m 

 
 k so 
 
 
 
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 THE 
 
 KUZZILBASH. 
 
 A TALE OF KHORASAN. 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 
 VOL. I 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 HENRY COLBURN, NEW BURLINGTON STREET. 
 
 1828.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 During a residence of many years in the upper 
 Provinces of India, I had devoted much of my 
 leisure to certain investigations of an Historical 
 nature, connected with the period when the cele- 
 brated Nader Shah, Monarch of Persia, succeeded 
 in the most gigantic of his undertakings, and ac- 
 quired, for a time, military possession of the noble 
 and venerable Capital of the Moghul Empire. In 
 pursuit of this object, I had sedulously collected 
 all the MSS. and other papers within my reach, 
 that promised to bear upon the subject ; and 
 applied much time and labour, often indeed to 
 very little purpose, in ascertaining their contents. 
 
 One morning, in the burning month of April, 
 after a night rendered sleepless by heat, and by 
 speculations on my favourite subject, I resolved to 
 devote the following day to the examination of a 
 large chest of old papers, which had lately come 
 
 VOL. I. B 
 
 700608
 
 2 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 into my possession by the kindness of a native 
 friend, and among which I had reason to expect 
 some valuable tracts for my purpose. 
 
 An early breakfast was over ; the well-watered 
 tatties* were applied to the windows, and diffused 
 through the apartment a cool and fragrant atmos- 
 phere, which, as well as the grateful twilight they 
 occasioned, was most comfortably contrasted with 
 the white heat and roar of the fierce hot wind with- 
 out. Every sound was hushed, but the noise of 
 that wind, and the wild, sweet, melancholy chant 
 of the water-drawer, cheering his bullocks, as they 
 raised the loaded water-skin from the deep well 
 close by, and the occasional bubbling of my own 
 hookah, which had just been furnished with ano- 
 ther chillum.t Every thing about me was ar- 
 ranged after the most approved style of Indian 
 comfort, or luxury, if you will ; the great chest 
 of papers was placed beside me, and by it, upon 
 a low stool, sat my worthy — old Moonshee, with 
 his long white beard, his huge green turban, and 
 
 * Most readers, perhaps, already know, that tatties are frames 
 of bamboo covered with the roots of a sweet-smelling grass, 
 which being applied to the windows, and kept constantly wet, 
 preserve, by the evaporation caused by the hot wind, a grateful 
 coolness. They are used over most of India. 
 
 -f- The piece of earthenware on which the tobacco is placed in 
 the hookah, is called the chillum — " a fresh chilkim," therefore, 
 is equivalent to " a fresh pipe."
 
 INTRODUCTION. 3 
 
 his old-fashioned, black-rimmed spectacles, just 
 perched on the tip of his nose — peering, slowly, 
 carefully, as if he was handling cobwebs, into 
 the ample but confused contents of the ancient re- 
 pository. 
 
 I soon got hold of a promising volume, written 
 in a fine bold Niskhee hand, while the Moonshee 
 continued dipping into each separate MS. as it 
 came to hand, and now and then recommending 
 one to my attention by an emphatic nod. He 
 stumbled, at length, upon a small thick volume, 
 written in a neat close hand, which seemed particu- 
 larly to arrest his attention. He turned more to- 
 wards the light, carefully examined the title and 
 annunciation of the MS. — read a few sentences — 
 took off" his glasses deliberately, wiped and re- 
 placed them; and then settling himself more firmly 
 on his seat, recommenced his examination. Pre- 
 sently a smile stole over his old withered face; he 
 nodded his head several times, and then looked 
 sideways at me, as if uncertain whether he should 
 interrupt me or not. " What have you got there, 
 Meer Allum-jee ?" said I, at last attracted by 
 his manner — " is there any thing in that volume 
 likely to be of use ?" " I cannot tell that, Sir, 51 
 replied he; — "probably not; — but it seems to be 
 a curious work, and one which, in my humble be- 
 
 b 2
 
 4 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 lief, would amuse many of the Sahib Log* (Eu- 
 ropean gentlemen.) It appears to be the his- 
 tory, or memoirs, of a person who lived about the 
 period in which you are interested ; but I can- 
 not yet say whether it is likely to answer any pur- 
 pose to you. I will inquire farther, and report to 
 master." 
 
