'Persia and the Persian Question by the Hon. George Nathaniel Curzon, M.P.' [‎603] (670/714)

THE AEMY
603
manufacture or repair of belts, straps, and saddlery, with ox and
buffalo hide from Hamadan, of musical instruments and water-cans,
and of common swords for use on the parade ground and in the
sti66ts, the bettei blades being of Russian steel. Three hundred
men were said to be employed in this arsenal, but a very small
proportion of these appeared to be in the building. When I
ventured to lemark upon the inferior quality of a good many of
the articles, I invariably received the same reply—viz., that they
were ' seulement pour I'exercice,' and that all the best arms and
accoutrements were hidden away for critical emergencies. TVhat
can be the efficiency ot an army that rarely sees or handles the
weapons which it would require to use in time of war, I leave my
readers to conjecture.
On the various occasions when I came across the Persian
soldiery, I used frequently to examine their muskets, which I almost
The Per- invariably found to be not only of antiquated pattern, but
and his <iier a s ^ a te of great dirt and decay. The serhaz take no
arms pride in their arms. Colonel Stuart mentions them as using
their firelocks as leaping poles in crossing a stream. I have seen
somewliere a story of a Persian infantry soldier who was handed a
rifle with ejecting process, and who, when the empty cartridge flew
back and hit him in the chest, fell over, convinced that he was
mortally wounded. When their rifles finally become so choked
with dirt as not to go off, the nipple is unscrewed, the barrel is
planted in water, and a ramrod with a rag is worked up and down
the barrel, which is then left in the sun to dry. Poor as is the
execution which he can effect with this venerable weapon, it may be
inferred that, when on great occasions the serhaz finds a breech-
loading rifle placed in his hands, he is quite as likely to inflict mortal
damage upon himself as upon the foe.
The Sal Nameh still continues to present on its imaginary roll-
call the small corps of Zamburakchis (literally wasplets) or camel
Camel artillery, which was one of the military fancies of the
artlller y earlier Kajar kings. They consisted of a small body of
men, in orange uniforms, with green and red flags, mounted on camels,
and working swivel-guns from their backs. In the time of Fath
Ali Shah they always fired a royal salute when the king mounted
or alighted from his horse. 1 Though still existing on paper, this
1 There is a picture of them in Lady Sheil's book, p. 185 ; and also as a frontis
piece to M. von Kotzebue's Narrative of a Journey.
11