More about the Bujnurd Sheep 197 



was a valuable i.e., a purchasable commodity ; 

 and as soon as this had been recognised by us 

 and acted upon, difficulties vanished. 1 Mudakhil 

 (illicit perquisites) and shirini (bribery, literally 

 sugar) are indeed the poles about which the 

 Persian world revolves, and that is discovered 

 by the newcomer at once. What is not dis- 

 covered so soon is that it is an error to fall in 

 with the Persian idiosyncrasy in individual cases 

 too quickly or too liberally. By so doing you 

 only risk your reputation for intelligence, and lay 

 yourself open to enhanced demands. A Persian, 

 descanting on this admitted failing in his own 

 countrymen, once told me a rather amusing story. 

 A high official dreamed a dream. A shining peri 

 appeared to him and said he had brought him a 

 present of 500 tomans in a bag. True to his 

 instincts, he immediately exclaimed, " What ! only 

 500 ; I won't take a dinar less than 1000." Hav- 

 ing said this he incontinently awoke. Throwing 

 himself back on his pillow in an agony of remorse 

 at his lost opportunity, he closed his eyes, folded 

 his arms, and said, "Agreed, say no more, I will 

 take 100." 



On this occasion the best of the two shikaris 



1 Persians are avaricious, but not mean. A miserly man is held 

 in much contempt ; the characteristic witticism about a mean person 

 is that he " puts his cheese inside a bottle and rubs it on his bread." 



