, ere Hussun Mliatoor could mature his plans
for my ruin.
To my. fresh discomfort, I found, on expressing
this resolution to Diina Bae, that he was . dissatisfied
with it; although had I gone back he would have
lost a job, for which I knew him to be most anxious;
vie., the carriage of my baggage, and guidance of
myself to Dahsh Gullah, for which he was to be
handsomely paid. 1 had, therefore, little doubt, that
Hussun had promised him a reasonable share in the
plunder. I perceived that matters had become despe-
rate. To return, was certain destruction ; to advance
seemed to offer this much of hope, that when Dana
VOL. I. 19
Bae was separated from Hussun and his agents, I
might make it better worth his while to serve, than
to betray me. I pressed on, accordingly, but was
soon overtaken by the Kuzzauk, who vehemently
insisted upon my return. I replied, that I would
decide upon reaching DZna Bae's tent. At present,
I could give no answer. The reader must not sup-
pose, that the reasoning I have detailed, has been
deduced from subsequent experience. It is a faithful
transcript of part of what occupied my mind at the
moment. To give any idea" of the perplexity occa-
sioned by my ignorance of the language at such a
crisis, would be utterly impossible; it was to walk
blindfold over heated plough-shares.
We proceeded in a drizzling rain, beating upon us
under a violent and piercing wind, and adding nothing
to the cheerfulness within. On the road, t,he Euz-
zauk entered into many secret and earnest conferences
with Dana Bae; and Ali Muhummud, with his usual
inatt,ention, suffered much to escape him. On the
road, we passed many Kuzzauks, feeding their flocks
of sheep and herds of galloways. With all these,
the Kuzzauk had a great deal to say. He took each,
in turn, aside, and spoke earnestly to him. I fancied
he was urging them to ride back and inform Hussun
Mhatoor of my movements.
We continned to advance, and night set in, with
continued wind and rain. DBna Bae had promised
that we should reach his tent by sunset, but now he
talked of midnight ; and, at midnight, we found our-
selves upon what he called the ground of his late
encampment. It was now but a portion of the desert.
I urged the necessity of obtaining shelter for the
night. It was not so much on account of the weather
TREACHERY. 291
(for that we had often braved) as trhat I fancied the
rude honour of a Kuzzauk would be guarantee for
our safety, whilst under his roof. Dana Bae, accord-
ingly, went over the ground, upon pretence of s e a ~ h -
ing for the mark which is usually set up to denote
the direction takeu by the late residents. After half
an hour, he returned unsuccessful, and said, that me
must put up for the night in the open air. We had
no alternative; so, covering our goods with felts, and
picq~et~ing the horses, and turning loose the camels to
graze, I sat down in the mire, back to the wind, and
drew over me my cloak as a defence fi*orn the rain,
~ h i c h beat upon us all night ; my servants, in spite
of injunctions to vigilance, were soon asleep under
nummuds, and, as I conceived, that such moments
were their only intervals of peace, I could not find
the heart to disturb them.
I therefore took up my own position sufficiently
near ttheirs f o ~ speedy communication; but,, at the
same time, so as to command the motions of Dana
Bae, the Kuzzauk messenger, and the camel-drivers.
The determination of Diina Bae, that we should not
enjoy the protection of his roof, just after the appear-
ance of a body of Toorcumun horse, was suspicious.
We had not the slightest reason for believing this to
have been his late encampment, but, as I watched his
motions throilghout the night, I was convinced that
his fidelity could not be relied on. Instead of sleep-
ing, he was in close and earnest converse, now with
the Kuzzauk, now with the camel-drivers, speaking
always hi the lowest and most cautious voice, and
endeavouring to elude my glance.
April 16th.-Morning at length broke, under the
same miserable skies. The earth was ankle deep in
19 *
292 EUZZAUK BRIDE.
mud, and the rain still poured unceasingly upon us.
I directed that the camels should be laden: but their
owners, who had all night held conference with the
Kuzzauk messenger, refused to suffer it, unless I
should promise to return to Mungh Kishlauk. They
mere even leading away the camels when I arrested
them by force.
As for my servants, t.hey were
utterly useless, pleading that it was vain to struggle
with destiny. Had we been left on the steppe without
camels, me should have been utterly at the mercy of
our betrayers.
After another interval of about two hours, t,he
Kuzzauk returned with Dana Bae's camels. We
laded them, and proceeded toward the latter's tent,
the camels and our horses sinking deep in the mire,
at every step. Two hours' ride brought us in sight
of a Kuzzauk tent, from which sallied a scarlet-faced
woman, with a wooden bowl of curdled milk, which
she offered me to drink. A little further on, we were
received hospitably at some tents, the inhabitants
killing and boiling for us a sheep. The rain having
somewhat subsided, the natives crowded to the door,
and to an opening in the tent, to gaze upon me. One
of these was a young bride, having a round red face,
grey eyes, and on her head a high obelisk-formed hat,
around which was wound the dirty.white cloth, that
afterwards, passing under the chin, conceals the
throat. The bride seemed to have no objection to
admiration, and readily accepted our invitation to
enter and take place in the circle, with the husband.
The latter did not appear in the least to care for the
freedom his wife took. I begged her to allow me to
see her head-dress, which is peculiar to brides, and she
readily removed the cloth and displayed it.
I
THE " HYBNA." 293
remember only that it was covered with carnelians of'
all colours, set in silver.
The sheep was now brought, and we sat i n a circle
to discuss it. It had been boiled as usual, without
any accompaniment of vegetable, meal, or bread ; my
stomach was not yet accustomed to eat flesh from
which the warmth of life had not departed; but t he
others made a hearty meal, especially the Euzzauk
messenger, who, with his two monstrous claws,
crammed huge masses of meat into his mouth, and
then, taking the solid thigh-bones of the sheep in his
hand, twisted off the balls and sockets with his back
teeth, and chewed them to powder, which, after suck-
ing, he threw into the fire before us, then, with a
strong knife hanging at his girdle, he scooped out
the fibrous lining of the bone, which he t,reated i n
the same fashion, and, having devoured everything he
could lay hands on, Began to scrape, with the poiat
of his knife, t<he tartar from his strong short teeth,
wiping the knife upon the upper leather of his boot.
He looked so like a hyzena, whilst chewing the large
mutton bones, that I pointed out the resemblance t o
my people, md he has since been known by the title
of the Hyzena (Kuftarr).
Having remunerated these good people, I bade
them farewell, mounted, and in the evening reached
Dana Bae's tent. The old woman and her two
daughters were in the tent when I entered. They
saluted me by present'ing both hands, which I clasped
in mine ; my baggage was carried into t he tent, my
horses were picqueted outside. This tent was a cir-
cular area, of about twenty-four feet diameter ; one
side was occupied by me and by Nizaum, who at -
tended me. On my right was a screen of reeds,
294 SPOOKY TOILENS.
enclosing about tventy young Iambs and kids, which
tl;rnsl GUX their little heads, and bleated from time t o
time. On my left sat Diina Bae, his wife, and daugh-
ters. Tile door was opposite, and, in the centre, a
fire, over ~ h i ~ h stood the hemispherical, cast-iron
eaulclron, so often alluded to, in vhich alone is cooked
the flesh eaten by Kuzza~zks. A sheep -was killed ;
my stores supplied fiour and rice, the use of which
was evidently known, being occnsionally obtained
from the Russians. The meal was served up, and I
insisted upon all the family attending. Their name
mas legion, and the scene t o me mas extremely grati-
fying, from the number of litt.le faces that thronged
in, until the tent seemed bursting with its contents.
Just before the dinner came in, Dana Bae's eldest
daughter, a girl of perhaps eighteen years, took down
a ~sooden spoon having a circular bowl, and presented
it to me. I t --as neatly finished, polished, and var-
nished, the srorkmanship of Russia, and doubtless a
valuable treasure in her eyes. I supposed she had
merely intended me t o use it at dinner, but her
father, who was sitning by, said, '< She makes you a
present of it, you must keep it for her sake." I
pressed the spoon to my lips, and, taking up one of
my silver spoons, begged her acceptance of it h ex-
change ; then, seeing her younger sister, a far prettier
girl, looking hurt, I made Nizaum get out mother of
my spoons, and presented it to her. 1411 this was
sufficiently absurd, and cuts a bad figure tra1lslated
into English, but, amongst Kuzzauks one must be a
Kuzzauk, and had I asked for a lock of the fais E ; ~ ~ -
zauk's hair, in lieu of the spoon, I should have been
esteemed a necromancer, who had some design upon
the gid's life. It Was scarcely possible to persuade
AVARICE. 295
them that the spooils were really silver. They bear
my crest and initials, and nwy perhaps puzzle some
future traveller. My drinking goblet mas of silver
also, and excited great admiration. The Hy ~ n a
seizing it, thrust it into his bosom, saying, " This is
mine." But it was taken from him, for I was in no
mood to gratify one who was plotting my destruction.
It had been my purpose t o dismiss this man with a
dubious message to Hussun Mhatoor, previous to
entering with DEna Bae into any arrangements for
my further progress, but nothing could persuade him
to leave me.
Dinner having been discussed, and all the bowls,
platters, and spoons rendered as clean as the tongues
and thumbs of the fair Euzzauks could make them, I
proceeded to arrange with Dana Bae for the journey ;
reminding him of his promise, to convey me to Dahsh
Gullah in three days from that spot. This he now
declared impossible, and demanded eight days. I
remonstrated, and argued ; but, was eventually obliged
to agree to make the journey in five days, it being
about 150 miles. Then came the terms, in which we
found we had to deal with a thoroughbred rogue;
for he charged me, for the use of his camels for five
days, a sum equivalent to their full value if pur-
chased, besides remuneration to himself and son, for
escorting us. h these terms he was inflexible ; and
although I had no money to spare, I was obliged to
acquiesce, upon condition that he would swear so-
lemnly, on the Koraun, to be faithful to me, and
convey myself, my people, and goods safely to Dahsh
Gullah in five days.
The Meerza's Koraun was accordingly produced
from a variety of wrappings and boxes enclosing it.
296 HYENA " DISMISSED.
was treated with infinite reverence, and handled as
if it had been the apple of an eye.
Each, ere he
passed it from his hands, touched his forehead upon
it, and stroking his beard, said, " God is ,oreat ! "
Dk a Bae took it into his hands ; and whilst we sat
amongst his children and grand-children, beneath the
roof of his tent, denounced upon himself and all his
relatives the most fearful curses, if he should ever
pave false to his solemn oath to be true to us, and
to conduct us in safety. He then smeared the Koraun
1
over his forehead, eyes, face, and beard ; and my ser-
vants seemed to think his fidelity, from that moment,
riveted.
I was glad to see them in good heart. But
I am one of those who think good hi t h is not to be
E
bound by words or forms of any kind, and that he
I 1.
who would prove traitor to the promise of a glance
would not hesitate to infringe the most solemn cove-
nant.
i
On commencing these discussions, the Hyana said,
" I will not suffer you to go towards Dahsh Gullah.
I will arrest you."
" Will you ? " I replied, touching significantly the
small pistol wliich I wore in my belt, and looking
him in the eyes. He immediately altered his bullying
tone, and said, "If I do not, you must give me a
present."
I replied, that it was not the English custom to give
presents to those who threatened. That if hc opposed
me in the execution of the Khaun Huzurut's wishes,
I should shoot him without remorse.
" But I have rendered you important scyviec ; T
brought you news of the arrival of the ]KIUSYifLll
vessels."
" Very well ; for that I thauk you, and you shtlll
NIGHT ARRARGEHEKTS. 291
?
have a dress of honour.
But. another time, do not
thre%ten."
I sent for t he dress accordingly, and he rvaa np-
parelled in it.
I then bade hi111 ride back to Nussun
j
Mhatoor, and say that I could not return to Ji ungh
Kishlauk upon the representation of a stranger, who
denied having seen him, Hussun; but that if he woul d
send any one whom I knew, with the letter I had
given him on part.ing, I should then be assured that
\
t he messenger had come from hiln.
1 hoped to have got rid of the Kuxsauk at once,
t hat he zhight return to Hussun, under the i~~lpressioli
that I was waiting at Dana Bae's tent for an answer ;
but he still lingered about the camp, and dici not quit
it until the following day, when, of course, all my
arraiigements were known.
We lay down t,o rest, DSina Bae close on rny left,
succeeded by his wife alld some of his children. His
eldest daughter would have taken her place at my
other side, had not Nizaum already fallen fast asl eep
there. She and her father were long in consultation
about it, and seemed inclined to awaken Kizaum ;
but it ended by her leaving the tent, I thought re-
luctantly ; and I was relieved fro111 the most em-
barrassing of positions, the result of vhich i t was
impossible to foresee.
I was so little satisfied of Diina Bae's gwd faith,
alld so uneasy at what I had observed of hls conduct,
he supposed me asleep or inattentive, t hat I
would not now close my eyes, but assumed a half-
recumbent posture, my hand ever upon the hilt of my
dagger. A thousand trifling circumstances, whi ch
can scarcely be detailed, had led me to this distrust,
and codrrned my resolution to be night and day upon
298 ROUTE PURSUED.
my guard, to watch his slightest movements, and
wake whilst my servants slept. My property, of in-
estimable value in his eyes, was now under his roof:
a dagger stroke would have made it his, or, at least,
have given him a very considerable share. His avarice
I knew to be unbounded, his word unworthy of trust.
He had vehemently opposed my journey to Mungh
Kishlauk, until the Hy ~ n a whispered something in
his ear. He had then suddenly changed his mind,
and recommended as strongly as he had opposed it.
He had once unwarily designated my property-his
property.
The night passed without incident ; but being
myself awake, I perceived that DSna Bae slept little,
and was constantly stirring. The ensuing day, 17th
April, at about twelve o'clock, all Dana Baeys ar-
rangements were complete ; and bidding the family
farewell, we started, Diina Bae and his elde,st son
serving as guides, and my baggage being carried
upon his three miserable camels ; one of which was
a female, followed by her young one. I observed, by
my compass, that we made East by a point North ;
marching upon a dark mountain; which, from its
position, I supposed to be that pointed out by a
Kuzzauk, as the locality of Ilahsh Gullah. It proved,
however? to be only the first of a chain of similar
summits, whose course, nearly East and West, severs
from the main land a considerable peninsula, of which
I know not the correct designation." At night we
reached the verge of some chalk cliffs, and bivouacked
on the summit ; that is, lay down in our cloaks up011
the earth, whilst the horses were picqueted, and the
camels set free to browse the wormwood.
* In one of arrow smith'^ maps it is called Bucadzi.
S'USPIGIOUS CONDUCT OF GUIDES. 299
April 18th.-Two hours befox daylight resumed
the march, descending the chalk cliffs into a narrolV
valley, up which we pursued our course for five ox.
six hours, when we reached a Kawreeze* of pure
water, where also appeared a few cultivated fields,
the first we had seen since qnitting the borders of the
Oxus. Having here refreshed ourselves and cattle,
we continued ascending several valleys, generally
scarped by chalk cliffs, and encamped at night in one
of theill. According to my resolution, I never slept
at night; at least, if my eyes were closed, 'twas but
for a few minutes at a time, and I looked out con-
stantly to observe the motions of the guides. These
were this night suspicious. They were awake, great
part of the night, whispering together, and often
looking toward me. I reclined always dressed and
armed, ready to act upon a moment's notice ; and I
am convinced that this circmmstance, and my wake-
fulness, saved my throat this night at least. How
long I could sustain this system I knew not, and
feared I must sink under it. It was, however, abso-
lutely necessary, for my people were all heavy and
determined sleepers, whom nothing could arouse.
April 19th.-Resuming the journey, under a driz-
zling rain, which had been treasured for us in the
black mantle of clouds, that swathed the mount ai n
chain in front ; we continued ascending a steep path
until noon; when after eight hours of toil, under a
continual shower, we reached t he summit of a range
of heights, parallel to the dark mountain ridge on the
left. Here we found some Kuzzauks feeding their
flocks of sheep, and here we sat down for a c oupl e
of hours, to let our cattle graze, whilst the wind beat
* Chain of wells.
300 MOUNTAIN RIDGE.
the rain in torrent,^ upon us. We had at~ained a con-
siderable elevation, having ascended during eighteen
hours, and latterly, by a steep acclivity. Yet the
dark peaks of the chain on my left were, still, very
much-elevated above me; I conjectured, that they
must be two thousand feet higher than the level of
the Caspian. They stretch nearly East and West,
in line regular as a wall. The summits are bare,
ragged, isolated, and I could count a triple range, of
nearly similar height, in the same parallel rows.
Their surface is singularly rugged, dark and barren.
They are amongst the most antique-looliing and
weather-beaten mountains, that I have ever met
with; and I have seen not a few. So far as I could
guess, from the ddbris at t l ~e b feet, and their general
aspect, I should judge them to be of old sandstone
formation.*
To the foot of this mountain we descended, and
put up for the night. Ali Muhummud had visited
a Kuzzauk tent, and on enquiry had infoYmed the
inhabitants that I was a Russian ambassador. I
rebuked him, and directed that he should answer all
future enquiries by a true statement ; viz., that I was
an English ambassador from the Khaun Huzurut to
the Auk Padshah or Emperor of Russia. I watched,
all this night, while my people slept : the rain pour- '
ing upon us throughout the night. This rain was
regretted chiefly because it rendered our flight,
encumbered by baggage, so hopeless.
April 20th.-NTe arose, under the rain, which had
soaked us throughout the night, and followed the
* In a very large Map of Russia given me by General Peroff.
ski, these mountains are designated " Mungkishlaukslrya."
The map was published previous to the construction of Fort
Nuovo Alexandroff ski.
GIGANTIC SPHERES OF SANDSTONE. 301
v
course of the mountain ridge on our left, always
descending. We made little progress, owing to the
depth of the mud in some places, and the slipperiness
of the harder soil. The exposure was far from
agreeable, but neither myself nor my people ever
knew what it was to catch cold ; and I believe, mith
Franklin, that it is a disorder unknown to dwellers
in the open air. At noon, me reached a spot deser-
ving notice: viz. a portion of the valley strewn mith
gigantic spheres of sandstone, many of them eight
or ten feet high. I t might have been the bodi ng
green of the Cyclops. Indeed it mas difficult to look
at these mighty spheres, and consider their position,
without fancying figures, of bulk sufficient to handle
them. They appear to have been originally square
blocks of sandstone, the angles of which, being mor~l
off by the weather, had left them, short, round-headed
cylinders. The base and upper angles of these, again,
absorbing moisture, had given way at the edges, as
we constantly see in ruinous brick-buildings, and
thus an almost perfect sphere had been formed, of
the original cube. This process was still incomplete
in some of the cubes. What a subject for fable would
not this have been, in the Highlands of Scotland!
Remounting, we pursued our course, still parallel
with the mountain chain, which sentinelled our left
flank in gigantic rank and file. At night we searched
for pasture; but the earth was too barren to bear any
decent crop of wormmood, and the poor camels and
horses, wearied as they were with their exertions in
the muddy soil of the two preceding days, were
picqueted in the rain, with almost no fodder.
April 2lst.-Morning dawned upon us, through a
dripping mantle ; but the earth was becoming rather
302 SYMPTOMS OF TREAUHERY.
firmer. At about noon we passed the last mountain
of the range, and found that its successive and
I
parallel ridges are here cut, at right angles, by the
I
high and undulating steppe. Here we met some
Euzzauk camps on the move. The children packed
securely in baskets upon the baggage, the women
leading the strings of camels, excepting the more
venerable dames, who were accommodated with seats
on the camels. Some Kuzzauk horsemen appeared,
one of whom, Yar Muhummud by name, wore the
sheep-skin bonnet covered with broad cloth, which
i
generally denotes wealth or dignity ; he rode up to
4
DZna Bae and his son, and entered into close conver-
t sation with them.
