•THIRTY-FIVE YEARS IN THE EAST. 6$ 



the weather was rather disagreeable ; rain, wind and snow 

 varying alternately. Thirty pairs of similar kadjevas, ranged 

 in a square, formed a large yard. Several of them were 

 filled with slaves ( Parsians and Hozarahs ). In my neigh- 

 bourhood there was one in which there were four little girls ^ 

 but as they were carefully watched, it was difficult to get a 

 sight of them ; they were going to Bokhara, to be sold there. 



The Navvaub had made me a present of two ponies, called 

 chargoosh {i.e., four-eared, because of their ears having been 

 slit) ; and they were of great use to me in the Desert from 

 Cabul to Russia. They instinctively dig up the roots below 

 the snow for food. 



On my arrival at Bokhara, I delivered the letter of re- 

 commendation which 1 had from the Nawaub, addressed to 

 the minister Hoshbegi. His first inquiry was, whether I 

 knew Jussuff Wolff and Alexander Burnes ? " Wolff, " conti- 

 nued he, "was a very good-hearted man ; but as for Burnes, 

 he was a deceiver, because he told me, up to the last mo- 

 ment, that his intention was to go to England, via Russia, 

 whereas he returned to Hindostao, via Khiva." He was 

 convinced that Burnes was a spy, and asked me if I would 

 act as he had done. I was told that there were 600 Russian 

 slaves at Bokhara, most of them fishermen from the Caspian 

 sea, or prisoners from the frontier. During ray four months' 

 stay at Bokhara, a Russian spy. Monsieur D — , was also 

 there, whom the Governor of Orenburg had sent with 

 presents to the Government, and who, although a Frenchman, 

 imitated the musselmans so well, as not to be recognised 

 as an European, for he knew both the Arabic and Persian 

 languages ; but the Nogais (Tartarian musselmans, under 

 Russian protection) informed against him, and urged his 

 being decapitated, lest he should inform against them for 

 having transgressed the ukase, according to which, no Rus- 

 sian subject was allowed to go to Bokhara. They availed 

 themselves of the opportunity, and accused him of the crime 

 of being a heretic, who had visited all the sacred places of 

 devout musselmans ; 'they asserted also that he was in 

 possessioQ of a diploma obtained from the Ulemas ( learned, 



