FROAf GOKTCHAI TO LENKORAN. 303 



every direction were the fires of the Tartar en- 

 campments. Several times, much to our driver's 

 disgust, we had to pass within a few hundred 

 yards of their wretched tents, which consist of four 

 sticks stuck in the ground, and a piece of black felt 

 stretched over the top. Under this they rest, the 

 four sides open to every gust of wind, while a large 

 lire close by warms them where they lie, and with 

 its flickering flames lends additional wildness to the 

 scene, as well as to the grim figures passing and 

 repassing before it, and strangely magnifying the 

 group of animals tethered hard by. These nomads 

 must be more than mere gipsies, from the number 

 of horses and cattle which I saw in their encamp- 

 ments. They are a great bore to the sportsman, 

 for, though the Mooghan is alive with antelopes 

 in the summer, these sensible little beasts leave it 

 as soon as the Tartar hordes make their ap- 

 pearance. 



As we left Salian the evening was closin^ in 



o o 



fast, and the whole sky was a vivid stormy crim- 

 son, which, being caught by the endless level plain, 

 had a very grand effect. A vast flight of pelicans 

 in marching order, line upon line, came slowly 

 winging their way from the fishery at Bosghi 

 t'romysl to their night's rest in some reed-bed on 

 the Kiir. The solemn even flight of these great 

 birds, their countless numbers, great size, and 

 quaint grave aspect were in wondrous keeping 



