Chap. II. from J. B. i a vernie R; , 83! 
hire many People for a Guard, you will go near to have 
your Throat cut *, for there is no Likelihood of e leaping 
thefe Free-booters. From thence the Way lies through 
Bimal and Modra to Chalaour , an ancient Town upon a 
Mountain, encompaffed with Wails, and very difficult to 
come to. There is a Lake upon the Top of the Moun- 
tain, and another below, and between them lies the Road 
to the Town. From Chalaour you pafs on to Cantap , Set- 
lana , Palavafaney, and Pipas , to Dantiver , from whence 
to Mirda , is three Days Journey, being a mountainous 
Country, and belongs to Rajahs, or petty Princes, who pay 
Tribute to the Great Mogul ; but in Recompence of it, 
the Great Mogul gives them Commands in his Army, 
which affords them large Appointments. Mirda is a great 
City, but ill built. 
This City having offended the King’s Sifter, Begum the 
Wife of Cha-Efi-Kan , in not waiting on her, and making 
her a Prefent on her Journey through that Place, when ffie 
went to marry her Daughter to Sultan Sujah, flie let loofe 
two hundred Elephants, who tore down their Trees, and 
did them incredible Mifchief. From Mirda the Road lies 
through Borondo , Coetchiel , Bandor , Sonnery , Ladona , 
Chafou , Nouali , and Hindoo , to Baniana. Thefe two laft 
Towns are famous for Indigoe Cake, which is round, and 
being the beft of all the Indigoes, is double the Price. Vet- 
tapour , a Town famous for weaving Woollen Hangings, is 
the next Town, and from thence you go directly to Agra , 
to which from Surat is four hundred and fifteen Leagues, 
and thirty-three Days Journey, if they could be equally 
divided *, but becaufe you flay in fome Places, it ufually 
takes up thirty-five or forty Days. 
From Candahar there are two Ways to Agra, either 
through Caboul , or Multan * the latter is the fhorter by ten 
Days Journey ♦, but the Caravan never goes that Way, be- 
caufe it lies almoft all through the Defarts, where there is 
no Water to be met with for three or four Days together, 
fo that their moft ordinary and beaten Road is through Ca- 
houl. Now from Candahar to Caboul is twenty-four Days 
Journey, and from thence to Labor twenty-two ; from 
Labor to Dehly , or Gehanabat , eighteen, and from thence 
to Agra fix, which with the fixty Days Journey from Ifpa- 
han to Errata , and twenty from Errata to Candahar , 
makes in all from Ifpahan to Agra one hundred and fifty 
Days Journey ; but the Merchants that are in hafte ride 
three or four in a Company upon Horfes, and finifh it in 
fixty or fixty-four Days at moft. 
Multan lies in 29 0 40' North Latitude, and is the ca- 
pital Town of the Province of the fame Name, tho’ fome 
Geographers place it in the Province of Sinde. It hath 
many Towns dependant upon it, as Cazdar , or Cordar, 
Coudavil , Saudur , and others. In this City are made a vaft 
Quantity of Linnen Calicuts, for which heretofore there 
was a very great Trade, becaufe it not being far from the 
River Indus , they could eafily tranfport them to Lata, 
where the Merchants of feveral Countries bought them up * 
but becaufe of late the Channel of the River is fpoiled in 
fome Places, and the Mouth is quite flopped up with 
Sands, they are forced to fend all their Goods to Agra , and 
fo to Surat , which fo inhances the Price by the Carriage, 
that the Merchants do r ot care to deal in them * by which 
means the Trade is much leffened there, and the Workmen 
have defer ted the City, fo that the King’s Revenues are 
much leffened in thofe Provinces : Yet there is a fmall Trade 
for Sugar, Opium, Rrimftone, Galls, and Camels, which 
are tranfporced into Perjia , Gazna , Candahar , and the In- 
dies, by Labor. It furnifhes Indojlan with the fineft Bows 
that are to be feen in it ; and here are bred the great Num- 
ber of Dancers of both Sexes that fpread themfelves all over 
Perjia . 