 The continued examination of the volume ap- 
 peared to increase the old Moonshee's delight ; his 
 countenance became more animated as he pro- 
 ceeded, and several half- suppressed exclamations 
 escaped him. At last, turning to me, he said, " I 
 believe this book will not be disagreeable to master: 
 and if he permits it, his servant will read him a few 
 pages. 11 — " By all means, Meer Allum,'" replied I ; 
 for I had by that time discovered that the volume 
 which had occupied me was of little value. " Let 
 us have a fresh chillum, and I shall be happy to 
 learn what it is that has so strongly attracted your 
 gravity." 
 
 Meer Allum had not proceeded through many 
 pages, before my curiosity was as fully awakened 
 as he could have desired ; I took the book from 
 him, that I might examine it with attention, and, 
 as he had predicted, was soon deeply interested in 
 its contents. I found that it contained the me- 
 moirs of a man who had been contemporary with 
 
 * The common appellation given to English gentlemen in 
 India— literally, " the Gentlefolk."
 
 INTRODUCTION. O 
 
 and in the service of Nader Shah ; and, although 
 it did not appear greatly calculated to promote 
 the object of my inquiries, as I read I became 
 impressed with the belief that, if it could be trans- 
 lated and put into a fitting dress, it might serve, 
 in no unpleasing way, to convey a description of 
 the manners of the age and country in which the 
 writer had spent his life. 
 
 Full of this idea, I resolved to attempt a trans- 
 lation of the MS.; but, upon trial, I found it a 
 much more difficult task than I had anticipated. 
 Every language has its peculiar idiom, which sel- 
 dom can be happily rendered into another tongue ; 
 and this is peculiarly the case with Persian ; the 
 spirit of which, figurative and periphrastic in a 
 high degree, hardly admits of being transfused 
 into English. 
 
 I found also, that the author was apt to dwell 
 too much upon subjects which, however interest- 
 ing to himself, were not likely to prove so to 
 others, yet which were so intimately connected 
 with some of the leading events which it narrated, 
 that it was very difficult to reject or abridge them. 
 There was much of repetition and sameness of 
 narration, and frequently a coarseness of ex- 
 pression — a fault too common with the author's 
 countrymen — all of which it was absolutely neces- 
 sary to get rid of, if possible, without destroying 
 the thread or spirit of the story.
 
 6 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 It cost me great labour to translate, and cut out 
 as it were from the block, the portion now sub- 
 mitted to public judgment : — but after all my 
 pains, I found that much remained to be done, 
 in order to render the work in any degree tole- 
 rable to European readers. The figurative, and 
 often obscure oriental style, would still hang 
 around the translation, embarrassing it with a 
 number of phrases and terms which seemed im- 
 portant to the truth and spirit of the narrative, 
 yet which would be unintelligible to the majority 
 of English readers without numberless notes. 
 These it was necessary to reduce as much as 
 possible ; and, after no small consideration, I 
 resolved on sacrificing a part of the object I had 
 in retaining them, to the more important one of 
 rendering the style easy and intelligible. A slight 
 degree of oriental tone has still been preserved, as 
 being essential to the true colouring of eastern 
 scenery ; but pains have been taken, both in 
 description and in dialogue, to adopt a language 
 that may sound as little strange or uncouth as 
 possible to European ears. 
 
 In justice to the author, however, it is right to 
 mention, that his early education among the rude 
 tribes of the Desert, and the use he continued to 
 make of the Toorkee tongue, which is by far more 
 simple in its phraseology than the Persian, have
 
 INTRODUCTION. 7 
 
 given even to his Persian composition a degree of 
 simplicity and freedom, uncommon among writers 
 of that country, and which has, in no small degree, 
 lightened the task of translation. 
 
 After all, I found that it was impossible to make 
 the work generally intelligible without some notes. 
 Even after the strictest purgation, there were 
 many phrases and expressions necessarily retained, 
 and some customs alluded to, which required such 
 explanatory notices ; but pains have been taken to 
 limit their number and extent, so that I hope they 
 may not be found altogether obnoxious. 
 
 It may, very possibly, be thought by many that 
 the system of curtailment has by no means been 
 carried far enough, and objections may be taken, 
 by those who read for mere amusement, to the 
 extent of historical matter which has been ad- 
 mitted, and the frequent occurrence of martial 
 and sanguinary narrations. To this I can only 
 reply, that the intimate connexion which subsisted 
 between my hero and the chief whose fortunes he 
 followed, involved of necessity a considerable share 
 of the first, which moreover promised not to be 
 uninteresting, as it afforded the means of display- 
 ing somewhat of the character and disposition of 
 that celebrated conqueror, developed to the eye 
 of an associate high in his favour. With regard 
 to the last it may be remarked, that war and
 
 8 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 bloodshed must naturally form prominent features 
 in the history of an adventurer who was born and 
 lived among a rude and turbulent people, divided 
 into a multitude of tribes and districts, at conti- 
 nual variance with each other, and often under 
 a very unsettled government. 
 
