ENTRANCE TO TABREEZ. 139 



May 28th. — We set out early for our twenty-four miles' 

 ride across tlie plain to Tabreez, whicli was already visible, 

 a dark green spot, in the distance. There was nothino- 

 of interest on the road, excei^t in the jaarties we either 

 overtook or met. Now a gentleman on his travels, dressed 

 in a cool dove-colour or grey coat, bright silk shirt, and 

 tall hat, his horse covered with a gaudy saddle-cloth, 

 caracoled past us, followed by his servant with the saddle- 

 bags ; now we met a train of donkeys gaily decorated with 

 many-coloured tassels, and bustling along as if they were 

 all hurrying to a fete. To them succeeded a solemn train 

 of camels, swinging, with every sway of the neck, enor- 

 mous bells. As we drew closer to the city, we met more 

 and more people on the roads, and crowds of donkeys 

 carrying brushwood for the use of the brick-kilns we 

 afterwards passed. A brick bridge of many arches crosses 

 the considerable stream of the Aji Chai, which, rising at 

 the foot of Sawalan Dagh, waters the environs of Tabreez, 

 and finally loses itself in the Lake of Urmia. We now 

 entered the gardens of the suburbs ; on either hand rose 

 grey earth-walls, fifteen feet in height, with fruit-trees 

 raising their heads over them, and vines pushing green 

 tendrils through their upper and less solidly-built por- 

 tions. The doors of the vineyards were of stone, exactly 

 of the pattern of those in Bashan, and some of them nine 

 feet high. We were amused to see the primitive mode of 

 knocking for admittance, by picking up a stone from the 

 ground and hammering it against the door. We rode at 

 once to the English Consulate, which is the handsomest 

 house in Tabreez, with a pleasant balcony and garden, 

 and large cool-looking rooms. We found, as we feared 

 would be the case, that Mr. Abbott had already left for 

 Urmia. The dragoman of the Consulate (who, however, 

 only spoke Turkish) soon appeared, and requested us to 



