1833.] From Bokhdara to Meshid. 145 
had conquered all pride of self-sufficiency), from a regard to his own 
interests, checked our liberality, and instead of presenting a couple of 
sugar-loaves and a handful of tea, broke off the end of one, and witha 
few raisins made up our nazar. 
Several of his train peeped into our creels and asked after our 
business, and were quite satisfied on being told that we were Afghans 
from Kabél : so little are those people acquainted with the colour and 
characteristics of Europeans. In this respect, therefore, our faces 
are real masks, and it was here only the name of our country that we 
had an object in concealing, since to the services of those in Abbas 
Mirza’s army especially, not a little of the bad feeling between the 
Khan of Urganj and the Persians is owing. Russians and Englishmen 
are alike their enemies, or rather the Urganjis are hostile to both. In 
the afternoon we ventured out of our camel baskets as the enemy was 
departing, but as some of his dependents were lingering behind we 
were warned back. In the evening we got out and laughed heartily at 
the transaction. In truth we were quite at our ease all the time, not 
believing that there was an individual in our camp who had any object 
in betraying us; but it was not long till we discovered that wretches are 
to be found in every community, and people whose fair faces belie their 
feelings. We ,had only a week’s march between us and Meshid, and 
we started again with fine prospects. 
On the 1st of September we came in sight of the mountains of Persia, 
and next day arrived at Shiraks, a Turkoman village with a fort. Here 
we were to be taxed, but misfortunes seldom come single ; and if the mer~ 
chants had to complain of an imposition, we certainly had not bargained 
for a share of their burdens and a load of our own besides. While in 
our former embarrassment near Myhr, we superadded to it the plea- 
sant prospect of meeting a body of Allemans, whom the merchants of 
our Kafila actually saw marched off upon a predatory excursion to 
the borders of Meshid. The tax-gatherer, who had an interest in the 
‘safety of the Kajilas, exacted a promise from them, that should they 
cross our path we had nothing to fear: but a robber’s pledge is like 
lover’s vow graved upon some insect’s filmy wing, and lasts only till the 
bait is thrown out. No fewer than seven hundred of those armed ruf- 
fians were thus let loose. At Shiraks we learnt that the Allemans 
were still in pursuit of booty, and the Kafila took up its position till 
they should have passed us on their return. Apprehensions were now 
turned into real horror, at least with me, when we beheld the cold-blooded 
monsters racing into the village, with their spears poized and their 
horses almost dead from fatigue in their infernal occupation. They 
U 