 Nevertheless, attention has not been spared to 
 vary these passages, and to relieve them by the 
 introduction of matter more suited to the taste 
 of general readers. To effect this, liberties in 
 construction and arrangement, though not in 
 matter-of-fact, have sometimes been taken with 
 the original, and the translator has occasionally 
 been forced to use his own form of narrative 
 instead of that of the author. Much labour has 
 thus been bestowed, — which may be compared with 
 the subterraneous works in a great city, conducing 
 to the general comfort, but not meeting the eye. 
 How far such labour may have been successful, 
 or even well bestowed, the public alone can deter- 
 mine. It may be the opinion of some, that the 
 work might fully as well have been permitted to rest 
 undisturbed in the dust and cobwebs of my friend 
 the Meerza's chest ; but if, on the contrary, it 
 should have the good fortune to beguile others of 
 its readers of a few tedious hours, or inspire in 
 any of them a desire to become better acquainted 
 with a portion of the world which for many years
 
 INTRODUCTION. 9 
 
 past has occupied too little the attention of the 
 British public, the labour of its translator will 
 have been repaid, and his most sanguine hopes 
 realized. Whether these labours shall ever be 
 resumed, must depend on the reception vouch- 
 safed by the public to this first portion of the 
 " Kuzzilbashr* 
 
 * The word Kuzzilbash, which is Turkish, signifies " Red- 
 head," and was an appellation originally given by Shah Ismael 
 the first, to seven tribes which were united and firmly bound to 
 defend their king and the Sheah faith against all enemies and 
 aggressors. — (tide Malcolm's History of Persia, vol. i. page 502.) 
 These tribes wore a red cap as a distinguishing mark, which after- 
 wards became the military head-dress of the Persian troops — 
 hence, the term Kuzzilbash is used to express a Persian soldier, 
 and often, particularly among the Toorkomans and Oozbecks, is 
 applied as a national designation to the people in general. 
 
 B o
 
 ADVENTURES 
 
 OF A 
 
 KUZZILBASH. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 In the name of the most merciful God, &c. &c. 
 He who by virtue of his own experience teaches 
 unthinking youth to avoid the snares which beset 
 the path of life, is like a pilot to the frail bark 
 in a tempestuous sea. " Such a man," saith the 
 sage, " ranks next to a prophet." My beard is 
 now white with the snow of age, my eyes are 
 dim, and my arms have lost the vigour of youth : 
 but the wisdom bought by many perils, may avail 
 to warn the unwary from the snares of destruc- 
 tion, and teach them how to pluck the rose of 
 safety from among the rude thorns of danger. 
 
 The counsels of a wise and valued friend in- 
 duced me to accustom myself, from an early
 
 12 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 age, to commit to writing an account of such re- 
 markable occurrences as fell under my observa- 
 tion from time to time ; and although the prac- 
 tice was frequently interrupted by indolence, or 
 suspended from want of leisure, it yet became 
 the means of fixing passing events upon the tablet 
 of my memory, and enabled me to amuse the 
 friends of my latter years, with the tales of days 
 long since gone by. The resolution, however, 
 which produced this detailed account of my life 
 and adventures, did not originate entirely with 
 myself. 
 
 It was after a conversation with the sage Meer- 
 za Haneefah, the profound Moollah Hoossain, and 
 the witty, but sarcastic Wullee Khan, in which 
 the subject of my early adventures had been dis- 
 cussed, when the free interchange of sentiment 
 had excited our imaginations, and the confidence 
 of friendship had expanded our hearts, that 
 Meerza Haneefah exclaimed, " By the head of 
 the Prophet ! Ismael Khan, you who have wit- 
 nessed so vast a portion of what passes in this 
 chano-ina; world : who have been a great traveller 
 and a valiant soldier, and whose acquaintance 
 with men and things has been so great and so 
 very extensive, ought not to allow your expe- 
 rience to be lost. You might write a history of 
 your own times, and of your personal adventures, 
 which would not yield in interest to the delightful
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 13 
 
 romance of Yussuff and Zuleika, or the Tale of 
 Ferhaud and Shireen, as related by the poets, 
 while it would possess the superior excellence of 
 reality and truth." 
 
