THE PARTY LOSE THEIR WAY. 
491 
dark we lost our way. In such a night as this, and in such a 
country, few accidents could be more distressing. When we 
crossed the river, our guide told us we were then only four 
miles from the village of old Meando, a place not far from our 
purposed menzil, and yet, by some unlucky turn, in a minute 
or two afterwards he as much lost the point as if he had 
never known it. The consequence was, we wandered over hill 
and dale, over trackless, and therefore often dangerous paths, 
for several hours, till at last we fortunately stumbled on the 
old village ; but our quarters were to be at a more recently 
established place of the same name, which lay about a mile from 
it. Our conductor now thought himself sure of marking out so 
short a distance with ease, and therefore would not seek a guide 
at the first village ; but fate was perverse as before ; and again 
roaming about for two additional hours, our unlucky selves 
were almost frozen to death by the time we felt the gates of the 
town. To see them was impossible, in the black darkness of 
that night. Wrapped in our white iced garments, as if in our 
winding-sheets, we eagerly followed them who first touched the 
portal ; but to add to our disasters, they found the gates 
shut; and another two hours of perishing we were obliged to 
stand there, knocking and bawling, exposed to the cold and 
snow, before we could make any body hear. In fact, it was 
long past midnight, ere we got into even the shelter of a stable: 
but after what I had known of the calamitous effects of such 
winter-night exposures at the gates of Tabreez, any roof was 
a heaven to me, that offered refuge to my people ; and to share 
it with our horses and mules, the patient companions of all our 
sufferings, could not be a subject of complaint to any of us. 
This place is reckoned five hours’ march, in good weather, from 
3 r 2 
