A EIDE TO BABYLON. 369 



appropriate the contents of the boat intrusted to his 

 mercenary care. 



As we shot down the stream, the cultivation and 

 trees became thinner; and we could now see across 

 the far-stretching broad plains on both sides of us. 

 The river was very full, and having overflowed in 

 places its banks, large sheets of water lay over the 

 country, glistening in the light of the descending sun. 



Away to the right we caught a glimpse of K 



spurring across the plain. As he had his own good 

 horse to carry him, he naturally preferred the gallop 

 of six miles to the "ghoofa." Every now and then, 

 a sheet of water, that had been laid over the desert 

 by the river, would meet the distant horseman in 

 mid -career. We would see a thousand diamonds 

 gleam suddenly brilliant in the evening light, and 

 then through the midst of them horse and rider 

 would appear, skimming like some enchanted spirit 

 across the smooth face of the waters. On our ap- 

 proaching the spot where it had been agreed that 

 Hassan and his horses were to await us, not a living 

 thing did we see upon the plain for miles around, 

 except a very lightly clad boy on a white donkey. 

 The boy appeared to be watching our boat; and 

 finally, as we touched the bank, he approached cau- 

 tiously, and peered at us as if to satisfy himself of 

 our identity. He then delivered himself of some- 

 thing very guttural to our boatman, settled himself 

 quite on the tail-end of his donkey, broke into a 



