CHAPTER XII.

JOURNEY IN THE DESERT OF THE TOORKMUNS.

~Journey to the Oxus.~

~Sand hills.~

At midday, on the 16th of August, we commenced our march on the Oxus,

which was about twenty-seven miles distant. After journeying for ten

miles, we halted in the evening at a small village, and set out at

midnight for the river, under a bright moon. For a great part of the

night our route led us among vast fields of soft sand, formed into

ridges which exactly resembled, in colour and appearance, those on the

verge of the ocean. The belt of these sand-hills, which lie between

Bokhara and the Oxus, varies in breadth from twelve to fifteen miles.

They were utterly destitute of vegetation. There was a remarkable

uniformity in their formation; the whole of them preserved the shape

and form of a horse-shoe, the outer rim presenting itself to the north,

the direction from which the winds of this country blow. On this side

the mounds sloped, while the interior of the figure was invariably

precipitous; but loose sand will ever take its position from the

prevailing winds. None of the hills exceeded the height of fifteen or

twenty feet, and they all rested on a hard base. The wind was high,

and the particles of sand moved from one mound to another, wheeling

in the eddy or interior of the semicircle, and having now and then,

particularly under the rays of the sun, much the look of water; an

appearance, I imagine, which has given rise to the opinion of moving

sands in a desert. The thermometer, which had risen to 100°, fell at

night to 70° among the sand-hills; and I have always observed that the

vicissitudes of cold and heat are greatest among sand. About an hour

after the sun had risen, we exchanged this dreary route for verdant

fields, irrigated by the Oxus; and, after winding among them for about

four miles, encamped on the verge of the river, where we hid ourselves

from the sun’s rays under the panniers of our camels.

~Freezing of the Oxus.~

We had come down upon the Oxus at Betik, which is opposite to

Charjooee, and one of the greatest ferries between Persia and

Toorkistan. There was, therefore, every facility for crossing, and the

beasts and baggage were thrown into boats, and soon transported to

the opposite bank. The farmer of the customs killed his sheep, and

invited most of the merchants to partake of his fare. He enquired very

particularly regarding us, and requested a sight of our passport. He

then waited on us in person with a couple of melons and some cakes,

which we sat down and enjoyed along with him and his party on the

banks of the river, and, I believe, mutually amused each other. This

individual mentioned, in the course of conversation, that the Oxus had

been last year frozen over from shore to shore, and that the caravans

passed it on the ice. This is rather an unfrequent occurrence, and gave

rise to a grave point of discussion and decision for the Mahommedan

doctors. The farmer had agreed to pay 100 tillas a month, as the rent

of his ferry; but since the river was passable on the ice, his boats

were useless, and he lost by the farm. He proceeded to Bokhara, and

urged his case to the king, requesting at the same time his royal

sanction to levy a tax on the travellers. “That is impossible,” said

his majesty and his advisers, “unless the farmer consents to become

answerable for the blood-money of any person who may fall through the

ice and perish.” The learned reply of the king is applauded for its

wisdom, and met with the approbation of every person but the farmer

himself, who had to pay the full amount of his contract. I will

observe, first, that, as the contractor is not answerable for the

lives of passengers in his boat, he could not be answerable for them

on the ice. Secondly, that, since he contracted with the king for the

twelve months, he should either have been relieved from payment during

the time of the freezing of the river, or, at all events, allowed

to levy a toll on the passengers. The law, however, is fruitful of

interpretation in every country; and the King of Bokhara, while he

protected his treasury from loss, had likewise the credit of appearing

solicitous about the lives of the faithful.

~Meanness of native traders.~

As we were preparing to embark, I had an example of the meanness of

native traders, of which I have had before and since many concurring

proofs. Our boat had no horses to drag it across, and it was proposed

that we should hire them; to which I gave a ready assent, saying, that

we should be happy to contribute our share of the expense. The reply

was unsatisfactory, since they wished we should bear it all; but this

was peremptorily refused, and we embarked without the horses, though

the share of each person would not have amounted to a quarter of a

rupee, and one of the merchants possessed goods that were valued at

3000 tillas. From terror, they were not so sparing of the name of

the Deity, while on the water, as, on land, they had been of their

money; but these invocations cost them nothing, and the horses would

have reduced their profits. The merchants of this country have none

of the liberal notions of the same class of people in Europe; and I

am disposed to attribute it to their superintending in person the

sale of their goods, and witnessing every outlay which is incurred on

their account. We crossed the Oxus in safety, without horses; and I

did not regret the opportunity that had presented itself; to show our

fellow-voyagers that we were as poor in our purses as in our dress and

condition. One individual, a Persian, actually sickened at the thought

of crossing the Jihoon without horses, and transferred himself to

another boat with oars, where he gave the sailors the bribe of a rupee

to row him speedily across. He arrived, with a pale face, to receive

our congratulations on his _bravery_; but this individual turned out,

in the end, one of our best friends.

~The Oxus.~

We found the stream of the Oxus with a breadth of 650 yards, and in

some places 25 and 29 feet deep; so that it was both narrower and

deeper than at the point at which we had before crossed it. Its banks

were much depressed, and completely overgrown with a rank weed, which

chokes the aqueducts. Some fish of an enormous size, weighing from

five to six hundred pounds, are procured in this river, a kind of

dog-fish, which are used as food by the Uzbeks. Across the Oxus, we

found ourselves about six miles distant from the town of Charjooee,

which was in sight. For the first time, this noble river was turned to

the purposes of navigation, since there is a commercial communication

kept up, by means of it, between that place and Orgunje.

~Oxus of Alexander’s historians.~

The Oxus is particularly mentioned under that name by the historians of

Alexander, though it appears to have been ever unknown by such a title

to the Asiatics, who call it Jihoon and Amoo. We learn from the ancient

authors, that Alexander approached this river from Bactra, or Balkh,

by a country “which exhaled the power of a summer sun, and torrefied

the sands.” The distance between Bactra and the river is even correctly

stated at 400 stadia, and we have no fables regarding the breadth of

the river. Arrian, who follows Aristobulus, tells us that the Oxus was

six furlongs broad, and in that part of its course we have described it

with a magnitude of 828 yards. The very topography of the river’s bank

may, I almost think, be traced in Curtius; for there are low and peaked

hillocks near that pass of the Oxus; and we are told that Alexander

caused fires to be lit on the high ground, “that the distressed in the

rear might perceive they were not far from camp.” There are no hillocks

below Kilef. Curtius tells us that the Oxus was a muddy river, that

bore much slime along with it; and I found that one fortieth of the

stream is clay suspended in the water. What an approximation to the

name of Maricanda in the modern city of Samarcand. It is described as

being seventy stadia in circumference; and we have seen that modern

Bokhara exceeds eight English miles, or about sixty-four of the Grecian

stadia. What an outline have we not of the character of these nations

in remote ages. “They exercised robbery, and lived by spoil.” These are

the literal words of the historian; and they explain to us the genuine

manners of the people, be they Hun, Scythian, Goth, Tatar, Toork, or

Toorkmun. Lower down the river, we have the name of the country ruled

by Pharsamanes, which is called Chorasmi, and in which the kingdom of

Kharasm, subverted by Jengis, is easily recognised. Higher up, we have

a description of Parætacæ, which was a mountainous region, as we learn

from the mention of fir trees, and the formidable “rock of Chorienes.”

This is the hill country of Karatageen, as we discover from the

similarity of its name and position. In Zeriaspes, we have, I think,

Shuhr Subz; and I could continue to multiply the coincidences, but I

doubt if the subject would excite general interest.

~Charjooee:~

~its bazar.~

In the morning we moved up to Charjooee, which in all our maps is

erroneously set down on the northern bank of the Oxus. The place is

governed by a Kalmuk, and is pleasantly situated on the verge of

culture and desolation, with a pretty fort that crowns a hillock, and

overlooks the town. It is said to have resisted the arms of Timour;

but its present condition would not impress one with any great

notions of its strength, or that conqueror’s power. The people of

Charjooee do not exceed 4000 or 5000 souls; but a great portion of

its population wander up and down the Oxus during the hot months. We

halted here for four days, since it was the last inhabited spot of

civilisation between Bokhara and Persia. The market day, or bazar,

occurred during our stay; and I proceeded along with Ernuzzar, the

Toorkmun, to see the assemblage, in which I passed quite unnoticed.

I sauntered through the bazar, much more amused with the people than

the wares they were selling, which were in every respect poor. There

were knives, saddles and bridles, cloth, and horsecloths, of native

manufacture: but the only articles of European fabric were a few beads,

and chintz scullcaps, which latter were purchased very readily. There

were also lanterns, ewers, and copper pots, in considerable number;

and the venders of many of these retailed their goods _on horseback_,

and all the purchasers were mounted. No person ever attends the bazar

in Toorkistan but on horseback; and on the present occasion there was

not a female to be seen, veiled or unveiled. Most of the people were

Toorkmuns of the Oxus, dressed in high sheepskin caps, like the natives

of Orgunje. There were about 2000 or 3000 people in the bazar; but

there was very little bustle and confusion, though there was much both

of buying and selling. The custom of having market days is uncommon in

India and Cabool, but of universal use in Toorkistan: it perhaps gives

a stimulus to trade, and is most convenient; since all the people of

the country, for miles round, assemble on the occasion. Every person

seems to think it incumbent upon him to be present. The different

articles are arranged in separate parts of the bazar, with as much

regularity as in Bokhara itself: here you may buy grain, there fruit:

here is meat, there is cloth, &c. The streets are so narrow, that the

bazar is generally held at one end of the country towns; and such

was the case at Charjooee: so that fruit, grain, or any thing which

requires to be displayed, is spread out on the ground. The bazar lasts

from eleven to four o’clock, which is the hottest time of the day.

