FROM GOKTCHAI TO LENKORAN. 301 



he and I met with a very favourable reception at 

 the hands of the great man, who produced in my 

 honour, on hearing that I was an Englishman, 

 two bottles labelled beer. These bottles of beer 

 had been the good man's pride for many a day, 

 and I verily believe it gave him more pleasure to 

 be able to see a real Englishman drinking his 

 beer than it did that Englishman to humour his 

 whim. 



In every house in Salian the Asiatic fever seemed 

 to rage ; half the inmates of either house in which 

 I was entertained were down with it, and this, too, 

 at the time of year when it is least virulent. 



There being no inducement to remain in the 

 place, we walked through it, and having found it 

 destitute of all objects of interest, ordered a fresh 

 team of horses to proceed on our journey to the 

 Caspian. For once the story that there were no 

 horses was found to be a true one, and, unable to 

 find lodging in the town, as we were unwilling to 

 burden either of our hosts with our presence, espe- 

 cially since the fever had deranged both their house- 

 holds, we made energetic endeavours to obtain some 

 conveyance to the next station, which was reported 

 weather-proof, and a capital station for wild-fowling. 

 Whilst thus engaged we came across a Tartar selling 

 foxskins, and were much struck by the enormous 

 quantity, all recently killed, which he had for sale. 

 They were skins of the common fox, shot in the 



