234 ENTER ON A VERY DESERT TRACT. 
into great spirits. To produce the effect on my invalids, that 
he now promised in a few minutes, I had been for hours pouring 
in large doses of calomel and rhubarb ; but all in vain. I knew 
that my old and invaluable remedy, castor oil, was no longer to 
be procured ; so I hoped this experienced Esculapius had found 
something else in the country, equally efficacious. But what 
was my surprise, when, instead of ordering the liquid, which 
he presented in a phial, to be taken internally, I heard him tell 
my Georgian to rub it well into the loins of the sufferers. The 
principal ingredient, he informed me, was bullock’s gall. The 
application was made according to the command, and with as 
much success towards the effect desired, as if it had been cold 
water. The fee which this sage of the green mantle condescended 
to accept from Sedak (for money he refused,) was a half worn out 
garment. I had been amused at the ceremonious gravity with 
which he concocted his nostrums, and inspected their application ; 
but when so superb a personage put up an old rag with so much 
satisfaction, it was impossible to prevent laughing outright. He 
retired to his menzil, to be ready, he said, to see us off; and, in 
the due course of time, my invalids, not a whit better, were 
carefully disposed in their panniers, which were bound on a par¬ 
ticularly strong mule, hired from our good host for the purpose. 
All then being in order, we bade him, and the still fair promising 
doctor, farewell at the western egress from the village, and at ten 
o’clock at night, under a beautiful moon, once more found our 
selves travelling towards Bagdad. 
Our cavalcade was by no means so warlike in its appearance, 
as when it marched into Kizzil Bobat the day after our high 
commission of garde de corps over the whole body of pilgrims; 
and our present pace, to accommodate the uneasy situation of 
two of our party, was nearly as slow as a funeral march. How- 