~The desert.~

The wants of all had been supplied during our stay at Charjooee;

every one was ready to move, and every skin, pot, and pitcher was

filled to the brim, from the canals of the Oxus. At noon on the 22d we

commenced our march, and, before we had travelled a distance of two

miles, entered upon the great desert which separates the kingdoms of

Iran and Tooran. The mode of travelling in Toorkistan is to start at

midday, and march till sunset; and, after a couple of hours’ rest and

the indispensable cup of tea, to resume the task, and advance to the

stage, which is usually reached at daylight. We made the usual evening

halt, and then travelled till sunrise, when we reached Karoul, a well

of brackish water, thirty feet under ground, and lined with branches

of trees, at which we halted, a distance of twenty-two miles from

Charjooee. The whole tract presented to our view was a dreary waste of

sand-hills, but by no means so destitute of vegetation and underwood as

on the northern bank of the Oxus. They, however, occurred in the same

succession and formation as have been there described: they were quite

soft, but the sand was not dusty, and the camels slid down them with

their burthens. Here and there we came upon a sheet of indurated clay,

as if the sand-hills here also rested on a base of that kind. In these

hollows, and on the brow of the hills, we found a shrub like tamarisk,

called “kasura,” also a kind of grass, or _bent_, called “salun.” There

were likewise two thorny shrubs, called “kuzzak” and “karaghan”[1],

neither of them the common camel thorn, but on which the camels

delighted to browse. There was no water throughout the whole march,

and no signs of inhabitants but a ruined fort, that had once served as

a look-out from the Oxus. The Indian deserts of Jaysulmeer and Parkur

sank into insignificance before this vast ocean of sand. No sight is

more imposing than a desert; and the eye rests with a deep interest on

the long line of camels, as it winds its crooked course through the

frightful waste. The simile of a ship in the ocean and a camel in the

desert may be hackneyed, but it is just. The objects animate impart a

strong interest to inanimate nature.

~Slaves.~

In the middle of our march through the desert, we met seven unfortunate

Persians, who had been captured by the Toorkmuns, and were now on

their road to Bokhara, where they would be sold. Five of them were

chained together, and trod their way through the deep sand. There was

a general shout of compassion, as the caravan passed these miserable

beings; and the sympathy did not fail to affect the poor creatures

themselves. They cried, and gave a longing look, as the last camel of

the caravan passed to their dear native country. The camel on which I

rode happened to be in the rear, and I stayed to hear their tale of

woe. They had been seized by the Toorkmuns at Ghaeen, near Meshid, a

few weeks before, when the culture of their fields had led them beyond

the threshold of their homes. They were weary and thirsty, and I gave

them all I could,--a single melon; a civility, little as it was, which

was received with gratitude. What a frightful notion must not these

unfortunate beings have entertained of the country they were entering,

after their travels in such a desert. The Toorkmuns evince but little

compassion for their Persian slaves; and what other treatment is to be

expected from men who pass their lives in selling human beings. They

give them but a scanty supply of food and water, that they may waste

their strength, and prevent their escape; but beyond this the Toorkmun

inflicts no other ills. The tales which have been circulated of their

cutting the sinew of the heel, and of their passing a cord round the

collar bone, are at variance with truth, since these blemishes would

diminish the value of the slave. These unfortunate captives suffer a

much heavier calamity,--they lose their liberty.

~The caravan.~

As we reached our halting-ground in the morning, we had now an

opportunity of observing the number and composition of the caravan.

There were upwards of eighty camels, and about 150 persons, several of

them men of the first respectability, who accompanied their merchandise

to the markets of Persia. Some travelled in panniers placed on camels;

others rode, some on horses, many on donkeys; but every person, even

the meanest, had some kind of conveyance. The horsemen preceded the

camels; and, stretching themselves out on the sand with their bridles

in their grasp, stole a few moments’ sleep, till the caravan overtook

them. The scene was altogether curious and novel. Among the party there

were eight or ten Persians, who had passed many years of slavery in

Toorkistan, and, after purchasing their liberty, were now returning by

stealth to their homes. These people were delighted with our enquiries;

and, in the journey, many of them became attached to us. They would

bring melons for us; kill a sheep; draw water; and were always at

hand. Some of them had been no less than three times captured, and

as often had they redeemed themselves; for the Uzbeks are readily

imposed upon and cheated by their slaves, who make money in service.

I conversed with several of them; and it was equally painful to hear

their past sufferings and present anxiety. Their influential countrymen

in the caravan had put several of them in charge of a portion of their

merchandise, that they might be the less noticed, and considered rather

as traders than emancipated slaves; for a Persian merchant in a caravan

is generally safe. In spite of all this arrangement, some hard-hearted

wretches had told tales on the banks of the Oxus: one individual had

been forced to return to Bokhara; and some of the others had crossed

with difficulty. One single hint to the people of Orgunje would, in

all probability, yet arrest their further progress; but every one had

been well tutored. What must be the feelings of some of these men as

they approach Persia. One of them told me that he had had a wife and

a numerous family when sold into captivity, twenty-two years before;

of whom he had not heard any account since that period. If any of them

are alive, the parent will show himself among them as an apparition

from the tomb. Another of these unfortunate individuals had a tale

which was not less touching. He had been seized along with his family,

and, indeed, all the inhabitants of his village, near Toorshish; and

delivered up, by one of the Khorasan chiefs, to the Toorkmuns, who

drove, on this occasion, upwards of a hundred people to Bokhara.

At Maimunu, which is on the road, they were disposed of to other

Toorkmuns, and at Bokhara finally sold. There this unfortunate man saw

his wife sold to one, his daughter and son to others, and himself to a

different person. A humane man, hearing of his misfortunes, released

him, since he believed it good in the sight of God; and the poor fellow

lurked in Bokhara, like a bird near its nest that is robbed, in hopes

of relieving the other members of his family. He had failed, and was

now travelling into his own country, to excite the compassion and pity

of those who had known him in his prosperity. It would harrow up a

man’s heart, to listen to all the tales of the woe which is inflicted

upon mankind by these plundering Toorkmuns.

~Well of Balghooee.~

In marching from Karoul, we quitted the high road of the caravans,

which leads to Merve, and proceeded westward into the desert, by a way

that is altogether unfrequented. We had no option in the selection of

such a route, since the officer who commands the Orgunje army sent a

messenger to direct our march upon his camp. We were thus thrown into

the jaws of the lion, but were helpless; and the merchants appeared to

regret it more than ourselves. After the usual halt, we reached the

well of Balghooee twenty-four miles distant, on the morning of the 23d.

It was a small and single well, about four feet in diameter, as deep

as that at Karoul; and the Toorkmuns only discovered it after a zigzag

search of some hours. We soon emptied it (for the water was good), and

had to wait a night till it again filled.

~The desert.~

In this march the desert was overgrown with brushwood, but the tract

was entirely destitute of water; and a few rats, lizards, and beetles,

with here and there a solitary bird, were its only inhabitants. Some

of the sand-hills now attained the height of sixty feet: but at that

elevation they are invariably bare of all vegetation; which, I suppose,

cannot thrive in such an exposed situation. The highest hills were

about a distance of eight miles from the halting-place, and named

“sheer i shootr,” or “the camel’s milk,” from some allusion to that

useful animal. There was nothing peculiar in the colour of the sand,

which was quartzose. There was no turf, grass, or creeping plants;

every shrub grew separately; and the grass, which I before mentioned,

was only to be found in clumps. The heat of the sand rose to 150°: and

that of the atmosphere exceeded 100°, but the wind blew steadily; nor

do I believe it would be possible to traverse this tract in summer,

if it ceased to blow: the steady manner in which it comes from one

direction is remarkable in this inland country. It is true, that in

every direction except the north we have mountains, but they are too

distant to impede the winds. Our caravan advanced at a firm and equal

pace among the sand; nor can I discover that the progress of a camel

is much impeded in the desert. They moved at the rate of two miles

and one eighth in the hour (3740 yards); and I have since found, that

the judicious Volney assigns the distance of 3600 yards as the hourly

journey of a camel in the sands of Egypt and Syria.

~Dangers of the desert.~

We had before heard of the deserts south of the Oxus; and had now the

means of forming a judgment from personal observation. We saw the

skeletons of camels and horses now bleaching in the sun, which had

perished from thirst. The nature of the roads or pathways admits of

their easy obliteration; and, if the beaten track be once forsaken, the

traveller and his jaded animal generally perish. A circumstance of this

very nature occurred but a few days previous to our leaving Charjooee.

A party of three persons travelling from the Orgunje camp lost the

road, and their supply of water failed them. Two of their horses sank

under the parching thirst; and the unfortunate men opened the vein of

their surviving camel, sucked its blood, and reached Charjooee from

the nourishment which they thus derived. The camel died. These are

facts of frequent occurrence. The Khan of Orgunje, in his late march

into the desert, lost upwards of two thousand camels, that had been

loaded with water and provisions for his men. He dug his wells as he

advanced; but the supply of water was scanty. Camels are very patient

under thirst: it is a vulgar error, however, to believe that they can

live any length of time without water. They generally pine, and die on

the fourth day, and, under great heat, will even sink sooner.

~Seerab.~

~Camel’s milk.~

After a day’s detention to rest the camels, we marched at sunrise, and

continued our progress, with a short halt, till the same time next day.

We journied thirty-five miles, and alighted at a fetid well called

Seerab; and from well to well we had no water. We appeared to have

lost the great sand hills in our advance westward. The desert, though

it had the same features as before, now presented an undulating and

uneven country of sand, partially covered with shrubs. The soil was

salt in some places; but the water of the well was good enough after it

was some time drawn. Our Toorkmun Sirdar made his appearance shortly

after our arrival, to claim his cup of tea; and never was a schoolboy

more fond of sugar than this hoary-headed Toorkmun. I used to give it

to him to have the pleasure of seeing him grind it, though some of

the merchants wondered at our wasting it on such a person. I always

felt the happier in the company of this man, for I looked upon him as

the only bond between us and the barbarians we were to encounter. He

used also to tell us the news of the caravan, and all the particulars

of the country, which he even knew that we noted down. Ernuzzer did

not deceive us, and the tea and the sugar which he consumed, were but

a small tax for his service. In return for these favours, he promised

to give me a _bonne bouche_, when we reached the first camp of the

Toorkmuns; and when I expected nothing else than “kimmiz” or “boozu,”

mare’s milk or fermented liquor, he brought me camel’s milk, which is

the only drink of the Toorkmuns. The milk is mixed with water, and the

cream is then drawn off. It is called “chal,” and has a salt, bitter

taste. The thinner part of the milk is considered a grateful draught

by the people, but to me it tasted sour and acrid. I believed that the

Uzbeks and Toorkmuns drank mare’s milk and fermented liquors; but these

are unknown in Bokhara, and only peculiar to the Kuzzaks and Kirgizzes,

between that city and Russia.

