THIRTY-FIVE YEARS IN THE EAST. 37 



told that there were four French military officers in the 

 service of Runjeet Sing at Lahore, in India ( Allard, Ventura, 

 Court, and Avitabile ) who, after the defeat of Napoleon, 

 having served in Persia, were about to organize a regular 

 army at Lahore, and that no European physicians or sur- 

 geons had been yet engaged. We therefore, thinking it 

 better to accelerate our departure, requested our dismissal, 

 which was granted, and we thus left Bagdad. Our friend, 

 Mr. Svvoboda, furnished us with letters of introduction to 

 the aforesaid French officers, and we went down the Tigris 

 to Bassora, and embarked there for Bender Bushir, in 

 Persia. At Bushir we met, at the British consul's, with six 

 English officers ( one of whom was a medical man, cominef 

 from Bombay ), who were on their way to England overland. 

 We sold them our two Arabian horses, and becoming 

 acquainted through that transaction, we went with them as 

 far as Shiras^ where we visited the ruins of Persepolis, and 

 then separated. On the journey we had an opportunity of 

 rendering a special service to our companions, namely, that 

 of saving their luggage, and at the same time of witness- 

 ing the cowardice of the Persians. The fact was, that a 

 fortress in the mountains, between Bushir and Shiras, having 

 capitulated, the garrison, which consisted of a couple of 

 hundred robber-like looking fellows, had met us in a forest, 

 and fallen on the luggage-train of the English officers, who, 

 together with their numerous servants,, were considerably in 

 advance. When I saw the miscreants dragging about by 

 the hair our men, I fired a pistol, partly to give a signal to 

 the Englishmen to come to our assistance, and partly to 

 frighten the assailants., which had the desired effect ; for 

 they fled right and left among the trees. We then pursued 

 our journey without further molestation, and received the 

 thanks of the Englishmen, who were coolly taking snufif, and 

 waiting for us at the top of the hill, near the fortress that 

 had previously capitulated. 



As it was too late for us now to^ proceed to India by 

 sea, we preferred staying a few months at Shiras, following 

 our profession, aad waiting for the wiater season, which is 



