VILLAGE OF GAZION. 
479 
town remained visible. From this spot we travelled onwards 
through a long narrow hollow in the plain, affording good arable 
and pasture land; which, a person in our company told us, had 
formerly, he understood, been in general cultivation; but now 
was left to total neglect, excepting in the immediate vicinity of 
the village of Gazion, where the villagers took advantage of the 
soil as far as they needed, either by tillage, or turning their cat¬ 
tle to graze. The hollow reaches almost from Daly Nazir, to 
the latter village, where we were to halt; a distance of four 
farsangs. But as we advanced into the deeper recesses of this 
comfortable shelter from the arid surface of the plain, I observed 
several groups of black tents; and learnt that they were not 
filled by Eelauts, but with the family of the Ketkhoda of Gazion, 
and all the respectable inhabitants of the place in his train. 
Not a creature had been left within the broiling walls of the 
village, but those who were too poor to afford themselves dwell¬ 
ings in the encampment; and when we approached the gates, 
which was just as the sun dropt, scarcely a living soul appeared, 
to answer our demands respecting provisions and a lodging. 
My mehmandar made up for his quiescence of the day before, 
by vociferating loudly the royal demands ; but, after all, we 
were obliged to take up our quarters in the mesched without walls, 
and wait an hour before provender could be collected for the cattle. 
I had made an addition to our party of a man and horse,whom I 
had brought even from the thievish village of Daly Nazir; but hav¬ 
ing so grievously lost the road in our way thither, I thought it 
prudent to hire a guide there, and promise to pay him well, should 
he conduct us safely in our route over the plain. The fellow 
performed his task faithfully; being allowed no temptation to do 
otherwise ; and, from his knowledge of the tracks, he certainly 
