SHIRAZ TO BUSHIRE. 11 



passes of the Ivotul-e-pierzun, and the Kotul-e-Dok- 

 tur, to Bushire, thus completing a journey of about 

 three thousand miles, every foot of which had been 

 ridden on horseback. It is a journal of the last ten 

 days or so of this journey that occiipies the following 

 pages, and which, I trust, may interest some of my 

 readers. 



We had made a stay at Shiraz of about ten days. 

 We had strolled through its bazaars, and we had 

 wondered at the dilapidation and the decay that had 

 met us at every turn. But notwithstanding ruined 

 walls and crumbling arches, we had found the bazaars 

 crowded from sunrise to sunset with a busy, noisy 

 crowd : for the Shirazee is a cheerful, light-hearted 

 fellow, and goes to his work singing and laughing, 

 and apparently void of all care. There is nothing in 

 his character in common with the solemn - looking 

 silent denizen of a Turkish or Egyptian bazaar, 

 except, perhaps, his propensity to take you in a pro- 

 pensity he will most assuredly display, should you 

 once open a bargain with him. We had visited the 

 burial-places of Saadi and Hafiz, elbowing our way 

 thither through crowds of travel - stained pilgrims. 

 These had come, many of them, from far -distant 

 provinces of Persia, to repeat long prayers and count- 

 less Allans at these tombs, which are held in rever- 

 ence and great sanctity as the shrines of departed 

 saints. Here also we had found collected several of 