 " Excellent, indeed !" cried Wullee Khan ; " the 
 conduct and character of our friend Ismael Khan 
 have, no doubt, been at all times so immaculate, 
 that they may serve as models for the imitation 
 of our youth, as a light to guide them in the 
 narrow path of truth, virtue, and temperance !" 
 
 " And is the beacon which warns the gallant 
 vessel of the hidden dangers in its track, of no 
 value to the young adventurer on the stormy 
 ocean of life ?" demanded Moollah Hoossain, 
 gravely ; " and might not the narrative of such 
 a life answer this purpose, and teach them to 
 avoid the errors which so nearly proved fatal to 
 our friend, and which daily effect the ruin of 
 thousands ?" 
 
 " My good friends," replied I, " I have not 
 the vanity to think that the events of my life are 
 so uncommon as to afford the amusement, or so 
 instructive as to produce, by their relation, the 
 good effects, you would suggest." 
 
 " You are mistaken," rejoined Moollah Hoos- 
 sain ; " real events thus related, like the fables of 
 Lokman, illustrate the truth of sage doctrines, 
 and fix a moral on the mind of youth more en- 
 during than all the wise, but dull, lessons of our 
 most orthodox teachers."
 
 14 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 " Yes, yes ! most profound and judicious 
 Moollah," resumed Wullee Khan ; " the real 
 events which our friend would have to relate for 
 the instruction and improvement of the rising 
 generation, must, no doubt, be quite of a descrip- 
 tion to impress lessons of virtue on their minds ; 
 fit, no doubt, to be studied along with the pre- 
 cepts of the moral Saadi, or the elegant and 
 captivating tales of Ul Jooinees Nigahrestan ! — 
 What indeed could be more improving than the 
 narrative of a succession of atrocities ; of war 
 and plunder ; of robbery and murder ; of villages 
 destroyed and women ravished : — a narration, in 
 short, of that reckless, heartless life which we 
 Persians always lead in troublesome times, and 
 which we are at all times too prone to. I have 
 been as bad as any one myself, but age, and some 
 years of quiet, have brought me better thoughts ; 
 — I do not desire to see my children run in their 
 father's early steps ; and their proud young spirits, 
 all agog for adventure, would be finely set on fire 
 by such a wild narrative as Ismael Khan would 
 have to give them." 
 
 " Barekillah ! * Khan,'" cried I, somewhat net- 
 tled at this account of myself, " you make me 
 out to be a fine fellow indeed ! — a robber and a 
 
 * A Persian exclamation in constant colloquial use, literally 
 signifying " Good God !" " Praise be to God !" but generally 
 used as " Well done !" "Excellent!" &c, in English.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 15 
 
 murderer, a ravisher of women, and a plunderer 
 of villages ! May your favour increase ! I am 
 ever vour obliged slave ! — But permit me to re- 
 present to your superior virtue, that, although in 
 the heat and fervour of youth I have undoubt- 
 edly committed many acts of which I am now 
 ashamed, yet a fair and just account of my life 
 would not, I flatter myself, be deficient in the 
 means of proving that I could occasionally re- 
 member the precepts of our holy faith, and 
 could exercise discretion, self-denial, and cha- 
 rity." 
 
 " We have abundant proof of that already, my 
 friend," observed Meerza Haneefah ; " the anec- 
 dotes you have already related, which accord with 
 the character you have gained among us here, 
 sufficiently declare, that if you have often erred, 
 you have also frequently shone as a pattern 
 of integrity and praiseworthy forbearance : be- 
 sides, the misery in which you sometimes were 
 involved from misconduct, affords a valuable moral 
 lesson. I am, in short, decidedly of opinion, that 
 the work we have suggested would do greatly more 
 good than harm : the well-disposed would cer- 
 tainly profit by it, while those who are inclined 
 to evil, if they are not amended, will not be 
 made worse by the perusal. As the poet well ob- 
 serves — ' The bee will suck honey from the most 
 noisome weeds ; but feed the snake on peaches and
 
 16 ADVKNTURES OF 
 
 pomegranates, and lull it to sleep in a rose-bed, it 
 will still produce nothing but poison.' 
 
