"سرد لرحلة إلى موقع مدينة بابل في ١٨١١، طُبعت الآن لأول مرة: مذكرات على الأطلال؛ مع نقوش من الخرائط المدبئية للمؤلف: ملاحظات على طبوغرافية بابل القديمة،بقلم الرائد رينيل؛ في إشارة إلى المذكرات: مذكرات ثانية على الأطلال؛ في إشارة إلى ملاحظات الرائد رينيل: مع سرد لرحلة إلى برسبوليس: طُبعت الآن لأول مرة، مع كتابات مسمارية نسخت في برسبوليس ولم تُنشر من قبل: كتبها الراحل كلوديوس جيمس ريتش، المحترم، المقيم البريطاني السابق لشركة الهند الشرقية في بغداد. حررته أرملته." [‎٢‎٠‎٣] (٤٧٤/٣٠١)

JOURNEY TO PERSEPOLIS.
203
this afternoon, with important dispatches, which will
detain me for this night.
July 24^A.—At nine o'clock at night we left
Bushire, I felt very poorly, hut it was essential to
get out of the heat as quickly as possible. After
crossing a morassy tract of ground, which at spring
tides is partly covered by the sea, but was now only
moist in some places, with large patches of salt, at
half-past twelve we halted for an hour to take coffee.
As day broke we found ourselves steering towards
the high mountains, over a sandy level country,
sprinkled with caper bushes and tamarisks, with here
and there scanty traces of cultivation, and some
patches of date-trees. After crossing the dry bed of
a torrent, at half-past five in the morning of the 25th
we reached Tchahkoota, a pretty large village of
mud huts, with a mud enclosure at one end, dig
nified with the appellation of the Castle, under the
gateway of which we were lodged, quite in public.
Some date orchards and gardens were scattered
about. The people looked like Arabs, if I
may be allowed the expression.
July 25th.— A true burning saum, or hot wind,
* See Residence in Koordistan, vol. 1. p. 80.
+ The intense heat of the wind at Tchahkoota is remarkable, as
showing how small a space of hot country is sufficient to dry an eat
the wind. The wind was W., consequently came directly from the sea,
from which we could not be further distant than eight or ten mi es
yet it had acquired every quality of a true saum. The thermometer
was 110° in the coolest place we could find, yet I found t is ess
oppressive than the moist heat of Bushire.