THE CITY OF KARS. 
647 
dismal enough to be passages to a prison; while the fell Cerberus 
I had lately become too well acquainted with, -— dirt, ruin, and 
neglect, sat in the corner of the streets, growling a wholesome 
warning against our approach. But, in truth, the loathsome 
animal was not there merely in type; every porch and alley 
swarmed with hundreds of skeleton dogs, of every age and kind ; 
and to which their Turkish masters will neither give food, 
shelter, nor merciful death. 
Having ascended through the town, by various winding ways 
amongst bazars, and through lanes, we halted at the post-house ; 
an edifice large enough for a barrack, but all its numerous and 
lofty rooms were fast falling to pieces. The sides of each apart¬ 
ment are covered with wainscot, and furnished with a variety of 
cupboards ; but the most agreeable feature of the whole was a 
large fire-place, like those in our baronial halls of England, and 
which I had the English comfort of soon seeing piled up with 
blazing faggots. For a long time before my approach to the 
city, I had completely forgotten the Sardar’s warnings of dan¬ 
ger in daring the attempt; but recollecting his account of the 
plague having “ half depopulated the place,” at the very mo¬ 
ment I saw such multitudes of its dirtiest inhabitants passing to 
and fro in the court of the post-house, I made some enquiry 
respecting the foundation of the story, and was told “ there was 
no truth whatever in the report!” But the real fact, I discovered 
to be this: the old system of avarice was to thrive at all sacrifices, 
the truth of his excellency not excepted. In short, it is the golden 
image which Nebuchadnezzar set up, and “ all the people and 
tongues” of the East, have never ceased to worship it. The story 
of the plague prevents the corn and cotton of the plain of Kars 
being purchased for sale at Erivan, where they happen at this 