~An Eastern caravan.~

A caravan is a complete republic; but I do not believe that most

republics are so orderly. Of our eighty camels every three or four

belonged to different individuals; and there were four Cafila-bashees.

Still there was no disputing about the arrangement or order of the

march; and it is a point of honour, that the one shall at all times

wait for the other. If a single camel throws its load, the whole line

halts till it is replaced; and one feels pleased at such universal

sympathy. These feelings make it agreeable to travel in a caravan,

for the detentions are much fewer than would really be imagined. The

more I mingled with Asiatics in their own sphere, and judged them by

their own standard, I imbibed more favourable impressions regarding

them. One does not see in civilised Europe that generous feeling,

which induces the natives of Asia, great and small, to share with each

other every mouthful that they possess. Among Mahommedans we have no

distinction of gentleman and villain,--at least, so far as hospitality

is concerned. The khan fares as simply as the peasant; and never offers

to raise a morsel to his lips till he has shared it with those near

him. I myself frequently have been partaker of this bounty from rich

and poor, for nothing is enjoyed without society. How different is

the feeling that besets the sots of lower society in Britain! Nor is

this good fellowship among the Asiatics confined to the travelled

merchant: it is to be found in the towns as well as the country. It

is a pity that civilisation, with all its advantages, does not retain

for us these virtues. Barbarians are hospitable, civilised men are

polite; but hospitality added to politeness makes it more acceptable.

A caravan is an interesting scene at all times; and the shifts of the

pious to prevent its detention in the Toorkmun desert were not unworthy

of notice. The line was too extended to sound a general halt for

prayers; and at the appointed time, each individual was to be seen on

the back of his camel or in his pannier, performing his orisons before

the Deity, in the best manner which he could accomplish them. The laws

of the Prophet admit of a true believer being cleansed by sand, where

there is no water; and the back of a horse or a camel is as legitimate

a position for prayer, as the most splendid mosque of a city. The busy

scene on our reaching the halting-ground in the evening, was both

lively and entertaining. The Uzbeks, like ourselves, do not water their

horses when they are warm: in this journey, we had no sooner arrived

than we again took our departure, the horses were therefore permitted

to quench their thirst; and to prevent any evil effects from the water,

the animal was immediately mounted and galloped at speed over hill and

dale, for miles. This brought the water, as the Uzbeks would tell you,

to the heated temperature of the animal’s body. The easy carriage of

some of the cavaliers, and the light saddles which they rode,--some of

them little larger than racing saddles,--imparted an interest to these

scampering freaks which was most exciting.

~Oochghooee and the wandering Toorkmuns.~

Our next march brought us at midnight to Oochghooee, or the Three

Wells, which we had great difficulty in finding. We wandered to the

right and to the left, and the Toorkmuns dismounted in the dark, and

felt for the pathway with their hands among the sand. We had almost

despaired of recovering it, and were preparing for our bivouac, when

the bark of a dog, and a distant answer to our repeated calls dispelled

our anxiety, and we were soon encamped at the well. We here found a few

wandering Toorkmuns, the first we had seen since leaving the Oxus. The

well was bitter; but these shepherds seem indifferent to the quality

of the water. The country continued to change still further as we

advanced, becoming more flat and free from sand, but still running in

alternate ridges and hollows. In these we discovered some small red

sharp-edged pebbles, not unlike iron pyrites; nor did the wells which

were dug in them, yet exceed the depth of thirty feet: in the Indian

desert they are 300. The Toorkmuns rallied round us next morning, and

we had the freest intercourse with them; for they were quite ignorant

of our character, and the presence of one of their own tribe, our

Toorkmun Ernuzzer, proved a sufficient attraction to these “children

of the desert.” They spoke of the piercing cold of the winters in

this country; and assured us that the snow sometimes lay a foot deep.

We ourselves had experienced a depression of ten degrees in the

temperature since leaving the Oxus.

~Ruins of castles. Moorghab.~

We were now informed that we were approaching the camp of the Khan of

Orgunje, which, it appears, was on the banks of the Moorghab, or Merve

river, considerably below the place of that name, and about thirty

miles distant from us. We set out at noon, and by the time the sun

had set, found ourselves among the ruins of forts and villages, now

deserted, which rose in castellated groups over an extensive plain. I

have observed that we had been gradually emerging from the sand-hills;

and these marks of human industry, which we had now approached, were

the ancient remnants of civilisation of the famous kingdom of Merve,

or, as our historians have erroneously called it, Meroo. Before we

had approached them, we had not wanted signs of our being delivered

from the ocean of sand, since several flocks of birds had passed

over us. As the mariner is assured by such indications that he nears

land, we had the satisfaction of knowing that we were approaching the

water, after a journey of 150 miles through a sterile waste, where we

had suffered considerable inconvenience from the want of it. We were

not yet within the pale of habitations; but after a cool and pleasant

march, over a perfectly flat and hard plain, every where interspersed

with forts and ruins, we found ourselves, about nine in the following

morning, at a large Toorkmun camp, (or, as it is called, an Oba,) near

the banks of the Moorghab. The name of the place was Khwaju Abdoolla,

and the whole colony sallied forth to meet the caravan. We took up a

position on a hillock about two or three hundred yards distant; and the

merchants instructed us to huddle together among themselves, and appear

lowly and humble. We did so, and the Toorkmuns of the encampment soon

crowded around us, begging for tobacco, for which they brought loads of

the most luscious melons, that we cut up, and enjoyed in the company of

camel drivers and slaves, braving the sun, though I cannot say to the

detriment of our already sun-burned complexions. It now was discovered

that the Orgunje camp lay on the other side of the river, which was not

fordable but in certain places; and the merchants decided that they

themselves, with all the Cafila-bashees, should forthwith proceed in

person to the spot, and use their utmost to conciliate the officer in

charge, for the Khan had returned within these few days to Khiva. Their

great object seemed to be to effect a discharge of the duties in the

spot where they were now encamped, since no one relished trusting their

property within reach of an Orgunje detachment. If the party prayed for

success, I can add that we were equally fervent, and the deputation

set out accordingly with the good wishes of every one. We were left

among the “oi polloi” of the caravan; and when night came, stretched

our felts under a clear and cloudless sky, and slept without fear or

anxiety from our man-selling neighbours. This state of security among

such people and countries is very remarkable; but a Toorkmun, though he

can engage in a foray, and execute it with unexampled address, cannot

commit a theft in a quiet way, which is not congenial to his nature.

~Remarks on the desert.~

I have now a little leisure to speak of the desert which we had

traversed on our route to the Moorghab. In a military point of view,

the scarcity of water is a great obstacle. In some places the wells

were thirty-six miles apart; and, generally, the water was both bitter

and scanty. The water which we had transported with us from the Oxus

was not less nauseous than that of the desert; for it must be carried

in skins, and these must be oiled to preserve them from bursting.

The grease mixes with the water, which latterly became so tainted

that the horses even refused to drink it. There is nothing of which

we feel the want so much as good water. In the march, several people

of the caravan, particularly the camel-drivers, were attacked with

inflammation of the eyes; I suppose, from the sand, glare, and dust.

With such an enumeration of petty vexations and physical obstacles, it

is dubious if an army could cross it at this point. The heavy sandy

pathways, for there are no roads, might certainly be rendered passable

to guns, by placing brushwood on the sand; but there is a great

scarcity of grass for cattle, and the few horses which accompanied the

caravan, were jaded and worn out before they reached the river. A horse

which travels with a camel, has great injustice done to him; but an

army could not outstrip the motions of a caravan, and fatigues would

still fall heavily upon them. History tells us, that many armies have

fought in and crossed this desert; but they consisted of hordes of

light cavalry, that could move with rapidity. It is to be remembered,

that we had not a foot-passenger in our party. Light horse might pass

such a desert, by divisions, and separate routes; for besides the high

road to Merve, there is a road both to the east and the west. It would,

at all times, be a difficult task for a great body of men to pass from

the Moorghab to the Oxus, since our caravan, of eighty camels, emptied

the wells; and it would be easy to hide, or even fill up these scanty

reservoirs. Where water lies within thirty feet of the surface, an

energetic commander may remedy his wants, since we have an instance of

it in the advance of the Orgunje Khan to the banks of the Moorghab.

But after I have written, and, perhaps, diffusely, on the passage of

such a desert, I may ask myself, who seeks to cross it, and in the

line of what invader it lies? It is not in the route between India and

Europe; and if the descendants of the Scythians and Parthians wish to

invade and tyrannize over each other, they may do so without, perhaps,

exciting even the notice of the “fierce Britons.”

~A Toorkmun camp.~

The Toorkmun camp, or “oba,” at which we halted, presented to us a

scene of great novelty. It consisted of about 150 conical moveable

huts, called “khirgahs,” which were perched on a rising ground. There

was no order in the distribution, and they stood like so many gigantic

beehives, which, if they had not had black roofs, might not be a bad

comparison; and we might also take the children as the bees, for they

were very numerous. I wondered at the collection of so many rising

plunderers. Seeing the Toorkmuns in a body, it may be certainly

distinguished, that they have something Tatar in their appearance;

their eyes are small, and the eyelids appear swollen. They are a

handsome race of people. All of them were dressed in the “tilpak,” a

square or conical black cap of sheep-skin, about a foot high, which is

far more becoming than a turban, and gives to a party of Toorkmuns the

appearance of a soldierlike and disciplined body. The Toorkmuns are

remarkably fond of bright-coloured clothes, and choose the lightest

shades of red, green, and yellow, as the patterns of their flowing

“chupkuns,” or pelisses. They sauntered about their encampment in a

great state of listlessness; and what have they to do but to live on

the proceeds of their last foray? They have but few fields, and one or

two individuals may tend their countless flocks at pasture. Their dogs,

indeed, perform this office for them. These animals are very docile,

but ferocious to a stranger: they are shaggy, appearing to be of the

mastiff breed, and bear a high price even among these people. The

martial habits of the Toorkmuns appeared in my eyes the more striking,

as they had cleared the circle of their encampment of brushwood for

about a mile round. It had, I believe, been cut for firewood; but the

resemblance to an esplanade, or a parade ground, was none the less on

that account. In my notice of the Toorkmuns, I must not now forget the

ladies, whose head-dress would do honour to the galaxy of an English

ball-room. It consists of a lofty white turban, shaped like a military

chako, but higher, over which a red or white scarf is thrown, that

falls down to the waist. Some of these Toorkmun females were fair and

handsome, adorning themselves with a variety of ornaments, that were

attached to their hair, which hangs in tresses over their shoulders.

