120 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



the silt of distant hills, and furnished for it a brilliant 

 setting when lighted by the last rays of the western 

 sun. No one could call the scenery magnificent, but 

 it was at least picturesque ; and for a short time 

 Tirpul proved a pleasant resting-place. 



But the excitement of watching day by day for 

 the first sign of the approaching Cossack gradually 

 gave way to a feeling of vexation that he was taking 

 things so easily. We knew that, after the fight at 

 Panjdeh, 3000 Russian troops might have marched 

 into Herat absolutely unopposed. Knowing their 

 profound belief in the principle of beati possidenies 

 (a belief which has been most fully justified), and 

 having been told with great candour by the few 

 Russian officers met by our explorers and surveyors 

 that they were on their way to Herat, there was 

 naturally an opinion current in camp that Panjdeh 

 was but the beginning of the end, and the end was 

 Herat. Exactly how far they were prepared for such 

 an advance, of course we did not know. Neither 

 did we know exactly how far political considerations 

 would allow them to proceed. But we did know 

 that just at that juncture there was nothing to stop 

 them, unless it was the escort of the British Com- 

 mission, and consequently we watched for their next 

 proceedings with interest. But the interest flagged, 

 and the beauties of the surrounding scenery became 

 familiar ; and so an order for a small party of three 

 to proceed as far as possible in the direction of Herat, 



