

J828.J Hajji Baba in England. 



te One asked, f How shall we get there? underground, or how ?' Another, 

 ( We hear that their only food is the unlawful beast; how can a Mussulman 

 exist there ?' A third said, ' At least we shall get wine, for we are told they 

 drink nothing else, and that all their water is salt.' The nazir avowed his 

 intention to take several loads of rice with him, expecting to find none in 

 Europe ; and he seemed very much puzzled how to convey a sufficient quan- 

 tity of Shiraz syrup in bottles, to make his master's sherbets. The stable-men 

 were anxious to" know whether barley grew in the countries they were going 

 to visit, and whether chopped straw was also to be had in abundance. The 

 barber wished to ascertain what quantity of soap he was to convey ; and the 

 cook whether pots and pans were common to Franks." 



In passing through Turkey, the usual heartburnings break out, 

 between the Turks and the Persians ; and in " the capital of the Blood- 

 drinker " (Constantinople), even the hatred of both sides to the Franks 

 appears not strong enough to control this disposition to mutual offence. 

 " Ah, my friend !" exclaims the Turkish minister to the Persian envoy, 

 " when will the world be cleansed from this accursed race of unbelievers? 

 What is to be done ?" ff I tell you what," answered the Mirza, " Allah 

 must do it; for, between you and I, I do not think you ever will." 

 And, on another occasion " Great," said the mufti, to the Persian am- 

 bassador, " will be the mass of impurity with which you will be over- 

 whelmed before you return ! How shall you ever cleanse yourself of 

 it ?" <( Inshallah ! please Heaven," returned the latter, " not by return- 

 ing through Constantinople !" At length the Persians get on board the 

 English ships prepared for their voyage to Great Britain. And here we 

 shall let the historian speak a little for himself:- 



" We had reached the frigate all but about one maidan, when, wonderful to 

 behold, at the sound of a shrill whistle, out jumped hundreds of what we took 

 to be rope-dancers ; for none but the celebrated Kheez-Ali of Shiraz, inimi- 

 table throughout Asia for his feats on the tight rope, could have done what 

 they did. They appeared to balance themselves in rows upon ropes scarcely 

 perceptible to the eye, ascending higher and higher in graduated lines, until 

 on the very tip-top of the mast stood, what we imagined to be either a gin or 

 a dive, for nothing mortal surely ever attempted such a feat. We had no 

 sooner reached the deck, whither we had all been whisked up (the blessed 

 Ali best knows how), than instantly such discharges of cannon took place, 

 that, with excess of amazement, our livers turned into water, and our brains 

 were dried up. 



'" ' In the name of Allah !' exclaimed the elchi, ' what does this mean ? Is 

 this hell? or is it meant for heaven ? What news are arrived?' All this he was 

 exclaiming, whilst the captain, standing before him, made low bows, and 

 seemed to claim his admiration. And it was only when the firing had ceased, 

 and that our ears had somewhat recovered the shocks they had received, that 

 the mehmandar stepped up and said, this was done in honour of his excel- 

 lency, and was the acknowledged mode in England of treating persons of dis- 

 tinction. ' May your shadow never be less !' rejoined the ambassador. ' I am 

 very sensible of the honour/ at the same time thrusting his fingers into his 

 ears ; f and I assure you that this mark of distinction will leave a lasting 

 impression upon me. But what is the use of discharging so many cannon, 

 and wasting so much precious gunpowder ? You have fired away more powder 

 than our shah did at the celebrated siege of Tus, when, with three balls and 

 one cannon, he discomfited a host of Yuzbegs, and kept the whole of their 

 kingdom in fear of his power for ever after.' ** to kill* 



" Altogether, the scene that we here witnessed was one which struck us 

 with more astonishment than any thing we had yet seen out of our own coun- 

 try.' Ah !' said we, f if the shah had but one such ship in the Caspian, fee 



