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to pass the night, being occupied by the Pacha and his 
suite, I was obliged to lodge in a stable among the 
horses. It had been very cold all day, and the wind had 
blown strong in our faces, accompanied from time to 
time with hail; besides this inconvenience, we were 
obliged to take a turn to the left, to avoid the great 
road, and to guard against the attacks of the inhabitants 
of the canton, who had lately assassinated several 
Tartars. 
Monday, 12th October. 
We were upon our way at a quarter past seven 
o'clock in the morning. I perceived the uneasiness of 
my Tartars, who sometimes slackened their pace, and 
at others stopped to confer together with a serious air 
mixed with fear. I was soon informed of the motive of 
their fears. The Pacha, whom we had left at Barafdon, 
had just beheaded the postmaster of the place to which 
we were going, and they were fearful of a bad recep- 
tion, or of meeting with something still worse. 
After having deliberated, they resolved to send two 
of their companions and a postillion with a view to 
sound the inhabitants. I followed them at a slower pace, 
and halted near a well 300 toises from the town. One 
of the Tartars then advanced near the gates; and the 
postillion having returned to seek me, I entered Assiom 
Karaissar along with him at eleven in the morning, and 
put up very quietly at the post-house. 
The brother of the postmaster who had lost his head, 
had already carried off all the horses, and taken refuge 
in the mountains. Happily, however, my Tartars found 
means to let the governor know that I was an envoy 
from the Sultan Scherif of Mecca to the Sultan of 
Constantinople. Upon this news, the governor and all 
