'Travels in Assyria, Media, and Persia, including a journey from Bagdad by Mount Zagros, to Hamadan, the ancient Ecbatana, researches in Ispahan and the ruins of Persepolis, and journey from thence by Shiraz and Shapoor to the sea-shore. Description of Bussorah, Bushire, Bahrein, Ormuz, and Muscat, narrative of an expedition against the pirates of the Persian Gulf, with illustrations of the voyage of Nearchus, and passage by the Arabian Sea to Bombay.' [‎263] (294/582)

DEPARTURE FROM MOAYN. 263
reverence to Fire, once so prevalent here, though the form of the
salute is naturally that of the present religion.
O ct. 22d. —The night was so warm that we preferred sleeping
in the open air to remaining in our chambers : and here we had
both musquitoes and fleas, neither of which had before annoyed
us since our first entrance into Persia. We therefore slept but
little; and through impatience of suffering began to prepare for
setting out soon after midnight. By the time that the keeper
of the khan was roused, our animals fed and saddled, and our
morning cup of coffee and pipe enjoyed, the night was far ad
vanced ; and when we mounted, it was little more than an hour
before daybreak. We continued our course south-westerly, along
the main road to Shiraz, between lofty hills on each side ; and, as
we had been directed, turned off to the south-east, at the distance
of about a fursuck from our first station. Our road now went
south-south-east at the foot of a range of hills; and we had in
view, in different directions, square masses of mountains broken
into perpendicular cliffs on all sides, and looking at a distance
like so many citadels. The general features of these mountains,
but particularly the manner in which they were shaped into
square masses above a steep-sloping base, resembled the range
on which Mardin is seated in the heart of Mesopotamia.
When we had gone two fursucks from our first turning off
the high road, we arrived at an old bridge, of eight or ten arches,
the centre one about twenty feet in span, and thirty in height.
This was a Mohammedan work, and had been often repaired both
with brick and stone, but it was now falling fast to decay, though
it was still passable. A rapid stream ran here in a deep bed, and
bent its course south-easterly, through the great plain of Merdusht,
now open before us.
We descended to repose upon its banks, where our horses
found fine fresh grass, and enjoyed all the charms of rapidly
running water, verdure, and shade. We were joined here by an
old man of a neighbouring village, from whom we learnd that this