Their head-dress is, perhaps, a little large, but they themselves are

generally on a large scale, and as they never veil it becomes them. The

other part of their costume is a long gown that reaches to the ancle,

and hides both it and the waist, the very standard points of beauty in

our country; but so it is, that nations remote from each other differ

not more in language and laws than in taste and manners.

~Orgunje officers.~

The party which had proceeded to the Orgunje camp, returned next

morning with the deputy of the Yooz-bashee, or the Commander of an

Hundred, and his very appearance made the hearts of the merchants

thrill with fear. No taxes had been collected before this, and every

thing was uncertain. The deputy was an elderly man, with a large

“tilpak” stuck on his head, like a regimental cap. He was accompanied

by a party of desert Toorkmuns, among whom was a chief, or “aksukal,”

(literally, a white beard,) of the great tribe of Saruk. The merchants

seated the deputation in the place of honour, addressed the deputy as

he had been the Yooz-bashee himself, refreshed him with tea and tobacco

(for they now smoked in public), and presented him with silks, cloths,

raisins, and sugar, and then proceeded to display their merchandize.

Every person made an offering, and we sent two handfuls of raisins

and a bit of sugar as our homage. We sat at a short distance in our

panniers, and witnessed the whole scene. The Yooz-bashee, as I also

must call him, now spoke out to all the members of the caravan, and in

the most candid language, said, that he had been directed to levy the

lawful tax of one in forty, but that he would dispense with opening

the bales. Truth, said he, had better be told; for, if I have reason

to doubt any of you, I will then examine them, and you will experience

the wrath of the Khan of Orgunje, my lord and master. This speech was

listened to with terror; some, I believe, actually said that they had

more goods than they really possessed; and, as far as I could judge,

no one deviated from the truth. Pen and ink were called for, and the

congress proceeded to make a list of the merchandize, which was no easy

matter.

~Precarious situation.~

While the merchants were disputing about tillas, and flattering the

Yooz-bashee, we had taken up a quiet position, and even pretended

to be wrapped in sleep. I never was more awake in my life, and

was near enough to hear and see every thing. There were several

questions put regarding us, and the principal merchants spoke with

earnestness and kindness. We had never instructed them, but they

now chose to denominate us Hindoos from Cabool, who were proceeding

on a pilgrimage to the flames of Bakoo, on the Caspian. We had been

successively Englishmen, Afghans, Uzbeks, Armenians, and Jews, and

they now denominated us Hindoos. These people are very simple; nor

do they ever interrogate closely. Shortly after the subject of our

character and objects had been discussed, the Toorkmun Aksukal rose

from the party, and most unwelcomely seated himself by us. “Aksukal,”

as I have said, means white beard, though this personage had a black

enough plumage to his chin: he wore a splendid scarlet pelisse, and

never did our national uniform appear to me more formidable than on

his person; for he might have proved himself “a very Tartar” under

his British colours. He spoke a little Persian, and said, “You are

from Cabool?” to which I gave a nod of assent. The Doctor stretched

himself back in his panier, and our visitor addressed himself to an

Afghan, one of our people, of which I was glad, since it would keep up

the illusion. It is said that the natives of Orgunje are, of all the

tribes in Toorkistan, most hostile to Europeans, as well from their

vicinity to Russia, as their knowledge that the Persians, who threaten

their country, are assisted by them. They of course know nothing of

the different nations of Europe, and look upon all Europeans as their

enemies. I was not sorry when the Toorkmun chief selected another

group, and that this patriarchal “white beard” had made no discovery,

even after seeing us, and entering into conversation. The whole scene

appeared to me a perfect riddle, for we ourselves had mixed with the

Toorkmuns of our party as Europeans; and our real character was known

to every individual of the caravan. Fear may have prevented some of

them from making a full disclosure, but it was very creditable; since

I have reason to believe that the people of the Orgunje Khan would not

have willingly extended their favour towards us. We, however, had one

instance of bad feeling, in a quarter where we least of all looked for

it, at the hands of our Cafila-bashee. He required money to pay the

just taxes on goods, which he had at the outset hoped to smuggle, and

though all settlement had been made between us, and he had nearly

received the full hire of his camels, he sent in the middle of the

confusion to say, that the caravan would be detained on our account, if

we did not lend him some tillas. What a moment, and what a trial for

the temper. It was useless to complain of ungenerous treatment, and it

would have been worse to show that we felt it. I considered a couple of

tillas enough to give the wretch, though we had provided ourselves with

some three hundred of them, which I knew might befriend us, where men

are sold and bought like sheep. Evening advanced, and our transactions

with the Orgunje Yooz-bashee drew to a close. The commander of a

hundred carried off two hundred golden tillas, and all the merchants

accompanied him to his horse, and saw him beyond the limits of our

camp. Such is the dread of authority, and the power of the meanest

man who wears it. In the dusk the merchants came to visit us, and to

relate the affairs of the day over a cup of tea. We had to thank an

Uzbek, named Ullahdad, and Abdool, a Persian; but we had to make some

acknowledgment to all, for we had now become intimate with every body.

Whenever the horsemen of the caravan passed us on the road, they would

shout out to us, “Ah, Meerza! how are you?” with all the consecutive

compliments of their language. Little did many of them know, that the

name of “Meerza Sikunder,” or the secretary Alexander, which they had

given me, was so well merited; since I took every opportunity that I

secretly could to use the pen and ink, and give a secretary’s account

of all their proceedings. On this day I felt pleased with mankind, for

we were now free to prosecute our journey. The Bokharees assured me

that they were interested in our favour, from the commands of their

minister the Koosh Begee; and the Persians, of whom there were many

in the caravan, dreaded the friendship between Abbas Meerza and the

English. Individually, I did not presume to believe that either of

these great personages bestowed much care upon us, but it was pleasant

to know that such were the opinions of our companions.

CHAP. XIII.

CONTINUATION OF THE JOURNEY IN THE TOORKMUN DESERT.

~River of Merve.~

On the morning of the 29th of August we moved at dawn, with buoyant

spirits, and followed the course of the Moorghab, or river of Merve,

for twelve miles before we could cross it. We found it about eighty

yards wide and five feet deep, running within steep clayey banks, at

the rate of five miles an hour. We crossed by an indifferent ford, over

a clay bottom with many holes. There was no village; but the place is

called Uleesha. This river rises on the mountains of Huzara, and was

long believed to fall into the Oxus or the Caspian. Both opinions are

erroneous, since it forms a lake, or loses itself in one, about fifty

miles N.W. of Merve. This river was formerly dammed above Merve, which

turned the principal part of its waters to that neighbourhood, and

raised that city to the state of richness and opulence which it once

enjoyed. The dam was thrown down about forty-five years ago, by Shah

Moorad, a king of Bokhara, and the river only now irrigates the country

in its immediate vicinity, where it is covered with the tenements, or

“obas,” of the Toorkmuns; for there are no fixed villages. These people

cultivate by irrigation, and every thing grows in rich luxuriance. The

Juwaree (holcus sorghum) has a stalk thicker than a walking-stick, and

in the uncultivated parts there is the richest fodder for cattle and

the finest thorny shrubs for the camel, an animal which is here found

in vast herds. Above Merve the country is called Maroochak, and said to

be unhealthy: there is a proverb, at least, which runs thus,--“Before

God gets intelligence, the water of Maroochak has killed the man.”[2]

This river is the Epardus of Arrian, a word which, I observe in one

author, is said to mean _irrigator_,--nor is it here misapplied. The

historian would even appear to have been acquainted with its course;

for we are told that the Epardus “hides its streams in the sand, as did

many other great rivers.”[3]

~Amusements.~

The transition which we had experienced, from a sandy desert to the

verge of a running stream, was most gratifying; every one seemed

delighted, and even the animals appeared to feel the change. Throughout

the day the banks presented a spectacle of merriment and joy; the

Toorkmuns plunging into the water with their horses, and the greater

part of the caravan sporting about in the stream. We hit upon a

contrivance, which contributed not a little to our sport, and produced

a “tunga,” or the third part of a rupee, which was to be the reward

of the person who could first cross the river. The enormous sum was

solemnly vested in a committee; I believe even the blessing was said;

and sixteen competitors appeared on the occasion. It was won by a

Toorkmun of Shurukhs, who had the art of running quickest in the deep

water.

~Knights and heroines of Merve.~

We were now in the vicinity of Merve, and several members of the

caravan, on their approach to the river, declared that they had a view

of the elevated mound of its ruined castle. I sought in vain, but

the other spectators were looking for their native city, and wished,

perhaps, to persuade themselves that they beheld it. I listened to

the tales of valour which these people related to me of one Bairam

Khan and a chosen body of seven hundred, that long resisted the arms

of the Uzbeks of Bokhara, till Shah Moorad finally subdued them by a

stratagem in war, and forcibly transferred the whole population to his

capital. Nor was I less gratified to hear the patriotic tale of the

heroines of Merve, the wives and daughters of the gallant band. It is

recorded, and it is believed, that on one occasion, when the forces of

Bokhara invaded the land of Merve, during the absence of Bairam Khan

and his knights, these fair ones embodied and appeared in the field.

The Uzbeks were intimidated at the sight of troops whom they believed

they had surprised, and fled with precipitation, leaving the heroines

of Merve their virtuous victors: nor is this a solitary instance of

female triumph over man. The people of Merve, in their loss of country

and liberty, retain the same reputation for valour which characterised

their ancestors; and, to this day, when they quit the country, their

valiant partners are held in Bokhara as a pledge of their fidelity, and

may on no account cross the Oxus.

