62 . TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



never with milk. The heat during the day in our 

 stable was great. "\Ve had spread our carpets on a 

 spot that had been swept and sprinkled with water 

 a little oasis amid the desert of dust and rubbish 

 around but, owing to the swarms of flies and fleas, 

 to which we finally became a helpless prey, our mid- 

 day siesta was of a most troubled and feverish char- 

 acter. In the evening the men returned from the 

 harvest-field; and whilst we were at dinner, they 

 gathered in groups about our humble dwelling. This 

 gave the gholaum a good opportunity of holding forth 

 to them about the badness of the lodging which had 

 been provided us. They swore by Allah that there 

 was no help for it. They said that every place that 

 was not actually occupied by their wives and families 

 was at present filled with corn that had as yet not 

 been trodden out. The men of this village were fine 

 sturdy-looking fellows. Two or three of them came 

 forward, and said that during the war they had run 

 the gauntlet of the Persian army, and carried fruit and 

 provisions into the English camp, then before Bushire. 



No sooner was it dark than Ave clambered up to 

 our stable -top. There, with the starlit vault of 

 heaven above us, we enjoyed some few hours' sleep, 

 undisturbed. 



3lst. This was comparatively a short march of 

 twelve miles. But as we had the formidable descent 

 of the Kotul - e - Koomaridge before us, we started 

 at about 4 A.M. The gholaum said, that by starting 



