454 
KUNAMASSI. 
Kara-Choran. Their course ran to the north-west, and our 
road led down to the western bank of the latter stream. We 
crossed it at a ford, at present not more than three feet deep, its 
width extending to thirty yards. After journeying over some 
more hills, we passed the Kara-Choran again, near a village 
called Kand-i-Sheen ; whence we turned short into an opening of 
the mountains to the west, and in ten minutes halted at our 
resting place, the village of Kunamassi, having made a march of 
six hours and a half, over a distance of twelve miles. 
As the people here had been described as notoriously fanatic 
Sunni-followers of Mahomed, and therefore avowed detesters of 
every thing Persian or Christian, Sedak Beg and myself were 
alike surprised at finding ourselves lodged in their mosque. But 
had they not told us of the honour thus conferred, we should 
not have guessed it from any architectural peculiarity in the 
fashion of the building. It consisted of nothing better than a 
common square room, lighted from without by a couple of holes 
instead of windows, excluding the admission of cold by sheets 
of ragged paper pasted over them. Opposite to these was a 
tolerably large hearth. Two columnar pieces of wood supported 
the flat roof, and the earthen floor was spread with old time¬ 
worn matting. The whole, on our entrance, presented a dark 
and dungeon-like appearance; but we had plenty of fuel brought, 
and a bright fire soon dispelled all vapours. The wind was 
blowing pretty keenly without, and I should have found myself 
perfectly comfortable within, had not my employment by day, 
and my rest at night, been interrupted by the devotions of the 
good people of the village ; successions of whom came without 
ceremony into the chamber, and with apparent indifference to 
the presence of infidels, went through all the formalities and 
