BUSHIRE TO SHIRAZ. 
77 
rebel, and which were left to decay as soon as he was quelled. I un¬ 
derstand that the population of this district has been decreasing ever 
since the happy days of Sheik Nash. Almost the whole of its geo¬ 
graphy present places which have names, but no inhabitants; or if 
there are any, they are the refuse only of former more flourishing 
families. 
In our road to-day, we saw immense flights of the toowee, or desert 
partridge, and some ravens. The Mehmanclar and the oldest of our 
moonshees amused themselves in scouring the plains, and playing at the 
dangerous game of the girid , in which the old scribe got a severe blow. 
The Persians ride with great courage, for they drive their horses at 
their greatest speed over any ground. They of course get frequent 
falls, by which they are seldom much injured; for though they gene¬ 
rally alight on their heads, they are there saved by their immense 
sheep-skin caps.* 
It was a quarter past eight before we mounted our horses on the 
morning of the 21st, and ten minutes past twelve when we arrived at 
Daulakee , a distance called four fur swigs , and which may be computed 
at about twelve road miles. The site of Daulakee is marked by a break 
in the mountains, where the road which leads among them commences. 
It bore N. 30 E. when we mounted. Our road was much broken by 
the beds of numerous torrents, which, after the rain and melted snows, 
fall from the adjacent mountains. We here and there met with small 
encampments of the Elaids. They appear like the Turcomans ;, whom I 
have so frequently seen at Smyrna , and through the whole of Asia 
Minor. At the distance of two miles we were met by the Istakball , 
who fired their salute, and frightened the horses as before. This cere r 
mony was repeated every day, so that a repetition of the description 
will not be always necessary. They were all arranged on a rising 
* “ I have frequently amused myself in feeling their fekulls, to ascertain if they are as 
“ soft now as when Herodotus described them; but I never yet found one that was not 
a hard and impenetrable,” 