I
DZina BaeJs pony, which had always been 1 wretched
4
animal, was now dead lame, and I insisted upon his
i
changing it. This, after much demur, he consented
1
to, but under some circumstances, the exact nature
1
1
of which has escaped my memory, but which left no
doubt of his treachery. I was careful to point out
r
1
such facts to my people, and in particular to Ali, that
it might incite them to vigilance; but Ali, about this
time, began to take up a notion of DZina Bae's good
faith, from which the most open demonstrations of
treachery could not shake him : the consequences will
5 be seen.
We proceeded over highly undulating ground,
whose valleys and ridges bore North and South.
Toward evening, we surmounted the last of the ridges,
and saw in front, and perhaps a thousand feet below,
a bay of the Caspian, which appeared both narrow
and shallow, and which must have been, I imagine,
the south-west corner of the inlet Ksra Soo. Not a
sail was visible upon it, and the guide declared, that
1
THE FAHL. 303
I vessels do not frequent this coast. He st'ated, that
4
Dahsh Gullah was still about eighty or ninety miles
from us. The sight of the Caspian was cheering.
It was a point long looked for, and knowing that the
\
Russian fort lay upon its borders, I felt less help-
lessly dependent upon our treacherous guides. I n
descending, some flints appeared on the hill side,
which my people saw, for the first time, in their
natural state, and eagerly searched for fragments,
I . fitted for the purpose of striking fire.
We selected for our bivouac the least barren spot.
I was ill pleased that the younger guide went, on
pretence of discovering water, t o a Kuzzauk Khail
in the neighbourhood. It was, indeed, extremely
difficult to prevent him from intercourse with, the
people of the country, for at one spot he would pro-
fess ignorance of the position of water; at another
he would lose the road ; at another it was necessary
to inquire for spots, affording the least scanty growth
of wormwood for the camels and horses. A3 had
orders to follow him about, but he freq~ent~ly eluded
these, being confident in the Kuzzauk's good faith.
The camels, imperfectly fed, and suffering from toil
in the mire of the country, were fast failing; and
the horses were nearly exhausted, upon their reduced
rations of hard rice, the only food we had for them.
CHAPTER XXIII.
A Rencontre-Its Result-Hasten our March-Toilsome Ascent
- of the Cliffs of the Caspian-Suspicious Conduct of the
younger Guide-Bivouac at the Summit-Absence of the
younger Guide-Meditations-Carelessness of my People
threatening us with Ruin-Lighten the Camel Loads-
Farther Preparations-Resumption of Journey-Ahris Mha-
toor-Descent-Treacherous Conduct of the younger Guide
-Attempt to secure the Elder in my Interests-The Monk
-Bivouac-Suspicious Action of Diina Bae-The Alarm-
The Night Attack-Result-Reflections-The Interposition
-Fate of three of my Suite.
A
PRIL 22nd.-Last night T was more than ever
vigilant, believing we should have been attacked.
In the morning we proceeded to the shores of the
Caspian, the ground here shelving much toward the
water from t>he heights ; whilst a few miles furtlher on
steep chalk cliffs, 500 feet high, rise abruptly from
the waves. I was riding ahead, with Dgna Bne, my
servants following at some dist,ance with the younger
guide and the camels. On the shore, six
Euzzauk horsemen, armed in various ways with long
spears, swords, &c., rode up, and parleyed with D h a
Rae. I called Ali, to interpret, and found that they
desired me t o turn back with them to their Khail, as
they expected an order for my recall fkom the Khaun
Huzurut; that the black Russian interpreter, whom
they had sent prisoner to Khiva, had informed the
THE RENCONTRE. 305
Khaun that I was a spy, and that they were in daily
expectation of the order aforesaid.
I enquised how they knew all this.
They said that the Hyzena had been sent by Hussun
Mhatoor, to order them to arrest me, and that a
Toorcumun had given the same instrnctions.
I replied that, if they would produce any order
from the Khaun forbidding my advance, I would
obey; but that, having his order to proceed in my
pocket, I could not attend to their ezpectations. They
replied, with many menacing gestures, that they mould
stop me by force. I rode up to them withoat more
ado, and drew my pistols from the holsters. At sight
of these little implements, they retreated some forty
paces in great dismay, but, finding they mere not
pursued, turned, and sent one of their party, a young
man of some two and twenty years, on foot, to parley.
He drew near with some caution, and finding no hos-
tile demonstrations, sat down upon the ground to
argue the point with DBna Bae. His arguments have
beell detailed ; he repeated them, thumping the earth
every now and then in a decisive manner with his
thick whip. Ali stood by to listen. DBna Bae upon
this st'rongly urged me to go back, and wait for the
Khaun's order. I had in my pocket the only order
the Khaun would ever issue on the subject, and was
well aware that it was a: trap of Hussun Mhatoor,
whose prey I, my servants, and all my property must
inevitably become, should I listen to the suggestion.
I replied, as before, that I bore in my pocket the
Khaun's commission, was his ambassador, proceeding
upon business of the most vital importance ; that if
anyone checked me, Khiva would be losi, and the
wrath of the Khaun Huzurut wreaked upon the inter-
VOL. I. 20
mwIci1r.r ; thnt, hna.t.in? suela c(tmmission, I sho~zld treat
m t~1 RG~aun Hazzlnrt's fcae anyone who attempted
to d~xtrilet my pt i r, and shoot him without hesita-
tir.ir1. - i . . r f i ~ D6am Bne, I insisted upon his immedi-
arc!\- ~in:ct*<~~IInp t ot ~xi d L)i~hihsh Gullah. He complied
.;cry ~.r"srra~tirnrly, iin,zcriiv ant1 looking often behind
Lliun.
I , ~+kt ~al I ~ i ~ i i W~B; he did 1106 make haste. He
$:rid hc &;a.k-sc.tI ttw Irorsemen. I desired him to give
i r i ~ n ~ l f 1111 tspsetisl~ ~EB~BUUI: them, to be faithful, and to
t w\ls t ~ ~ l . s ~ y , ieslti t o leave t9ae horsemen to me. The
s'r 4 1 1 r ~ ~ c ~ l " g:~Eal~-t~e~j~t:il still more reluctant.
w e lost
high^ r > i thr. l i c r ~' - t q: ~~' ~i we pi ned the hollow of the
V ~ - " ! , ~ , Y L * ; ~ B I R T this via* little satisfaction, for our
- 1 1
ie,rea,i.r-. ri;i,r t!t-:itl wi i b I ~ I P ~ ~ I I I I , a2~1 our horses in bad
ccotit!i~ tc a;t t r r i a e l > i ~ ~ = t runamsns, it n-ere easy for them
:it 19nj" t'P~tl*"fa$ asvcrt:~ke L P ~ ,
1 t::J:c~eI .a;; t o my aide, itnd questioned him upon
the K.;%i~e,taib li"i+~~urc't"s. He <aid that hundreds of
Iasrr>t,n~wi c b a r e t l < l lbrl rl~uarerecl at 3 few hours' notice,
I sr i a t i r : ~t , let tila- aotnlatl of fire-arms, all would take to
r -
rHic.i~,* Iia.ciB-. I lni- ilc.te~.mirietl mc to colnmence hos-
iiiitihih 1n.ieia : e c%iyctll,.erge of' lire-arnnu.
I then celled
aniy sr t Hi t . ~ fo;slki\a*er> urolrlrd me.
The old Xeerza had
oare of ir~y Swt l'rr~itill sabres ; butl although I knew
line ' ETB~I L~C? finitit :it the sight of it unscabbarded, 1 could
aitsa sli-horlctelr Isirn by deprivin~g him of that necessary
:njjtgt.fitF,:ipr. {sf :3 ge'r~tferzla~~. Ali Jluhurnmud had a.
?jpci~:"r :tmi(E , ~v~~r i l . Skaasm had a, sabre, and was well
miannteii. II:gji, the pruom, had also a sabre, but
: ~ud -1Ziiimo~d were unarmed.
I promised
TakuuB:, ir fibre un halting, and bade him remember,
that I had fmlnd him a groom, and prornoted him to
the dignity of Jleer-n-Khor (Lord of the &Ianger),
tlnd t ht he ruubt shew mettle in his new rank.
OUR PROGRESS.
Summud Khaun carried my carabine, a sabre, and
battle-axe ; not to mention his defensive armour of
old cloaks and slops, with pockets cram-full of sugar,
biscuits, tea, tobacco, flints and steel, knives of all
shapes and sizes ; tea-cups, spoons, kc. I mustered
them all up ; bidding them remember that they were
Afghauns, the defenders of Heraut against an army
of 40,000 Persians. We helped out our predicament
with a little laughter. Yakoob swore a tremendous
oath not to be wanting in the rnzltie, and even Mai-
mood agreed to charge the Kuzaauk array, hatchet
in hand.
We pushed on, following the borders of the sea,
until we came t o the cliffs; under which we found
a rocky path, that, soon turning to the right, scaled
the heights by a very steep ascent. At a third of the
ascent, the female camel fell under her burthen, and
wlien half an hour had been lost in endeavouring to
get her up, another half hour was expended in shift-
ing her burthen to the other camels, overloaded as
they already were. Whilst thus busied, Nizaum's
and Ali Muhummud's horses commenced a furious
combat upon the steep side of the cliff, falling and
rolling repeatedly, and again renewing the fight.
The ferocity of Toorcumun horses, on such occasions,
i s t o be conceived only by those who have viewed it.
I feared that both would have been precipitated
down the cl 8, just at the moment their services were
most required : but we at length secured them, and
struggled on, leaving the female camel on the road.
At about 200 feet from the summit, we found our-
selves opposed by a sheer precipice, without footpath.
The younger guide had slipped away in the con-
fusion, upon pretence of driving on the female camel.
20 *
We turned back ; the descent proving almost as
harassing as the ascent to the overtasked camels.
Dgna Bae's son met us, and pointed out the right
path : but began signalling to persons below, until 1
compelled him to desist openly. I t was impossible
to prevent him from making signs on various pre-
texts. I therefore pointed out again his doings t o
Ali, and commanded him to cut off all communica-
tion, between him and the people of the country. To
which Ali replied, " I will answer for it, Sir, with
my life, that these guides are true men." Thus I
perceived that I must depend wholly upon my own
vigilance. Could I have conjectured what motive
the miscreants had for their treachery, I should have
adopted another precaution : but I did not even sus-
pect, until the catastrophe, that Summud Khaun,
who, as steward, had charge of the silver for current
expenses, fearing, in case of treachery, that this cir-
cumstance might point him out as a particular mark
for violence; had made over a bag containing 700
tungas (small silver pieces, each worth five-pence), to
t.he younger guide. This sum, constantly before his
eyes, and an unheard-of treasure in his estimation,
was an irresistible incentive to treachery : for the
whole became his, unknomi to anyone, and in ad-
dition to any claim he might have upon the plunder,
if he could only get rid of me. Had Summud Khaun
given me a hint of this characteristic act of his, I
should a t once have solemnly conferred the money
upon our guides, in addition to the reward promised
them on our safe arrival.
On reaching the summit of this lone and toilsome
ascent, I found the camels quite incapable of moving
without rest and food, and although speed was our
LIGHTEN THE BURTHENS.
only chance of safety, was obliged to consent to a
halt of two hours. No water was procurable. The
younger guide rode with a skin in search. I had
seen half-melted snow under the cliff; so that he
ought to have been able to fiIl the water-skin imme-
diately. I , meanwhile, mas busied in changing my
dress for one better suited for active exertion, and
my heavy boots for half-boots of English fashion, so
that I might be able to relieve my horse by walk-
ing. I braced on the sabre which I carried as a
present from the Khaun, and made over my own
more beautiful blade to Nizaum, who bequeathed his,
in t~zra, to Yakoob. Summud Khaun was directed to
carry on his person, i.e., in his breeches, the jewelled
harness ; stowed away there with some ten pounds
avoirdupois of grocery and hardwares ; the jewelled
dagger I wrapped up carefully, and bound in my
girdle, wearing my own dagger beside it.
Here I lightened, as far as possible, the loads of
our camels, by sacrificing half a camel's load of odds
and ends; which I was obliged to dlow DIna Bae to
deposit in the tent of a neighbouring Khail ; for, if
left on the plsin, it would have incited the people of
the steppe to follow and plunder us. I then went
to see what the younger guide was about. He had
been absent an hour. I met him returning. I then
descended a portion of the gigantic cliffs. Not a
sound was stirring, excepting the faint murmur of
the waves of the Caspian, as they fell amongst the
rocks below. The Caspian itself lay smiling before
me, blue and serene as the unclouded heavens ; but
without a sail, without an ark of refuge, cold m d
pitiless as the grave. Yet an Englishman is never
thoroughly at home when remote from the sea-the
310 CONTINUE OUR COURSE.
bulwark of his liberty, the field of his renown ; and
the aspect of these waters recalled to me many sad
and sweet memories of the past, and many an un-
realised dream of the time to come. My present
situation was not forgotten, but ceased to burt,hen
my mind ; and I enjoyed a luxury long foreign to
me, but indulged in too freely in former days.
When I aroused myself from this dreamy mood, I
found my hopes brighter and my heart lighter. Pro-
vided that by vigilance I could guard against snrprise,
I thought that superior courage, the weight of our
horses, and the despaifwith which we ought to be
animated, might carry the day against great odds.
Peril, with all its di~ag~eeables, has for its accom-
paniment a chord of the sublime ; and had my men
been of the fighting breed, or myself acquainted with
the Too~kish language, I would not willingly have
exchanged my position for one of greater safety.
I walked back to the bivouac, where arrangements
were still in progress for the march. The ca,mels
were now very lightly laden, and though exhausted
by an ascent which had occupied several hours, con-
trived to crawl forward under their loads. My
Pamoot horse mas, however, quite gone, and could
with difficulty be led forward, and the horse I rode
mas fast failing, so that I was obliged to trust much
to any feet. We pressed on over a high plain, by a
course nearly parallel with the shore, but not in sight
of the sea. At about three o'clock we passed near a
Kuzzauk Khstil. Several of the inhabitants came fort,h
to gaze at our cavalcade ; and the guides pleaded the
necessity of inquiring sbout fodder and water. One
of these Kuzzauks, whom I afterwards knew a s
Ahris Mhatoor (i.e. Ahris, the hero), was a tall raw-
DESCENT OF CLIFFS. 31 1
boned fellow, of the most hideous aspect.
He
a scanty and peculiar Cap of tarrny lambskill fur,
scarcely covering the Upper part of the head. wi t h
him the younger guide contrived, in spite of my exer-
tions, to exchange many private words and significant
glances. We rode on over a high steppe scalltily
supplied with wormwood, and occasionally markei
by Kuzaauk cemeteries.
Evening mas closing
we found ourselves descending the cliffs into a. deep
and wide ravine, with the prospect of immediately
re-ascending. All this was sad work for our ex-
hausted catt'le. My horse was almost past work, and
I was obliged to walk, refusing all the proffers of rnjv
people; for i n cases of life and death, all are on a
level : and as we had now only sixty miles before us,
I did not fear on my own account.
On this descent, the younger guide contrived to
lag behind, when not actually driven forward by my
orders; and from time t o time, I observed hirn turn
and wave his arms wildly. I rode up to him, and
sternly commanded him to keep his face in the direc-
tion of our march. On myself looking round, I per-
ceived several human figures amongst the rocks in
the distance; but these might be shepherds, of whom
there mere many tending their flocks in the neigh-
bourhood. When the young miscreant perceived
that I would not quit him, he stopped on pretence of
saying his payers, a ceremony he had never before
I
perfom&& and turning his person round, went through
t he usual prostrations, signalling to the people amongst
4
the rocks, whenever he thought my eye removedfrom
hirn. I patiently the conclusion of his prayers,
and then made him precede me.
I
I had at our late halt called DSna Bae to me, had
31 2 THE BIVOUAC.
taken out and displayed to %him one of the Khaun
Huzurut's letters, bearing the royal seal, and ex- .
plained to hjni the nature and importance of my
office, and how much the Klhaun's heart was set upon
the success of my mission. Sl~ould it be interrupted
by anyone, I assured him the Khaun would root out
him and his whole family from the earth. I told him
all the anxiety of the Khaun for my safety, and the
strict orders he had given Hussun Mhatoor respecting
it. Finally, I assured him of rich and ample reward,
beyond his highest expectations, if he proved faithful
to me. He was lavish of his professions ; and as 1
could make it, I thought, worth his while to be faith-
ful to me, I did not altogether discredit them. I did
not know that Summud Khaun had made him my
purse-bearer.
The country we were now entering is broken by
wild crags and chasms. On the pointed summit of
one of the heights stood a dark figure, far too gigan-
tic to be human, yet resembling a monk in a cloak
and cowl, with hand outstretched as if warning or
threatening. Being on foot, I could not get near
the guide to inquire what it was. It may have been a
landmark.
On reaching the valley, a barren clay soil appeared,
producing scarcely a blade of vegetation. Evening
had fallen, our cattle were exhausted. The high
cliffs were to be ascended ; bhe moon mould not rise
for some hours. Anxious as I was to push on, and
much as I disliked such a position of bivouac, there
seemed no possibility of surmounting those cliffs
witliout refreshment to the cattle. Our guides in-
sisted upon the necessity of this ; and I reluctantly
complied. MTe chose the only spot presenting a few
AN ALARM. 313
stunted plants of wormwood.
The guides had, of
course, brought no food for the camels, in a country
where grain is unknown. They were dependent upon
this miserable browse. A deep water-course was on
the south, occasionally fringed with shrubs. Asound
us was the shadow of the cliffs. The sky was over-
cast, and it was a spot of gloom. I ordered my
people not to lay aside their arms, nor unsaddle their
horses, but to be vigilant, and ready to mount at a
moment's notice. I calculated that we were beyond
pllrsuit of any but cavalry. Indeed, in a country so
abounding in galloways, it is contrary to the genius
of the people to attack on foot ; and as the earth was
very hard, I reckoned upon hearing the approach of
horses in time to mount and form a front.
I had finished a hasty repast., and was awaiting
the rising of the moon to renew the journey. Having
the prospect of st walk of sixty miles before me, I
found it necessary to husband my strength, and Tves
reclining on my carpet, listening to every sound,
armed and on my feet at the slightest stir. I laid
my ear along the earth from time to time, the better
to catch the sound of hoofs. My people had finished
their dinner, and were variously disposed of. I had
no means of posting sentinels, for each servant found
ample occupation in attending to his horse, &c.
Nevertheless, we kept a decent look-out. Suddenly,
Dana Bae rushed forward to the spot where I re-
clined, having Summud Ehaun's batt'le-axe raised
above his head, and almost stumbling over me.
Thinking he mas about to strike, I caught up and
presented a pistol. He ~aused, shaded his eyes with
his left hand, made some apology, and left me. The
gesture was suspicious ; but amid so many causes of
314 . NIGHT ATTACK
suspicion, I was sometimes inclined to believe my
fancy was exaggerating. He immediately ~roposed
that we should extinguish the fires, as tending to
point out our position to an enemy. This rec caution,
constantly adopted in warfare, rather re-assured me,
and I ordered that it should be carried into effect. I
afterwards learned that it was a preconcerted signal.
It saved a few lives, for the light of the fires would
have enabled me to strike without fear of killing my
own people. Hitherto there had not been the slightest
noise. I was aware, indeed, that the younger guide
had slipped away in the darkness to a neighbouring
Khail, under pretence of getting water; but this was
a daily occurrence, and I rather expected the attack
would be deferred, until we should be entangled in.
the passes of the cliffs ahead, where resistance was
extremely diflicult, and our superior mounting of no
avail.
