JOUKNEY FROM HERAT TO ORENBURG. 263 



but, as a Kazi and Moollah of known family, Brutus 

 is here considered almost a saint ; and as he has a 

 great command of language, he frightens these people 

 by volleys of Arabic, which he lets fall in merciless 

 shoAvers on their devoted heads. These scenes never 

 take place in my presence ; but I often see Brutus in 

 a fury, and it relieves him much to abuse these sons 

 of burnt fathers this race of dogs, as he always calls 

 the Turkomans. 



But this essay on Turkoman horses, horsemanship, 

 and valour is merely en passant/ and now revenons 

 a nos moulons the review of the march from Herat 

 to this. I would divide the distance thus : from 

 Herat to Merv, 265 miles ; from Merv to Khiva, 

 432J; total distance, 697| miles, which we crossed 

 (not including the halt at Merv) in twenty-five days 

 (I count to Khoosh Eobat, only one stage from Herat), 

 or an average of twenty-eight miles a-day. "\Ve should 

 have done it in shorter time, but the fording of the 

 Murghab and the sickness of Brutus detained us. 

 The only part of the road which was trying to man 

 and beast Avas the 170 miles across the desert from 

 the Murghab to the Oxus, and this portion Avas very 

 fatiguing, uninteresting, and disagreeable. The heat 

 during the six days we were in the desert was very 

 great, and the doubt as to finding water Avas harass- 

 ing. During every other part of the road, particularly 

 in the cool of the evening, it was pleasant enough 

 pushing along with the mules. On these occasions 