~Alarm.~

Some circumstances here came to our knowledge that called for prudence

and caution, and which appeared to excite the justest alarm. As our

party had arrived at the Orgunje camp, they found the chief in the act

of despatching a body of 350 Toorkmuns on a foray to the frontiers of

Persia. Our friends had arrived even in time to give these barbarians

the usual “fatha;” for, whatever they felt, it was impossible to appear

otherwise than pleased at their intentions. The Yooz-bashee in their

presence charged the robbers to be of good cheer, and remember the

good work on which they were to be engaged, and the golden “tillas”

to be reaped in the country of the Kuzzilbash. “Go,” exclaimed he,

“and bring the Prince Royal of Persia, Abbas Meerza himself to the

feet of the Khan Huzrut.” The Allamans mounted in a moment, and one

of the merchants, who seemed to have had his senses about him, begged

that the formidable band would spare our caravan. The Yooz-bashee

gave instructions to that effect; but they now shook their heads, and

seemed but little disposed to put the honesty of such men to a trial.

They turned over all the bearings of the case in their minds, and

looked very woful. As a member of the party, I could not help asking

for information on the _blessings_ which they had been called on

gratuitously to bestow on such a horde. “Fatha,” said a Persian, “I did

take the name of the holy Prophet, but it was that these man-selling

scoundrels might never return.” Our conductor Ernuzzer himself said,

that it was an abomination to have made such a use of the first

sentence of the Koran; so easy is it to make the ritual of a faith

correspond with the wishes. The doctor and myself, I believe, were the

only members of the caravan who would have liked to have a peep at the

ferocious Allamans; but I dare say it was fortunate that our curiosity

was not gratified. Since such a horde of plunderers was abroad, it

was decided that we should march upon Shurukhs, a large Toorkmun

settlement, and there await the result of their expedition, which the

merchants of the caravan had more desire to hear of than witness. The

party had been instructed to proceed by easy marches, as the Toorkmuns

always do in their forays, and was expected to return on the tenth day.

~Toorkmuns; their laws of plunder.~

~Training of the horses.~

On the 30th of August we retraced the greater part of yesterday’s

route, and travelled down the opposite bank of the river for about

sixteen miles, when we again halted among the Toorkmuns in their native

state, at an encampment called Kunjookoolan. We here mixed among them

without hesitation, and gathered many particulars concerning them. The

Toorkmuns are Toorks; but they differ from the Uzbeks, and are entirely

devoted to a pastoral life. There are several great tribes of the race,

all of whom claim a common origin; we had seen the Ersarees on the

Oxus, and were now mingling with the tribe of Saruk, beyond which are

the Salore. Towards the Caspian lie the Tuka, Goklan, and Yumood, all

of them great tribes, and of which I shall speak as we advance. Among

our Saruk acquaintances there was one individual who had passed his

days in making incursions into Persia, and in his odious traffic had

acquired a perfect knowledge of the language of that country, which

enabled me to learn the genuine sentiments of a Toorkmun robber. His

name was Noornyaz; and in his forays he had accompanied the largest and

smallest parties: he had, indeed, only returned with three captives,

that had been secured by the small number of six horsemen. He described

the manner of approaching Persia by slow and short stages, and that,

after reaching the frontiers, they frequently hovered for days in sight

of a fort to watch for a favourable opportunity of capture. If none

presents itself, they make a dash in upon the fields in the morning,

as the shepherds and husbandmen pursue their occupations, and bear off

with speed whoever they may seize. If hotly pursued, they relinquish

a spare horse with which every two individuals is provided, and carry

off the more valuable slave. In such a transient expedition every

thing depends on the fleetness of their horses, and the Toorkmuns

accordingly bestow the utmost care upon them. My Toorkmun acquaintance

said, that he was now preparing his horse for another foray, which

consists in exercising him most severely after a long abstinence

from food and water, which brings the animal to a matchless state of

hardihood. They do not permit them to taste green forage, but confine

them to dry food, which they believe hardens the flesh. They sweat

them till their fat entirely disappears, and of this they judge by the

quantity of water which the horse drinks, since it is very small if

his flesh has been properly reduced. The Toorkmun horse, with such a

training, far surpasses in bottom those of Europe and Arabia; but he

is a coarse-looking animal, and has neither the sleekness nor beauty

of coat which we see in India or our own country. Since the life and

fortune of the Toorkmun are identified with the goodness of his horse,

we can account for the care and attention that he bestows upon him.

The little food to which he is inured enables his rider to provide

with ease for his own wants: he carries the grain for the horse and

himself, as well as bread and flour: in his advance he sometimes buries

these in a well-known place, till he shall return from the foray; and

when the Toorkmun retreats into his native desert, he is thus supplied

with provisions, though he may have been weeks from his camp, which he

shares with the victims of his capture, whom he drags into miserable

servitude.

~Reflections.~

In the catalogue of human miseries there are few more severely felt,

and the consequences of which are more destructive to domestic

happiness, than the cruel system of man-stealing. Great as are the

miseries produced by this, the hordes who engage in it appear to

derive none of the luxuries or enjoyment of human life from such an

occupation, and live in rags and penury, seemingly without advantage

from their devastations. The terror which the Toorkmuns inspire among

the people of the neighbouring countries is fearful, nor is this

surprising, since they evince such fortitude and persevering energy in

their dangerous occupation. We cannot fail to admire their address, and

acknowledge their valour, at the time that we deplore the lot of the

unhappy country on which they display their prowess. The manners and

customs of the Toorkmuns, in the odious practices which they pursue

against their fellow man, sap the best principles of human nature,

and we consequently find this people wanting in much of the honour

which is often seen among half-civilised nations. “A Toorkmun,” the

people will tell you, “is a dog, and will only be kept quiet with

a bit of bread, like a dog: give it then, is the doctrine of the

traveller, and pass on unmolested.” They have likewise the character

of being perfidious and treacherous, nor is it altogether unmerited.

The Persians have endeavoured, but without success, to put a stop to

these reckless inroads of the Toorkmun, but he himself lives in a

desert where he is safe, and is encouraged by the ready sale which he

finds for his captives in the favoured countries that lie beyond his

own desolate region. In their expeditions into Persia, some Toorkmuns

are occasionally captured, and an exorbitant ransom has been placed

upon their heads, but yet they have been redeemed by their kinsmen. A

Toorkmun passes his life either in a foray, or in preparing for one;

and it is a disgraceful fact, that the chiefs of Khorasan have long

and unnaturally leagued with these enemies of their religion and their

country, to barter a still greater portion of unfortunate Persians into

their hands, and eternal slavery. Avarice is the most baneful of our

vices.

~Meeting of the caravan. Claims against us.~

Now that we were beyond the power of the Orgunje troops, the merchants

of the caravan assembled in conclave to bemoan the loss of their money

in a new tax, and to devise ways and means to recover it. It appeared

to the majority, that the Firingees, that is, ourselves, should bear a

portion of the burthen, and the assemblage waited on us in the evening

to express their wishes, and request that we would bear one fourth of

all the duties. Since the payment of the regular customs had induced

the officer to forego the usual fee on each pair of panniers, we had

certainly escaped every kind of tax, and this was evidently owing to

the wealth and size of the caravan with which we were travelling. The

Orgunje officer, too, it was now stated, had been bribed to the amount

of ten tillas. It appeared both reasonable and just that we should

bear our share of this outlay, and I therefore offered the usual tax

of a tilla on each of our camels, since it would tend to diminish the

general expenditure of the caravan. It was a point that called for the

exercise of discretion and judgment, since a total denial might have

converted a friendly into a hostile party; and, on the other hand, it

at all times behoved us to be most sparing in our expenses. In the

present instance, I had the good fortune to conciliate by my concession

the principal merchants of the party. There were several who still

called on us to pay a fourth share of the tax; but as I ascertained

that no additional expenses had been incurred on our account, and the

duties would have been levied whether we had been present or absent,

I declined compliance, and stated to them that we were travellers,

and their guests, in a foreign land, and hoped for their forbearance

and justice. The Toorkmun chief, our friend Ernuzzer, appeared at

this stage of our conversation, to enter his protest against such an

outrage to hospitality as the demand which had been made upon us; but

I had already made up my mind, and passed my word. The rights of the

stranger are much respected among these people, and the cry of the

many died away into the feeble vociferations of the poorer traders,

whose scanty means made them feel more heavily the levy that had been

made upon them. In one respect the character of an European in such

countries is ill suited for a traveller; he is believed to possess

boundless wealth, though he may be sunk in poverty; an Asiatic, in his

expenses, has nothing in common with the opinions of an European.

~Continuation of the Desert.~

~Whirlwinds.~

We now commenced our march in the desert westward of the Moorghab

river, and made a progress of thirty-seven miles. The tract was

entirely different from the opposite side, and about the middle of the

journey the desert changed into a level, hard, flat surface, which it

ever afterwards preserved. The camels moved up in four strings abreast

of each other, and we continued to advance in that order. The tract

put me much in mind of the Run of Cutch, though there were patches

of bushes, which are not to be seen in that most singular region.[4]

The country was destitute of water, but there were many remains of

caravansarais and cisterns that had been built by the philanthropic

Abdulla Khan of Bokhara. In this neighbourhood, and more particularly

while on the banks of the river, we witnessed a constant succession of

whirlwinds, that raised the dust to a great height, and moved over the

plain like water-spouts at sea. In India these phenomena are familiarly

known by the name of _devils_, where they sometimes unroof a house; but

I had not seen them in that country either of such size or frequency as

now prevailed in the Toorkmun desert. They appeared to rise from gusts

of wind, for the air itself was not disturbed but by the usual north

wind that blows steadily in this desert.

~The highlands of Persia.~

~Mirage.~

As we halted in the morning of the 1st of September, at a ruin which

bore the name of Kalournee, we descried the hills of Persian Khorasan.

In the direction where they rose I had observed the atmosphere to be

clouded since we reached the banks of the Moorghab, and we might have

perhaps seen them sooner, though they still appeared in the haze of

distance. As we discovered these mountains at sunrise, a magnificent

mirage shone in the same direction. One could trace a river, and its

steep and opposite banks; but, as the sun ascended, the appearance

vanished, and left the same flat and cheerless country in which we were

now encamped. The high banks of the river had no existence, and the

water was but vapour set in the rays of light.

