FRAY AT KOMEESHA. 
127 
At Komeesha, a conflict of authorities took-place between the King’s 
Mehmandar, and those persons who had been sent by the Governor of 
Ispahan to meet the Ambassador, the consequences of which had nearly 
proved fatal to some. The valley of Yezdikhaust forms the boundary 
of the provinces of Fars and Irak ; and as we were now in the territory 
of the Governor, he claimed the honour of treating the Ambassador as 
his guest, and his people in consequence busied themselves in supply¬ 
ing our camp with provisions. Mirza Zeky, on the contrary, disputed 
the Governor’s right of taking the Mehmandarship out of his hands, 
and he issued his orders in consequence. This produced a serious fray 
in the streets of Komeesha, between the town’s people and several of 
our servants, who had gone to get their usual sursat or allowance, and 
they returned to the camp severely wounded. They appeared all 
bloody before the Ambassador; some with broken heads, others cut 
in the arm ; and making out as bad a case as possible, stated that they 
had been treated thus at the instigation of the chiefs of Komeesha. — 
The offenders were immediately given up at the demand of the Am¬ 
bassador, and one of them was dragged in by his beard, a part of the 
face as sacred amongst them, as the nose is with us. They were 
thrown down without any ceremony on the ground; one man sat upon 
the head, and another upon the feet of the delinquent, and the remain¬ 
ing part of him was belaboured without mercy with a cudgel. After 
this, the chief men of the town came in a body to make their apologies, 
and were punished by not being permitted to sit down. 
We visited the tomb of Shah Reza, near Komeesha, which is a 
building crowned with a cupola, and shaded by a thick grove of trees. 
Within its inclosure are two basins of water, both of which contain a 
multitude of tame fish, which the Persians look upon as sacred, and do 
not permit to be caught. Xenophon remarks, that the Syrians looked 
upon the tame fish in the river Chains as gods, and would not suffer 
them to be hurt."^ 
Before we reached Mayar, we were met by Mirza Abdul Cossim, a 
f Anabasis, lib. i. 