Suddenly cries were heard in the direction of the
water-course. My impression was, that our enemies
were endeavouring to cripple our march, by stealing
a horse or two ; I therefore snatched up my pistols,
and rushed toward the horses. Here I found Nizaurn
and Hajji with their sabres drawn. Yakoob assured
me the horses were safe, and as the sounds now came
from another spot, I hastened thither, followed, as I
supposed, by Nizaum and Hajji. Here all was con-
fusion, but the darkness was so great, that I could
distinguish nothing but moving figures ; whether
servants or robbers I knew not. My finger was upon
the trigger of my pistol, but I dared not fire, lest I
should kill my own people. Suddenly, I was struck
from the rear by three clubs, falling together. I
staggered, but, the clubs being of willow, I did not
fall, until the blows were, the next instant, repeated,
and I was prostrated, though without losing my pistol.
I spralg to my feet; but the Kuzzauks, who were
standing over me, instantly struck me to the earth,
and one of their clubs falling upon my arm, struck
the pistol out of my hand. I believe I was stunned
for the moment. When I recovered, having still my
sabre at my side, I laid hand upon it, and had reached
my knee and right foot, when several clubs took
effect, and stretched rue upon my back, and t wo
Kuzzauks threw themselves upon me, the one seizing
my sabre, and endeavouring to wrench it, belt and all,
from my body; the other trying to tear away t he
Emperor's jewelled dagger, bound in my girdle. .A
third, with a light club, showered blows from behind
upon my head and shoulders. The struggles of t he
plunderers recalled me to consciousness, which pre-
viously was almost lost. Their tugs at my girdle
assisted the strength still left me; I suddenly sat up,
and drawing my own dagger, stabbed at t he junction
of the throat and thorax the Euzzauk in front of me.
He fell, and I was turning upon the other, when I
saw the arm of a fourth raised to strike me wi t h
some weapon. I raised my dagger to guard my head.
The sabre fell upon my hand, severing two fingers,
disjointing the thumb, and shattering t'he solid ivory
handle of the dagger. Other blows of clubs, from
the rear, stretched me again upon my back, no longer
able t o move. I know not whether I lost my senses ;
but if so, when they returned, they were clear as t he
noon day. My right hand was numbed, but I knew
not the extent of damage, and tried t o rise. The
slightest motion of the head produced vertigo, and
my limbs were quite powerless, the flesh being, in
316 NIGHT ATTACK.
fact, beaten to a jelly ; but whenever I lay still, the
clearness of all my faculties returned upon a mind,
as calm as ever I had known it.
I collected my scattered thoughts. I reasoned, as
often I had reasoned in extremity. I summed up the
full bitterness of my present condition, wounded,
helpless, in the hands of robbers, in a desert far
remote from my people, on a shore scarcely kuown by
name to the civilized world ; death threatening me at
every moment, escape utterly hopeless, and worst of
all, my mission lost ; all my anxieties, toils, and suffer-
ings, endured in vain ; and I asked myself, whether I
had ever been worse : and I referred t o sufferings,
compared with which, the present seemed a jest. The
hand of God had, unhoped, delivered me from those,
and now I inly prayed, not for deliverance, but for
. constancy and strength to encounter the worst, with-
out faltering, or disgracing my country, or my name.
The moment was sufficiently gloomy, but there flashed
upon my mind the remembrance of hearts, precious in
the sight of the Most High, whose daily prayers were
'
for a son, a brother : and whilst this beacon burned
for me, I could not utterly despaip.
The exact succession of thought I cannot re-
member ; but having often afterwards recalled those
moments, whilst the impression was recent, I recollect
all that passed through my mind. Every now and
then a Kuzzauk spied me out, and cut at me, in
passing, with sabre, hatchet, or club. Thinking it
would be something to save my eyesight, I laid my
left hand over my eyes, as I lay helpless on my back.
A sabre fell upon it, inflicting a deep gash, and laying
open my right eyebrow. The hand would probably
have been severed, but for a ling which a sister had
THE INTERPOSITION. 317
upon it many years previously, and which
had never since been removed. If ever she read this
record, she will have pleasure in the thought, that
her gift has saved me from being utterly crippled.
As at each fresh blow I felt my senses reel, I fondly
hoped it was death. I held my breat8h sometimes, to
assist the escape of my spirit: I would not raise a hand
t o break the blow I saw aimed at me. But the swoon
was only momentary : my senses and my reason re-
turned, clear and calm as ever : and the difficulty of
finding death, re-awakened that instinct by which we
cling to existence.
Just then a Kuzzauk bent over me, and thrust his
hand into my bosom. I supposed he was seeking
pluader, but soon found that he laid his hand upon
my bare breast, as if to ascertain whether1 still lived.
If, thought I, he finds me still alive, he will mangle
me a little more, and leave me just as much alive as
ever. I instinctively held my breath, and he left me
uncertain of my condition. He, however, soon re-
turned, and again thrust his hand into my bosom ;
and finding me still warm, and probably detecting
the pulses of my heart, stood over me, and with his
matchlock warded off the blows made by others as
they me. Nizaum, at that moment, reeled up
t o the spot, under the blows of several of the brigands,
crying aloud for quarter. He fell at my head, and
seeing me t o all appearance lifeless, forgot his own
to weep over me, saying, L L Aye, Sahib,
Sahib ! " Summud Khaun I had long heard on my
left, groaning and uttering aloud the profession of
t he orthodox, under the apprehension, perhaps, of
being mistaken for his Feringee master ; the bhck
Russian, necromancer, idolater.
Perceiving that this Kuzzauk (Cherkush Bae,") had
friendly intentions, I touched his foot. He bent his
head to mine, and I whispered, Tillah," gold,a word
common to both Persian and Toorkish. He answered
eagerly, " Have you gold ? " I endeavoured to draw
out my purse with my sight hand, and then discovered,
for the first time, the extent of the damage. I, t'here-
fore, with the left hand, which vas less injured, gave
him my purse. Then pointing t o Nizaum and Sum-
mud Khaun, mho lay on each side of me, and after-
wards to heaven, I said, " For the love of God ; " an
Arabic phrase also current in Tartary. He pressed my
hand, and signed me to lie still, which I afterwards did,
being indeed unequal to any exertion. Cherkush Bae
stood over us, protecting us from the other brigands.
I again rolled my eyes around, endeavourixlg to get
some hint of the fate of my other followers, and to
impress upon my mind a scene which, should I get
out of my present' predicament, mould be worth re-
membering. The night was still sufficiently dark.
Uncouth forms were rushing here and there, in their
horse-skin dresses and sheep-skin bonnets, brandishing
clubs and hatchets. Shouts and sounds, as of strife,
were still heard, but they were fast subsiding. Indeed,
we were taken at such disadvantage by the assailants,
between forty and fifty in number, who, being in cor-
respondence with the guides, had arranged everything
as they pleased ; that only two of the people had even
drawn a weapon, and not a blow mas struck on our
side, excepting the dagger-stroke above mentioned.
The two swords were instantly beaten down, and
blows fell so thick, that there mas no time t o answer
them, even could we have seen at what t o strike.
" Cherkush, a corruption of Sirkuslr, the Rebellious,
REBFLT OF THE ~tTTACP. 319
TIlc Kuzzauks \V!BI) Inad been \i-t;etcl.;ing our rnoticrns
fbr s n l c time, l.m:ld xnerer lost sight of tmc. of 1.13, 2nd
accordingly stnack with eunfidelece and effect.
Clae of mv pistols, which had f:rllen from n q Iinund,
7i-a~ rlom picked up h j a Ktazzauk, and rliseb;irged.
either inteationall. or ?,y accident. I saw trvu ur
three of then1 take to their heel, at the report, ila tfne
wi;dest terror. I was g(~u(1-1::~tur~'PI ene)tl;lrh to hope
it 91:uI : akt ul l i sl ~r~t P them, in morc ways tll:i~l On r . I
coulcl no~vherc distinguisti dl's 3IulaummucP, Y:rkobah,
the JIeerza? Eitijji, or JI:litx100d. It stv.~~i~ttd S C ~ F L ' C ' P ~
1xos4ble that they slloulcil h:eve esc:ipeel :r smro so
tartfilllv set. One or two uf any horses were stsi~lclia~g
near, the rest see~i~ecl to h:ive ese:iped. Sevcr:ll tiincv
Ruzznuks approacheii to rifle Inc, but mere drive11
off by Cheskudl 13ac ; once, \.rlkcl? he loft me fbr an
instant, x fellow seiztici lriy hulf-boot and ertdeavot~red
to dmg it oB ; nrld uanother tinle : L Kuzzteuk, c:atching
1 111y mangled Einlad in his, dl-k~gged me like a suck
along the earth, and ettst me do ma^ near one of our
fires, whicln hail been rekindled, that he rmigflt see
the better to plmlder. I xrsnde no upofion, and Ple
thought rrie dead. CherkusIi Bae came back in time
to save me. He led Sizsum to the w.mc spot, and
thither Sumnlud Khaun r u s dragged, groatling and
uttering his articles of belief: Here, also, severul of
the assailants cpllected, to exanline the spoils they
had taken, and talk over their exploits. They pointed
ofken at me, m c l several times weapons were lifted t o
finish me ; but so far as I could gues:, Cherkush Bae
told thean I was :~lreadjr dead. dgnin :i Knzzftuk
seized ine by the foot, and endeavoured to dm%- off
my boot. Tbe leg recoiled, perhaps, with too much
elasticity, and he declared that I w:is still alive. This
3 20 RESULT OF THE ATTACK.
@herkush Bae seemed to deny.
He stood over and
effectually protected me.
At length one of them, the youth, I think, who had
parleyed with us in the morning, drew his sword, and
aimed a blow at my head. I was taken by surprise,
and flinched, which set my existeilce beyond doubt.
I know not what arguments were used by Gherkush,
in the stormy debate that ensued, t o save my life ;
Perhaps the general order of the Khaun Huzurut, to
save the lives of all Russian prisoners. E e now placed
a folded cloak under my head, and, whilst lie mas doing
this, I contrived to slip cautiously into his hand all my
despatches, excepting one, a letter from the Khaun
'
Huzurut, which I kept as a testimonial of my office,
as the Ehaun's ambassador ; I also gave him my gold
seals and keys.
Yakoob, Knight of the Manger, mas now led up
under the blows of several Kuzzauks, and forced to
sit near me. Many melancholy greetings passed be-
tween him and Nizauri~, and I exerted myself t o
mutter a few kind words to him. It appeared t hat
he was not much hurt : his weapon had been struck
out of his hand ere he could draw it. Nizaum's right
arm was numbed by a blow from the back of a
hatchet, but whether broken or not he could not say.
He had been armed with my beautiful Damascus
blade; but the blows of the assailants fell so suddenly,
and so thick, that he could only raise it above his
head to ward them. TIVO or three of the clubs of soit
wood were divided upon the edge of this weapon, as
if they had been deal shavings. Ahris Mhatoor, how.
ever, rushing forward, beat down the sabre mitlz his
hatchet, and then felled poor Nieaum with a blow of
the back of that instrument ; it being the object of
FATE OF TEE 3hEERZA. 321
the R? I z z : I I ~~~ to save the Pkves of tny people, in order
t o self t9nleln as slnves.
Sun~.n~~lucl Eirasrn, \rho, since enterirlg Kuzzauk Band,
laact vcafunteered to carry 111~- caral~ine [knowing the
fenr of Kuzan~lks for fire-arms), had just carefully
drart-n the Icatheun case over the gun t o shield it. f m
dew, rrilenn the Kuzz:luks rushed upon him, smashed
tP:e esr:tbinc with a blow, ntid eompliressecl, grievously,
with srialilry oe'tlers, the half-dozen cloaks upon his
sl~caraltlcr~. 1~rcal;ing vhole po~lnd:: of biscuit and loaf-
srm,g:ic in 9aEs 1.1rccchec pockets, tlnd finally rolling him
over and over, like :t l:trge ball of worsted, now head,
now lwc1.i $a the ze~nith. As so011 :ts his extreme
nsto~~i,-Iimc.nt Pinth s umc~l i nt sul~sidecl, his wit returned,
find pcrceiring the grcnt inconvenience of being xliis-
taken tbr :n Russian, ~~ecrom:tncer; and iclolnter, he set
up his l ' i ~e s , a d we have seen.
;it tllis rnc~mclat, the poor old 3Ieerza was led u p to
the fire ; lais l~nt~ds bsunci together ; his sllnven head
coa.erea1 with Fruiscs;, :rnd stsearllilng with bkoocl ; his
hce I~loudjv, :snd one of' his eyes forced all~zost out of
. the socket, as I supposed, by the pressure of the brain
frc~nl IF-itliin. He stapgerect forward, snying to each
of" t l ~ c 11rig:ancfs in t uni , " R:i~e the goodness t o untie
rnx hsnds,'\us i f it were a request which could not be
refusecl. They nnsxi-ercd hitn with blo~vs and kicks.
He thers 3ppealect to his fellow-serwlzts. They begged
him to be quiet, for that the hand of God was upon
us, and we nmst submit. He again turned t o the
robbers, his wits evidently vcre deranged ; c c Bsba
Jatl,'Qe said, " BBba &in: dust-i-mauh Kullass-
koon." A brutal Kuzznuk bestowed upon him two
violent kicks upon the back. He fell upon his &ce,
md did not afcer\vards move ; I hoped he was dead.
TOL. I* 21
CHAPTER XXIV.
Hilarity of t he young Guide-The Letter-Scene-Consulta-
tions and Reports of t he Kuzzauk Assailants-Night on the
Field of Xtrife-Meditations-Desperate Posture of my
Affairs-Triumph of t he Coward Pa r Muhumrnud-State of
my Part,y-Symptoms of a Move-Ahris, the Hero-Retro-
grade Movement-Helpless Condition of my Meerza-Our
shattered and melancholy Cavalcade-Halt at Soosun Uttah
-Summud Khaun's Sagacious Arrangement for our Safety
-Spite of the younger Guide-The Curse of the Eoraun-
Arrival of Tents-Arrangements for our Disposal-Par Mu-
hummud and t he Tempter-First Repast as Captives-Soft
Flattery in an Unknown Tongue-Character of Ahris Mha-
toor-The Covenant-Night Alarms-Varieties of Death-
Second Night of Our Captivity.
HE Kuzzauks continued to collect at the spot
T where I lay, until about twenty were assembled;
amongst these were the two guides; the younger,
laughing and enjoying the joke exceedingly. As most
words used in Toorkish to denote the products of
civilized life are borrowed from the ~ e r s g n tongue,
I had little difficulty in comprehending the topics of
discourse, although unable to follow the speakers.
The young miscreant told them, as a great joke, that
I had a letter as long as his arm.
This letter, I now made Nizaum spread before
Cherkush Bae ; and as he could speak a few words of
Toorkish, I made him point out- the royal seal, and
explain, that I mas the Khaun's ambassador, and no
Russian as they supposed. The letter was handed .
- ,
323. DAMAGE.
round the cil*cle, but none present could read it. All
therefore gravely shoolr their heads, and i t was re-
turned to me. I fancied, however, that i t had occa-
sioned some doubt. I kept this letter always upon
my person, that I might display it on emergency. I
could not move my head without swooning, but so
long as I lay.still, I had the fullest possession of my
faculties. They were mercifully spared me, for none
of my people niade the slightest use of theirs, ex-
cepting, indeed, Summud Khaun, whose groans and
creed were so characteristic of the man, that, despite
my exhausted condition and forlorn predicament, they
struck me with a sense of the ludicrous.
There mas indeed a dash of comedy mixed up in
this melancholy scene. A young Kuzznuk had
already apparelled himself in my embroidered uni-
form, and was strutting before me in evident content;
others were half dressed in their own uncouth attire,
half i n mine, or in my sei*vants', and looked as might
look a detachment of hogs and bears, rigged out for
a masquerade; several rudely endeavoured to tear
my furred cloak from my back: but this was pre-
vented by my protector. He could not, however,
prevent them from wrenching from my side the silver-
mounted scabbard of the Ehaun' s sabre. The blade
had been carried off when I was cut down. I n endea-
vouring to loosen for them the clasp of the belt, the
shattered condition of my right hand became mani-
fest, and excited much discussion, the nature of which
I could only faintly conjecture, from the expression
of their rude countenances, dimly lighted by the
glare of the fire. Cherkush Bae expressed much
sympathy for the injury, which he proceeded t o exa-
mine, handling the limb with much tenderness.
21 "
324 THE AMPUTATING KNIFE.
Well, Nizaum," I said, " I suppose all the fingers
are lost? "
Such, indeed, was my impression, for I
felt them dangling in every direction.
c c Not all, Sir," replied Nizaum.
L L One is safe,
praised be God; nay! two."
'' Which are they; the little finger, I know, is
dangling ? "
No, Sir, that's the forefinger that dangles past
the little finger."
Such proved to be the case.
The forefinger hung
only by the sinew. The middle finger was cut
thro~zgh the bone, close to the knuckle. The thumb
was disjointed, but the mischief had ended at the
third finger, in which was a deep gash. Cherkush
Bae gave me to understand that the forefinger must
come off. I put my hand into his, and signed t o
him to cut away. He laid the sinew upon the handle
of his hatchet, and drew from his belt an ugly lump
of iron, passing current in those rude countries as a
knife. This proved to be so blunt, that he was
obliged to sharpen it upon the back of the hatchet ;
even then, it mas long in cranching its may through
a
the tough sinew. He then bound up, in coarse rag,
the shattered hand, without attempting to adjust the
fingers, and twined some scraps of linen round the
wounded fingers of the left hand, carefully coiiceal-
ing the ring, which (as it was impossible t.o draw it
off) might., if seen, cost me another finger.
Several hideous ICuzzauk women had for some time
appeared. The Meerza, it would seem, had been
bound by these, after being struck down by the clubs
I
of the men.
They lighted a second fire, and pre-
pared n pilau of our rice and mutton. Around this
a group soon collected, curiously composed, of the
- .
n -/ - - * " !
8 ,Jt7A'!*
---
-..- *-&
NIGHT THOUGHTS. 325
wild, scarcely human costume of the Kuzzauks;
horses' skins with fur outward, bonnets of wolf's and
lamb's skin, and our garments hanging upon unac-
customed backs. I perceived, by t,heir glances, that
much of their conversation related to me; it was
conducted in whispers. Oiie of them, upon being
questioned, glanced at me, and then drew his finger
significantly across his throat.*
I perceived that
only three of my horses were present, and hoped that
iny three missing servants might effect t,heir escape
upon the remainder, if indeed they had not been
slain.
After supper, the Kuzzauks lay down to sleep; one
or two only keeping watch. The night was very
cold; perhaps i t saved some effusion of blood. The
quantity I had lost, no doubt prevented the worst
consequences t o be apprehended, from the violence
my brain and whole frame had suffered.
My mind was very desolate. My mission was un-
fulfilled : a mission which success alone could redeem
from t he charge of rashness. A1 my foresight, t80il,
and watching had been rendered futile by the blind
obstinacy of my people, and for myself and them
there remained the alternative of slavery or death.
It may be believed, that i n the course of that long
and cheerless night, other thonghts, however resisted,
would occasionally intrude ;-my unprotected home,
my widowed mother, the sisters, who had yearly
looked for my return from exile.
April 23rd.-At daybreak, several of the Kua-
zauks, after consultation, mounted my horses and
rode in pursuit of my missing servants. Three
* I have since supposed that he was alluding to the wound in
the throat which I had given one of my assailants.
326 THE MORNING
others took hatchets and a spade, and retired to the
adjoining water-course.
Yar Muhummud drew near, and took a seat by my
side, Nizaum contrived, very imperfectly, to inter-
pret for me. Point,ing to my hand, he said, L L Y ~ ~
stabbed one of us ill the throat, and I cut off your
hand. We are now even: your mounds have saved
your life. Were you not mounded, I mould kill you."
