72 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



The air Avas strongly impregnated with the srnell of 

 naphtha. As far as I was concerned, I must confess 

 it had rather a stifling effect than otherwise upon 

 me ; but it seemed to clear the pipes of one of the 

 muleteers, a sturdy little fellow, who always perched 

 himself upon the top of the highest pile of baggage ; 

 for as he rode along, he suddenly tolled forth an 

 appeal to some faithless fair one. He sang vehe- 

 mently through his nose, and with an amount of 

 energy worthy of a better fate than his appeared to 

 be, owing to the heartlessness of the stag-eyed one. 

 He called her his " sugar-lips," his " sugar-eating 

 parrot," and entreated her to return ; but as the song 

 proceeded, he learnt it was all in vain ; he reaped 

 only vexation and sorrow; and, finally, comme un 

 vilain il fut traite. "When day broke we saw on 

 our right a far -spreading marshy swamp : this was 

 fed by two streams that crossed the road. The water 

 of both these streams was of a dark-brown colour, 

 and with a sort of blue film floating upon the surface. 

 The air was heavy with the effluvia of naphtha. 

 Having ridden some nine miles across the plain, we 

 arrived at the walled town of Boorasjoon. The in- 

 habitants flocked out to meet us, and conducted us 

 to the house of the governor of the town, which he 

 had vacated for our use. The walls were thick and 

 the rooms lofty, so for this one day at least we found 

 ourselves comfortably housed. In the course of the 

 afternoon the governor called upon us. He was a 



