40 
DHALAC 
some observations. They slept on couches in the open air, but were 
very much disturbed by the rats, which, in the course of the night, 
seized and carried off from under Mr. Salt's bed, a napkin laid in a 
basket, which contained all their provisions. Before they were up, 
the messenger arrived with all the articles sent for, and the ne- 
cessary permission from the Dola at Nokhara. The piece of blue 
Surat cloth was immediately presented to the priest of the place, and 
seemed very acceptable. After breakfast, they set off to make their 
observations. 
A little way to the south of the town is the tomb of a most holy 
Mussulmaun prophet and saint, Abou-el-Heimen. A light is kept 
constantly burning ; to support which, they assured Mr. Salt, it 
was customary for all travellers to give half a dollar. He would 
not be the first to break so laudable a custom, and therefore gave 
the money. Near this place are the ruins of a tank ; it was ^8 feet 
long, by 12 broad, and about 18 feet deep. It appeared to have 
been originally arched at top, and resembled another at some dis- 
tance ; the form of which was a regular oval, flat at the bottom, 
of great breadth, and 20 feet deep ; the sides also arched at top, 
leaving a circular opening in the centre about three feet diameter, 
towards which large gutters were formed in the rock to bring in the 
water. Near the sea were four others : one was much larger, two others 
smaller than those above described, and circular. The one in ruins 
was cut out of the solid rock, then lined with stone and chunamed. 
There was no water in any of them, but a sediment appeared at the 
bottom ; and on stooping down to look into them, the air was found 
extremely sultry. All these, they heard, were built by the Parsees, 
of whom nothing is known except from tradition ; from the same 
