'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.' [‎172] (203/582)

172
FROM HAMADAN
obliged to stand out, we found in the morning that the friend of
the Fakeer had appropriated almost all their corn to his own
use, for he had taken their bags from them after we had re
tired ; and as we were up early, he had not yet returned them
to their original place. A few other articles were stolen from
us by this host, in the confidence of friendship, which we could
not recover.
For the last three days I had tasted only toasted bread and
water. I felt now some little appetite, and as there was nothing
simpler to be had here, I took a little warm milk and water, with
a little bread in it, which increased my strength.
We quitted Alfraoun, which in size and population resembles
the two former villages, about eight o'clock, and went about east-
south-east over cultivated ground, and a generally descending
level. In an hour we came to a very small place, with a few gar
dens, called Kalajek, where the people also spoke Turkish. We
could now see that Alfraoun was seated at the entrance of a fine
plain, having on the east and north-east three or four large villages
in sight, whose names we could not learn.
From hence in two hours more, sometimes over bare, and
sometimes over cultivated ground, we reached the village of
Kerdakhourd, where I found it necessary to alight, as I was too
weak to proceed further.
We had thus been three days performing one stage of seven
hours, chiefly from my weak state, which incapacitated me from
proceeding further, or faster, than we had done. My companions
attributed this, with every other lesser evil, to the influence of
some malicious enemy, who followed our steps with ill-wishes.
It was m the confidence of this being the cause, that the Fakeer
eposited in two newly made graves, which we had passed on the
ig road between Kalajek and Kerdakhourd, a few rags from off
is c ot les, to allay the spirit of the enemy who was thought to
persecute us. On enquiring whose ashes these graves contained,
we were told that a pious and upright Moslem of Hamadan had