 Little more was said at this time, but the con- 
 versation sunk deep in my remembrance : in truth 
 it gave consistence, if not being, to a thought 
 that sometimes had flashed across my own brain. 
 " Why," said I mentally, " should I not do as 
 Meerza Haneefah has suggested? I am not, it 
 is true, a man of letters ; but a plain man may tell 
 a plain story, and when my narrative is completed, 
 my friends shall be made the judges of its value 
 and utility ; nor shall it see the light if they deem 
 its tendency noxious ; — so Insh-allah, Insh-allah !* 
 I shall begin. - " 
 
 During the leisure which it was my happiness 
 to enjoy for some years, I accordingly collected 
 such journals and papers as I had preserved, and 
 which had for the most part long lain by for- 
 gotten. There were many great intervals, but 
 my memory was still good; and thanks be to 
 Allah i my earthly pilgrimage has been prolonged 
 to see the termination of my labours, which I now 
 affectionately address to my children and their 
 descendants; that they, through the blessing of 
 Allah, may profit by the example and dear-bought 
 experience of their father. 
 
 * " Please God !"
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 17 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 BIRTH AND PARENTAGE OF THE KUZZILBASH. 
 
 I was born in the year of the Hegira 1119, 
 (A. D. 1740) at Khojabdeh, the principal village 
 of Karabulagh, a small district in the province of 
 Khorasan, situated on the skirts of the mountains 
 below Dereguz. My father, Moorteza Khan, was 
 a chief of the Turkish tribe of AfFshar, enjoying 
 no small consideration and power ; who resided in 
 general in a fortified palace within the walls of 
 that village. I can remember that he Avas a per- 
 son of grave demeanour and warlike aspect, with 
 a noble growth of beard, which won my infant 
 admiration, and in which I would twist my little 
 hands when he took me in his arms (and this he 
 often did), listening with a smile to my childish 
 prattle; for, though reserved and even stern to 
 his dependents, he was a fond and indulgent 
 parent. 
 
 Unlike the greater number of his countrymen,
 
 18 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 he did not fill his harem with a crowd of women, 
 but contented himself with two wives ; of whom 
 my mother, a lady of the Jalloyer tribe, was his 
 favourite. By her he had four children ; by the 
 other, who was a Koord from Khabooshan, he 
 had two. 
 
 My father was a man of too determined a cha- 
 racter to admit of domestic brawls within his hear- 
 ing — so that these two ladies continued to live 
 together on very tolerable terms. The Koordish 
 lady, whose temper was imperious and haughty, 
 frequently sought, it is true, to gain an ascendency 
 not only in the domestic arrangements, but also 
 in my father's affections ; but deeply attached to 
 my mother (as frequently is the case with persons 
 of very opposite characters), he constantly resisted 
 these attempts, which only served to place in a 
 more amiable light the mild and unobtrusive 
 sweetness of his favourite wife. 
 
 I was the first fruit of their union, although I 
 did not make my appearance until nearly three 
 years after it had taken place. Few events of 
 consequence come to pass in these countries with- 
 out being preceded by omens of good or evil. To 
 her family at least, my mother's first pregnancy 
 was a circumstance of deep interest ; and accord- 
 ingly its issue was made the subject of a dream, 
 which, as in most cases, left matters in greater 
 anxiety and doubt than before.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 19 
 
 My mother having fallen asleep one day after 
 coming out of the bath, dreamed that the hour of 
 her delivery was come, and that her bed was sur- 
 rounded by the ancient females of the family, who 
 watched with anxious and impatient looks, in hopes 
 that the moment of birth should correspond with 
 the fortunate minute predicted by a sage astro- 
 loger, who had been consulted on the occasion : — 
 this coincidence, if it took place, was to insure to 
 the child, good fortune, riches, and power ; but any 
 deviation was sure to entail upon her offspring 
 misery and woe, in proportion to certain condi- 
 tions, which, however, were left undeclared. 
 
 At length she thought her child was born ; but 
 she never had the happiness of beholding it — a 
 noise and bustle arose, the company dispersed and 
 fled in terror, and a dark, shadowy form seizing 
 her infant, disappeared with it from her view. 
 While wildly shrieking at her misfortune, but 
 unable, as she thought, to stir from the spot 
 where she lay, the vision changed, and various 
 scenes of tumult and terror passed before her, in 
 all of which one form, faint and indistinct indeed, 
 but still the same, was constantly visible : she felt 
 that it was her son ; but when she tried to ap- 
 proach him the form vanished, or changed into 
 wild chimeras that mocked her cries. Her strug- 
 gles in these attempts at last awoke her, but the 
 impression made on her imagination by this dream
 
 20 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 was so powerful, that she resolved, without loss 
 of time, to consult the old and learned astrologer 
 of the village, who for half a century had been 
 in the practice of providing its inhabitants with 
 charms for their different ailments, and lucky 
 hours for their various undertakings. 
 
