390 LIEUT.-COL. D. C. PHILLOTT : 



Kindly excuse me." The woman exclaimed, " This time I will play the devil with 

 you and you won't forget it. I shan't let you escape." She went to the top of the steps 

 and began to shriek " Thieves ! thieves ! " without stopping, till old and young with 

 sticks and staves in their hands made for the gateway. 



In fear of his life, the man jumped from the wall and found himself in a street. He 

 went on till he came to the door of a house. On putting his hand to the door it opened. 

 He entered calling out, " Master of the house ! " but no one answered. He saw a door 

 opposite him, and there appeared to be a light in the room. He went to this door and 

 called out, " Oh owner of the room ! Oh brother ! Oh mother ! Oh sister ! Oh uncle, 

 Oh Pilgrim of Karbala ! Oh Pilgrim of Meshed ! " but the more he shouted the less 

 answer he got. Consequently he opened the door. Inside the room he saw a very large 

 kursi x with a quilt over it and a lamp burning on the top. The man cast his felt into 

 a corner and went for the warmth underneath the quilt. In about a quarter of an hour 

 he felt very hungry, so he got up and wandered about till he found some bread which 

 he tried to eat. Dry bread not being palatable, he again got up and wandered round 

 till he found some butter. He sat down under the quilt and ate the bread and butter. 

 Feeling inclined for a smoke he found a qalyan. After smoking he laid the qalyan 

 aside, closed the door, extinguished the light and went to sleep. In a little while a 

 women burst open the door in a rage and entered muttering and blaming herself . " A 

 curse on my father," she said, " if I ever give my heart to the men of these times ! 

 From sun-down till now I've wandered about in the snow, all for nothing." Suddenly 

 she tripped and fell on the man. Feeling his features with her hand in the dark, she 

 exclaimed, " Muham Ja'far ! you here while I've been looking for you inside 

 the fort since sunset?" The man said, "Yes; I went to the wedding but didn't 

 see you there. As I knew your house I came here and slept, knowing that sooner 

 or later you must return. I was asleep till this moment." Without lighting the 

 lamp she came and lay down under the kursi. The man had eaten his fill, and 

 smoked, and become warmed through under the kursi. He was refreshed. He then 

 looked at the lattice and saw it was getting light. Said he to himself, " As soon 

 as the dawn breaks this woman will discover me and entangle me in a difficulty. 

 I'd better be off now." As soon as he got up to go, the woman seized his skirt and 

 began to adjure him saying, " Muham Ja'far, bring me the shoes this very instant." The 

 man burst out laughing and said, " Lady ! did I not in the stable say I was not Muham 

 Ja'far, but Haji Husain of Isfahan ? You didn't believe me; you followed me into 

 the upper room. There, too, I told you I was not Muham Ja'far. Again you refused 

 to believe me. Now I swear by God I am not Muham Ja'far, but Haji Husain of 

 Isfahan." 



When the woman heard this she said, " I adjure thee by God ! Art thou a jinn or art 

 thou a fairy 2 that wherever I go I find thee ? ' ' 



The man said, " Woman, first you tell me who you are, and who Muham Ja'far is ? " 



1 Kursi, vide note 5, page 407. 2 Vide note 15, page 407. 



