SHIKAZ TO BUSHIRE. 9 



embassy. "We, the junior members of the mission, 

 came crowding in behind, a regular fight ensuing be- 

 tween the different members of the Persian official's 

 suite and ourselves at the narrow gateways, and 

 through the hardly less narrow streets, as to who 

 should push through first, and as to who should get 

 hustled into the rear of the cortege, there to be 

 bumped to and fro by the pipe-bearers and servants, 

 with their horses laden with felt cloths and huge 

 saddle-bags. 



The first day in the Persian capital I shall never 

 forget ; from noon till the time the sun was below 

 the horizon it was one long series of receiving and 

 paying of visits. There was a running accompani- 

 ment of sherbets, pipes, coffee, and tea, in the regu- 

 lar rotation. How the rest of our party felt the next 

 morning, I cannot say ; I was a great deal too ill to 

 inquire. My parched mouth and throat seemed 

 anxious to assure me, by dint of a raging thirst, that 

 niy kalioon had, in the course of yesterday's civilities, 

 consumed all the tobacco of Fars. Before the day 

 was many hours old, I had convinced myself that 

 even this mild way of smoking the kalioon did not 

 render tobacco perfectly harmless. At Teheran we 

 were delayed more than a month. The Prime Min- 

 ister, having quite determined in his own mind that 

 everything was to be done to prevent our proceeding 

 to Herat (for he was well aware that the presence of 

 English officers in that city would be the signal over- 