~Plants of the desert.~

As we approached Shurukhs, we could distinguish a gradual, though

almost imperceptible rise in the country. We exchanged the shrubs that

I have before described, for the tamarisk and the camel’s thorn, which

does not grow in the desert. The most singular of the plants which a

new zone presented to us, was one called “gyk chenak” in the Toorkee

language, which literally means, the deer’s cup. It grows like hemlock

or assafœtida (and has as bad a smell), only that a leaf, shaped

precisely like a cup, surrounds each knot or division of the plant’s

stalk. In this natural bowl the rains of spring are collected, and

supply the deer with water. Such is the popular belief, and such is the

name. We afterwards saw a plant not unlike the deer’s cup among the

hills eastward of Meshid. A gum, like tallow, exuded from it, and it

shot up as an annual among the high lands.

~Allamans.~

~Meet an unsuccessful party.~

We had been treading in our last marches on the very ground which had

been disturbed by the hoofs of the Toorkmuns who were advancing on

Persia. It was with no small delight that we at last lost our traces

of the formidable band, which we could discover had branched off the

high road towards Meshid. Had we encountered them, a second negotiation

would have been necessary, and the demands of robbers might not have

been easily satisfied. “Allamans” seldom attack a caravan, but still

there are authenticated instances of their having murdered a whole

party in the very road we were travelling. Men with arms in their

hands, and in power, are not to be restrained. After losing all traces

of this band, we came suddenly upon a small party of Allamans, seven

in number, who were returning from an unsuccessful expedition. They

were young men, well mounted and caparisoned, in the Toorkmun manner; a

lance and a sword formed their arms; they had no bows, and but one led

horse. Their party had been discomfited, and four of them had fallen

into the hands of the Persians. They told us of their disasters, and

asked for bread, which some of our party gave them. I wish that all

their expeditions would terminate like this.

~Arrival at Shurukhs.~

~Detention.~

We reached Shurukhs at sun-rise on the 2d, after having performed a

journey of seventy miles in forty-four hours, including every halt.

During this period we had only marched for thirty-two hours, and the

camels sometimes stepped out at the rate of two and a half miles an

hour, which I had never before seen. All the camels were males, since

they are believed to undergo fatigue better than females. Our caravan

alighted round an old tomb, with a lofty dome, and it was unanimously

decided, that so long as the Allamans were abroad, it would not be

prudent to prosecute our journey. It was therefore resolved to _sleep_

in Shurukhs (to use a phrase of their own), the greatest haunt of

the Toorkmun robbers; a paradox truly, since we were to settle among

thieves to avoid the thieves abroad. We, however, possessed but humble

influence in the party, and had only to meet the general wish. The

merchandize was piled round the tomb, the people took up a position

outside of it, and at night the camels and horses formed a triple

barrier. Such were the arrangements for our protection, and, as will

be seen, not more than were necessary. The Toorkmuns crowded among us

during the day, and brought tunics of camel-cloth for sale, which were

readily purchased; but there was not an individual of the caravan who

trusted himself at a distance from it: and how could it be otherwise,

when we hourly saw the “Allamans” passing and repassing in front of

us, and knew that the chief subsistence of the people was derived from

these “chupaos?”

~Shurukhs.~

The Toorkmun settlement of Shurukhs consists of a small and weak fort,

almost in ruins, situated on a hillock, under cover of which most of

the inhabitants have pitched their tenements. There are a few mud

houses, which have been built by the Jews of Meshid, who trade with

these people; but the Toorkmuns themselves live in the conical houses

or khirgahs, peculiar to their tribe. They are constructed of wood,

surrounded by a mat of reeds, and covered in the roof with felts,

that become black with soot. Shurukhs is the residence of the Salore

Toorkmuns, the noblest of the race. Two thousand families are here

domiciled, and an equal number of horses, of the finest blood, may be

raised in case of need. If unable to cope with their enemies, these

people flee to the deserts, which lie before them, and there await the

termination of the storm. They pay a sparing and doubtful allegiance

to Orgunje and Persia, but it is only an impending force that leads

to their submission. When we were at Shurukhs they had a Persian

ambassador in chains, and refused to grant a share of the transit

duties to the Khan of Orgunje, which they had promised in the preceding

month, when that chief was near them. These are commentaries on their

allegiance. The Salore Toorkmuns are ruled by twelve _aksukals_, the

heads of the different families; but they acknowledge no particular

allegiance to any individual person. The country around Shurukhs is

well watered by aqueducts from the rivulet of Tejend, which is a

little brackish, but its waters are usefully employed in fertilising

its fields. The soil is exceedingly rich, and possesses great aptness

for agriculture; the seed is scattered, and vegetates almost without

labour. The harvest is rich, and they reap it, like true republicans,

without a tax. The inhabitants repeat a tradition, that the first of

men tilled in Shurukhs, which was his garden, while Serendib or Ceylon

was his house! There is not a tree or a bush to enliven the landscape,

for the Toorkmuns despise gardening. The crops of wheat and juwaree

are here most abundant, and the melons are only inferior to those of

Bokhara.

~Alarms.~

Two days after our arrival at Shurukhs, and when I venture to say we

had often congratulated ourselves at the near prospect of successfully

terminating our journey, we experienced an alarm that at least showed

our congratulations were premature. One of the Toorkmun chiefs of the

place appeared in our part of the encampment, and summoned the Hajee,

one of our people, to attend him, near enough for me to overhear their

conversation. He commenced a long list of interrogatories regarding

us, and stated that he had heard from persons in the caravan that we

possessed great wealth, and had travelled into the remotest parts of

Toorkistan. Such being the case, continued he, it was impossible for

him to grant us permission to prosecute our journey, until the commands

of Ullah Koli, Khan of Orgunje, were received concerning us. This

formidable announcement would even have appeared more frightful, had

not the Toorkmun added on his departure, that his fellow chiefs were

ignorant of our presence in the caravan, and that we might perhaps

consider his good wishes not unworthy of being purchased. The matter

was however serious, since it discovered that there were persons in the

caravan who were ill-disposed towards us, and it was certain that the

Toorkmuns had the power of enforcing all which the person in question

had threatened. Immediate measures were necessary, and I lost no time

in adopting them. There were five or six merchants of respectability

in the caravan, and I went to the two principal persons, whom I have

before named, and related the affair to them with perfect candour. I

should have gone to Ernuzzer the Toorkmun, but he had in former days

lived at Shurukhs, and, in his change to the life of a citizen, had

forfeited much of the influence he might be supposed to possess among

his countrymen; nor did I even unfold to him the circumstances till we

reached Meshid. I observed that the communication equally excited the

uneasiness of the merchants, and once more discovered that these people

were really concerned for our safety. They poured forth their wrath

against the informer, and expressed in unequivocal language the fears

which they entertained from the Vizier of Bokhara on one side, and the

Prince Royal of Persia on the other. One of the merchants advised that

I should immediately produce the firman of the King of Bokhara; but in

this I differed, and the opinion of the other was more in consonance

with my own judgment. Abdool undertook to negotiate the _feeding of the

dog of a Toorkmun_; but it may be imagined that there was little to

cheer us under such circumstances. A cheerful countenance was, however,

indispensable, that we might the better meet the difficulties, and, if

possible, frustrate the hopes of the villain who had betrayed us.

~Dissipation of them.~

The first piece of intelligence which assailed us on the following

morning was the loss of a beautiful little black pony, which had been

stolen from his pickets during night. It is customary in this country

to chain the horse’s leg to the iron pin, and then padlock it; but we

had not adopted this precaution. I regretted this loss more than I

might have done a more serious misfortune. The sturdy little creature

had followed me from Poona in the centre of India, had borne me in many

a weary journey, and I cannot tell how much it vexed me to leave him

in such a country, and in such hands. The whole caravan assembled to

express their regret at the theft, and assured me that I should either

have the pony or his value; but they did not understand that in my

estimation he stood above all price. I was obliged to turn to other

matters, and it was a more solid source of consolation to find that we

had satisfied the demands, and silenced the threats of the Toorkmun

chief at a most moderate sacrifice. He became master of our stock of

tea, and we should have added the sugar, had it been worth presenting;

and this peace offering, crowned with two gold tillas (each valued

at about six and a half rupees), satisfied a chief who had us in his

power. Doonmus, for so he was named, was the “Aksukal” of 300 families,

and one of those who share in the plunder and taxation of Shurukhs. We

were much indebted in this difficulty to Abdool, who happened to be an

acquaintance of the Toorkmun, and whom we had brought over to us by

some acts of civility. We might not have escaped so readily from the

talons of any of the others; and it was curious that the fellow who had

wished to profit by us was the friend of the merchant with whom we were

most intimate.

~Toorkmun customs.~

This sunshine of our prosperity admitted of our entering with greater

spirit into our enquiries regarding the Toorkmuns, and I gathered some

characteristic incidents of the people. They are as romantic in their

customs of marriage as in their habits of plunder. They do not enter

into the conjugal state with the simple forms of Mahommedans; for the

communication between the sexes is unrestrained, and attachments are

formed that ripen into love. But the daughter of a Toorkmun has a high

price, and the swain, in despair of making a legitimate purchase,

seizes his sweetheart, seats her behind him on the same horse, and

gallops off to the nearest camp, where the parties are united, and

separation is impossible. The parents and relatives pursue the lovers,

and the matter is adjusted by an intermarriage with some female

relation of the bridegroom, while he himself becomes bound to pay so

many camels and horses as the price of his bride. If the person be

rich, these are generally paid on the spot; but if, as more often

happens, he is without property, he binds himself to discharge his

debt, which is viewed as one of honour; and he proceeds on forays to

Persia, till he has gained enough to fulfil his engagement. His success

in these generally converts him into a robber for the rest of his

days; and the capture of the Kuzzilbash has now become indispensable

to settle in life the family of a Toorkmun. The young lady, after her

Gretna Green union, returns to the house of her parents, and passes a

year in preparing the carpets and clothes, which are necessary for a

Toorkmun tent; and, on the anniversary of her elopement, she is finally

transferred to the arms and house of her gallant lover.

