TEHERAN TO TABRIZ. 
265 
this part of the country in winter, I might perhaps have felt it still 
more inhospitable than any that we had crossed in the South. But now 
cultivation was seen in patches; here the corn was green, there lands 
were just under the ploughman's hands. 
As we were eating our breakfast we were overtaken by a man from Te¬ 
ller an, who was carrying to the Prince of Tabriz the intelligence that (after 
a siege of twelve successive years) the King's troops had taken the strong 
place of Tourchiz, on the confines of Khorassan and (Jsbec Tart ary, together 
with Mustapha Ali Khan Arab, the Governor, his troops, and the 
treasures that it contained. It is six days journey, as far as I could 
learn. South from Mesched , and is a fortress on the summit of a moun¬ 
tain, rendered strong by its natural situation. It gives its name to a 
very warlike tribe in Khorassan , of which the Governor, Mustapha 
Ali Khan Arab, was the chief. A great part of the treasures of 
Nadir Shah is said to have been preserved unbroken in Toorchiz , 
which would thus further swell the King's collection of jewels and gold. 
I asked a Persian what the King would do with the Governor? he 
said, “ Kill him to be sure and when I suggested, that it might be 
better to retain in his own service a man so bold and determined, he 
answered, “No: such sort of things may be very well with you ; but 
“ the Persians are not so; the better you treat them, the worse they 
“ will treat you. The King, if he were not to kill him, would never be 
u sure of him, for he would certainly rebel against him." 
On approaching Auk-kcnd , one of our attendants, who had dis¬ 
mounted for the purpose of letting his horse walk easily up the hill, by 
some chance suffered him to escape: all attempts to catch him were 
vain, until a chatter or walking footman, belonging to Mirza Abul 
Hassan, seized him by the bridle, when the horse retired some steps, 
and then open-mouthed made a bound at the chatter, caught him by 
the neck, and placing one of his fore-knees upon him, kept him thus 
with his head on the ground, until he was beat off. He was then 
seized by his master, to whom he meditated the same fate, and whom 
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