264 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



all the Kipchak horsemen, except the Wolf, took the 

 lead. The Wolf's duty seemed, by his own choice 

 and general approval, to be confined to looking after 

 the loads of the mules while on the road ; and he 

 was most active in the execution of this duty 

 jumping off, jerking a box to one side, tightening 

 a rope, and mounting again in a moment. After the 

 mules came our baggage-ponies, and the man who 

 rode the last always held the rope of the led horse 

 the Arab which I have already mentioned. Im- 

 mediately after the led horse Brutus and I followed, 

 and then my two private servants one carrying 

 leather bottles of water, tea apparatus, and bread 

 and sweetmeats, and the other my pipe : for this 

 he had large holsters and a pan of burning charcoal 

 swinging from his saddle. Under his pony he had 

 also a leather bottle of water, so that, without stop- 

 ping, I could have a kullian at a moment's warning. 

 After three or four pulls, the pipe was handed round 

 to any one disposed for a whiff, and old Brutus was 

 then a constant smoker ; but since his arrival here he 

 has requested my man not to bring the pipe to him, 

 as he says his character as a Kazi will suffer in the 

 estimation of these hounds (the Turkomans) if he is 

 seen smoking. But to proceed regarding our proces- 

 sion. After the servants came Brutus's servant and 

 Mahomed Daood ; Khoda Woordee and Fazil Khan' 

 brought up the rear. We generally shuffled along at 

 four miles an hour, and Brutus would tell me some 



