DALY NAZIR. 
477 
horses’ heads, gazing on the fearfully hot and unsheltered plain, 
over which we had now full four farsangs (a ride of five hours,) 
to go, before we could reach our halting-place. It was then 
one o’clock in the day ; not a tree, not a drop of water, was to 
be seen over the whole parched ground. Part, we were to 
traverse back again, and then stretch away direct south-east. 
At about five o’clock in the evening we reached our quarters; 
the whole party, men and animals, nearly overcome with thirst 
and exhaustion, having been on our horses fourteen hours, 
during which time none of us had either eaten or drank. We 
had travelled upwards of fifty miles, at a fast pace under an 
almost vertical sun ; so some idea may be formed of the pleasure 
with which we threw ourselves upon the cool refreshing earth of 
our menzil floor. 
The animals appeared to suffer much less inconvenience from 
the effects of such extraordinary exposure to the heat than we 
did; and, often since, I have had cause to marvel at their pa¬ 
tient endurance of similar long marches, without food or refresh¬ 
ment of any kind. 
Had we come direct to Daly Nazir, from Eklett, the distance 
is estimated at seven farsangs and a half; but our blunder made 
it a whole day. The village is a wretched place, nearly in ruins, 
and almost depopulated; the few inhabitants who remain being 
a race of thieves, and having no ketkhoda, their reception of 
us was perfectly in harmony with their character. During the 
early part of the night, they purloined some of our horse- 
furniture ; and when a more advanced hour gave them hope of 
finding us quite off our guard, they began with similar inten¬ 
tions to approach our quarters. But the dogs gave the alarm 
before they got near enough to be within reach of our arms; 
