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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Photograph by Lt.-Col. Alfred Heinicke 

 A STALL IN THE COPPERSMITH'S BAZAAR OF A PERSIAN CITY 



had finally ceased and the moon had set, 

 a dog, five dogs, ten dogs barked furi- 

 ously in a. near-by camp of nomads. 



A night caravan passed, with much 

 tinkling of bells and the usual gruff calls 

 of the muleteers. Later, the stillness of 

 the night was abruptly broken. The 

 sentry at the corner tower had challenged 

 and incidentally scared the life out of a 

 Persian who passed too close with, judg- 

 ing by the sounds, three or four donkeys. 



A breathless pause, a volley of unintel- 

 ligible shouts from the Indian, and this 

 lone quivering Persian stole off into the 

 night. But then, his fear overcome, to 

 show his truly Persian bravery, he burst 



forth into the characteristic long moaning 

 warble of a Persian melody. 



There was something very sad and yet 

 fascinating about that wailing refrain 

 sung to the grayness of a desert gravel 

 plain at night, with ghostlike mountain 

 ranges, sharp irregular peaks, still catch- 

 ing the faint light of the moon, and with 

 the stars — myriads of stars — overhead. 



Contrast again and mystery. Silence 

 and then barren night mothering at her 

 bosom those weird notes of that intrigu- 

 ing Persian rhythm. It will always re- 

 main typical of the Persian Road for me, 

 one of its greatest charms, that lonely 

 Caravan Song fading into the night. 



A Map of Asia in six colors (size 28 x 36 inches) will be issued as a supplement with the 



MAY GEOGRAPHIC 



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