'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.' [‎258] (289/582)

258
DEPARTURE FROM KOOSK ZER.—ABARIK,
lebban and milk, brought from the Parsee tents. The manners
of these people are like those of the Arabs; their dress, however,
is perfectly Persian, with tight robes and black caps, and their
language is a pure Persian also.
We went hence southerly, still on the plain, and continuing
to wind along the foot of the south-western hills. On our left, to
the eastward, and at the foot of the opposite range of hills, or from
eight to nine miles off, we saw a circular castle, with bastions,
having a small town within it, called Nizamabad. In this plain
the horses of the Persian army of this part of the country are put
to grass, in spring, and it is then covered with tents and flocks.
In about four hours from Koosk Zer we reached the station
of Abarik, having come, as yesterday, eleven fursucks in as many
hours, the fursuck being certainly about four English miles.
This is a miserable place ; a few poor families only living here,
in a walled village, and a few empty huts are seen without. Ty
ranny, however, was, as usual, exercised to procure all the comforts
it contained for the military chief and his train. The soldiers of
Persia never pay for any thing on a journey, and are, in short,
licensed robbers. I had a long conversation with the Khan, on
the evil of this system, in which he frankly admitted that it was
unjust. We had a shower of rain here, the wind being westerly;
but in the night we were visited again with a severe frost. We
were, however, well fed, well clothed, and provided with every
comfort. Some of the troop were sent out to shoot pigeons for
our supper; and they thought it hard service, as the practice was
to select for this duty those who were not favourites, by which it
was considered as a sort of punishment. I advised the chief to
try the effect of a contrary system, making the duty a sort of ho
norary distinction, which he adopted with complete success; for
on sending an order that six of the best shots of his train should
go out on this service, there was a contention between the whole
troop for the honour of deserving this title. I had tried the ex
periment often at sea, by inviting the smartest seamen in the ship