This is t,lle leader of the party of horsemen, who, six
i n number, had shrunk away from the face of a
single armed man. He now alluded to the circurn-
stance, with rather ill-placed triumph. " You were
very fierce and lofty with me, this morning. You
drew your pistols, and had I not retired mould have
shot me. Will you fight now ? " drawing out his
sabre.
I pointed t o my shattered hand.
"What! you have had enough of it? you will
never- draw trigger again with that hand. Why did
you cot turn, as I desired you, in the morning?"
I produced the Khaun Huzurut's letter, and en-
deavoured to explain, that I was the Khaun's guest
and ambassador. He and his colnpaaions sat long in
consultntion, and then returned me the letter, saying,
You should have produced this yesterday morning.
But you defied us, and we have wounded you, We
will now return you your property, and let you
proceed ."
I replied that my property was of 1itt.le conse-
quence. That I would freely bestow it upon them,
if they would suffer me to proceed with my people,
in safety, to Dahsh Gullah. Cherkush Bae, who was
neaT; and had been paying me many little attentions;
supporting my head, which I still could not raise
AFTLB TEE ATTACK.
' 4
r i t hont s~~-oolzing-, :ir:cl speui;iai,g ni-Im:,t ceewcd T T Q ~ ~ S
of eon~fort, now Iookeni i r ~ 1 1 5 cycs filic? s i i i , ' b Fe:u
nothing, 1 nlyseif will carry you (311 1912. c:unels to
D:ah."l G~rul!:~h.'" give rhcic ~; ~p i ~l g s :is 3~-e inter-
preted them a: the. tinw. 1 felt very Iielplsss in rhe
loss of -95 Jluh~rlnnlrrci ; bur wonltl nrir, for TIE
~ ~ o r l d ,
have involvljcl liinn in o:~r difEcrdrie>. He,
4
3Iail:1ood, anci Wqiji were srill mi-sing; :und to~~-:trcl
noon, the Kuzzauks who Bzici pursncd thtlrn .=et.tarned
unsnceeu~ful, ancl three o~hctra mourlred and sta~reci
in t he sccirch. Hajji, wllo .i~-:-ts concealccl :mlongst
the rocks close by, rvatdlecl hi- o j ) t ~ ~ r t ~ t n i t ~ . a11d deli-
vered himself up. Thc wisest >tep, perhnps, under
his circumstances, as B:c n.ns still sistr miles from
DahsI-n Gullnh, in n colmrry 7i-irhuat food : of the
language of vhich, 2s I\-ell a5 of that spoke^ at Dahsh
Gullnh, he ~ 5 - a ~ utter!^ ignorant.
The Kuzzauks, left upon tInc g~ouncl. anow pre-
pared t o move. Cherknqh Bne, sacldlinlp one of his
camels, desirecl me t u mount. I g:rzecl nromad, but
saw no preparation for my scrvnzlts. 1 mticle . ; i ps
to Cherkush Bcte, that I could 'not mow r i t l ~out
Just then, Par Jfuhunlmud approached, and point-
ing at a iall, ran--boracd ruEsn, orze of the assailants,
who ~ 3 s flourishing the hatchet he had vielded in
the late affray, saicl, '"ilaris Xhatoor (i.e. Ahris, the
hero) is a terrible f e l l o ~ . ' Y T h isman? younger
brother, of Cherkush Bae, became one of the prin-
cipal actors in the dmmn. His great strength and
courage, made him a man of consequence in those
parts ; and I afterwarcls found, that but for him, the
ot21ers would never have had courage to attack me.
Had. therefore, his tent, ~x-hich is moved every three
3 28 PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE.
days, not been, at the moment I ~assed, in that pre-
cise spot, I should probably have reached the Russian
frontier in safety. Upon such slight threads hang
the destinies of man. I did not,, at the time, know
the relationship of Ahris to my preserver ; but the
hideous and ominous expression of the features, and
whole person, of the former, prepossessed me against
him.
I earnestly enquhed of Cherkush Bae, whether he
purposed carrying me to Dahsh Gullah. He replied,
" Not now. MTe go back at present; but I will carry
you to the fort,, from the spot to which me go.'' By
dint of much entreaty, I persuaded Cherkush Bae, to
let my people mount the other camels and ponies ;
myself mounting a camel, for I could not, with both
hands disabled, sit a horse.
My poor Meerza, fearfully disfigured by the blows
he had received, his reason lost, his strength exhausted,
every joint of his body crippled by bruises, was with
much difficulty held upon a camel. Ere half the
journey was completed, he was obliged to dis~nount,
and falling heavily'upon his face, remained long in-
sensible to every attempt t o arouse him. I n fact, his
case seemed so hopeless, that Summud Khaun chid
the person who elldeavoureci to shake him from his
lethargy, saying, '' Why disturb his last moment,^ ?
Let him lie liere and die iP1 peace." I was secretly of
his mind : but at length the poor creature was lifted
up, and re-seated on a pony, a person holding him on
eitlier side.
We retraversed part of the road of' the day pre-
ceding. At a high plain bordering the Caspian,
called Soosun Uttah, we were stopped, made to dis-
mount, and allowed t o seat ourselves. Some show
-
THE YOUNG TRAITOR.
t
of respect was still maintained toward me ; but men,
who would have crouched in presence of the tneanest
of my retinue, now seated themselves at my feet.
Yar Muhunlnlud was one of these. I observed that
his cowardly, hyzena eye shrank always, like a guilty
thing, from mine. D5na Bae and the young mis-
creant, his son, came again to ask for their dismissal,
and for a letter to the Khaun Huzurut in their favour.
This I, of course, refused ; and they mere departing
in a sullen mood, when Snmmud Khaun called the
younger back, and said, L L Where are the 700 Tungas
(silver coins of the value of 5d. each) that I lodged in
your hands ? "
This was the first hint I had ever received of such
an insane and selfish act. It was in vain that the
young man denied the charge in toto, then declared
Ohat they were the price of the camels ; the other
brigands were delighted at the prospect of fresh
booty, and rose to examine his camel furniture. Upon
this he brought the bag of silver, ~ ~ h i c h was counted
out, and delivered to me. I made it over to Yar
I
Muhummud at once, knowing that such must be its
eventual fate ; but he returned it to me, for the
present, with a thousand protestations.
The younger guide was enraged beyond measure
at losing the reward of his treachery. He glared
I
upon me like some ill-omened bird. He exhausted
himself in invectives ; and taking Yar Muhummud
apart, mhispered in his ear. Yar Muhummud imme-
diately came up t o me, and said, L L YOU call yourself
an ambassador of the Feringees. All the chiefs of the
Feringees wear epaulettes. Let me see yours." I re-
plied, that he would find mine in a tin case amongst
my property. DBna Bae's son had seen me at Mungh
330 CURSE OF THE KORAUN.
Kishl.uk, dressed in an English surtout without
epaulettes, when I expected t o meet the Russians.
He thought, doubtless, that I had none, and was nom
disconcerted.
" Ask him," he exclaimed, L L mhether ambassadors
suffer common people, like us, to sit near them?"
" Ambassadors," I replied, " as well as kings, have
no choice of their company, when p~isoners."
Again he took Yar Muhummud aside, and mhis-
pered. P a r Muhummud immediately came and de-
manded of me tlie sling which supported my shattered
hand, and which, being a crimson silk scarf, was
valuable in t.he eyes of those savages. I had no sub-
stitute for it ; but (as the Arabian Nights have it) just
then " To hear was to obey," and I begged Nizaum
to take it from my neck and give it up. Here, how-
ever, the other brigands interfered, thinking probably
that this was a partial method of dividing the booty.
Summud Khaun called to D6na Bae, as the latter
prepared t o quit us, and said, " Take with you the
curse of the Horaua, which shall smite and wither
you, and your offspring. These men have injured
us under misapprehension, supposing us Russians and
enemies. But you knew us to be the guests of your
Khaun. You, when we were guest,s under youp own
roof, and lying side-by side with your children, swore
upon the Word of God the most solemn oaths of
fidelity, and then sold us into the hands af these men.
Be assured that the curse of the Word of God will
smite you." Dsina Bae slunk away, amid the curses
and execrations of all : even the other Kuzzauks joined
in cursing such a foul traitor. His son still lingered,
bent upon mischief, shooting the most malignant
glances upon me ; unfortunately, his power of mischief
SECOND NIGHT OF CAPTLVITP.
mas still considerable over prisoners ignorant of the
language of the country, the objects, alike, of the
avarice and fear of all.
Whilst sitting thus, awaiting the next turn 111 the
tide of our destiny, I took opportunity to sound
Cherkush Bae, and t o represent, as well as our mise-
rable Toorkish vocabulary would allow, the nature of
my office as an anibassador, and a guest of his sove-
reign. Cherkush Bae heard me with a smile; and
one of the Kuzzauks, grasping the forefinger of his
left in his right hand, said, " So much we care for an
Eelchie, and so much," changing the fore for the little
finger, " for the Khaun Huzurut." This mas rather
comforting, for I knew they cared the thickness of a
thigh for our betrayer, Hussun Mhatoor.
Two Euzzauk detachments of laden camels now
arrived, bearing the tents, women, and children of
Cherlrush Bae and Ahi-is Mhatoor. The tents were
pitched, and half the wall of another tent was erected,
to screen us from the piercing mind. The baggage
being piled at tlie entrance of this semi-circular wall,
formed a kind of enclosure, into which I beckoned my
servants. We mere now brothers in misfortune, The
Meerza was still utterly insensible.
The women lighted a fire, and boiled my rice and
meat for their dinner. Several Kuzzauks sat alwsys
at the entrance of my little enclosure. The younger
guide, watcl~ing his opportunity, when only Yar
Muhummud mas present, and when I was reclining
on my left elbow, my throat quite exposed in the
most tempting of attitudes for a heaclsman, began
whispering in Yar Muhummud's ear ; both looked
fixedly at me. It mas not difficuIt for me t o compre-
hend what the young miscreant was saying. Yar
332 SECOND NIGHT OF CAPTIVITY.
Muhummud vas the man who wounded me, and
could scarcely hope for life should I survive and
escape. As the fiend insinuated, the Kuzzauk seemed
more and more tempted. The act, indeed, would be
deemed good service by all, although none dared
execute it. He hesitated, he drew the blade half
out, he felt the edge with his thumb, then glanced
at my throat, then at the blade, whilst the tempter,
seeing his advantage, pressed keener and keener
his arguments and encouragen~ents, until his eyes
seemed absolutely on fire with malice. I would not
stir. It vas a clean death, and a worse might be the
substitute ; but I fixed my eyes firmly upon Yar
Muhummud's, and saw his quail beneath the stare.
He shuffled, looked up, looked down, returned the
sword to its scabbard, and evidently had lost the reso-
lution. Just then Cherkush Bae arrived. The fiend,
with countenance fallen and malice disappointed, up-
braided Yar Muhumlnud for his infirmity. The
moment of weakness was past. The opportunity had
escaped him.
When the food was ready, Cherkush Bae brought
some to me. We had no stomach it may be supposed ;
I least of all; but I exhorted my people to eat, and
set them the example. I told them they must husband
their strength for any emergency ; that opportunity
of escape might be lost, if their vigour were impaired.
1t was a sad and sclemn meal; it was probably to be
my last. When night fell, Ahris Mhatoor piled up
the baggage, so as more completely to enclose us ;
then placed outside armed sentinels, himself still
wielding the hatchet he had used in his attack on
our party, and stalking about with his usual hideous
grimace. The whole aspect of this man was ominous
334 PREPARATIONS.
immoveable in his determinations ; by nature a noble
and a beautiful character. At present, I knew of him
little more than his whisper of extreme eagerness,
" 'Have you gold? " had informed me, as I lay
~vounded on the earth. Upon this I desired Nizaum
and Summud to vork ; to surrender to him whatever
money they could not conceal ; with promises of
abundant increase, should he render us service. We
had not yet been regularly stripped and examined,
and part of my gold had escaped their search. I
now made Summud Khaun and Nizaurn divide this
gold into shares, and distribute i t amongst all the
servants, as a means of escape, rendering each inde-
pendent of the others. As for myself, I was not in
a condition to attempt escape, and therefore had use
for none. I desired each to look after himself, and
not think of me, whom it was impossible either to
carry with them or t o aid by remaining. I had made
up my mind, I said, if niy life mere spared, to see a
little of Ruzzauk life, and feed sheep and camels upon
the steppe. I should at least acquire a useful lan-
guage, and read a .new page in life.
When night had fallen, and I found opportunity
of speaking quietly to Nizaum, I extorted from him
a solemn promise that, in case of my death and his
escape, he would bear to Major Todd for nly mother
the assurance that my last thoughts had been of her
and of my home.
Nizaum readiIy prolllised to execute my orders ;
and I found my mind calmer after this last prepara-
tion.
I n the first edition of this work, I had unwarily
published, word for word as found in my private
journal, all the feelings and events of this night ; but
thep ore .;cnrccl~ ~ul,:lcicts of interest t o the public.
Suffice it that, frosn the ciscunast:mccs of our position,
saad the beari~lg t t l ~cf words of our captors, I did not
think it ssolaltl have pase4 avithout violence. %We,
tlnerefi~re, nay sersaasis slept, 1 watched as before; for
I felt :~ssured T caa~lii offer such ar:~,cuments for saving
t l ~ ~ i r lises n~rcl s~~storing them tcr their country as
mest be un:tnb~-e~~i>le. cc>alld T but get opportur~itr of
sgset~cl1 wit11 ttmosc I$-ho ~raigtat oger thern ~i ol e~l ce or
carry tlicln into s1:ivery. The alt<gP~t, however, possed
avitlaol~t incirleant, esceptirlg ithat twice t he sounds of
2plaroneP-hilag fost>tclks were Rt:rtsd, and that shouts
caene from tlre tent of :ihris JIll:~too.r. Tt nm, upon
the ~vllc~lc, :i rnnre weary rliglmt than the preceding.
Yet it ii~:~d its own sense of stablir~lity, bnflling all
ex1u-essien1: for 1 stood on the brink of eternity, and
n. few lililsrites might mi ke rlie wiser than the wisest
of the clirildseli of Inen.
CHAPTER XXV.
Capture of Ddaimood and Ali Muhummud-Consultations of
our Captors-Third Night of Captivity-Further Consulta-
tion-Harassing Denlands-Division of Booty-The Blan-
dishments of Beauty out of her Teens-Sentiment of Sheep's
Tails-Delicacy and Sympathy of Kuzzauk Woluea-Misery
of our Positmion this Day-The Poor Meerea's View of the
Case-Further Partition of Spoils-.Recovery of the Royal
Presents-Rape of the Cloak and the Kerchief-Three of
of my Suite taken off as Slaves-Rescue of Nizaum-Survey
of Sclmrnud Ehaun-State of my Wounds-New Guide to
Mecca-Lamentable Want of Beligious Fury amongst the
Kuzzauks.
eht, many Kuzzauks from neighbouring
AT Khails, daylia collected to stare at us, and afterwards
consult as to our disposal. Great anxiety was ex-
pressed, for the return of my interpreter, Ali Mu-
hummud. But, although very helpless without him,
I earnestly trusted that he and Mairnood, the groom,
had escaped. At noon this hope was frustrated.
Mnimood was brought back by a party of Kuzzauks ;
and soon afterwards, Ali Muliumrnud himself ap-
peared, bound, and slightly wounded. They stated,
that being struck down in the first assault, they had
crept into a thicket, whence they had witnessed the
conclusion of the afi ay. They heard a pistol fired,
which inspired them with some hope ; but, soon after,
a Kuzzauli: had passed, dressed in my garments, which
persuaded them that I was slain. At daybreak they
THIRD NIGHT OF CAPTIVITY. 337
pursued the route towards Dahsh Cullah, and had
already travelled more than half the distance, when
they were pursued, fired at, taken, mercilessly beaten
and wounded. Poor fellows, our greeting was mournful
indeed.
The assembled Kuzzauks now made a hearty meal
of my mutton, rice, and sugar, the two latter articles
being great luxuries in their eyes ; and then, forming
a circle, consulted how they should dispose of us. All
we could learn, was an imperfect repost that, there
being a general order in force, that Russian prisoners
should be sent alive to Ehiva, their goods being the
property of the captors, they proposed so to dispose
of us.
The consultations lasted until night. We were
then secured as before. 1 had been conversing with
my people, upon the extreme improbability of t he
Euzzauks committing such a blunder as to spare me ;
and endeavouring to prepare them for my death, and
for their own condition as slaves, when I should be
gone ; authorising them to offer, in the name of the
Envoy at Heraut, any sum as their ransom. They
resisted the notion, and I was in the very act of
giving my reasons, when six of the brigands ap-
proached slowly, entered our little circle in silence,
and deliberately arming themselves, half drew their
swords, and felt the edges with their fingers. It was
a moment of strange suspense. I perceived in the
eyes of all my people, that a single impression was
common to all, as they sat breathless around me.
The Euzzauks lingered some time, eyeing us with-
out uttering a word, and then departed to Ahris
Mhatoor's tent, as slowly as they had come. Again
I sat up all night, to watch over the safety of my
VOL. I. 22
1
338 PARTITION OF BOOTY.
I
people, Once or t,wice, I was startled by wild hnlloos.
I I
but they
to be no Inore than the efforts of
\
Kuezauks t o amaken the dogs t hat g~r:trcl their sheep.
The baying &ft footfalls of these p~&rdinlis of
the night might be heard in f d l chase of ,?. ~ o l f or
a fox. But even this night hacl its morning, the
morning of the most trying day i t q-as our lot to
I
witness.
The Kuezauks early assembled, and again sat in
consultation.
They betrayed less respect that1 ever
for my person.
One of dhcm Iiacl the effrontery to
put on my uniforll~ close in front uf rne.
I apl)ealccl
to Cherkush Bae ; for 1 felt the extreme irnportnncc
of preserving what re~nainecl of m ~ - dignit.. I-ic.
chased away the intruder. A violent 'r'elloiT, who
had been i n close conference with our younger g~aiclc,
commenced a violent dispute with the gorrtll who
had assumed my garments : and at length l~ctearne
so furions, that making at the young ~: LI I , he boxed
I
his ears, and tore the clothes fsom his back. rFl ki ~,
I well understood, was from no love to me.
Tile
denuded Kuzzauk mounted one of my horses, arlct
?
galloped off.
One of our greatest torments had been t he con-
stant demand, made by Kuzza-ulcs, for some 21-tiolc.
of our equipment, whether of dress 01% horse-fru.lli-
ture. This, my people were obliged to find fhr tliern
every five minutes, and t o receive back ~vl l cn tllc.ir
caprice was satisfied. These demands were Ilnw xlladc
with increased assiduity. Sometirncs, I [lad to rise,
whilst a Euszauk examined the carpet upon lvliicll
I sat, and again threw i t down in a hear before
Sometimes, I was desired t o surrender my furred
cloalc, which was an object much coveted 1 ) ~ allil.
DIYISION OF BOOTY. 339
the last case, I almays appealed to Cherkush Bae or
Ahris Mhatoor, for I was aware that even 'L Majesty "
will not bear the loss of externals. They readily inter-
fered, to prevent my being stripped.
My property mas now collected in a heap. The
bags vere opened, and the Kuzzauks seated them-
selves around them. Ahris Ifhatoor, hatchet in hand,
cried in a loud voice to each of our assailants in t.urn,
t o come and choose. After s pause, and some con-
sultatioa, Ali Muhummud mas called and directed
t o select and set apart his own horse, arms, and
clothes. I feared that they were about to form lots,
for the distribution of each individual with his ar ms
and goods : but it proved, that Ali had declayed him-
self to be a servant of the Ghoosh Beegie" of Ehi va,
and that they feared to molest him. The selection
went 011 rapidly. First, were chosen t'he cloth cloaks,
then those of silk, then the pieces of broad cloth,
aft,erurards coverlets, swords, and inferior articles ;
and last, my Cashmere shawl, of which none knew
the use or value.
