'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.' [‎173] (204/582)

TO GOOLPYEGAN.
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lately seen the shade of a former friend in a dream, who had
desired him, if he feared God, and wished to be esteemed of men,
to go to the lonely spot which he named, and erect there two
decent tombs, as the bodies t)f two devout men lay murdered
there, and their souls could not have rest until the rites of sepul
ture were given them. This was an affair of a few weeks back
only; and while the story gave strength to the belief of an evil
influence being exercised against us, the Fakeer having placed
some of his rags on the grave was thought sufficient to do away
the charm, so that the rest of our way was promised us to be more
auspicious.
Kerdakhourd offered nothing of novelty in its appearance,
being a widely spread village of mud-dwellings, with many gar
dens, poplar trees, bad water, and abundance of good grapes. Our
accommodation there was as humble as before, partaking of the
same stalls with our animals.
Sept. 27th.—We set out from our station with the rising sun,
as I had slept well, and felt much stronger than on the preceding
day. The morning was cold, however, to a most painful degree,
and though my legs were bound round with thick and coarse
woollen in several folds, and I was warmly clad above, with two
large cloaks over all, it was nevertheless not until the sun had
risen three full hours, that the temperature of the air would admit
of my throwing off one of these heavy garments. My companions,
too, were muffled up in bags and carpets, and seemed to suffer
still more from the cold than myself.
Soon after our departure, we could perceive that Kerdakhourd
was seated at the commencement of an extensive plain, running to
the south-east, between two high ranges of blue slate hills, watered
by a small stream in its centre, and studded with numerous vil
lages. The whole of this tract is called Melyer, and is generally
well-cultivated, and well peopled throughout its whole extent,
which is about twenty miles long, and seven or eight broad.
In two hours after our leaving Kerdakhourd, we had opposite