1833.] and Dr. Gerard, from Péshdwar to Bokhdra. 19 
wishers, and have left the name of Englishman with all the honors which 
we most covet. At Karshi we had a specimen of the gardens which 
poets have celebrated in their descriptions of Samarkhand and Bokhara; 
we lay amidst apricots and ice, and I enjoyed both in spite of an ague 
that almost shook me to pieces. We heard of slaves for sale here, and 
a young Hindu of our party, a clever and promising lad from the Delhi 
institution, whose thirst for knowledge leads him into many strange 
situations, has the following dialogue in his journal about the traffic. 
It is headed “ a trick or jest for a slave girl, ” and I extract it literally. 
** On my return from bazar I besought a man to shew me the house 
of the merchant who sells men and women, which I reached after 
traversing very hot streets. The merchant received me civilly, and sent 
for three women from a room adjoining to that which was his own. 
He told them to sit before me, and then inquired of me which I liked 
to buy. I replied to him, the young one, who had regular features, 
was mild and attractive, her stature elegant, though below the middle 
size, while her wit and vivacity exceeded even her allurements. In 
the mean time the two others, who were neither ugly nor beautiful, 
stood up and went into their rooms; the young one followed soon 
after, but sat in a separate place, guarded by a very old man. I was 
told by the merchant to go in the same room, to speak, to laugh, and 
to content the girl. I sat out to the girl, and conversed in the following 
manner. I love you and liketo buy you, art contented and pleased with 
me? She smiles and says, No, I do not like you, because she is afraid per- 
haps Isell her to another after enjoying my own gratification: her name 
was Gul-sad-barg, (the flower of a hundred leaves.) After much alter- 
cation, she says, Very well, I should swear not to sell her again and 
make please to her master. The old man who sat by the door told her 
to stand and to show me her whole body according to the custom, which 
means perhaps that there be not any sort of disorder in her person. 
All her body was crystalline, her age was 13 or 14 years. I talked with 
her a long time on various subjects, inquiring her nativity and birth; 
she said her home was in Badakhshan, and she had a large family: she 
was ravished by the ruler of the country, and sold to this merchant. On 
saying this she brought a flood of tears in her eyes, and said, For God's 
sake buy soon, and release me from the hands of this unmerciful Uzbek, 
It made me very sorry : I cursed the ruler, and bestowed a maledic- 
tion on her merchant who troubles her. I instantly got up and came 
away to my camp, without seeing or telling any word to the merchant, 
as I had not inclination to buy her. The experience and fun induced 
me to make a trick for investigating the principles of slave merchants, 
D2 
