1841.] Journal kept while travelling in Seistan. 329 



cense under my horse's belly ; little boys with long sticks in their hands 

 were continually crying, " Remember the poor scholars," talib ul- 

 ilm; and a testy fakeer walked just before me, and made my horse 

 jump every minute by calling out, ya huk. The custom of throwing 

 water I saw in no other place but in the Laush territories ; it re- 

 sembles the presenting the " rullus" of Rajpootanna. They have ano- 

 ther mode of welcome peculiar to Laush. When a new governor arrives, 

 they tie a cow to a platform, which is carried on men's shoulders a 

 few miles on the road ; while the chief is coming a man, stands on the 

 platfrom with a knife in his hand, calling out " Shall I kill, shall I 

 kill ?" If the governor says, " Kill," they prophecy he will be a tyrant. If 

 he spares the animal, they escort him with great joy and acclamation to 

 his house. The governor of Toojk, Khan Ishaukzye, named Jaun Ma- 

 homed Khan, met him before we reached the town ; we sat on a carpet 

 under a tree while the tents were pitching; all the house tops and 

 branches of the trees around us being crowded with people eagerly gaz- 

 s ing at Us, and bursting into laughter every now and then, at the strange 

 ! dress of myself and the sergeant. Jaun Mahomed, a singularly good- 

 i humoured-looking and talking person, began the conversation by saying, 

 that he had been a rebel for twelve years, and he evidently prided 

 himself no little upon it. But said he, " Yar Mahomed and I are now 

 i fast friends, and he has just sent me two horses." 



He was very anxious to know, how we could govern Mussulmans. 

 " For instance," he said, " suppose you had taken Candahar for your- 

 selves, instead of Shah Shooja." After disclaiming the possibility of such 

 an event as our taking Candahar for ourselves, I endeavoured to explain, 

 that in India we governed Mussulmans according to their own laws, 

 with some limitations ; and mentioned as an example the prohibition of 

 blood feuds, &c. " That may be all very good," he said, 

 " but I should like to see any law that would prevent 

 me killing a man who had killed one of mine." Hoping to get a Utile 

 quiet, we retired to our tents; but the curiosity of the people could not 

 be repressed; a large crowd squatted themselves around the doors, trying 

 to peer through the chick to see what we were doing, and every now 

 and then some beggar would poke his head in, and whine out, 

 Ai berae khoda ! " Ah for God's sake." Night only relieved us from this 

 persecution ; I became rather alarmed after what Jaun Mahomed had 



