94 
BUSHIRE TO SHIRAZ. 
prisoners amounted, according to the Persian's report, to six thousand 
men. A firman from the King was also announced to be at this time 
on the road for the Envoy. 
Our picturesque camp, which was interspersed amongst the oaks of 
the valley, was in motion at a quarter before eight on the morning of the 
27th. After traversing nearly the full length of the plain, perhaps four 
miles, we proceeded to the long and tedious rise of the Peera zun , or 
ss Old Woman," a mountain, the greatest height of which formed the 
termination of our several ascents. We were at the top at twelve 
o'clock, when we commenced our descent into the plain of Desht-e- 
ctrjun, at the north extremity of which is situated the village of the 
same name. Before we entered it, we were met by Mahomed Reza 
Khan, who presented his letters from the Minister at the court of 
Shiraz , and who received our compliments on the success of the Persian 
arms. About two miles before we reached our encampment, we were 
met by the istaJcball, which was like all the others, excepting that it 
was accompanied by an old man blowing a brass trumpet of most 
broken, hoarse and discordant note, and by a ragged boy on an ass, 
who was beating two little kettle drums. About a quarter of a mile 
from the village there is a burial place, with a lion on one of the tombs 
as at Derees , and just under the mountain are a number of willow trees, 
watered by a fine gushing spring. 
The plain itself is swampy; but the heights which bound it are all 
of a hard and inhospitable rock. In the swamp are wild fowl innu¬ 
merable, ducks, snipes, and divers. The spring was here most luxuriant, 
and rendered the plain of Desht-e-arfim one of the most delightful 
spots which we had seen in the country. Some of the eminences are 
in summer covered with vines, the seps of which were now seen just 
peeping out of the brown soil. We were fortunate in having passed 
the mountains; for we had scarcely reached our encampment, when 
thick clouds covered their summits, and here and there left extensive 
layers of snow. 
On the 28th, the morning was extremely cold, when the camp broke 