Whilst this business proceeded rapidly, an old wo-
man of ninety years, mother of Cherkush and Ahris,
toddled up to my little forlolx circle. I made her
take a seat. She smiled up011 me lovingly, calling
me her Chiraug, literally, lamp " ; and i t must be
remembered, that Euzzauk lamps are fed with t he
fat of Doombha tails, a circumstance that somewhat
perplexes the sentiment. Nevertheless, as the Chiraug
is their only light, it has become their fondest t er m
of endearment.
* Ghoosh Beegie-literally "Lord of Fowls." That is, Chief
Fowler or Falconer, the second office in the State, the first
being the Mehtur, or Lord of the Horse.
22 *
340 KUZZAUK CONDOLENCE.
" Ah, my (Ihiraug," said the ancient dame, with
a smile of blandishment ; <' are all these goods
yours ? "
" They were mine just now."
'< And all these servants ? "
" Yes ! "
L L How rich yo11 are. Pray give me a gift, a cloak,
or a shirt, or a silk kerchief ! "
I assured her I had no longer power over the
goods ; but she replied, " Ah, my lamp, I: must have
something. Some little gift."
I pointed to the Kuzzauks, and recommended her
to ask them, and off she stumped on the errand. I
soon perceived that her eloquence had been rewarded
with a cloak, which one of the Kuzaauks threw over
her shoulders. Several other women came to condole
with us, and to beg of me gifts. There was some-
thing ludicrous, yet infinitely chilling, in all this. .
It mas the triumph of avarice over feelings naturally
tender. It was, as if one of our delicate European
females should approach the live ox, from which a
Tartar had just cut his beefsteak, saying, "Ah !
my poor pet, my heart bleeds for you; just stand,
whilst I cut a leetle slice from your shoulder." The
Kuzzauk women shed tears over our melancholy con-
dition, and ere they were dry, plundered us of the
few miserable articles, which their sons and husbands
had left us.
Our condition throughout this day was truly
wretched. A state of torturous suspense which no
certainty can equal. Despab, Like those acids which
destroy the nerves, arms the heart with an insensible
panoply, proof against further suffering. Suspense
is a demon, that lacerates without deadening the
THE MEERZA'S VIRW. 341
nerves, and wreaks its spite upon the most sensitive
and least vital portions of the soul. Some of my
horses had been at once carried off. Two or three
had been left, but in a condition so wretched, t hat it
was misery to behold them. Two or thTee days' hard
work, without food, had reduced them t o skeletons.
The poor Meerza, whenever for a moment wakened
from his lethargy, enquired after his horse. " Aye,
Ali Muhummud, where is my horse ? Has he beell
fed ? Is he surely fastened ? And aye, Ali Muhum-
mud, what are we doing here ? It is much bet.ter t o
be moving. I feel bruised all over. Look at my
hands ! What can be the matter with them ? and
my head is so heavy, that I can scarcely hold it up.
Aye, Ali Muhummud, where is the Word of God ?
Are you sure it is safe? Let us get on quickly to
Dahsh Gullah. It is useless to loiter here. Aye, Ali
Muhummud, someone has taken my whip : I don' t
see it. What can have become of it ? "
To all this, Ali Muhummud, whose extreme good
nature had made him, as we have seen, the servant of
several of my suite, could only reply, L' Aye, Meerza,
we are as it has pleased God to ordain. Ask no
questions, but go to sleep again." The Meerza, after
two or three more ejaculations, obeyed an injunction,
which the injury his brain had sustained rendered
imperative. We found the poor Meerza's whip, and
gave i t him. He stuck it in his girdle, and for a
fortnight afterwards it served to abate his anxiety t o
be moving : for when his hand fell upon it, he was
persuaded that preparations for the journey were in
progress. Poor fellow ! the first four days he lay
motionless, in a dead sleep, fi-om which it was scarcely
possible to arouse him. When wakened, he would eat
342 STATE OF THE MEERZA.
nothing, and resisted all our efforts and persuasions.
After some days this lethargy abated; but his wits
were gone. It appeared that he had been asleep the
night of the attack, and had awakened only in time to
be felled by repeated blows upon his bald head, as he
attempted to rise. He never, therefore, co~zld under-
stand what had occurred ; and as he lost thereby
much of the anxiety and suffering we endured, we
were not over-anxious to inform him. At times,
however, a sense of his position dawned upon him,
and then much keen cunning was displayed.
When the goods had been distributed, and some
fifty rude ICuzzauks made gay with our spoils, two or
three of them came and demanded the bag of silver,
which the guide had been made to restore. I ordered
Summud Ehaun t o surrender it. It happened, that
he had added to the bag ten or fifteen small silver
coins, which he now withdrew. Ahris Mhatoor,
thinking they were a part of the original sum, drew
a sword, and was with diffic~lty prevented from mur-
dering him. The coins were equally distributed : but
Yar Muhummud had contrived to appropriate ten
golden pieces belonging to the Meerza.
When Ali Muhummud first returned, after ex-
plaining more fully the nature of my mission, I had
begged the Kuzzauks be careful of the sabre and
jewelled dagger and harness, entrusted to me by
the Ehaun Huzurut ; as well as all the papers in
my possession. I made them welcome to everything
else, upon condition of their immediately conveying
me and my people to Dahsh Gullah ; search was made
for the articles. The sabre and dagger were soon
found. The former was openly worn, in utter igno-
smce of its value, by the young fellow who had
CERTAIN ARTICLES RESTORED. 343
paraded in my uniform. A side-blow from a club
had, however, ruined its symmetry. The dagger
was also discovered, without much difficulty ; the
bTigand who had torn it from my side, not con-
jecturing that its rich jewels were anything more
precious than glass ; but the harness was long in
appearing, not that the gold and jewels with which
it was studded were recognised as such, but because
it was a piece of finery of extreme value in the eyes
of a nation of horsemen. The dagger, in spite of my
remonstrances, was returned to me, for as I had now
no longer the means of guarding it, I did not like to
be burthened with the responsibility. Fifty times
a day, it was in the hands of some rude Kuzzauk,
who would draw, handle, examine, and afterwards
return it.
As soon as the division of spoils was complete, and
whilst I and my people awaited our sentence, with no
enviable feelings, the violent fellow who had despoiled
his companion of niy garments, stepped up to me,
and insisted upon h a ~ g my furred cloak. I remon-
strated. He drew his sword, and gave me the choice
of death or surrender of the garment. I accordingly
stripped it, or rather caused my servants to strip it
from my shoulders, and he carried it off in triumph.
Yar Muhummud followed, and took from me the
sling which supported my shattered hand ; and as
tlie remainder of my garments were sufficiently
costly in their eyes, I expected to have been lefi
naked.
Just then a boy of thirteen years, son of Ahris
Mhatoor, approached me. He had previously visited .
me several times, and by his smile of encouragement,
led me sometimes to hope that mercy would be shewn
344 DISPOSAL OF MY SUITE.
us. He now took me by the hand, and led me into
his father's tent. The old Meerza followed, but some
of my people were arrested in the attempt, and forced
to remain without. Summud Khaun and Ali Mu-
hummud were taken to Cherkush Baeys tent. The
women and children shewed me many little atten-
tions. They consisted of the ancient dame already
mentioned, Ahris Mhatoor's wife, a woman of forty,
who must have been handsome, the boy of thirteen, a
girl of eleven, and four other children, of whom the
youngest was an infant. Maimood, the groom, soon
followed me, bathed in tears. " They are carrying me
off to slavery," he said. I remonstrated earnestly,
but to no purpose. He knelt down and covered my
hands with tears. I laid my hand upon his head, and
commended him to God's keeping. He was then
dragged away. Hajji and Yakoob shared a similar
fate. Yakoob and Maimood were bosom friends, and
their separation from one another was a most mourn-
ful sight. Even the rude Kuzzauks were moved. But
when t>hey would have led away Nizaum also, he
escaped into the tent', and throwing himself at my
feet, exclaimed, '' Aye, Sahib, Sahib, all my hope is
with you. I have left my widowed mother to follow
your steps. Do not suffer them to separate me from
you." I made a last effort, and laying my hand upon
the shoulder of Ahris Mhatoor, besought him, in the
most earnest manner, to spare Nizaum. He hesitated.
I renewed my pleading. At length he yielded, saying,
" If you have any money, give it to satisfy those to
whose lot Nizaum has fallen." I consulted Nizaum,
and found, to my great joy, that a bag of Russian
silver had escaped their search. I made him surrender
it to Ahris, who divided it amongst the claimants.
A QUEER BARGAIN.
\
These, however, were not yet satisfied. They took a
survey of the rest of my suite. The poor old Meerza
was mere carrion; and Ali Muhummud, under his
assumed character of servant of the Ghoosh Beegie,
they dared not touch. Surnmud Khaun was keenly
scrutinized. His grey beard, which had been dyed
a jetty black on leaving Khiva, was now shewing
sundry autumnal tints of bright orange, wheye the
indigo had given place to the henna. He was a
seedy-looking fellow, full of groans, and wealthy in
old cloaks and measureless inexpressibles. They
didn't half fancy him. One of them, however, after
a long examination of his beard, and perplexed com-
parison of it with his physiognomy (for dyes are
unhown t'o the Euzzauks), enquired his age ; and
.
as he is not much past fifty, he coolly answered five
and twenty ; vanity, for the moment, mastering his
habitual caution. This produced a shout of merri-
ment, which made the tent ring. Fortunately, he
was not believed; and his apparent utter helplessness
disinclined anyone to the burthen of feeding one,
whose jaw appeared his most active member, and who
was so fundamentally objectionable. I afterwards
asked Summud, what could induce him to tell so
barefaced and impolitic a lie. He declared it was. no
lie. That when asked his age, he considered that
the age of his manhood was intended, and dated
accordingly from the full growth of his beard. The
parting was very mournful. So long as we were
together, all seemed not lost. We were a mutual
support and solace.
This business discussed, Cherkush Bae came t,o
examine and dress my hand. The first day and two
nights it had been tied up with no attention to the
346 DRESSING WOUNDS.
position of fingers, or the bringing together of the
lips of mounds. The second day I had made Kzaum
renew the bandages, and place the members in some
shape. Che~kush now handled it with great tender-
ness ; but I foyesaw, that for want of proper ligatures,
the middle finger, mhich was hanging on, would be
lost, I begged him to glue strips of paper from the
finger to the hand, to keep it in position, and prevent
the ends of the bone from chafing one another. My
ignorance of the language rendered it impossible for
me to convince him of the necessity of this, and the
finger mas eventualiy lost. To the wound he applied
burnt alum, which gave much pain, and I think did
no good. Over the alum he spread a tent of scraped
leather, and he supported the disjointed thumb upon
a splint of wood. My other sabre cuts, of which I
had three, were mere scratches. I never knew how
I received them, for the blow of a sabre and that of a
stick produced nearly the same sensation, and the
night was too dark for the eye to distinguish one
weapon from another. A rag, that had once flourished
in the coarse petticoat of my hostess, profoundly igno-
rant of the watery element, for an unknown number
of years, was now, after a soaking in melted snow,
adjusted as a sling to my arm. Even this miserable
wreck of an ancient petticoat was almost daily cap-
tured from me, and recovered with difficulty ; so
destitute is this primitive race of what we consider
the coarsest articles of comfort.
My pocket sextant was brought to me, and its use
demanded. I declined answering, for necromancy
was one of the charges against me ; and a solar ob-
servation would have been the very grandfather of
the forbidden art. Ali Muhummud replied for m,
NEW GUIDE TO NECCB.
347
that it was a Eibla Noomkh, or compass pointing out
i Mecca. This greatly delighted them; and if their
prayers have not made, through means of it, suceessf'ul
voyages, it is neither my fault nor dl i Muhummud's.
My ignorance of the language sometimes saved me
great embarrassment ; for, as Ali's safety aas depen-
dent upon milie, he vas careful never to interpret for
me any part of a question ~vhich might have elicited
from me a dangerous reply; at least, from observa-
tion of gestures and countenances, I was inclined
~omet~imes to suspect such to be the case ; anci it is
probable that he occasionally took liberties with my
replies. Not many searching questions, hox~ever,
were put. For these simple shepherds are quite igno-
rant of those nice distinctions of faith upon rrhich
more civilized nations damn and murder one anothe~.
They take it for granted, that everyone who worships
one only God must be *a good l.Ioosulmaun,and that
all others are Kawf'urs or infidels; of vhom they
naturally enough conclude the Kooxulbaush* (an
epithet embracing the whole Persian nation) to be
the most venomous, because nearest themselves in
faith, and within reach of their forays.
* Koozulbaush-literally " Red-head," derived from the red
lining which breaks through the couical lambskin cap of the
Perso-Tartar clan Afshar. This clan lying nearest of the Per-
sians to Khaurism, " Eoozulbaush " has become syllonyrnous
with " Persian."
CHAPTER XXVI.
Inmates of Ahris Mhatoor's Tent-The buxom old Girl of
Ninety-five-Her Relish of Bon-bons-Ahris' Wife, Children,
and Dogs-Euzzauk Diet-Voracity-Conteupt of Medicines
-Rescue of the Cloak-First Night as Prisoners in a Kuz-
zauk Household-Hopeless Prospect around me-Melan-
choly induced thereby-Cherkush Bae-His Wife's Pity for
me, and Love of my Apparel -Humanity of Kuzzauk
Maidens, how evinced-How by civilized Ladies-Persons of
my People searched-Meerza's Astuteness-SummudEhaun's
Wit-False Alarm-Change Camp-Intrigue for our Libera-
tion-Resolution of the Grey Beards-Negotiations for our
Release-Again shift Camp.
HAVE already enumerated the inmates of Ahris
f
Mhatoor's tent. The old lady lay at my head.
She was prodigal of her personal charms ; and we had
difficulty in convincing her, that garments were either
1
useful or ornamental. She made A.li, in front of us
'i
all, about the coolest proposition I ever heard from a
lady of ninety-five. She had a little pet whim, which
sometimes rather disgusted me. When on any grand
occasion a sheep was slain, the head was her morsel.
She gnawed it well over-night, and then popped it
f
under her pillow, as children dispose of sugar-plums,
to be the subject of her dreams all night, and her first
waking care. The gnawing of this sheep's head, with
x
all its hol-sible appurtenances, eyes, ears, tongue, and
brain, would at any other time have sickened as well
as horrified me. But hardship is a good tutor, and
SPECULATIOXS. 349
t he simple milk diet of the Iiuzzauk leaves no irrita-
bility to the nerves of the stomach. The sight vas
very hideous. I sometimes fancied I had fallen from
my grade in the creation, and become the mate of
wolves and hy~nas .
At o t h e ~ times, I speculated upon mutton-eating in
general. I figured to myself the most lovely of our
English ladies, in a state of nature, and in a land
possessing, like this, neither fruit nor vegetable, but
an abunclnnce of fat-tailed sheep. I imagined a call
from the larder. How would it be ansmered ? She
goes forth into the steppe, she climbs the lxost ele-
vated point. She throws her wild keen eye around
the horizon. She sinks snddenly to the earth. She
has spied her fleecy prey. She creeps cautiously, on
all fours, along the steppe, her dishevelled locks droop
to the earth. Her eye, so blue of late, is suflused
with blood, it shoots through those long locks, tongues
of fire. It is 3 comet, collsumlllg the azure of
heaven. See how she winds and crouches, for the
shelter of the smallest bush, or tuft, or hollow.
The
sentinel of the muttons is beginning t o stare. He
smells something very like a rat. He twinkles his
yellow eye. He wrinkles his forehead. He doesn't
half like i t ; would not take upon his conscience to
declare, &c. &c. He swings his tail like the great
bell of Moscom. He is just about to feather it, has
actually collected wind into his lungs to utter that
redoubtable Baa-a," and lifted his foot for that deci-
sive stainp, at which the whole army will take fight ;
P when he feels a something tickling his ear, and
stealing into the fattest cockle of his heart. What can.
it be ? The very voice of his o m little son and heir.
His Benjamin, the child of his old age, the picture,
350 WONAN HER OWN BUTCHER.
the living image of himself. His heart is melted. He
looks affectionately toward the sound. A keen red
gleam of fire shoots through him, like a red-hot spit,
curdling his vesy tallow. What can it be? His
doubt lends a dash of the sublime to his parental
emotions: he puts back his head just to scratch his
backbone with the tip of the light horn. I n an
instant, the wild creature is upon them. Scarcely
has he time to utter the first letter of his Ban, or wish
his huge tail at Jericho ; so imminent is the peril, so
headlong the flight. One, two, aerial bounds ! Beau-
tiful, graceful, mischievous creature, where learned
ye that pas de zeplty~ ? A third. She is upon him,
even him, the genius and the hope of t'he flock. Her
snom-white feet are on his woolly back, her lily hands
are busy with his throat. He speeds, he lashes his
tail, he roars with a roar that would addle the wits of
$he bravest mutton. It dies into a gurgle. It ceases.
He falls heavily to the earth. Those beauteous arms
around his throat, those taper fingers on his windpipe.
He kicks-once, twice, thrice. He was no common
mutton! She purrs over him with delight. She
gnaws one leetle hole just under his ear. There are
pressed her ruby lips. Her warm sweet breath will
surely fan him to life. Has she let blood for this
purpose ? I s it remorse, soft pity that. moves her ?
Look at her eye, and consider : for I can follow her
no farther. I s this woman, lovely woman? No!
Thanks to him who invented butchers, it is not.
My hostess, Ahris' wife, was a thoroughly good
woman. She had protested against the attack upon
me, and now did her utmost to alleviate our suffer-
ings, lavishing upon ine a thousand trifling attentions,
which nly situattion rendered very acceptable, 1
A KUXZAUK TENT.
351
shared with her children, equally, the food she pas-
sessed; and if by accident, any Kuzzauk fi-om the
Russian frontier brought a handful of coarse meal
into the tent, a Benjamin's portion of the little cake,
cooked from it, was ever mine.
Two dogs completed t he circle of this t,ent, in mhich
the Meerza, Nizaum, and myself were prisoners. But
we seldom lay down t o rest with less than one or
two guests. The beds consisted of Nummuds, or
thick felts, full of lice, upon which the person of a
female was deposited, en chemise, that of a man in
a state of innocence. The cloak of sheepskin was
drawn over the 'person, and if more covering were
necessary, it was, in like manner, found, in the clothes
worn by day. Darkness served as a dressing-room
to all parties.
The sheep, t o the number of five hundred, about
seven female camels, and a pony ; all the property of
the two brothers, were collected at night near the
tent, and slept there, under the protection of four or
five large dogs. The milk of the sheep and camels
formed the sole sustenance of the two families. When
brought home, i t was poured into the large cauldron
so often mentioned, and heated by a fire of brush-
wood. As soon as the scum was formed, the children
collected around it, brandishing each a wooden spoon,
which passed from mouth to milk, and from milk to
mouth with the utmost celerity, until trhe scum formed
upon the milk was quite consumed. I t was then
poured warm into the skin which had contained the
curds of the preceding day ; the acid of which curdled
the fresh supply. It is i n this form alone that milk
is consumed by the Kuzzauks. It was at first very
disagreeable to my palate; but habit and hunger soon
352 KUZZAUK DIET.
taught me to deem it delicious.
