148 TEAVEL, ADVENTUEE, AND SPOET. 



establishment ; everything else that he may give you 

 is of pure grace. Should anybody in these travelling 

 days be ignorant of the constitution of a nargille, let 

 him understand that it is a smoking device on the 

 same principle as a hookah, but marvellously superior 

 in effect. The smoke is drawn through water by 

 means of a long snake-like tube. Herein lieth its 

 agreement with the Indian vanity ; but the difference 

 is this, that instead of the sickly composition, half 

 rose-leaves, half guava jelly, that composes the chillum 

 of the hookah, the nargill^ is fed with pure tobacco, 

 of a particular kind, indeed, and passing by a par- 

 ticular name, but still a veritable specimen of the 

 genus nicotiana. It is called timbooke, and professes 

 to come only from Persia. 



"We were not left long in undisturbed possession 

 of our apartment. The key had been made over to 

 us with much formality, but we soon found that our 

 tenancy was understood to imply no right of seclu- 

 sion. The news of our arrival had spread, and sundry 

 of the other inhabitants of the klian were smitten 

 with the desire of seeing what sort of animals these 

 were who travelled in such fashion. Our door opened, 

 and first one man, and then another, entered in the 

 most unconcerned style. It was highly amusing to 

 see how coolly they walked in : some saluted us, and 

 some did not ; some brought their pipes or nargilles, 

 with which they squatted on the floor, and watched 

 us. As we could not talk to them, they, talked to 