~Fortitude of a slave.~

A circumstance lately happened at Shurukhs, which was repeated to us

by many of the people, and exhibits additional examples of the love

of liberty, and the despair which is inspired by the loss of it. A

Persian youth, who had been captured by the Toorkmuns, dragged out a

miserable life of servitude in Shurukhs. He was resolved to be free,

and chose the opportunity of his master being at an entertainment, to

effect his object. He saddled the best horse of his stable, and on the

very eve of departure was discovered by the daughter of his lord, who

attempted to give the alarm. He drew his sword, and put the girl to

death. Her cries alarmed the mother, whom he also slew; and as he was

bidding his final farewell to Shurukhs, the master himself arrived. The

speed of the horse, which had so often been employed in the capture

of his countrymen, now availed this fugitive, who was pursued, but

not overtaken; and thus, by an exertion of desperate boldness, did he

regain his liberty, leaving his master to deplore the loss of his wife

and his daughter, his horse and his slave.

~Toorkmun customs.~

I have mentioned that our camp at Shurukhs lay by the shrine of a

Mahommedan saint. He flourished 824 years since, under the name of

Aboolfuzzul Hoosn, as appears by an inscription on the tomb, and he is

yet revered by all the Toorkmuns. If one of them fall sick, he invokes

the manes of the saint; if his horse or his camel suffer from disease,

he circumambulates his tomb, in the hope and conviction of relief.

The Toorkmuns have no mosques; they say their prayers in the tent or

in the desert, without ablution, and without a carpet. They have few

Moollahs or priests, for the church has little honour among them, and

they are but poor followers of the prophet. They have no education to

assuage the fiercer passions, which renders the men unsusceptible of

pity, and the women indifferent to chastity. The men perform all the

out-door employments, and the women work at home. The Toorkmuns are

a race of people who court alternate activity and idleness. Abroad

they evince the greatest spirit, and at home saunter about in idleness

and indolence. They are fond of their horses, and of singing songs in

honour of them. At night I have listened to the panegyrics on the feats

of the “Chupraslee” and “Karooghlee” horses, the never-ending theme

of praise. “Karooghlee” means a warrior as well as a horse, but it

describes a famous breed now said to be extinct. “Chupraslee,” though

it means but swift, is applied to a particular horse of reputed speed.

I longed to record some of these Toorkmun songs, but at Shurukhs we

could gather only these few lines:--

~A song.~

“I keep an Arab horse for the day of battle,

I live on that day under his shade,

In the conflict I slay a hero,--

Keep an Arab horse, hold a shield of iron.

Kurooghlee!

“In the day of battle I bend my bow of iron,

Erect on my horse, no one can dismount me.

I am an only child, I have no brother or sister,--

Keep an Arab horse, hold a shield of iron.

Kurooghlee!

“If I breathe, the ice of the mountains melts,

The water of my eyes would turn a mill,

So said Jonas the Puree,--

Keep an Arab horse, hold a shield of iron.

Kurooghlee!”

~A Toorkmun house.~

After the alarm which we had already experienced in Shurukhs, it was

not desirable that we should mingle much with the people; but I had

great curiosity to see them, and our Toorkmun Ernuzzer said I was

invited to a friend’s house, and I accompanied him without further

consideration. I was very agreeably surprised to find these wandering

people living here, at least, in luxury. The tent or khirgah was

spacious, and had a diameter of about twenty-five feet. The sides were

of lattice-work, and the roof was formed of laths, which branched

from a circular hoop, about three feet in diameter, through which the

light is admitted. The floor was spread with felts and carpets, of

the richest manufacture, which looked like velvet. Fringed carpets

were also hung up round the tent, which gave it a great finish, and

their beauty was no doubt enhanced by their being the work of wives

and daughters. On one side of the tent was a small press, in which

the females of the family kept their clothes, and above it were piled

the quilts on which they slept. These are of variegated coloured

cloth, both silk and cotton. From the circular aperture in the roof,

three large tassels of silk were suspended, differing in colour, and

neatly wrought by some fair young hand. Altogether, the apartment and

its furniture bespoke any thing but an erratic people; yet the host

explained to me that the whole house could be transported on one camel,

and its furniture on another. On my return I expressed my surprise at

such comfort, but my companions in the caravan bade me not wonder at

such a display, since the Toorkmuns were _man-eaters_ (adum khor), and

got their food for nothing. Many a nation has been written down as

cannibals on as slight grounds; but the people merely meant to tell me

that they lived on the proceeds of man-selling. Before I quitted the

tent, the host produced bread and melons, according to their custom, of

which we partook, with about fifteen other Toorkmuns, who had dropped

in. They cut up a melon with great dexterity and neatness, separate

the pulp from the skin, which is not thicker than that of an orange,

by a single sweep of the knife, then dividing it into a dozen pieces.

I listened for about half an hour to their conversation, the subject

of which I could comprehend to be slaves and horses. They took me for

a native of Cabool, from the loongee which I wore as a turban, nor did

I undeceive them. They all got up as I left, and bade me good-bye with

all the respect of a good Mahommedan. They might not have injured me

had they known the truth, but they would have detained me with endless

questions; and, as it was, I saw their customs without inconvenience. I

was never so much struck with the Tatar features as in this assemblage.

The Toorkmun has a skull like a Chinese, his face is flat, his cheek

bones project, and his countenance tapers to the chin, which has a most

scanty crop of hair. He is by no means ugly, and his body and features

are alike manly. Their women are remarkably fair, and often handsome.

~Toorkmun mode of feasting.~

I might have followed up my acquaintance, and dined with the Toorkmuns

in the evening; but, since I did not do so, I shall describe their

feast from Toorkmun authority. When they invite a stranger to dinner,

they send to say they have killed a sheep. They are not very choice in

their cookery. Their cakes are baked about two feet in diameter, and an

inch thick, of the coarsest flour, and generally mixed up with slices

of pumpkin. These are always eaten fresh. When the party assembles,

the cloth is spread, and each person crumbles down the piece of cake

which is laid before him. The meat is then brought, which consists of

one entire sheep, boiled in a huge Russian pot. They separate the flesh

from the bones, and tear it into as small pieces as the bread, with

which it is mixed. They shred about a dozen of onions, and throw the

whole mess into the pot where the meat has been boiled, and mix it up

with the soup. It is then served out in wooden bowls, one of which is

placed before every two persons. Their mode of eating is as singular

as that of preparation; they fill their open hand, and commencing from

the wrist, lick it up like dogs, holding the head over the bowl, which

catches all that falls. Each of the two in his turn fills his hand, and

holds his head over the bowl. Melons follow, and the repast concludes

with a pipe of tobacco. The women do not eat with the men.

~Success of the Allamans.~

On the seventh day after our arrival at Shurukhs, when every one

was enquiring about the “Allamans,” or robbers, who had preceded us,

they began to drop in upon us by twos and threes, with their horses

lame and jaded, and by evening upwards of a hundred had arrived. They

stopped by the caravan, and gave us a glowing account of their foray,

congratulating themselves in boastful strains at their success. They

had made their descent near Meshid four days previously, about ten in

the morning, and rode up to the very walls of the city, driving men and

animals before them. Not a soul appeared to arrest their progress; and

when they numbered their spoil a few miles from the city, they found

115 human beings, 200 camels, and as many cattle. Since then they had

returned without haste, and now skirted Shurukhs for refreshment. On

the way they had already divided their booty. A fifth was given to

the Khan of Orgunje, and the party had to congratulate themselves at

the number of able-bodied men, and the few _white-beards_, old ones,

among their prisoners. Returning through the hills, they encountered

the videttes of a small party of horse, who are stationed to give

information at Durbund, which lies between Shurukhs and Meshid. In the

scuffle, one of the Toorkmuns was wounded, and they captured one of

the videttes and fifteen horses. They put the unfortunate Persian to

death, as an offering to God for the success which attended them; since

they pretend to consider the murder of a heretic Kuzzilbash as grateful

to the Almighty; and they generally kill most of the old persons who

fall into their hands, as a propitiatory offering to the Creator. The

Toorkmuns, indeed, defend their capture of these unfortunate human

beings, on the ground of their conversion to a true religion, and

consequent salvation. Unhappily for mankind, the history of the world

presents us with too many and similar instances of this mistaken and

religious zeal. The Spaniards pursued their conquests in the New

World under the specious pretence of disseminating Christianity; they

sacked the empires of Mexico and Peru, and butchered their inoffending

inhabitants; while their priests impiously blessed their inhuman

outrages.[5] They, too, like the Toorkmuns, propitiated their king by

a present of a fifth of their spoil. Human nature, under king or khan,

is the same in all countries, whether we contemplate the frenzy and

avarice of the Spaniards in America, or the roaming Toorkmun in the

Scythian deserts.

The opportunity which was afforded us of seeing these robbers,

inspired a good opinion of their courage, for many of them were

indifferently armed. They all had swords, most had light, long lances,

quite different from those used by the Uzbeks, and a few had small

matchlocks. Their horses looked quite done up, and walked as if on beds

of gravel; but they had been thirteen days in motion, with scanty food

and much work. While we admire the courage of these men, what shall we

think of the Persians, who are encamped within two days’ journey of

Meshid, under the heir-apparent of their throne, and numbering an army

of twenty thousand men?

~Inconveniences.~

~Mad camel.~

The return of the Orgunje Allamans should have now settled our

movements, but some timid being spread a rumour that half of the

robbers yet lay in wait for our caravan on the Persian frontier. Our

departure was therefore still put off, and I cannot say that I felt

comfortable in such quarters. We had no tent or shelter for ten days

but the rotten walls of an old tomb, which were infested with reptiles.

Though our bed had always been the ground, and we had long ceased

to feel the aches which one experiences from an occasional bivouac

in civilised life, we could not now spread a carpet, lest we should

appear too rich among the Toorkmuns, who stated in upon us at all

times, and frequently asked us questions. Our bread, too, had been ten

times coarser than “bannocks of barley meal,” not half so palatable.

We could with great difficulty read or write for a single hour during

the day, and the time passed as heavily as possible, exhausting our

patience. During our detention, one of the camels was said to have gone

mad, whether from ennui or some more cogent cause I knew not. The poor

creature foamed at the mouth, groaned, and refused its food. The case

was referred to us, as he was pronounced to be possessed of a devil;

but of course without avail. At length they fell on the expedient of

frightening the camel, by clashing a lighted torch before his eyes and

body, and kindling reeds and furze under his nose. They also passed a

red-hot iron over his head; and the animal assuredly improved under

this rough treatment, of burning the devil who had lodged in so ugly a

creature.