An addition of .five
open mouths t~ the household, induced our hostess to
add a moiety of snow-water to the aliment, by way
of eking out the quantity. This, of course, was no
improvement. Cheese and butter I have never seen
ill Kuzzauk tents, although the former is made by
Toorcumuns: and cream were too expensive an
article for any but the wealthy : for the miserable
pasture of the steppe can yield but a poor return in
milk. '1
At long intervals, a sheep is slain, cut up with
wondrous celerity, and tossed warm and almost alive
into the cauldron. I t is then eaten without any ac-
compani~nent of bread, rice, or vegetable; things,
which t he country does not produce, and which are
purchased, at a heavy expense, in very small quanti-
ties, on the Russian frontier. Two hours or so after
the death of the sheep, not a vestige of i t remains,
The very bones are chewed, and pieces of the skin are
fried in the embers and eat'en. No provision is left
for the unfortunate dogs; and the steppe produces
none. I never could understand how they subsisted.
During winter, when the supply of milk fails, the
Iiuzzauks live greatly upon the flesh of their flocks
and herds, which they salt and dry for the purpose.
But I confess, it is an enigma to me, how this supply
can ever suffice, without aid of grain or vegetables;
for I have been present, many times, at the discussion
of an entire sheep, when milk was abundant, and
have never known a 'particle of the flesh left for a
second meal: so that, during three or four months of
the year, a sheep would be requisite every day, for
the subsistence of a household ; undoubtedly, large
numbers are consumed during the mt e r , which
RECOTERY OF BIT CLOAK. 353
renders strict economy necessary during the spring
and summer months,
The milk diet is so conducive to health, t hat disease
is a thing unknown to the Kuzsauks ; and when, upon
opening a packet of my medicines, I endeavoured t o
esplain the use of them, they had great difficulty in
even comprehending my meaning, and cast t he drugs
away as useless. They have, nevertheless, great faith
in all vulnera~y applications ; several of which, as
isinglass, alum, vitriol, they procure from Russia.
The effect of the milk diet upon myself mas peculiar.
A draught of curds produced the eshilaration of
nerves vhich is esperienced from a cup of ten or
coffee ; and heaviness never follosved the most copious
potation. Indeed, iny hunger mas seldom appeased,
so great was the extra demand occasioned by myself
and people.
When Ahris Xhatoor perceived that I had been
robbed of my cloak, and understood the circumstances,
he sallied forth with a Ruszauk whip in his hand, of
the thickness of three ordinary fingers, and, over-
taking the spoiler, belztboured him until he surren-
dered it. I begged him to accept it for his pains, but
he was ashamed to do so, although evidently under
strong temptation ; and I, homi ng the importance
of preserving a decent exterior, did not press him
beyond st certain point. He, hornever, had no scruple
in making Surnrnud Khauu surrender a handsome
cloak, which he more, and which dhri s immediately
appropriated.
In the tent -with me mas the old SIeerza; i n t he
other tent lay Summud Khaun, Ali 3Iuhummud,
Cherkush Bae, his old vife, and grovn-up daughter,
the latter a raw-boned, square, and crimson-faced
YOL. I, 23
3 54 NIGHT AND MORNING.
damsel, of some two and twenty years. Night fell,
and we lay down to rest. Sleep in my case was
impossible, owing to the pain of my shattered hand,
and my dread lest the dogs occupying the tent
should touch it in passing; for more than a month
I could not rest it upon my body or the earth, but
at night propped i t in an upright posture upon the
elbow.
Night passed, and morning dawned. I went forth,
and sat upon a fragment of earth upon the desolate
plain, whilst the women lighted the fire, and milked
the sheep and camels. A drizzling rain was falling.
The weather was in keeping with my thought,^. Pre-
sently, Cherkush Bae approeched, bearing a wooden
bowl filled with mahss (curdled milk). He offered
it witch a smile of encouragement that went to my
heart,. I lived upon this man's smiles during the
remainder of my capt'ivity. I divided the bowl with
my servants ; and, that they might never be neglected,
as inferior in importance to myself, I wade it an in-
variable custom to share with them all, even to the
most trifling al-ticle of comfort, that at any time fell
to my lot. I found every member of the two families
anxious that we should want for nothing with which
they could supply US.
Many Kuzzauks visited the tent this day, some of
them men of rank amongst that wild race. One of
them, a very handsome man, of very unprepossessing
countenance, protested in strong terms against the
sin and shame of attacking an ambassador. "Yes,"
replied I, when Ali Muhummud had interpyeted his
words, '' he has not shared in the plunder." I was
amused with the conduct of the women with whom we
dwelt. Whilst shedding tears of sympathy over our
FEMALE SYMPATHY. 3%
misfortunes and my sufferings, they were cutting up
om clothes into dresses for themselves, and stealing
from us every trifling article which their husbands
had spared. Cherkush Bae's wife would come and
kneel at my feet, and weep over me; but in the midst
of her tears, her hands stole involuntarily to my cloak,
which she fingered with equal tenderness and affec-
tion. I fancied I could hear her say, " Poor thing !
what a very soft skin it has. What a pity that it
must die ! What a pity that it should die out of our
tent ! " One day, when I was disgusted to an unusual
degree by those crocodile tears, I made Ali translate
to the lady her own sentiment. She mas dreadfully
shocked ; yet the fingers could not leave off fingering
the furred cloak. Her daughter's synipathy betrayed
itself in a more amiable and less questionable ma~mer.
If she saw me fairly nonplussed, through my crippled
condition, i n the endeavour to free myself from those
intruders, whose name was " Legion," she would fly
-
across the tent to my rescue, dodge the intruder into
a corner, seize him by the nape of the neck, and send
his indignant spirit full trot to the shades below. A
civilized maiden wo ~ ~ l d shew her humanity by crack-
ing a heart.
The fair Euzzauk evinced hers by
cracking a 1- .
I leave it to philosophers and
divines t o judge between them.
Many Kuzzauks this day crowded the tent to stase
at us. Nizauul had yielded up cash after having been
searched. I t struck them that there might be more.
Nizaum was examined, but nothing wad found upon
him. The Meerza was next stripped, and we sat in
breathless suspense, awaiting the result, for he had
thirty ducats of his own and thirty gold coins of mine
in a belt around his loins, and, as he was quite de-
23 *
ranged, i t seemed improbable that this money should
escape the spoilers. But an Asiatic's wits must be
far gone, indeed, to desert him when money is at stake.
Although he had hitherto lain quite helpless, and
almost insensible, recovering only from time to time,
sufficiently to betray the complete derangement of his
intellect, yet now he acted his part with the most
consummate skill. There were at least a dozen pair
of eyes searching him keenly, and hands were
over his body and garments from head to foot.
He
fought his may step by step. Not a gar-
ment -was yielded ~vithout a battle, and the multiplicity
of wrappers being each in turn examined without
effect, the searchers began to despair. Still there re-
mained the nethermost garment, but this the old gen-
tleman would not suffer to be removed ; and at length,
even the Kuzzauks were ashamed to insist upon his
open exposure. They passed their hands carefully
over his body, but decency prevented them from
hitting the golden vein; and, to our great relief,
almost amusement, me saw them retreat, completely
baffled, and the old man resume his garments, and
reseat himself at my side. This, however, was the
utmost effort his reason was capable of. The instant
he found himself dressed, he began to whisper in my
ear, in a voice that rang through the tent, C C I've got
your thirty tillas round my waist, and my own thi&
ducats. I tell you, but won't tell anyone else." I
touched him, and signed to him with my eyes to be
silent, but all was lost upon him. " Tilla " and
6b bh'joglie,"' names well known to the Kuzzauks, rang
* Tilla, literally '( gold," is the name of the gold coins of
Khiva and Bokhara.
" Bh'joglie " is applied to the ducat on
account of the figure of Mercury which it bears,
Bh'joglie "
signifying " demon!'
ITS STCCESS. 357'
loudly, attracting the attention of all the women; the
vers ~vhisper at that moment WRS s~lfficicnt t o excite
I
suspicion. Fortunately the Inen were at this time
utterly bewildered in the nuinberless unmentionables,
cloaks, k c . of Summud lih~aun. He too had money ;
where, I know not, for every garment he possessed
was in itself a labyrinth ; the search of one woul d have
occupied a meek, and their number seemed infinite.
He, too, mas more than a match at this work for a
dozen Kuzzauks. He growled and snarled at them,
right and left, and fairly bullied them into the belief
that he had nothing. It was evident that the work
mas ne v to the Ruzzauks, for they did not prosecute
it in a masterly manner.
The old Meerza continued during the remainder
of the day t o doze and wake alternately, losing no
opportullity of whispering to me the secret of his
possession. I perceived that there was no safety in
leaving the gold upon him, the more especially as
it seemed improbable that he should long survi ve the
violence he had suffe~ed, when the money woul d be
seized by the Kuzzauks. 1 therefore determined t o
relieve him of the charge of my thirty gold pieces at
the earliest opportunity, still leaving him the richest
of the party.
Another day wore away, and another night. An-
other morning dawned upon us, and again I mas
seated upon the rock, looking over that dark, desolate
plain, wrapped in a sense of utter helplessness, and
vainly endeavouring t o shape some ma ns of deliver-
ance. Ahris Mhatoor passed me, matchlock in hand :
I perceived that the match was lighted. He set up a
horse's skull upon a stick, as a sign-post to warn any
who should seek the family, after their depart ure, of
358 CHANGE GROUND.
the direction they had pursued on breaking up camp.
Ahris, soon after, mounted a horse and rode off, and
the women pulled d o m the tents, and packed them
and their goods upon the camels. The sheep and
lambs were entrusted to the children. One of my
horses mas found for me. The Meerza mas placed
upon a camel; but the rest of my people mere obliged
t o walk.
" This is sad work for you, Nizaum," I said, as he
led my horse, which my bandaged hands prevented
me from guiding; "your horse, too, will scarcely like
a change of masters."
Nizaum had one answer for every occasion.
" It
is my destiny, Sahib ; and whatever is a man's
destiny comes to pass."
This is a piece of rare philosophy very comforting
to some minds. It is, as if one should say to him,
whose head is just broken by a hammer, " Iron is iron,
and bone is bone, therefore be content."
A spot being found near the brink of the cliffs, where
the snow was still retained in certain hollows, and
where young grass w ~ s springing, the women pitched
the two tents, whilst t,he children drove the sheep and
lambs, in separate' flocks, to pasture. Whilst the
women were thus engaged, I seized the opportunity,
and taking my people to some little distance, de-
manded of the Meerza the money he had in charge.
The forlorn state of his intellect placed us in some
jeopardy, for he did not like -relinquishing his
charge, and spoke loudly in answer to my enquiries.
It was, however, at length accomplished, and I
divided the thirty gold pieces amongst my people,
so as to make nearly an equal distribution of funds
to all.
Our life in these rude tents was too ivonotonous to
form subject for a diary, unless, indeed, I had de-
tailed daily, whilst fresh in my remembrance, the
conversations of the Kuzzauks who visited us, and
the hopes and fears to which they gave rise. My
own thoughts and feelings, too, under these circum-
stances, might be curious, for, from my infancy, I
have been prone to philosophise, and draw results
from the present aspect of circumstances, very dif-
ferent froni those which content mankind. But,
although I endeavoured at the time to iinpress
such particulars upon my memory, t hat memoly has
subsequently been over-tasked, and it is only in
particular instances that either t he scenes or
the thoughts of those days of heaviness are to be
recovered.
The mystery of Cherkush Bae's services to me,
was now explained. He had an only son, a prisoner
at Dahsh Gullah, having been betrayed to the Rus-
sians, by the treachery of a comrade. When he heard
of the proposition to attack the Russian ambassador,
and seize his property, he conseased readily to become
a party, determining to save the ,Russian's life, and
exchange him for his only son, for whom he had long
been pining. Hence his anxiety about me, as I lay
wounded on the field of strife, which I had often,
but vainly, endeavoured to account for. Hence his
ernot,ion, when I spoke of gold, which might purchase
the ransom of his child ; hence, too, t he fact, that
whilst the other assailants in the division of booty
were handsomely provided for, he and his brother
had charged themselves with little more than the
burthen of five mouths.
We were not altogether idle. By means of +Ui
Muhummud, I endeavoured to place before the eyes
of the brothers such hopes as should induce them to
take up my cause with zeal, and do something more
than give me vague promises of rescue. My desire
mas to push on to Dahsh Gullah. There lay my
duty, my mission was still unfulfilled ; and when
I calmly veighed together the difficulties of either
route, it seemed to me that Khiva was out of the
question. I found, however, that this proposition
mas always most coldly received, and the cause I soon
learned.
One night, Ahris Mhatoor (who was generally
absent great part of the day), returned late, and had
a secret confererice with his wife, which Nizaum over-
heard. She urged him to set us free, and re-conduct
us to Khiva, assuring him that he might rely upon
my gratitude : that it was evident, from my affection
for my servants, that I never forgot a kindness, and
that all my people declared this was the character of
the English nation.
He replied, that he had just returned from con-
sulting the elders of the tribe, who agreed that the
injury I had received was not to be forgiven, and that
there was but one way of disposing of him, whom
they had so deeply injured.
I lay down to rest this night in the supposition
that I should never again rise. I even lay in such a
posture that the deat,h-stroke might not awaken me.
It had always seemed to me, that the pain of death
was a mere want of resolution to die - the last
despairing struggle. As, in the case of one whom
an infant could disable by a touch upon the mangled
and inflamed hand, any such strife must be utterly
hopeless, I had, from the first, resolved to suffer
without a struggle.
I endeavoured to sleep, but my
mind was excited, and the pain of my nround was
ever unfavourable to repose. Twice in the night I
saw the naked gigantic form of Ahris Mhatoor stride
across the crowded tent. I. lay perfectly still, con-
trolling my excited fancy. He passed me, and returned
to his bed. The night, with all its acconlpaniments
of sublimity and gloom, at length rolled away, and
again I blessed the All-merciful for the light of an
added day.
I must not omit a melancholy concomitant of my
captivity. One of the fernale camels of Cherkush had
lost its young; and the skin, according to the custom
of' the country, had been stuffed, and was shewn to
the camel whenever they wished t>o milk her. I could
not distinctly ascertain the motive of this ; but the
effect of the contrivance was a constant renewal of
the sorrows of the unfortunate mother, which were
expressed in a tone so liuman, so like those of a
woman wailing over her only child, that it was im-
possible to witness them without the most mournful
of sensations. The poor thing stood over the image
of the lost one, her large dark, languishing eye suf:
fused with tears. Her head drooped towards the
object of her grief, and then lifted, to utter that heast-
piercing wail ; that expression of a grief which will
not be comforted-of a heart utterly desolate, and
beyond cure. Often, as I lay awake from the pain of
my wound, those notes of anguish filled the siience
of the night.
The day following, I again pressed Ahris Mhatoor
t o carry us, either t o Dahsh Gullah or to Ehiva,
urging the necessity of despatch in whatever he might
resolve upon. He replied, " We should have carried
362 NEGOTIATION POR RELEASE.
you, on the first day, to Dahsh Gullah, had you not
beell wounded. But now, we are at a loss what to do
with you ; for if you forgive us, the Russians will not.
A Toorcurnun came from Mungh Eishlauk, to tell us
that you mere a black Russian, a necromancer, and
an infidel; and that the Khaun Huzurut had ordered
us to kill you, lest you should join your companions,
the Yellow Russians, at Dahsh Gullah. We are
utterly without blame in t.his matter."
I replied, that I fully acquitted the Kuzzauks of
all blame. That I knew they had acted under false
impressions. That if I had received injury from the
villain Dana Bse, yet I had received life, and kindness,
and protection from himself and his brother. That
as for my wounds, they were received face to face
with the enemy, and were not, therefore, dishonest,
nor fit subjects of malice towards the inflicter. If,
indeed," I said, laying my hand delicately upon the
shrine of honour, " you had touched me up here, I
had never forgiven it."
There was a loud shout of laughter at this; but
although I believe all were, for the moment, convinced
of my sincerity, they still objected, that the Russians
would send to ravage their possessions, on learning
the violence I had suffered.
I replied, that the Russians were not my people,
that I was neither their subject nor ambassador.
That they had interests distinct and opposite from
those of my nation, that they had neither motive nor
inclination to avenge my wrongs. That, if he would
conduct me and my people to Dahsh Gullah, I would
do my utmost toward the liberation of Cherkush Bae's
only son. I f to Khiva, I would not only obtain there
pardon for the Kuzzauks (excepting always the
SEOV WATER. 368
guides), but reward him liberally, and give him dl
the pluzidered articles he could recovell. Be listerled
eagerly to this, and readily promised to co~duct me
t o Khiva upon his own camels.
L L IS this a bargain ?" he demanded, stretchiug out
one of his huge hands, and making one of his usual
very horrible grimaces. I put my handnged left
hand into his, and assured him it was a bargain.
I had not, however, the slightest faith in his sin-
cerity.
Three days v e remained in this spot.
On the
fourth the women struck the tents, and packed them
upon the camels for a move. The old woman and
younger children mere lashed upon the furniture, the
wives led the camels by a stcring, and the eIder chil-
dren drove the flocks. We descended the cliffs b ~ - a
steep and rugged path, and encamped in the
on the brink of the dry vater-course, in ~ h i c h the
fatal ambush had been laid; but higher up. Here
the valley was narrower. The approach of spring
had ca,lled forth a scanty and miserable sprinliling of
grass upon the sides of' the acclivities.
The daughter of Cherkush Eae, already mentioned,
took the camels daily beneath the brow of the cliffs,
and there loaded them with snow, mhich being piled
in a heap in the iron cauldrons, afforded water, as it
melted, for all culinary purposes. Notmithstanding
that melted snow is almost the only water drunk by
Kuzzauks (the springs being chiefly supplied from
this source), I have never yet known an instance of
goitre amongst them ; whereas, that disorder is ex-
tremely common in the northern part of the Bareilly
district, in Hindoostan, where snow has never been
seen, and the rivers take their rise in the plain. A
364 SIX DAYS FURTHER DELAY.
small rocky hill separated our t,ents from some others ;
and me learned that Ahris Mhatoor had come hither,
to be within reach of support from his own tribe.
Here we cont,inued about six days, Ahris Mhatoor
daily saddling one of my horses and riding forth,
apparently to consult upon his next movement.
CHAPTER XXVII.
Embarrassment of Ahris Mhatoor - Considerations - Fide-
lity of Cherkush-The Bond-The Negotiator-The Ship-
pish-Sensation he produces in London-Whether he acknow-
ledges the Emperor of all the Russias-Liking of n Xuzznuk
for Nizaum-Messenger from Hussun Mhatoor-News from
Dahsh Gullah - Valuation of plundered Property - The
Golden Banquet-S hif t Camp-Golden Colic.
THE
position of Ahris Mhatoor was embarsassing.
He had been the principal leader in the attack
upon me, for which his courage and great strength
well qualified him. He now perceived that the story
of the Toorcurnun, by which he had been led to
attack me, was utterly false, and that 'I mas i n fact
the ambassador of his king. But, his brother had
saved my life, and he had recovered the Khaun
Huzurut's property. He might therefore hope for
pardon, through my mediation, if he could only
transport me to Khiva. Between that city, however,
and his own tent, tmhere lay a waste of nearly 500
miles, produciilg neither grain for cattle, nor food
for man ; and our horses having been turned loose,
without food, amongst the mares, were become mere
anatomies, scaycely able to support the weight of their
own bones. I n this waste, almost t'o the very walls
of Khiva, the influence of my old guide, Hussun
366 POSTURE OF AFFAIRS.
Mhatoor, chief of 60,000 Chowdhoor Toorcumuns,
was supreme ; and, as my arrival at Khiva would
be the death-marrant of this chief, it was not to be
supposed that he mould ever suffer me to reach Ehiva,
or forgive any attempt to carry me thither. Ahris
might, indeed, collect Kuzzauks of his o m tribe,
sufficient t o guard rtle from other Kuzzauks ; and his
own name was a safeguard, owing to general dread
of his prowess. But, no number of Knzzauks would
venture t o oppose a band of Toorcumuns of this
powerful t,ribe, by whom they have been robbed and
oppressed, time out of mind.
