60 By Mountain, Lake, and Plain 



narrow valley, so that the air inside one's tents 

 and out is full of driving sand and dust, and 

 life becomes intolerable. It was in this way 

 that we were treated, so that we all were glad 

 to leave. But an error had been committed 

 which brought on us the ire of this detestable 

 personage. Said Khan, our kafila - bashi, had, 

 as in duty bound, made the sacrifice of a sheep 

 at the Baba's shrine ; but instead of the meat 

 being divided equally among high and low, 

 he had, like Ananias, kept back half for himself. 

 Next day three camels were missing, the re- 

 covery of which was a matter of weeks and 

 much strife. But even then we were not quit 

 of the malicious being. The caravan, with takht- 

 i-rawan and all, proceeded to the next camp at 

 Jhuli by the direct road over the plain. Tents 

 were pitched and the camp settled down. I 

 walked over the hill on the chance of another 

 ibex, and from a high point looked westward over 

 a broad plain amongst the hills. Some distant 

 white specks indicated where our tents had been 

 planted down my home for the time being. 

 Towards evening a cloud arose in the west the 

 size of a man's hand. More seemed to collect 

 from nowhere, forming an arch across the blue sky. 

 Dust devils raced over the plain and then there 

 came down a howling sand - storm. The plain 



