185 
Tigris to Baghdad, or travel on horseback on either side of 
the river through Mesopotamia, or Irak. The Mesopotamian 
route is more easy and shorter by four days, but it is not 
always safe. The objection to the other route is the existence 
of a large number of troublesome rivulets, besides the greater 
and lesser Zabs. In the Mesopotamian track there are scarcely 
any towns or villages worth mentioning, but on the opposite 
side there are two towns of importance, which are, Arweel, or 
Arbela, and Karkook, beside other large villages. The easiest 
and quickest way to go down to Baghdad from Mossul, is to 
float down the Tigris on a raft, and when the river is high the 
300 miles can be accomplished in three days and nights. 
10. From Baghdad to Babylon a traveller can do the 
journey in three days J slow marches, through Southern Meso- 
potamia on level ground as flat as a table and as sandy as the 
seashore, though from all appearances the whole country must 
have been formerly thickly inhabited, and richly cultivated, 
from the remains of the canals which are still visible all over 
the country. As there are no villages between Baghdad and 
Babylon, some charitable Moslems of Baghdad have built a 
number of khans or karavansaries at intervals of about fifteen 
miles for the convenience of the wayfarers and pilgrims who 
visit the shrine of Hosain at Karbala. 
11. Before I proceed any further I must not omit to men- 
tion the mode of housing oneself on the journey in those parts. 
It is always advisable for a traveller to carry two tents with 
him, one for himself and the other for his domestics, because 
it sometimes happens that no accommodation can be found on 
the road ; and if shelter can be obtained, the chances are the 
place would be so filthily dirty, and infested with fleas and other 
vermin, that instead of having any rest the traveller would be 
undergoing torture all the time he remains there. The great 
drawback, however, to tent-life in those countries, excepting 
in spring or at the end of autumn, is the discomfort of exces- 
sive heat and dust-storms of summer, and the cold and wet of 
winter. I myself never travelled without tents, though, per- 
haps, I did not have them pitched once in six months. When- 
ever I approached a village where I intended to halt I always 
cantered on about one hour or two before the arrival of the 
luggage, and as soon as I saw a nice-looking house or hut I 
entered into friendly negotiations with the person I considered 
to be the chief inmate of the abode ; and I never once failed to 
obtain the lodgings I required from the female members of 
the family, who always came to my assistance when there 
was any difficulty to surmount. But if there happens to be 