Again, slzould Ahris await the arrival of Hussun
Mhatoor, i t was clear that his own ruin, as my
preserver, must ensue; ~xnless he could personally
conciliate that formidable chief ; who could, at any
time, malire the violence which the Khaun ~uz ur ut ' s
ambassador had received, an excuse for plundering
and murdering the Kuzzauks engaged in it ; ingrati-
ating himself with the Kh ~ u n Huzurut, by their ill-
treatment.
To Dahsh Gullah he dared not carry us, because
I could from thence afford him no protection, from
either Iring or chief; and it was certain, that without
my pyotection, one or both, would fall upon the
Kuzzauks, the instant I shonld be free. There was
but one solution of the Gordian knot, viz. to cut it,
i . e, my throat, and to sell my servants. The matter
might then be hushed up. The Khaun Huzurut
would hear that I had proceeded to the Russian
frontier. The Toorcumuns would perhaps be appeased
by the plunder, and would scarcely venture upon
any outrage upon the Kuzzauks, lest it should lead
to discovery of facts, by way of retaliation. Even
FIDELITY OF CRERKUSH. 367
this solution of t,he difficulty could not be attempted,
without some understanding mith Hussun Mhatoor ;
and it seemed to me, that my life was prolonged, only
t~hat his concurrence in my death might be previously
obtained.
One night, when Ahris Mhatoor, after a long ab-
sence (avowedly to visit t.he Yuze Baushee Mooraud
Ali), returned to his brother's tent ; Ali Muhummud
overheard the conversation which ensued, between
the brothers. Ahris said, he had further consulted
t,he Auk Sukkul (white beards) of the tribe. That
they adhered to their former verdict of death; as the
sole means of their own security. That, as to
their suffering the two brothers to set us 1-ee, they
saw in that, safety for the brothers, but nolie for
themselves. They would not, therefore, hear of it.
Ahris Mhatoor confessed that he saw no way but
to yield to the general voice, and to murder me ;.
and he urged his brother to concur with him i n the
design.
Cherkush Bee replied, " Never ! I saved his life,
the night of the assault ; from that moment, I re-
garded him as my son. Heaven has taken my only
son from me, and given me this in exchange. I
smor,e to him, wlien the moisture was in t he eye of
each, never to forsake him, and I will be t rue t o my
word."
Ahris Mhatoor, who had repeatedly sworn to the
same effect, was ashamed of himself, and without
reply. With him were the presents entrusted to my
charge by the Ehaun Huzurut. He often drew them
out, and examined them. It seemed to me a t t'imes,
to use aan Eastern expression, that his eyes grew red
upon them, He often asked whether t he jewels
368 NEGOTIATIONS.
were genuine or counterfeit, and demanded the price*
The price, I could not say : but as they were
presents from monarch to monarch, it must be con-
siderable.
Daily, me urged upon Ahris the subject of our
liberation, daily with less hope on our part, 2nd
stronger protestations on his. A letter, making him
master of all recoverable property on my arsival at
Khiva, and ensuring hirn protection against the Yuze
Baushee JIooraud Ali, mas insisted upon and grant'ed.
I made Ali Jltthummud translate it into Toorkish,
and put my seal to it. He declined receiving i t ,
however, tzntil his arrangements mere complete. That
night, he mas unusually eloquent, swearing solemn
oaths of fidelity, and stretching across the tent, to
seize my hand, in attestation of mut,ual good faith ;
and repeating the ceremony with each of my ser-
vants, especially Summud Khaun, who was always
forward in these debates.
He had scarcely ceased, when there entered the
tent, a chieftain of the Euzzauks, attended by two
servants. After embracing the men and women of
the family, he seated himself opposite me, and entered
upon business. He was a short, square, bustling
figure, with florid complexion, a small restless well-
opened eye, and a nose disdainfully elevat,ed. A man
of talent in his own line, and evidently one, who
placed himself forward in all discussions. He spoke
in a tone of decision; as if his word were lam, using
no ceremony, but addressing me as a prisoner, wholly
in his power. "We '11 send you to Dahsh Gullah,"
he said.
" Indeed ! My arrangemellts are made with these
brothers to return to Khiva."
TRE SEGOTLATOR FOILED. 369
""But you slartn't go: JS-e '11 eschallge SOU with the
Rrxssin~~s, fbr our captives at Dahsh Gullah."
"I am the Khaun Huztzrut's ambassador, and claim
to be taken B~efore him.''
" Ah ! we care nothing for Ullatl Kooli (meaning
the Khnun Hnzunlt). We know nothing of ambas-
sadors."
' bTl~e Russians are not my countrymexz ; they will
not thank you for releasing me.
They will give you
notlling in eschauge."
" 'Pet you have offered your interest at Dsthsh
Gullnh for the release of Cherkush Bae's son."
*'Because, if I react1 that country as an ambas-
ador, and n guest, I shall have claims upon them.
At present, I ern not their guest,; and if sent to
them as a captive, shall be neither guest nor smbas-
sador. "
'( Sever mind ! we '11 t ry the experiment, at any
rate. We '11 keep -J-OLW people here, and send you for
tri:ll. ''
'"ot with nly consent ; I am the guest of Cl ~er-
kush Bae and hhri s Afhatoor, and claim their pro-
tection ."
The fjllet is, that I had no co~lficlence in this man's
sincerity ; otherwise, the expedient might. have offered
st better hope of escape, than the attempt t o return to
KEihiva. But, the separation from my people mas
lilways a suEcient objection to any project, and I
made it such to many. I %as their sole earthly safe-
guard. Could I be got out. of the ma>?, they would
immediately be sold as slaves.
The new-comer slept in a neighbouring tent, re-
fusing Ahris Xhatoor's invitation, because the latter
had rejected his formal application, for my delivery
VOL. I. 24
370 THE BHIPPISH TRIBE.
into his hands. I t appeared, that he had two con-
nections, prisoners at Dahsh Gullah.
I lay down, that night, with incyeased doubt, how
long the firmness of our protectors might withstand
the threats and cajolery of this hard-hearted and self-
sufficient negotiator. 1 reflected, however, that every
act of my preservation, in extremity, had been con-
trary to all reasonable hope. It seemed, that I had
got entangled in one of those strong currents of des-
tiny, in which the struggles of the swimmer produce
only disapp~int~ment ; whilst the waves, that oft-times
seem most dangerous, may become the instruments
of deliverance.
The next day, the ICuzzauk chief, assisted by some
others, renewed the at,tack from nlorning until night,
and at length left the camp, on terms of defiance wit11
our protectors.
The day following, I was sitting as usual i n Cher-
kush Bae's tent, wrapped in my cloak, whilst Nizaum
endeavoured to free my only silk shirt from the
Shippish who daily entered upon possession, and the
finest of which, all the Euzzauk women declared,
were a colony from the old Meerza. Nizaum observing
my body to be but one mass of bites, lamented that I
had had no previous training.
L L Training," I replied ; " I never had seen a Ship-
pish before ; I knew not his shape nor physiognomy.
He had appeared to me, indeed, in my dreams, a thing
of mystery, an element of the sublime, but that was
all. I had the utmost respect for him."
" Doesn't he grow in London, Sir ? "
"Grow ! if it were known or suspected, that he
had entered the city, the drums would beat to arms,
and the guards turn out, and the Lord Mayor and
AN ENGLISH BED. 371
Aldermen (Reish Sofaid) would muster to the at-
tack, and they would hunt him with fire and sword,
until he were exterminated. The English are a clean
race."
Does he grow in Russia, Sir ? "
I really could not tell ; and now, having been their
guest, wilt not tell.
Russia must answer for herself,
whether amongst the diversity of peoples who call her
emperor " Father," there be or be not such a race as
the Shippish.
a Ah ! Nizaum," I said, " if you could but see an
English bed, white as tlhe snow, softer than the sum-
mer breeze, you would know what a, change it is
from that t o the filthy felt of tl Kuzzauk tent. My
poor mother, could she dream that the bed I occupy
were even damp, would never close her eyes. Heaven
be praised, that she knows not, and c~nnot guess, of
my present condition." Little did I dream at the
time, that it was reserved for me to taste again the
luxury of an English bed, smoothed by the hand of
+4
a mother.
The subject took Niaaurn in flank, for he had, the
evening before, found rt wooden goblet which his
mother had brought him, as he quitted her at Can-
dahar ; and it had been in his hand and pressed to
his lips the whole night, and prevented him from
closing his eyes.
She was tihe sole being, for whom
he seemed to have any strong affection; for he is
dissocial, and no favourite of his fellow-servants.
Whilst t hus engaged, there entered the tent two
Kuzzauks, who sat down in front of me. The one a
young man, with large dark eyes and fine features,
but an air of recklessness and insolence. He was
evidently urging his companion to some act, of which
24 *
372 A VISITATION.
the other was either ashamed or afraid.
At length,
he himself laid his hand upon my furred cloak.
I
shook him off, and drew myself up, to shew that I
resented his insolence ; and when he again took a
similar liberty, I sent for Cherkosh Bae, and claimed
his protection. He rebuked the fellow sharply, but
did not expel him ; and both visitors continued to
haunt the tent. At length, when Cherkush Bae was
absent, the dark-eyed gentleman said, "Would you
like to go t o Mooraud Ali ? "
I replied - that Mooraud Ali, being greatly inferior
to me in rank, might more properly wait upon me.
" But he won't come. You had better go t o his
tent. Will you go ? " '
This was said, with a wink at his companion.
I,
of coupse, declined the journey, understanding the
proposition as an attempt to decoy me from the pro-
tection of the brothers. The spokesman left the tent
in the course of the day, but his companion continued
lying at full length, on his belly, with his head raised,
and his eyes fixed upon Nizaum. He mas the man,
to whom Nizaum had been allotted, and from whom
I had redeemed that unlucky worthy. Poor Nizaum
was as comfortable, under his glance, as a chicken
under ishat of a serpent. He looked, first at the Kuz-
zauk, then at me, and then heaved profound sighs.
I feared, that the gaze of the Kuzzaul<, which
lasted the remainder of that, and the whole of the
ensuing day, would produce some mischievous effect
upon him.
He had, however, in his captivity, acquired a habit
which relieved the monotony of existence. This was
the manufacture and consumption of snuff. He
begged tobacco leaves from the women, and pounded
hfESSENGER PROM RTJSSUN.
them up with ashes in a wooden bowl, with the handle
of a, spade. He and Cherlcush Bae's wife became
inseparable gossips, from a similarity of tastes. Being
a soft-hearted fellom, he had parted with all his sings
of turquois set in silver that had escaped the spoilers.
He never could resist a female tongue. He was a
queer compound of selfishness, obstinacy, and fidelity.
I.believe, that he was the most sincerely attached to
me of all my people ; and yet he was the only one
that; ever thought of quitting me.
It was about this time, that a Toorcumun arrived
at the tents, nominally from Hussun Mhatoor's son,
and certainly from thk father. He stated, that he
was sent by the former to express his deep regret
and sympathy, and to beg me, for the sake of despatch,
to come with him to a camp on the road to Mungh
Kishlauk, whither both father and son were hastening ;
and where the chiefs of the Euzzauks were already
assembled, t o consult upon means for the recovery of
my property. I saw through the snare, and replied,
'' Tell Hussun Mhatoor, that I deem it an unlucky
day, that separated me from his company. Up to the
day of this separation, I had been perfectly secure ;
t,he instant it took place, I was beset and plundered.
Had he continued my guide, this had not happened.
He still has the power to rescue me, and if he will
now be true to me, I will be true to him. At present,
I am protected by Cherkush and Ahris, and cannot
prudently quit their shelter. If Hussun would wish
to make a bargain with me, let him send his son,
Ehojeh Muhummud, who bears so high a character,
that I can implicitly trust him ! "
I knew that a suspicion of my acquaintmce with
the treachery of Hussun would have been the death-
374 VALUATION OF PROPERTY.
warrant of myself, and ruin of my people, whom I
had cautioned to avoid all hints that coulcl lead to
such an impression. The Toorcumun departed, and
three Kuzzauk chiefs called. These pretended not to
have heard my story, and inquired who and what I
was. Upon hearing the tale, they expressed the
deepest sympathy, and recommended me in the
strongest terms to accept Hussun Mhatoor's proposi-
tion, promising to secure my safety with their own
lives. The scoundrel who made these protestations
had too much of the devil in his face to deceive me.
I ret uned him a thousand thanks, but declared that
I would adhere to my league with Cherkush Bae and
his brother. Cherkush Bae kissed my hand, and
when the Kuzzauks had left the tent, reconmended
me to beware of all such offers, for that, if once
separated from him and his brother, their power to
protect me would be forfeited.
Some days previous to the visit aforesaid, and after
agreement with Ahris to make him master of all the
plundered property upon condition that he conducted
me in safety to Ehiva, I had explained to him the
value of my Cashmere shawl, worth perhaps thirty
guineas or more at the Russian frontier ; and had
recommended him to purchase it from the present
owner, and exchange i t at Dahsh Gullah for Cher-
kush's son. He listened with long ears to the advice,
sought out the present possessor, and persuaded him
to part with it for about seven shillings. Fortu-
nately it had not yet become a pair of breeches,
a fate to which it had been destined. Ahris was,
however, still afraid to dispose of the shawl, lest
Hussun Mhatoor, on his arrival, should demand it of
him.
GOLDES PRBG. 37;
My beautiful Damascus blade, which I lind jior-
chased for thirty-five guineas, and which iv,~:, rtra~rtla
perhaps a hundred, was solcl by another Ruzrnuk Blr
eighteen shillings. I had taken the l)reetxa1ric~11 at
Khiva to conceal its fine n' at e~ mith a coating uf tar,
lest it should become an object af plunder to my
guide, or the people through &om my journey lay,
Being obliged, the night of the attzck, t~ carry 14w
sabre entrusted me by the Khaun ITuzurut7 Sizutmira
had worn t'his sword. After shrecldi~ag the f<uzz:.ruk
clubs like straws, it hacl beell beiitenz down by the
oblique blow of dhris Mhatoor's hatchet.
Here, I was one day inquiring uf Siznum h c , ~ Ing:
had disposed of the gold 1 had given him. ' "1 ! ''
he replied, " I have eaten it.''
I supposed, of course, he was speaking figurnti~-elj ;
for it is a common phrase, " 1 eat so much 8 ~ k ~ ~ ~ i t h , "
that is, such is lily expenditure: but I coulrl altst
imagine how he could have spent ere11 one gold piece
in a Kuzzauk tent. 4 found, ho-sever, that he nT,l.us
expressing himself literally. That the night after the
distribution, he and the other servauts had delibe-
rately swallowed all their gold ducats.
Sumll~ud
Khaun twenty-six, and Nizaum fifteen.
Son- these
ducats were quite as sharp-edged as the knife xvith
which my finger had been amputated; and the milk
diet., upon which me had been suddenly placed, seemed
t o render their extrication quite hopeless.
Su~umud
Khaun, not content with bolting twenty-sis ducats,
had commenced upon the tilhhs, ~ E c h are newly
tmice as large, and have a rouvh saw edge. L s t
?
fortunately, the very first he trled stuck fast in his
throat, like a Russian proper name, and the uoise he
in coughing it up, nearly led to the discovery
376 GOLDEN PROG.
of his diet ; the consequence of which would have
been the instant opening of his bread-basket by inser-
tion of a Kuzzauk lalife. He was, therefore, deterred
from any furt'her attempts upon the tillahs; indeed,
he might just as safely have bolted a gross of circular
saws.
I mas horrified when I discovered the truth; for it
seemed scarcely possible that any of them should
recover. I searched for some pills which had escaped
the plunderers, and administered them forthwith, but
they had not the slightest effect upon persons con-
fined exclusively to a milk diet. I would have given
something to have seen my people gravely and de-
liberately bolting ducats, like cranes drinking at a
plate. The best of it was, that Yakoob, the Meer-
a-Khor, not relishing the operation, had got Hajji
to swallow his for him; an arrangement which led
subsequently to a curious dispute, quite worthy of
the Court of Chancery.
After about six days spent in this spot, I saw pre-
parations for departure. I was mounted upon Sum-
mud Khaun's horse. Ali Muhummud rode his own.
We started, but the poor beast could scarcely carry
me ten paces; so that I was obliged to exchange him
for Ali Muhummud's horse, which was in a condition
almost as miserable.
We rode down the valley, and then struck up a
narrow ravine, in which the tents, when pitched,
were quite concealed. Nizaurn arrived here, about
half an hour after me. I found that he was suffering
torture from the state of his bowels, and became
seriously alarmed for him. Summud Ehaun was also
suffering from his twenty-six ducats, but not in the
same degree. I enquired of the Kuzzauks, whether
GOLDEN COLIC. 377
they knew of no cathartic ; but they had never heard
of such a thing. I then endeavoured to procure some
oil or fat. But the former is unknown, and the
latter so precious, that I had the utmost difficulty in
obtaining even the smallest quantity. Poor Nizaum
cont,inued writhing and groaning all day, upon the
floor of the tent. I could not relieve him, but I
sat down beside him to offer him all I could, the
assurance of my deepest sympathy.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Hopelessness of our Predicament-Ali Muhummud's Project-
The Afghaun Horsemen-Congratulations of a Bear-Appa-
rition of Saleh Muhumluud-Greetings-Recapitulation-
The Search-Confabulations-Happy Disposition and bright
Blind of Saleh Muhummud-Consultations -Joy of my Party
- Confusion of Enemies-Ummeer Beeg-Delicacies un-
known to Heliogabalus-The Tit-bit.
Em"'
attempt I had made to bring Ahris Mha-
toor to some speedy decision, had been answered
by a profusion of promises. He would, next day, go
to liberate the three servants from their bondage; the
day after, the camels should be ready, and we would
start for Khiva. One day, in pledge of the solemn
covenant between us, he had led a sheep, first to me,
then to each of my servants, then around the interior,
and afterwards the exterior of his own tent, and then,
with much ceremony, had slain it, and poured out
t.he blood at his door. But latterly, he had evidently
cooled in his purpose ; and it was easy to account for
this, by the influence Hussun Mhatoor would exer-
cise over my fate, the instant he should hear that I
still lived. He had, several days, been fully adver-
tised of all; and, I confess, my hope was utterly
abandoned, when I found time given by our protec-
tors, to admit of this. Had we started when Bussun
was ignorant of my existence, we might have got
beyond pursuit; and, as me approached Ehiva, he
' i
1
ALI MUHUMMUD'S DESIGN.
would not have ventured to attack me.
I was satis-
fied that all must now depend upon Hussun, whose
power, here, mas without rival, unless, indeed (as
Ali Muhummud supposed), Mooraud Ali, ~JI .rirtue
of his relationship to the royal clan, might have the
power and t he will to interfere. Ali Muhummud,
one day, came t o sound me respecting himself. c c If,"
he said, '< you, Sir, mere out of difficulty, I shouId
mount my horse and escape to Ehiva."
I replied, that as for myself, it signified very little
what became of me, and, were I alone, I should insist
upon his (Ali) doing as lie hinted. As i t mas, I
should give him no commands ; only, I thought, that
if he left us without anyone to inteTpret our meaning,
all our people would inevitably be made slaves, whilst
his own. escape upon a horse, in such miserable plight,
would be extrenieIy uncertain. I thought his idea of
escaping t o Mooyaucl Ali's tent less extravagant ; at
the same time we were ~t t e r l i i ~nor a nt of this chief's
disposition. Had it been friendly, he had most pro-
bably intesfered long ago, ns our condition must long
have been known t o him ; and as Ali was utterly
ignorant of the position of his tent, and of the land-
marks of the intervening desert, I knew not horn he
was to reach the tent, and feared that his death mould
be the consequence of failure. He said that, for him-
self, he had rather run the risk of death than that of
slavery, of which he had had sixteen years' experi-
ence; but, t hat it would be a base thing to desert me.
