122 Extracts from Demi-Official Reports. [No. 110. 



raised a shout for the supposed reinforcement. After about 10 minutes 

 of the most intense anxiety daring which we and our opponents, as if 

 by mutual agreement, waited to see whose conjecture was right, we were 

 relieved by the arrival of the Atalik, w T ho galloping up ahead to us at 

 the utmost speed, exclaimed that he had brought Hussan Khan to our 

 defence. The announced ally was not long in following with 300 men, 

 and our enemies were made to understand that they must abandon 

 all idea of attacking us. Hussan Khan declaring that we were envoy's 

 recommended to him by the Shah whose slave he was, and that he would 

 allow no one to molest us. It seemed pretty clear that the Atalik had 

 wrought this loyal zeal in Hussan Khan's mind, and probably, from the 

 delay which had occurred, that he had not found the task easy ; but 'twas 

 not a time to scrutinize very particularly the motives which had brought us 

 a defender, so we gave Hussan Khan the politest credit for his professions, 

 and at evening sent him a handsome shawl from the Atalik's fort, with a 

 promise that we would not fail to represent his conduct to the Shah. 



We arrived that evening without further adventure, at Badgah in 

 Cheghehezan, a fort in the Herirood valley which is the family seat of 

 the Feroozkohee Atalik, and we shewed our appreciation of the ser- 

 vice which this chief had rendered us by giving a very handsome present 

 to him, besides gifts according to their degrees to his brother and other 

 relations. 



"We were detained 4 days at Badgah, first in consequence of the Atalik's 

 indisposition, and then in order to get rid of a neighbouring chief con- 

 nected w T ith him, Kurar Beg of Surusghar, who threatened to attack us 

 in our very camp near the Atalik's fort unless we paid him black mail, 

 his right to demand this, he said, lying simply in his power to enforce 

 its payment. After causing us several alarms, Kurar Beg listened to the 

 remonstrances of the Atalik, the aid of our host being necessary to 

 protect him from another more powerful chief whose son he had mur- 

 dered in his own house, and he came to pay us a visit, attended by 200 

 followers. 



We now left the Herirood valley, ascending 3 miles through the hills 

 on its northern side to a ridge running parallel with it, and proceeding 8 

 miles further to the northward over an undulating down to the summit 

 of the main ridge of Hindoo Koosh, which we crossed by the easy pass of 

 Shategh i Ghilmee. It is not higher to the eye than the ridge first 

 noted, and there are higher looking masses to the northward, but our 

 guides said that it rose again both east and westward, and their defini- 



