'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.' [‎121] (152/582)

OF TAtTK-E-BOSTAN. 221
begin, though my Dervish obstinately resisted this, from the fear
of its betraying him as well as myself.
It was in this moment of indecision that there arrived a party
of twelve horsemen, of whom the chief was evidently a person of
distinction, and alighted at the Cave. The salutations of " Salam
Alaikom" and " Kosh Amadeed," were passed between us as we
rose at their entry ; carpets and cushions were spread, a divan
formed, and presently the whole of the Cave was occupied by this
leader and his suite. The young men whom we had found there
on our first arrival instantly withdrew, and were not recalled ; but
as we attempted to follow their example after our first salutations
had been exchanged, the Chief beckoned us to stay; and my full
beard, and the title of Hadjee, with my Arab dress, obtained for
me a seat beside him, while all the rest stood.
My journey was then enquired about; and there being among
the servants a man who had been in Egypt, he remarked that
neither my features nor my complexion were Egyptian, though,
from the Arabic not being his native tongue, he did not apparently
detect my being a foreigner in this. I told him that there was a
mixture of Georgian blood in our family, as I had often been taken
for one of that country, chiefly from my complexion, hair, and eyes,
being all less dark than is usually seen among either Arabs, Persians,
or Turks ; and this explanation was deemed quite satisfactory.
The leader of the party spoke chiefly Turkish, and but just
sufficient of Arabic for us to converse together face to face. His
appearance struck me as very singular. His stature was short
and compressed; his head small and round ; his features flat; his
eyes long, small, and of a greyish blue ; his hair a brownish yellow;
and his thin and scanty beard confined to a few long hairs on the
point of his chin, such as I remember to have seen in a Chinese
Mussulman at Mocha.
My surprise was heightened by finding that this man under
stood the Roman character ; for, in looking round the Cave, on the
walls of which were numerous inscriptions of visitors, in Hebrew,
r