~Departure from Shurukhs.~

~Increased caravan.~

At length, on the 11th of September, after a detention of ten long

days, we joyfully quitted Shurukhs at sunrise. The Toorkmuns maintained

their character to the last. After giving us leave, and agreeing to tax

us at the first stage, they waited till we had fairly started, and then

sent orders to stop the caravan. They demanded a tilla and a half on

every camel; which is the customary transit duty for an escort to the

Persian frontier. The party came only a few miles, and then returned,

tired of escorting; nor were we sorry to get so well rid of them. Our

caravan had now been increased by the junction of two others, which

had come up during our stay, and formed a numerous body: but I fear

there were more timid than fighting hearts among us. There were men,

women, and children; merchants, travellers, pilgrims, and emancipated

slaves. There were Uzbeks, Arabs, Persians, Afghans, Hindoos, Jews,

natives of Budukhshan and Cashmeer; Toorks and Toorkmuns; a Nogai

Tatar, a wandering Kirghiz from Pameer, and ourselves, natives of

Europe. Last, not least, was a young Persian girl, about fifteen

years old, whom we had picked up at Shurukhs, and who was said to be

of exquisite beauty. She had been captured by the Toorkmuns; and her

loveliness overcoming their avarice, she had at first been detained by

her captor. The arrival of our caravan and so many merchants, however,

tempted his cupidity; and he offered his charge for sale. A merchant

of Tehran purchased her for seventy-seven gold tillas; and the poor

girl, who was walking about a few hours before, and saw and was seen by

every one, was now literally packed up in a pannier. She had changed

her character from slave to wife; for it signifies nought that she may

have another husband, since she is surely born again who comes out of

the hands of the Toorkmuns. This was a leap year; but a lady may be

there allowed at all times to fall in love. The fair one of whom I

speak made a set at the first merchant who visited her; and stated,

as an inducement to her purchase, that she would join any creed they

liked. This Persian girl is not the first of her sex who has changed

her doctrines with her name.

~Entrance into Persia.~

We halted in the afternoon at a cistern, eighteen miles distant from

Shurukhs, the fort of which was yet visible; for we had travelled over

level country, broken in some places by gravelly hillocks. At the third

mile we crossed the dry and pebbly bed of the small river of Tejend,

which rises in the neighbouring hills, and is lost in the sands. This

is not the Herat river, nor is it the Ochus, for no such great river

as appears in our maps has existence. Its pools were saline, and much

of the soil was also salt. There were remnants of civilisation, but

neither fields nor inhabitants. We again set out about eight at night

with a full moon; and, after an advance of seven or eight miles,

entered among defiles and hills, and found ourselves at Moozderan

or Durbund, the frontier post in Persia, a little after sunrise,

and forty-five miles from Shurukhs. The whole of the latter part of

the route lay in a deep ravine, where there is imminent danger in

travelling from the “Allamans” of the desert. We pushed on with great

celerity and greater fear: every instrument of war was in requisition,

every match was lit, and the slightest sound brought the horsemen to

a halt; for we hourly expected to encounter the Toorkmuns. After a

night of such anxiety, we beheld with pleasure the look-out towers of

Durbund, eleven of which crown the crest of the range, and command its

passage. We here found a few irregular soldiers, the first subjects of

the “Great King” whom we encountered. They were dispirited after the

attack of the Toorkmuns, since this was the party which had lost their

horses, and some of their fellow-soldiers.

~Moozderan or Durbund.~

After we had surmounted the pass of Durbund, our caravan alighted

in the fields beyond the fort of Moozderan, which stands on an

isolated spur of table-land, as you descend the pass. The place was

once peopled; but the Khan of Orgunje some years since seized its

inhabitants _en masse_, and razed their defences. In repair, it might

protect the road into Persia; but a peasant cannot risk his life

unless he receives the protection of his king. There is a beautiful

fountain of tepid water, which springs up under Moozderan; and makes

for itself, and some kindred streams, a channel down the valley, where

the fruit trees and gardens of the exiled inhabitants may still be

seen. It appeared a charming spot to us after so long a sojourn among

desolation. The men on the pass showed us a cave, of which they had

many fabulous tales, describing it to be without a termination. It was

lately the scene of great slaughter and distress, for the population

retired into it when pressed by the Khan of Orgunje; and as they issued

like bees from the hive, they were put to death or sent in perpetual

exile across the desert.

~Approach to Meshid.~

Our arrival in Persia afforded the greatest source of joy to many of

the persons in the caravan, who, though natives of Bokhara, were yet

Shiahs. I thought that when we quitted that holy city, we should have

done with such sanctified spots; but the capital which we were now

approaching, Meshid i Mookuddus, the sacred Meshid, appeared, by every

account, to be even more holy than Bokhara. When we should behold its

gilded dome, I now heard that every one would fall down and pray. The

Persians here began to speak boldly of their creed, which they had so

long concealed; and the spirit of the place might now be discovered by

the tale of a person in the caravan, who was by no means illiterate.

A merchant, who had lately travelled to Meshid, overloaded one of his

camels, which fled, immediately on its reaching the city, to the shrine

of the holy Imam Ruza, and lowed out its complaints. The animal was

received, I presume, into the list of the faithful, since the priests

of the shrine added him to their flock, adorned him with housings

and bells, and gave him precedence of all other camels. The merchant

confessed his cruelty, sued for forgiveness, and was pardoned at the

sacrifice of his camel. To these and such tales an European must always

listen and wonder; for though we have asserted, on the authority of

the Koran itself, that the creed of the Mahommedan is not supported

by miracles, its votaries admit no such doctrine; and enumerate the

hundred thousand deviations from the laws of nature, which have

happened for the benefit of the Mahommedan church. I had ventured among

the Uzbeks to speak of the Koran and its contents, which I admitted

I had read in translation. “Fool that you are,” was the reply; “how

is it possible to transfer that holy book to another language, when

every letter of every word has a distinct and individual meaning,

that is only to be comprehended in the original?” I never afterwards

paraded my biblical research; for while I found my knowledge of their

Koran arraigned, I also heard, for the first time, that the Old and

New Testament were nowhere to be found but as an incorporation with

the Koran, since the copies of both Jews and Christians were vitiated

forgeries! The arts of the priests of Islam bring to our remembrance

the similar impositions of the Catholic church in by-gone ages. In

Europe, however, the churchmen did really understand the learned

language of the scriptures; but, among the Mahommedans, there are

Moollahs who can only read, while they do not understand their version.

There are of course many scholars, but there are distinct classes who

_do_ and _do not_ understand; nor do they hesitate to speak of their

learning or their ignorance, since the reading of the Koran is a

sublime occupation, that covers the worst of sins.

~Tarantulla.~

~Adventure.~

We could not yet consider ourselves within the protection even of the

holy Meshid, which was thirty-eight miles from Moozderan; we therefore

moved at nightfall. In the bustle of departure I killed a huge reptile

of a “tarantulla,” or an enormous spider, crawling on my carpet. Its

claws looked like those of a scorpion, or small lobster, but the body

was that of a spider. I was assured of its poisonous nature, and the

natives insisted that it squirted its venom instead of stinging. We

were soon on the wing, and wound our way up the valley of the Tejend,

which was now a beautiful brook. We commenced our journey in terror,

and ere long met with an adventure that increased the rapidity of

our march. About midnight the braying of a donkey intimated to some

palpitating hearts that we were in the neighbourhood of human beings,

where none should exist. The shout of “Allaman, Allaman!” spread like

lightning; and the caravan, in a moment, assumed the appearance of a

regiment in open column, closing up in double march to form a square.

The foremost camels squatted instantly, and the others formed behind

them. Matches were lit on every side, swords were drawn, pistols

loaded, and the unhappy merchants capered in front of their goods, half

mad with fear and fury. The unarmed portion of the caravan took post

among the camels, which really formed a tolerable square, increased

as they were to the number of one hundred and twenty. The anxiety was

intense, it was general; the slaves were more terrified than the rest,

for they well knew the fate of capture by the Toorkmuns. After about a

quarter of an hour’s detention, one of the party discovered that the

Allamans, of whom we were standing in such awe, were a party of twenty

poor wandering Eimauks, who had been gathering die (boozghoom) on the

hills. They were more terrified than us, for their number made their

fate inevitable had we been Toorkmuns. Immediately the mistake was

discovered, a shout of delight raised the camels, and the caravan moved

on at double its usual speed, with seven or eight camels abreast; nor

did it stop at the prescribed halting-ground, but pushed on some eight

or ten miles farther when the day dawned. No sooner had we finished a

scanty meal than it was again in motion, and a little after mid-day

we reached Ghoozkan, the first inhabited village in Persia, and about

fourteen miles from Meshid.

~Ghoozkan slaves.~

~Troubled country.~

We halted a few hours at Ghoozkan, and had an opportunity of observing

the supreme joy of the poor slaves, who had now reached their native

land in safety. Many of the merchants gave them clothes and money

to assist in their journey homewards, and it was with pleasure that

we joined in the charitable feelings of the caravan. A few ducats

purchased much happiness. Ghoozkan is peopled by Teimurees, a tribe

of Eimaks, and has a population of about a thousand souls. They were

a miserable looking set of beings, who used bandages as stockings,

and covered their heads with brown sheep-skin caps. The whole of the

inhabitants turned out to see us pass, and many of the poor creatures

asked, in melancholy strains, of the different passengers, if we

did not bring letters from their captive friends in Toorkistan. The

Toorkmuns seldom spare Ghoozkan in their forays; and the last party had

carried off six of their children, and put four of their peasants to

death. One wonders that human beings would consent to live in such a

spot. The circle of the villages around Meshid gets more circumscribed

yearly, and in the one which we first entered every field had its

tower, built by the cultivator, as a defence to which he might fly

on seeing the approach of a Toorkmun. What a state of society, that

requires the ploughshare and the sword in the same field! We loaded the

camels after a watch of night, and set out for Meshid, the gates of

which we reached long before the sun had risen, not more to our own joy

than that of the poor Persian slaves, who had performed every step of

the journey with a palpitating breast.

CHAP. XIV.

KHORASAN.

~Arrival in Meshid.~