"أسفار في بلوشستان والسند؛ مع تقرير جغرافي وتاريخي لهذين البلدين، وخريطة." [‎١‎٦‎٣] (٤٧٦/٢٠٥)

PUHRA. - I63
age exclaimed, " If he did not himself say he is a Peerzaduh, I
" would swear that this is the brother of Grant the Firingee (or
" European *) who was at Bunpoor last year." I endeavoured to
let the lad's remark pass unnoticed, but the confusion of my looks
betrayed me, and the Khan immediately told me, in the most good
humoured manner, if it was so, not to disguise the truth, as no per
son should offer me the least degree of insult or hindrance; upon
which assurance, seeing there was no advantage in further prevari
cation, I admitted I was a Luropean then in the service of a Hindoo,
and thus far towards Kirman on his concerns.
It would be folly in me to attempt pourtraying the consternation
and wrath ol Meer Khodadad at this disclosure; to confirm the truth
of which I added, that though not a brother, I was a near relation of
the Grant that the boy alluded to. He viewed it as a complete
paradox, and addressing himself alternately to Shah Mihrab Khan
and the villagers, rehearsed the various polemical rencounters we
had had since leaving Kullugan, the manner I had refuted his lec
tures and taken him to task, the testimony of his son-in-law Moorad
Khan, with some instances he had related of my sanctity, all forming,
in his opinion, a concatenation of proofs sufficient to falsify the avowal
I had made. The Khan laughed heartily at the tale, but told the
indignant speaker to recollect that he was not the only person who
had been imposed upon, an allusion that I fancy referred to his
brother ; to which Khodadad peevishly replied, that he was aware of
that, though he believed that no other person had been so long and
intimate with ,me without finding me out. " I have," vociferated a
bystander, in a voice which I soon distinguished to be one of my
camel drivers, " I have been with him two months, and nolwith-
* The late Captain Grant of the Bengal Native Infantry. This enterprising officer
landed in I809 at Gwuttur in Mukran, penetrated inland as high as the latitude of Bun-
poor (within sixteen miles of Puhra), returned by a different route along the sea-coast to
Bunder Abass, and thence came back by sea to Bombay. The inquiries he made during
this arduous attempt were copious and correct. I knew he had been a great favourite
with the chief of Bunpoor, which induced me to claim relationship with him.
Y 2