Memoir of the Career of Thomas Edward Rogers [‎29r] (57/118)

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and handed over his mount to me as a present from his master. Despite the
Embassy's inclination to return it we argued from Bushire that this, to the
tribal way of thinking, would be an insult sure to damage our interests in
Persia. We thought the horse must be retained and some return even made at
public expense. This was agreed and in the end we seemed not to have offended
either the Persian Government or Nasir, and it may be that Allied personnel
were the freer to move on or near main routes crossing Qashqai country. But we
could never exclude some tribal pilfering of war supplies.
A little later one of my excursions from Bushire was to try out Nasir Khan's
present. I planned to ride up that part of the road to Shiraz which after forty
miles of treeless salt flat northwards from Bushire wound up over five passes
on a line decided less by sound road engineering than the tactical needs of the
South Persia Rifles' advance against the Qashqai tribes in the 1914-18 war. At
times I left even that line to follow the zigzag tracks used by the mules of the
Rifles in carrying material for the road. The tracks were bisected at places by
the old line of the Indo-European Telegraph Department. Tough mountain going in
dry heat up and down the high passes should not have troubled a wiry Qashqai pony
more than myself. But it was neither very sound nor well-prepared by me for the
journey. In the hot and humid conditions of Bushire I had not given it the hard
exercise needed for full fitness failing which I should have used two ponies
ridden alternate days or ridden them for a few hours each in turn. I did not
expect trouble on the security front beyond the presence of thieves who frequently
held up lorries carrying supplies for Russia and travellers offering a target of
opportunity. On one occasion the wife of a Swedish road engineer arrived at a
friend's house in nothing but her slip. I decided to go unarmed, though I knew
that I might be held up, as I would almost certainly be outnumbered. Poorly paid
rural police in desolate country often shared the loot of tribal raiders or, shedding