'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.' [‎147] (178/582)

TO BISITOON AND KENGAWAR.
147
maize. On our right, or about a mile to the southward of us,
and nearly in the centre of the plain, was a large castle, appa
rently of modern structure, bearing the name of the plain itself,
namely. Chum Chemal.
It was about noon when we reached Saana, a large village
seated among gardens, on the slope of a hill, and having good
water before it in the plain. The great public khans, or caravan
serai, are now discontinued, that of Bisitoon being the last to the
eastward; so that passengers are obliged to seek for shelter among
the villagers, or sleep in the open air.
We halted here about half an hour, chiefly to learn the practi
cability of reaching a more advanced station of halt before night;
on ascertaining which, we set out again on our way.
Our companions insisting upon going by another route more
southerly than the one we had chosen, we here separated, and
continued our course about east-north-east, over gently-rising
ground. We had not proceeded far, however, before we met a
party of twelve persons, among whom were two women and an old
man; the whole of them on foot, and all bitterly bewailing their
fate. On enquiring into the cause of their sorrow, we found that,
about two miles distant, on the road we were pursuing, a party of
four horsemen and ten men on foot had robbed them all of what
ever was worth taking away. The old man, who was a green-tur-
banned descendant of the Prophet, had lost a fine mare, with all
her lading; and the women, both of whom were his wives, had
been dismounted from mules also charged with their personal
baggage. The others had been stripped of such money and arms
as they possessed, and all were made sufficiently to repent their
own want of union and firmness ; as they were divided among
themselves on the occasion, and no attempt at resistance was
made. They conjured us, who were now only three in number,
the Dervish Ismael, the Faqueer Zein-el-Abedeen, and myself, by
every thing sacred, not to go on, as our fate was certain if we did.
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