He accordingly gave up the design. Remembering
how greatly my disaster was attributable to this man's
unaccountable blindness to the conduct of the guides,
that he had r un away and nearly escaped on the night
of the assault, and was now treated with more con-
3 80 HOPELESS PREDICAMENT.
sideration than any other of my people, I was some-
t.imes inclined to suspect him of treachery. But a
calm and deliberate comparison of facts past, and of
those which ensued, entirely annihilated this idea.
Even now my case was so desperate, and his own so
involved in it, that only fidelity could have induced
him to stand by me when he had means of escape ;
for I had supplied him with gold, and he had a horse,
svord, and spear.
Ahris continued his protestations, that we should
immediately start. But the failure of these no longer
disappointed me. I perceived that with all his
boasted influence, he really dared not stir a hand or
a foot in our deliverance, and every day rendered our
case more desperate, by bringing around us more of'
the nleshes of Hussun IIfiatoor's treachery.
I n this helpless state we were now left, with nothing
to hope and abundant cause for apprehension.
Even should the Ehaun Huzurut learn, in time, of
the outrage committed upon me, I could not certainly
foresee the consequence. The suspicions under which
I quitted Khiva, might have been confirmed by fresh
artifices of Yar 3Iuhummud Khaun ; or, he might
feel gratified that I had fallen into trouble, in pur-
suing a route which he dissuaded me from attempt-
ing; although the treachery of a guide might equally
have been met with, whatever t.he direction of my
route ; or, the Russians might (as I greatly feared),
have advanced upon his capital, and left him no room
for thought of me and my mission.
It was the second or third day of our abode in this
spot, the sixteenth or seventeeth of our captivity.
A huge bear of a Euzzauk chief, in a cloak of a bay
horse's skin, and bonnet of black sheep-skin, had
A STARTLING APPARITION. 381
just left the tent, after fruitless effoTtns, of some hours7
duration, t o make the brothers give me up, and to
persuade me t o quit the brothers. I was sitting be-
side poor Nizaum, who still rolled in agony on the
gi. o~~nd, affording him such miserable consolattion as
an assurance of sympathy might amount to. Summud
Ehaun and the old Meerza sat in the shadom of
Cherkush Bae's tent outside. Ali Muhummud was
good-naturedly swallowing all Summud Khaun's
superfluous kosteh-zuns," and making ready his
Kulliaun. The old Meerza mas wondering what
could be the matter with his broken head, that it
should feel so heavy, and holding up his hand to the
light, as had been his wont every hour of every day
since the attack, and calling upon each in turn for
his opinion whether it was not s~vollen, and then
wondering what could have happened to him, ancl
what could have become of the two back teeth, one
on each side of the mouth, which he had boasted
when he left Khiva, and ~ h i c h had been fairly shaken
down his throat by the blows he had received on his
head. Summud Ehaun was turning over the leaves
of t he Koraun, and in the miclst of the sacred
Arabic inserting a '' kosteh-zun " parenthesis, of
pure Persian, for the benefit of Ali. Suddenly
there appeared, upon the heights overhanging the
tents, a young man in Afghaun costume, hand-
somely dressed, and well mounted upon a dark grey
horse with silver bridle. He was approaching the
tents, followed by some Kuzzauk horsemen. Such
an apparition, at such a moment, in such a desert, was
rather startling ; for the gracefulness of the Afghaun
attire is in strange contrast with the rude, and
* Literally, "YOIJS wife 's no better than she should be."
382 UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL
scarcely human costume of the Euzzauk; and the
voung man who wore them, was as different, in ele-
gance of feature and figure, from the coarse, clumsy
race around us, as a blood racer from the cattle of a
country farm.
"Ah," grumbled Summud Khaun, " here comes
Yar Muhummud, dyessed out in our finery. He 's got
the Meerza's turban, and one of our cloaks, and the
Sahib's shawl, but whose horse is he riding ? "
Our spoils," observed Ali ~uhummnd, " have
rigged out some thirty of these cannibals."
They altered their note when the stranger ap-
proached them more nearly.
I was inside the tent, as I have already noticed. I
heard a bustle at the door, n~lcl in rushed the old
bear of a Kuzzauk who had just quitted us. He
seized me by the left hand, which was scarcely
cicatrized, and almost mung it off, with the grasp
of a steam vice, wishing me joy of, I knew not what,
unless it were, that one of my fingers survived the
mangling. He then rapidly enumerated the benefits
he had conferred upon me. These formed a re-
spectable catalogue, but may, for brevity's sake, be
summed up in the single item of an endeavour to
deliver me over to my enemies. '( From all this it
appears," concluded he, "that I am your active and
zealous fiiend, and I expect you to be mine, with the
Kktaun Huzurut."
I bowed, and assured him that anyone who should
do me service, should not be forgotten; but observed,
that I must, in the first place, be re-conducted to
Khiva.
c c Oh ! " he replied, " the Ehann Huzurut has sent
a messenger, and a party of horse, to deliver you."
I thought, at first, I had heard amiss, and I made
him repeat his words ; Nizaum interpreting for me,
between the paroxysnls of his pain.
" The Khaun Huzurui," I observed,
cannot ~- et
be aware of my captivity."
"Oh! yes he is!"
He was interrupted by a young man in Afghann
attire, who, throwing aside t,he curtain of the door,
rushed past him, and, casting himself upon my neck,
exclaimed in Persian, with many tears, Thzin'fj
heaven, I have found you at last ! 1 have come to
deliver you. I have a letter from the Khnun Huzurut
for you. Lift up you^ head, Sir. Your sufferings
are at an end."
I returned his embrace, and geve him tear for tenr.
But my head was giddy ; I could not believe I ~ J T
senses. I was persuaded I was in a t~.n~ace.
L L Whence are you ? " I said. " Who are you ?
How came you here ? "
I poshed him back, t'hat I might reaasd him more
?
attentively.
The features mere famiIiar, but I vas
too confused to remember where I had before seen
them.
Cc Don't you know me ? " he cried ; " don't you
remember Saleh Muhummud, to whom you shewed
kindness at Merv ? '"
I remembered him well, and again embraced him,
I
Yet I could not conjecture horn he came hither. Poor
Nizaum leaped up from the earth, forgetting awhile
his tortcure, t o throw his arms around Saleh's neck.
1
Summud Rhaun and Ali Muhummud succeeded ;
and the old Meerzia, after a brief salutation, shelved
Saleh his broken head and swollen hand, and asked
if he could tell him what had happened, or mhat coztld
384 ADVENTURES OF
have become of t he last of his teeth? I looked around
and saw Ahris a n d Cherkush sitting disconsolate.
The arrival of Saleh had thunderstruck both. I bade
them draw near, and told Saleh to embrace them, as
our preservers. We then went outside the tent, to
converse at greater liberty, whilst the brothers slew
a sheep, in honour of the new guest. All was still a
profound mystery. Saleh seemed t o have dropped
from the clouds. We had a thousand questions to ask
and answer ; a thousand e~planat~ions to receive.
On reference t o t he early part of t,his Journal, it
will be seen, t hat I met, at Merv, this young man,
son of the principal Cauzie (or Judge) of' Heraut.
That I was st ruck with his intelligence, frankness,
and gentlemanly manners ; and wrote Major Todd,
the British envoy at Heraut, that I should like to
have him near me at Khiva; as I foresaw that I
should need such an 'assistant, to give me hints as
t,o the exact measure of attention due to each indi-
vidual : to intrigue for me abroad, and perfect my
Persian, by conversation at home; offices for which
my old Meersa was quite unfit. I thought also, that
as bills could not be cashed at Khiva, Saleh Muhum-
mud might be t h e bearer of money for my expenses
there. On reaching Khiva, and finding that his father,
in a inolnent of pique and disappointment, had de-
I
nounced me as a spy ; I had written to Major Todd,
I
1
begging him, that whomsoever he might send me, it
might not be one of that family.
I
Providentially, this letter did not reach Heraut,
unt>il Saleh had reached Merv, in progress to join me,
with a suln of money in gold, and a packet of letters.
I
I had left Khiva, er e he quitted Heraut; so that,
r.
I I
by the time he reached the former place, I ought, by
SALEH MUHUMMUD.
385
calculation, to have been near St. Pe t e r ~bur ~l ~.
The
Khaun Huzur ut had promised to send after me any
messenger arriving within eight days of my &par-
ture. But , as Saleh did not %?rive until the twentieth
day, t he Khaun found excuses for his detention for
twenty days more. Meanwhile he contrived, by means
of a secret agent,, to abstract from Saleh's girdle
during t he night, the packet of letters he bore for
me. Havi ng opened these, and (probably by means
of an interpreter from Persia) translated their con-
tents, and having found therein nothing at variance
with t he good faith professed by our Government, he
had at length yielded to Saleh hluhurnmud's earnest
entreaty, and suffered him to depart, giving him an
escort of six Toorcurnun horse, of the Cho~vdhoor
tribe.
When Saleh found himself at liberty, I had been
from Khiva forty days ; the period I had calculated
for my journey to St. Petemburgh : and any other
in the world, but Saleh Muhummud, mould have
relinquished pursuit of me, as hopeless. But he
burned t o distinguish himself in the eyes of the
British, and declared, that should I have embarked,
he would follow me t o St. Petersburgh. He accord-
ingly started in pursuit, urging his escort to their
best speed, i n spite of their grumbling. At length,
when within about 100 ruiles of my present position,
he learned t hat I had changed my course, and plgo-
ceeded towards Dahsh Gullah, a piece of intelligence
of the most vital. consequence to me, because it saved
him about 350 miles of route, and brought him to me
ere Hussun Mhatoor's plans for my destruction were
completed. At t he next stage, he heard that I mas
murdered. This, instead of deterring, only inflamed
VOL. I. 85
386 SALEH MUHUMMUD.
his zeal to advance: but his Toorcumuns, who were
at once guard and guides, learning that their own
chief, Hussun Mhatoor, had instigated the deed, feared
t o enter the lists against him, by bringing Saleh
Muhummud upon my track, and to advance
upon the plea that the horses were eshaustecl. It
was i11vain that he promised, expostulated, threateaecl,
even drew his sword upon them. They feared their
chief even more than the Khaun Huzurut, and would
not stir. He wandered from tent to tent, ignorant
of all but a few words of their language. By means
of these, his winning manners, and the pronlise of
reward, he procured a Toorcumun guide, and con-
tinued his course. Intelligence, however, could
scarcely be procured in a country so thinly peopled,
and from Kuzzauks who had their own reasons for
misleading. At length, he learned that I was still
alive, alt,hough wounded and a prisoner. This caused
him to redouble his speed; so that his guide could
not, or would not, keep up with him ; and he was
traversing alone a wild desolate steppe, without
path, almost without inhabitant, and with no clue to
guide him but the ever-shifting position of the sun.
For hours, he had thus wandered, without meeting
an inhabitant. He then reached the shore of the
Caspian, at the southern extremity of the inlet called
Kara Soo (or the black water). He looked around
him in despair. No symptoms of a habitation were
visible. The sea was without a sail. He saw it for
the first time in his life. He strained his eye as he
searched the horizon around. At length, he distill-
guished a moving speck upon the distant cliff. He
made towards it: it grew as he approached to the
size of a small insect, and he knew it, by its figure,
CONFABULATION.
to be a camel. This assured him that some human
+
habitation mas near.
He urged on his horse, and
found the camel to be the property of Cherkush
Bae.
I I
I
(' Now," he said, L L Sir, all will go well ; my arrival
\
will put all right; I have a letter for you from the
Khaun Huzurut. The very sight of it will confound
your enemies ; I have a gua~d, too, not far off, of six
Toorcumun horse. Those who have most injured,
will now be most zealous to serve you."
i
I did not feel so confident of my security ; for my
escape to Khiva would be the death-warrant of Hus-
sun Mhatoor and his whole family, as he well knew ;
and the six Toorcumun horse were of Hussun's tribe,
and (as they had proved themselves) mere creatures
of that arch villain. The Kuz~auks, too, were deeply
concerned in preventing my return to Khiva; and
there were a thousand ways of effecting this, without
any overt act of violence. I could not, however, dis-
courage one who was so happy in his enthusiasm;
i
1
and, insensibly, I found his fearless and sanguine spirit
I
inspiring me with a hope which reason disallowed. I
proceeded to quest,ion him of friend Major Todd,
and of the affairs of Heraut. "Todd Sahib," he
replied, "is well, and thinks only of you. I have
I
1
letters from him for you. If you will come apart, I
b will tell you more."
I
We went some paces down the glen, and sat upon
a rock.
There, touching his girdle significantly, he
said, '' I have a belt full of gold for you here, and the
1
shroffs at Khiva are prepared to cash your bills for as
i
much more ; shall I give you the money now ? "
"No," I replied ; '< I am stripped every day to the
skin, and the belt would certainly be seen ; you must
388 SEES OF THE INVASION.
colltinue to vear it for awhile. Horn are matters at
Khiva?
What ner s of the Russian force ?"
" ,All is mell at Iihiva."
" Aud what of he Russians ? "
'( They are still detained by the snow, and by want
of camels."
'%eaven be praised. Yet you have been sixteen
days on the road, and they may, by this time, be close
upon Khiva. Indeed, what is to hinder them? The
snow is quite dissipated, and the steppe open."
He strove to soothe me. He assured me the Rus-
sians T V O U ~ ~ nor, should not advance. That I should
r c t un~ ial triumph to Khiva, and these be honoured,
anti made much of for xny services, and sent again,
with bat es provision, to the Court of St. Petersburg.
" Eeaven be praised," he said, '' that I have found
you. I thought I never should have got over the
ground. But a31 my care and anxiety are repaid, and
all will nowr go well. The Khauii Kuzurut will be
delighted to honour one who has done and suffered
so much for him."
He rattled on incessantly. There seemed cruelty
ill the very thought of interrupting the bright c u ~ ~ e n t
of his happy fancy; and there is luxury in listening
cren to -promises, of the delusiveness of which we are
ax-are. This was just the spirit which my own needed
in that hour.
It would not, however, ansner to lose time in re-
flection, when the moment for action was at hand. I
consulted with Saleh LIuhummud. Separated as he
was from his guard, ally attempt of ours to reach
Dahsh Gullah, would be met by an ambush from
Hussun llhatoor, to cut us off at a spot where the
b l u e ~ o u l d fall upon Russia. It was necessary, in
ARRANGEMENTS FOR ESCAPE.
389
the first place, to recover his guard, which must be
done by a retrograde movement toward Khiva. He
had byought a camel, laden with barley am1 rice, to
within two marches of our abode; the Toorcurnun
guard must, he thought, have come up with this
r
camel, as they were to follow, leisurely, his steps.
Now, as far as could be learned, the tent of the Yuze
Baushee, Mooraud Ali, was not far fro111 the spot
where he had left the grain ; and, as some protection
from the artifices of Hussun Mhatoor was necessary,
I deemed it wise to hasten at once to Mooraud Ali's
tent,, and throw myself under his protection. I sent
for the brothers, Ahris and Cherkush, and told then1
I should depart the following morning for Mooraud
Ali's tent, and begged them to procure camels and
ponies for the purpose. Tliey made a thousand objec-
tions, but I overruled all with Saleh's assistance.
The most formidable was t'he continued detention in
bondage of my three servants* But, as Ahris had
daily promised ine their fieedom, and daily disap-
pointed me, I thought it wiser to negotiate that
object from Mooraud Ali's tent, than to give Hussun
Mhatoor time to counterplot. The move, therefore,
was fixed for the following morning.
It is possible only to him who has been rescuecl
from a bondage so hopeless, by a sudden and unex-
pected interposition of Providence, to conjecture the
state of our feelings at this moment. The gloomy
mood of mind, that had become habitual, was insen-
sibly broken through ; the stagnat'ion of the faculties
was no more ; an impulse had been given, that vibrated
throughout the whole frame of my being ; and with-
out anything to hope for in this world, the call to
action inspired me with vigow, with confidence 111 1~
a
390 SALEH MUHUMMUD. "( B
X
own resources, and i n the guardianship of Heavenly
care. All was so wonderful, so unlooked-for, so im-
possible, that I felt shame in distrusting the continu-
ance of a sunshine so graciously sent in upon our souls.
As for my servants, the tent resounded wi t h " 001
B
humm'd 001 illah ! Shookr ! 001 humm'd ! "" Poor
fellows, they had trusted God i n their adversity, and
i
He had not forgotten them.
)i
The appearance of Saleh Muhummud wa s like the
1
fall of a live thunderbolt amongst my enemies. He
was elegantly clad and handsomely mount ed, and
known to be son of the principal judge at Her aut , and
he paid me rnore respect than I had received from the
meanest of my followers, who, t o say the t r ut h, had
been a little spoiled in this respect by the equalising
t
influence of misfortune. He therefore a dde d coase-
quence to the little dignity I had contrived t o main-
&
tain, and proved to them that I had assumed less than
t
-
was my due. He was also armecl with a l et t er from
the sovereign to me, an honour rarely conferred, and
had s guard from the Khaun Huzurut, wh o were to
be added t o my retinue.
I called Saleh constantly to my side, to r epeat my
questions ; and during the remainder of ow sojoulm
together, whenever I felt inclined to the gloolny view
1 !*
of the future, which care, long suffering, and defeated
hope naturally induced, I mould summon h i m t o while
away the clouds of my fancy by his gay light-hearted
4
prattle. <' What news have you," I said, " of Ummeer
i
Beeg ? "
I met him, Sir, at Merv, journeying wi t h Birdler
C
?4
Beeg to Heraut.
The Ehaun Huzurut had opened
and read your despatches which he carried."
* (( Praise be to God ! Thanks to Him, and prai se ! "
THE TIT-BIT. 391
'517hilst talking together, answering and asking a
thousand cluestions, Saleh's Toorcurnun guide arrived,
and brought a bag of barley for Saleh's horse. I
~*ega~ded it with a covetous eye. "Ar e you," I
said, "really about to give all that delicious food at
once to a horse ? Let me have a handful, if you love
me."
He filled my hand, and I filled my mouth, elljoying
the ram barley, as might a lotus-eater his favourite
aliment after long banishment from the Nile. It
seemed a species of insane extravagance to give such
delicious food t o a horse. Unfortunately, our poor
horses had little enough of this, their sole aliment.
Sslleh begged iue not to eat raw barley ; and, runuing
to his saddle-bags, brought me some biscuit, hard,
indeed, as flint, but welcome as collcreted nectar. I
divided it amongst my people, and gave some t o the
children of Ahris Mhatoor. I was now an epicure in
full glory, with my barley ancl my biscuit.
Our enjoyment, however, mas sadly damped by t.he
conclition of poor Nizaum, who lay writhing in torture
upon the floor of the tent. The arrival of Saleh Mu-
hummud had given force t o my earnest prayer for a
morsel of fat, to administer internally i n a melted
form. After much tuinblillg of tent furniture, a lump
of yellow horse's fat Tvas produced, which was not
much above seven months old, and had probably been
put by the old woman under her pillow at night, to
be devoured the first thing i n the morning. Thence
it had made its way by some accident into a sack,
from which it was now produced, amid a variety of
items, the inventory of which would set aghast the
civilized ~ o s l d . We melted t he tough and venerable
morsel from the blood-red flesh adhering t o it, and
842 AS EFFECTUAL REMEDY.
rn*::~c.,-.B, :t 110: clown the sufferer's throat. The sheep
I n *.-
%:?I-: .lr;..t. *3, le-tlr us a corner of its tail for a second
i i b > + q . : e:iE in some hours poor Nizaum's sufferings
:-4. a
. =
4, "4'ltcii.
I:?;E) OF T'OLUBIE FIRST.