 It happened that this venerable practitioner 
 was not to be found at the time, and the lady, 
 too uneasy to brook delay, was about to order 
 search to be made for some other professor of the 
 noble science of astrology, when the sound of a 
 horn was heard without, succeeded by a voice, 
 deeply and solemnly intonating certain of the 
 prayers and exclamations commonly roared out, 
 rather than recited, by dervishes and wandering 
 fakeers. 
 
 Intent as was my mother's mind on reading 
 the page of futurity, the arrival of such a per- 
 sonage at such a moment seemed to her like an 
 interposition of Heaven itself; — nor was this im- 
 pression lessened when, upon despatching one 
 of her attendants for information regarding the 
 stranger, she was met by others hurrying from 
 the outer court to tell, that the person who thus 
 announced his arrival was no other than Roushun- 
 u-deen Sheikh Allee Calunder, * a dervish equally 
 
 " Sheikh is a term signifying " an old man," and is applied, 
 not only to heads of tribes, but to men eminent for religion, 
 austerity, and wisdom : — Calunders, Dervishes, Fakeers, are wan- 
 dering religious beggars and fanatics.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 2] 
 
 celebrated for his profound wisdom, his great 
 sanctity, and the mystery connected with his cha- 
 racter and habits of life. 
 
 The Sheikh was believed to be a native of 
 India, a land fertile in magicians and necroman- 
 cers, as well as in saints and sages ; but though 
 the person and extraordinary attributes of this 
 holy man were well known in Persia, and through- 
 out all the east, no one in all these countries could 
 give any account either of his family, the place of 
 his birth, his age, or even of the way in which he 
 lived and moved from place to place. Strange 
 tales were told of his age, and of the power he pos- 
 sessed of transporting himself to great distances in 
 an incredibly short time: — his appearance was 
 that of a man in the prime of life, yet he had been 
 known to speak of periods and events of very re- 
 mote occurrence, as from his own knowledge, so 
 that those who heard him were constrained to be- 
 lieve that his mortal span had been preternatu- 
 rally extended. He was never seen to partake 
 either of meat or drink, and a comparison of 
 dates between travellers in countries widely dis- 
 tant, who each had met with this extraordinary 
 person, reduced them to the perplexing dilemma 
 of attributing to him the power of ubiquity, 
 or of a miraculously rapid locomotion. 
 
 The Skeikh was believed to profess the tenets 
 of that sect of religious sceptics called Sooffees ;
 
 22 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 but the rigid austerity and self-denial of his life, 
 its blameless tenour, and the power of his eloquence 
 in the mosques, when preaching to the people on 
 the sublimer doctrines of their religion, all caused 
 him to be looked upon as a worthy pillar of Islam- 
 ism ; — even the priests and Moollahs of the most 
 celebrated shrines, though they hated and feared 
 him for his extraordinary influence and endow- 
 ments, did not dare to deny his claims to super- 
 eminent piety. 
 
 But the Sheikh possessed other and more pow- 
 erful holds on the minds of the people at large. 
 Intimately acquainted with the motions of the hea- 
 venly bodies, and their powers over and sympa- 
 thies with the animal and vegetable worlds, he 
 was a profound astrologer, he surpassed Aristotle 
 as a philosopher, and Avicenna or Hippocrates in 
 medical skill. The unerring certainty of his pre- 
 dictions, and the accuracy with which he decided 
 upon lucky hours and minutes, together with the 
 mystery in which much of his life and actions 
 were shrouded, while they raised him almost to 
 the rank of a prophet in popular estimation, 
 caused him also to be regarded in some degree as 
 a magician, and one possessing power over the 
 genii and spirits of the elements : — what wonder 
 then, that my mother's excited imagination should 
 hail the arrival of such a person, at such a moment, 
 as a special interposition of destiny ? Men of such
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 28 
 
 holy stamp have always free access to every part 
 of the household; and woe to that husband, father, 
 or official, who should in any way impede the pro- 
 gress, or oppose the will of Sheikh Allee Calunder ! 
 On being informed, by an attendant, of the preg- 
 nant lady's wish to see and converse with him, the 
 Sheikh solemnly, and even mournfully, pronounced 
 his blessing. " Peace be with thy lady, so long- 
 as Heaven wills it ! the cares of her soul are known 
 to me, and I come to soothe them ; lead me straight- 
 way to her presence !" So saying, he followed the 
 slave to my mother's apartment. 
 
