126 
NARRATIVE. 
delay us as much as possible, and we also found that 
it was the custom for an ambassador to place himself 
entirely under the orders of the authorities of the 
country as regarded his movements. A polite reply 
was therefore sent to Mr. Forsyth's message, that as 
we must be very tired after our long march, we 
had better rest for a few days before proceeding to 
business. 
On entering the gate of the fort, one of our men 
learned from a brother Pathan that Ibrahim Khan, 
who had been sent from Kashmir to Yarkand via 
Tasin, was kept in confinement. Mr. Eorsyth 
waited for some time to see if Ibrahim Khan would 
be released, but as no mention was made of him, he 
asked that he might be brought. Mirza Shadi at 
once produced Ibrahim Khan, and made many 
apologies for the detention. Mr. Forsyth's first 
message intimating his desire to see the Governor not 
having been successful, he wrote a letter and again 
requested an interview, and after a good deal of 
troublesome negotiation, 4 p.m. next day, August 
24th, was fixed for our first interview. The mes- 
senger first sent returned after considerable delay, 
and said that the Dad Khwah was asleep, and nobody 
dared to disturb him. On being sent a second time, 
he came back with a report that the Dad Khwah had 
awoke, but was drinking tea, and therefore he had 
not delivered the letter. It was therefore sent by 
one of our own men, and a reply was brought that 
next morning an hour would be appointed for the 
interview. I need not say that if a European ofl&cer 
sent to an Oriental court once allows himself to be 
trified with, and accepts frivolous excuses of this sort, 
