HIS SUFFERINGS AND ENDUEANCE. 103 



full half an hour in finding a place to cross, by 

 which time the Mullah had reached the hills 

 and was making his way up. Seeing this, the 

 six troopers dismounted and followed him. 



'' The Mullah continued to scale the mountain 

 side till he could ascend no further ; moreover, 

 the path he had come was so narrow that only 

 one person could move up at a time, and it was 

 also almost perpendicular. Fortunately the 

 rocks sheltered him from the balls of the pur- 

 suers, whose advance he checked by throwing 

 down masses of stone whenever they attempted 

 it. Thus passed that dreadful day, in which 

 the Mullah's sufferings from thirst were intense; 

 ' but, after all,' said he, ' I consoled myself 

 with the reflection that it was no worse than 

 what we voluntarily submit to during the 

 Ramzan festival, and I knew that my pursuers 

 must be equally distressed, as there was no 

 water within many miles of the place.' The 

 troopers repeatedly attempted to ascend, but, 

 as was afterwards learned, one man's skull was 

 fractured, and the arm of another broken, by 

 the boulders of rock poured down upon them 

 whenever tliey made the attempt, and the 

 Mullah had abundance of such ammunition. 