The Commander and Officers of this Town are Moham- 
medans, and confequently it may be fuppofed that moft 
Parts of the Inhabitants are of the fame Religion ; yet there 
are a great many Banyans , who come to trade, and exercife 
their Arts, and Brokage, and Ufury, in which they much 
outdo the Jews -, for they are fo watchful and cunning, 
that no Opportunity of Gain flips them •, and they have lo 
wound themfelves in all Bufinefs, that hardly any body can 
be without them. They take Comrniffions of all kinds, 
and though it be known that they make a Profit of every 
thing, yet the Merchants chufe to rhake life of them, ra^ 
ther than do their Bufinefs themfelves ; for they will buy 
cheaper and .better than any Man can for himlelf. They 
are of a pleafant Humour, and refufe no Service* whether 
honourable or bafe* and are always ready to fatisfy thofe 
that employ them 5 and therefore every one has his Banyan 
in the Indies , and fome Perfons of Quality entruft. them 
with all they have* though they are not ignorant of their 
Hypocrify and Avarice. The richeft Merchants of the 
Indies are of this Clafs, or Tribe. They are commonly 
very jealous of their Wives* who are fairef than the Men, 
though of a brown Complexion, and love to paint. They 
have a particular Law amongft them, which permits them 
to eat Fowl upon certain Days, of the Year* and to have, 
one Wife among two or three Brothers, and the eldeft of 
them is accounted the Father of the Children begotten 
among them. 
9. From Candahar you travel to Char if afar, and then 
through Zealate , Betazy, Mezour, and Car abate, to Cha- 
kenicoitze , which is a frontier Town of the Indies , and the 
Country about it under the Command of feveral Princes 
that acknowledge the Perjian Emperor. From this City td 
Caboul is forty Leagues, and in the whole Journey there is 
but three pitiful Villages, where you can rarely get Bread 
and Barley for your Horfes, and therefore you muft carry 
Provifions for yourfelf. 
In the Months of July and Augufi there blows an hot 
Wind in thefe Parts, that takes away a Man’s Breath, and 
kills him Upon the Place. It is the fame with that which 
blows about Babylon and MouJJul at certain Seafons. In 
this Road dwells a certain People called Augans , towards 
the Mountains of Balch •, they are a fturdy fort of People* 
and great Robbers in the Night-time. Thefe People, as 
the reft of the Indians , have a Cuftom to cleanfe and ferape 
their Tongues every Morning with a crooked Piece of a 
Root, which caufes them to void a great Quantity of 
Phlegm and Rheum, but not to vomit, as it doth the other 
Indians neverthelefs, when they come to eat, as foon as 
they have fwallowed two or three Bits, their Lungs begin 
to fwell, and they are conftrained to go forth and vomit 5 
after which they return again to their Victuals with a very 
good Appetite * ftiould they not do fo, they would not live 
above thirty Years, and befides, would be troubled with a 
Dropfy. 
Caboul is a large City* the Metropolis of the Province of 
Cabouliftan , or Caboul, and hath two Caftles well fortified ; 
and becaufe feveral Kings have held their Courts there, and 
many Princes have had it fucceffively for their Portion, 
there are a great many Palaces in it. It lies in 33 0 of 
North-Latitude, the Mountains about it produce Plenty of 
Mirabolans, which from thence the Eaftern People called 
Cabuly , feveral forts of Drugs, and fome Spices, with 
which the Iron Mines in them yield a great Profit to 
the Inhabitants. In this Town they maintain a great Trade 
with Lartary , the Country of the UJbecks , and the Indies 6 
The UJbecks alone fell yearly in this Town above fixty 
thoufand Horfes, and the Perfians bring hither great Num- 
bers of Sheep, and other Cattle, by which means they are 
much enriched. Wine is to be had, and Provifions are 
cheap, though the Country about it is but cold and barren, 
unlefs in fome Places, which are fneltered by the Moun- 
tains, being rendered a little more fruitful, by the two Ri- 
vers that water it, and which have their Source in the 
Mountains. 
From this Province efpedally come the large Canes, of 
which they make Halberds and Lances, and they have 
many Grounds planted with them. The Inhabitants of 
the City and Province are moft of them Heathens, and 
therefore in all Towns and Villages are many Pao-ods. 
They reckon the Months by the Moons, and with great 
Devotion celebrate the Feaft called Houly, which lafts^two 
Days, at the full Moon in February. At this Feaft, they 
are all cloathed in a dark red, and after they have prayed 
in the Temple, and made Oblations, they fpend the reft; 
of the Time in Dancing, by Companies, in the Streets, to 
the Sound of Trumpets, vifiting their Friends, and eati no- 
together, every Tribe by itfelf. The Great Mogul’s Re^ 
venue fiom tnis Country, is four or five Millions yearly, 
Frorq 
