'Travels in Beloochistan and Sinde; accompanied by a geographical and historical account of those countries, with a map.' [‎410] (452/476)

410
APPENDIX.
Joaeen are under Mohummud Khan, chief of a tribe of the Ghiljees; he
lives at Durg, a fort within two miles of Joaeen; he maintains four hundred
horse, and is dreaded all over the country. Having procured the letter, and
got Mohummud Khan's seal to it, we slept outside at night, and the next
morning marched a little eastward of north 5 at fifteen miles we came to a
spring of excellent water, where we halted two or three hours, and then
proceeded on ten miles further, and stopped at sun-set in a water-course.
No forage procurable, though contiguous to Eliasabad, a small village.
lOtfi of April. This day we got to Furrah, and rode straight to the house
of Ibrahim Khan, for whom I had the forged letter. He came out, and
having read it, ordered carpets to be spread, and received us hospitably. I
spent the heat of the day in his garden, unmolested ; our host and his
brother joined us at dinner, which consisted of the standing Uflghan dish of
mutton soup and bouillc.
In the evening a Moollah came down to see me, and being troublesome,
I pietended to be sleepy, and went to rest j however, he was not to be put
off by this artifice. He found I had been breathing upon necklaces and
into childien s mouths, that they might derive all the benefit a Syyud could
bestow, and being fond of argument, he said he had come down to converse
with me. He had a large book under his arm, and was questioned by my
guide about some property acquired in a certain way, whether it was lawful
or not. The Moollah began to expound the law, adding, that he spoke with
diffidence in presence of the Syyud, and then appealed to me to know
whether he was right or not. I unthinkingly nodded assent, and when that
point was discussed, he commenced his attack on me by asking whether I
was a Sheea or a Soonnee *. I answered him the latter, on which he re
peated my words, observing, it was not a proper reply for a Syyud. I was
at a loss, and took that opportunity to talk to some other persons, who had
addressed themselves to me, hoping to get rid of this question, but the per
severing Moollah would not be quieted so easily; after a short interval, he
said with the greatest placidity imaginable, " You have not, perhaps, heard
" the question I put to you, if you please, 1 will repeat it," which he did. I
replied in Hindoostanee, that I did not comprehend him sufficiently to
* The Sheeas and Soonnees are the two great classes of Moosulmans.
Sheeas, and I fancy I was taken for one.
The Persians are ali