 The Sheikh, it has already been said, appeared 
 to be a man in his prime ; scarce did he seem to 
 have numbered thirty winters: — his hair, grown to 
 immense length and thickness, was plaited and 
 wreathed around his head like a lofty turban, and 
 partially sprinkled with ashes ; a few feathers of a 
 pheasant, with a branch of the Arabian jasmine, 
 were stuck fancifully on one side ; two full, pier- 
 cing, and deep-seated eyes, blazed from under 
 brows of intense thought, above which rose his 
 high and noble forehead ; a finely formed and aqui- 
 line nose, gave dignity to his face, naturally of a 
 graceful oval, but which now thin and care-worn, 
 betokened the austerities of penance and abstinence ; 
 a large and handsome beard hung in undulating 
 curls around his cheeks, and half concealed a 
 mouth, which could fascinate by the sweetness of
 
 24 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 its smile, or add terror to the dark frown of the 
 brow. 
 
 The figure of the Sheikh was in harmony with 
 his countenance : lofty, graceful, and nervous, it 
 bespoke the power of the mind that animated, yet 
 seemed to prey upon it ; for his frame was wasted 
 almost to emaciation. A tattered mantle, of va- 
 rious colours, formed but a scanty covering to 
 the upper part of his body ; a thin strip of cloth 
 was wound around his loins ; the skin of a tiger 
 huno- over his shoulders : on his feet he wore the 
 wooden slippers common to dervishes ; and in his 
 hand he bore a stick of ebony, with a crooked 
 crutch like handle, on which, when seated in medi- 
 tation, he could rest his arm, and to which many 
 people attributed much of his supposed magical 
 power. 
 
 The Sheikh, as he entered the room, at the 
 upper end of which my mother was seated upon a 
 cushion, solemnly uttered the salutation of peace, in 
 the name of God and his prophet ; and seating him- 
 self opposite to her, remained for more than a 
 minute bending his keen eyes mournfully on her 
 countenance. No one ventured to interrupt this 
 silence, till the Dervish himself at length spoke as 
 follows : — " Daughter ! the angels of good and of 
 evil are alike the messengers of Allah, and both 
 must be received with meekness and humility ; 
 learn, then, to bend with resignation to his will,
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 25 
 
 that the blessings which his goodness bestows may 
 not elevate thee unduly, nor the sorrows he permits 
 to assail thee in this vale of tears, weigh too hea- 
 vily on thy soul. Thou hast dreamed a dream, 
 which indeed has in part imaged to thy sleeping 
 mind the future destiny of thyself and of thy off- 
 spring. Thy soul shall be gladdened by the birth 
 of a son, but thy joy shall not long endure. He 
 will be lost to thee before his youthful energies have 
 attained maturity ; many perils, much of adver- 
 sity and various adventure shall he experience, 
 but it will be to surmount them all ; for more of 
 good than of evil fortune is written on his fore- 
 head, and his star shines brightly though it be en- 
 vironed with many baleful influences ! But here 
 the veil is dropt, and Heaven in mercy to its crea- 
 tures, denies the dangerous gratification of perfect 
 foreknowledge. Be satisfied then, my daughter, 
 with the promised good fortune of thy son, and 
 seek no farther to pry into his destiny or thy own : 
 be sure that, if thou dost, evil will result from the 
 attempt. My task is now ended, and, for the pre- 
 sent, thou seest me no more. May God protect 
 thee I 1 ' So saying, the Sheikh arose, and quitted 
 the apartment slowly as he had entered it, leaving 
 all who had witnessed this extraordinary interview 
 too much bewildered to think of stopping, or even 
 addressing him : and whether the attendants with- 
 out had held careless watch was never known, but 
 vol. I. c
 
 26' 
 
 ADVENTUUES OF 
 
 none of them observed the Sheikh quit the fort, 
 or even the village, nor was he heard of any more 
 at this period. 
 
 My mother, for some time after this event, con- 
 tinued so much a prey to anxiety, that her health 
 was much affected ; but the representations of her 
 most attached friends, and the revival of hope, as 
 the painful impressions of her dream and the 
 Dervish's visit wore off, succeeded in quieting 
 her apprehensions. The period of her confine- 
 ment at length arrived, and I was ushered into 
 this world of care to the unutterable joy of my 
 mother, the happiness of my father, and the satis- 
 faction of the house in general. 
 
