"رحلات في آشور، ميديا، وبلاد فارس، بما في ذلك رحلة من بغداد مروراً بجبل زاغروس وصولاً إلى حمدان، في أكباتانا القديمة، والبحوث في أصفهان وأطلال برسبوليس، ورحلة منها مروراً بشيراز وشابور وصولاً إلى ساحل البحر. وصف البصرة، بوشهر، البحرين، هرمز، ومسقط، وسرد لحملة ضد قراصنة الخليج العربي، مع رسومات توضيحية لرحلة بحرية لنيرتشوس، والمرور ببحر العرب إلى بومباي. [‎١‎٢‎٠] (٥٨٢/١٥١)

120 VISIT TO THE ANTIQUITIES
party of young men from the town, who had come out to pass in
this agreeable retreat a day of undisturbed pleasure ; and for the
moment I felt sorry that our presence should have in any way
broken in upon their retired hours of joy. They were employed in
saying alternate stanzas of some mourning hymn or dirge, if one
might judge from the sighs and interjections of those who hung
their heads upon their hands as they listened and approved. They
had before them several baskets of fresh fruit, and nargeels for
smoking; and inviting us, " B'ism Illah," in the name of God,
to sit down and partake of their rustic feast, we did so most
willingly.
This, however, agreeable as social pleasures always are, was a
sad interruption to the minute examination which I was desirous
of making of the numerous sculptured figures which covered the
sides of the cave around us. I pondered for an excuse, and could
scarcely hide my impatience. I cast my eyes about with all the
eagerness of curiosity and enquiry, until every one perceived that
this was my first visit to the Tank, and that I was yet a stranger
to all that concerned it.
Some of the young men who felt themselves to be more learned
than the rest, explained the stories of Rnstan, whose colossal
figure on horseback was the prominent one of the place, and
dwelt with still more delight on the loves of Ferhad and Shirine,
The h£v f T I 6 " 1 ^ ^ S0 intimatel y cted!
The history of the lovely Queen, with her Lord Khosrou, and his
fiiied the com P artment ^
equestrian Hercules of their days, was also detailed • but I still
wished to examine what more particularly caught my attention
among the smaller figures, and to bring away^ith me co r ec"
copies of such inscriptions as might be there T „ „
of the surprise, the enquirv and t]™ . aWare
on .he .pot in „ ^ 7 W,itin8
did not fear the number of onr h l iJ 6 5 but aS We
the neighbourhood to-morrow I had dt " '"f ^
, 1 had determined at all hazards to