MILL-STONES. 
347 
boars. In these and on the banks of the river "are also immense flocks 
of wild fowl. On the mountain itself there are many eagles, and a great 
variety of hawks. .4- 
Tournefort seems to turn into ridicule (vol. ii. p. 147.) the report of 
travellers who mention the existence of anchorites on Mount Ararat, 
but within the great chasm there is a cave, in part built up, in which it 
is believed a hermit used to live. The wilds of this mountain give refuge 
to all the rogues and outlaws of the surrounding country ; and there is a 
cavern between the great and little Ararat, in so strong a situation, that 
not long since some turbulent Gourds who had taken possession of it, 
beld it in despite of the Serdar and his forces. 
At length, Mr. Ellis having sufficiently recovered to permit us to 
travel, we proceeded to Tabriz and crossed the Araxes at Gerger. Be¬ 
tween this place and Marand we found in several places in the middle of 
the road, mill-stones, which having been cut from blocks in the moun¬ 
tains, had by a slow progress been rolled thus far on their way to 
Tabriz. Xenophon mentions, that the inhabitants on the Euphrates 
were digging mill-stones, which they afterwards fashioned and convey¬ 
ed to Babylon for sale. The stones we saw had an axle-tree of wood, 
and had been there already a considerable time; and their owners 
whenever they might be in want, would probably make another effort 
to get them forwards. A stone of the same description 1 remarked 
during all the time we were at Tabriz, not two hundred yards from 
the walls of that city. 
As we proceeded on our journey, the numbers of sick in our camp 
rather increased than abated. Of thirty Indian cavalry that formed the 
body guard, only two attended us on our entry into Tabriz, all the 
others being imfit for service; and we had not long been arrived before 
we had to deplore the loss of one of our companions. Captain Snod¬ 
grass of the Bombay army, a fine young man in the bloom of life, 
whom we buried in the Armenian church. Having paid our respects 
* Anab. lib. i. c. 2. 
Y Y 2 
