468 
ANTELOPE HUNT. 
was thickly set with pretty hamlets, abundant gardens, and 
every other rural effect of laborious cultivation. So luxuriant 
a bed of verdure beneath, produced a most delightful contrast 
to the immense regions of barren rock which pended above. 
Continuing our march, the valley widened between more equally 
undulating banks; and soon after, I discovered an addition to 
our party in the shape of a fine white greyhound. It had been 
noticed and fed the evening before by some of my people in 
the village ; and, from the meagre condition of the poor beast, 
I suppose he judged his present change of masters would be an 
advantage. His volunteer service proved quite an acquisition, 
for scarcely had I discovered him, ere a herd of eight or ten 
antelopes presented themselves trotting along the slope of the 
hills near the low ground. We gave them time to get pretty 
far down in the plain, and then slipped the dogs. The antelopes 
flew before us, and a most delightful and animated chase we had. 
The stranger dog ran like the wind, he had singled one out ; 
and my gallant Arab grey kept well up, and having the plain 
before us, nothing could equal the sport. At length the chased 
animal finding the dogs gain upon him, made for the hills, 
redoubling his speed, but he fled into the jaws of destruction : 
our wily mehmandar was in the way, and, as he repassed within 
musket-shot, fired, and so wounded him, that the dogs were on 
him before he could traverse another hundred yards, and a 
Persian knife soon did the rest. The animal was very large, 
and his fine spiral black horns told his age. He was placed on 
the back of a mule, and proved a most excellent addition to our 
travelling stock of provisions. Our way for nearly two farsangs, 
ran in a direction south 45° east; when suddenly bending round, 
it took a turn as much to the westward, bringing us to the 
