116 
OPPRESSION OF PEASANTS. 
within the trench^ and his spear stuck in the ground at his holster: hut 
Ahner and the people lay round about him. 1 Sam. xxvi. 7. 
The next day we reached Kemeen, to which there is a shorter road 
than the one we travelled, through the Teng Parou^ a pass so narrow 
that it will not admit of the passage of a loaded mule. The Mehmandar 
was anxious to make us reach Morghaub without going to Kemeen, 
because he said that the latter place was so destitute of provisions 
that we should not .find enough for our supply; but as the distance was 
eight fursungs, too far for the Ambassador’s family to travel in one 
day, we went to Kemeen. Here we found the Mehmandar’s words but 
too true ; for although exteriorly the country around looked well cul¬ 
tivated, yet we were surprised not to see a living creature throughout the 
whole village. The Mehmandar’s servants soon forced themselves into 
the houses, which they found tenanted only by women; the men having 
fled to the mountains as soon as they had heard of our approach. The 
Mehmandar explained to us, that he had been enjoined by the Prince 
of Shiraz not to halt at Kemeen, because it had been lately laid under 
such heavy contributions by Mirza Ahady, to whom it belonged, that its 
inhabitants could not bear the expense of entertaining the Embassy 
even for a day. The Mehmandar, however, forced from the poor 
women wherewith to feed ourselves and our cattle; and not content 
with that, he persisted in raising forty tomauns in cash, the sum as¬ 
signed to him as his own perquisite (a sort of tooth-^money*) upon each 
village, at which, in his firman, it is directed that we should stop. This 
demand created great lamentations amongst the women; and brought 
them in crowds out of their houses, beating their heads, and lifting 
their hands to the skies. What the Mehmandar could not get in 
money he took in kind ; his men carried forcibly away what little fur- 
* Lady W. Montague, in speaking of the Bashaws when they travel in Turkey, says, 
“ These oppressors are not content with eating all that is to be eaten, belonging to the pea¬ 
sants; after they have crammed themselves and their numerous retinue, they have the impu¬ 
dence to exact what they call teeth-money, a contribution for the use of their teeth, worn 
with doing them the honour of devouring their meat.” 
