340 THE EASTEEN HUNTERS. 



to Mackenzie, and then retired to a little distance, 

 and was shortly dismissed to refresh himself. The 

 muslin cover was about the size of the usual official 

 envelope ; and through its flimsy texture could be 

 discerned the flowered silk of the covering contain- 

 ing the " khureeta," or letter. This was tied at the 

 mouth with several twists of red silk thread, the 

 ends of which were passed through a waxen seal. 

 And such a seal ! Eound, and having a diameter 

 of about three inches, with a uniform thickness of 

 perhaps a third of an inch, it may have contained, 

 say, three or four sticks of ordinary sealing-wax. 

 On its face was impressed a number of native 

 characters with many flourishes, all firm and well 

 defined. The silk being cut, the usual native letter 

 from one person of consequence to another of similar 

 rank, was extracted. Folded with great precision, 

 it was written in a flourishing Persian character, in 

 the Hindustanee language, on soft glazed paper, 

 which glittered with the particles of gold-leaf used 

 in its manufacture. 



Norman who had passed as an interpreter 

 with some assistance from Sheik Hussein, managed 

 after several trials to make out the general purport 

 of the document ; and in this he was somewhat 

 aided also by the fact of its contents having been 

 communicated by the Hurkara to Sheik Hussein. 



