'Persia and the Persian Question by the Hon. George Nathaniel Curzon, M.P.' [‎117] (152/714)

fliOM KUCIIAN TO KELAT-I-XADIRI
It is impossible to tire of the interest and humours of camp
1 e " 16 11 avellei arrives first on Ins superior mount, and selects
Camp life a favo " rable spot, beneath the protection of trees, and if
possible near to running water. Stretching himself at
full length upon an outspread carpet, he enjoys the luxury of
relaxation and repose. The villagers crowd round and stare
feome firewood and forage are bought for a few coppers. A flame
is soon crackling and blazing • the samovar puffs out its grateful
steam ; and an excellent cup of tea proves to be the best beverage
m tbe world By this time the remainder of the camp l .L
arrive The horses are unsaddled by their grooms, eunycombed,
wrapped m thick felts from ears to tail, picketed, and fed from
nosebags containing grass and chopped straw. The tents and beds
and cooking utensils and baggage are pulled with a crash from the
backs of the mules, who, relieved of their burdens, immediately
seek the nearest tree to scratch their hinder parts, and then
incontinently he down, and kicking their heels in the air, do their
menectual best to turn a somersault in the dust. Meanwhile the
cook is ^ hard at work on one side scooping a hole in the ground
into which he transfers the already lighted fuel, and over which he
props an iron grid. On the other side the tent-pegs are driven in ;
the tent soon rises, and, extended on his couch, the traveller recalls
the incidents of the day, tries to summon up resolution to write
his diary, and awaits the crowning consolation of dinner. By
8.30 or 9 p.m . all is still save the tinkle of the mule bells and
an occasional sneeze from the horses; for at five next morning the
forward movement must again begin.
And here, before I proceed further, let me introduce to my
readers, for the purposes of this chapter only, the names and
My retinue iduality of my attendants, who will appear several
times within its pages. Their leader was Eamzan Ali
Khan, an Afghan of Persian extraction (i.e. a descendant of a
Persian ancestor who had accompanied either Nadir Shah or
Ahmed Shah Durani into Afghanistan in the previous century,
and had settled there), himself a duffadar A Non-Commissioned Officer in the Indian Cavalry. , or sergeant, in the
Indian Corps of Guides, who are recruited on the north-west
bddei of India very largely from these sources, and whose mem
bers are commonly employed upon frontier expeditions or foreign
service. Eamzan Ali had accompanied General Maclean, the
British Consul-General at Meshed, from India, and was a fine