 But the scene which took place around her 
 during her confinement, brought vividly to my 
 mother's recollection her painful dream. There 
 were the old women, as anxious in reality as they 
 had been in imagination, about the propitious mo- 
 ment of the infant's birth ; the deviation proved 
 considerable, but under circumstances so equivo- 
 cal, that the most learned of the gossips in the 
 science of astrology were quite at fault in de- 
 ciding as to the chances of good or evil fortune to 
 the child ; and my mother's anxiety was so pain- 
 fully revived, that, forgetting the Dervish's cau- 
 tion, she determined to consult the village astro- 
 loger, and endeavour to extract some comfort 
 from his predictions on the subject.
 
 A KIZZILBASH. 27 
 
 It was, however, in vain ; the old man, after 
 calling to his assistance the profoundest problems 
 he was master of, declared, that an influence 
 over which he had no power, baffled all his at- 
 tempts, and spread an impenetrable veil over my 
 future fate : thus my mother was forced to sub- 
 mit to a second disappointment. 
 
 It happened that, after her recovery, when, 
 according to custom, she proceeded to the bath, 
 from some accidental cause, she was induced to 
 use the village Hummaums, instead of the pri- 
 vate ones in her husband's palace. In turning 
 down the narrow and retired lane which led to 
 these, accompanied by her female attendants, her 
 course was arrested by the appearance of a figure 
 in the garb of a Dervish, whose lofty figure and 
 commanding voice proclaimed at once the Sheikh 
 Allee Calunder. " Infatuated woman !" said he, 
 as the party with one accord stopped, and with sus- 
 pended breath drank in his words : " miserable 
 and unhappy ! why didst thou disregard my 
 solemn warning ? Know that thy fatal curiosity 
 has drawn ruin upon thee ! and dearly shalt thou 
 pay for thy presumptuous, but abortive attempt, 
 to penetrate the secret will of Heaven !" 
 
 For a while the women, all stupified with terror, 
 were unable to utter a word ! At last, my mo- 
 ther, observing that the Sheikh was about to re- 
 tire, summoned force to exclaim, " Alas ! holy 
 
 c 2
 
 28 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Dervish, take pity on the anxiety of a mother ; 
 remember how much cause > e had for alarm : 
 nor condemn her too eager desire to learn with 
 more distinctness the fate of her son ! Forgive 
 my fault, and pray that Allah may forgive it 
 likewise ; and be sure that rich alms shall flow 
 from my husband's treasures to the shrines of 
 Mushed and Kerbela :* whither it is my inten- 
 tion to make a pilgrimage, as soon as circumstances 
 shall permit me to leave my family !" 
 
 " Daughter," replied the Sheikh, severely, " re- 
 member the sin of the first woman ; recollect its 
 punishment, and think not lightly of thy fault. 
 To me it was entrusted to warn thee of thy danger 
 — to me it falls to denounce the punishment of 
 thy disobedience — to Allah, and to his prophet, 
 humble thyself, and endeavour to avert the heaviest 
 weight of those disasters which otherwise will 
 surely overwhelm thee. Seek not again to pene- 
 trate the hidden things of fate, but rather strive 
 to prepare the mind of thy son for what that 
 chequered fate may be ; teach him patience and 
 firmness in the hour of adversity ; gratitude and 
 moderation in prosperity : and as the hardiest 
 plants are nursed among the rocks, avoid undue 
 
 * Mushed, the burying-place of Imaum Reza, the Eighth Imaum 
 of the Sheafa Mahometans, who was poisoned at Toos in Khora- 
 san, by Mamoou, son of Caliph Haroon-ul-Rasheed. Kerbelah, 
 the mausoleum of Hussun and Hossein the sons of Allee, mur- 
 dered at that place by the soldiers of Yezid.
 
 A KUZZIL3ASH. !2{) 
 
 indulgence, and seek to strengthen his body, as 
 well as his mind, by healthful exercise and whole- 
 some toil. By such conduct seek to appease the 
 wrath of Allah, and shun the storm which threatens 
 to burst upon thy head. Me thou shalt see no 
 more." — So saying, the Sheikh passed on, and 
 soon disappeared. 
 
 For some time my mother was in despair at 
 this mysterious denunciation of wrath ; but, as no 
 misfortune occurred immediately, and as I throve 
 to her heart's content, the impression wore off by 
 degrees. Her gossips and attendants sought to 
 quiet her fears by sundry pithy arguments : — 
 " That a lady of her rank was to be punished, or 
 even threatened with punishment, for a little natu- 
 ral, nay, praiseworthy curiosity ! — how extravagant 
 an idea ! — and at the will or word of a beggarly 
 fakeer too ! it was too ridiculous ! It was only 
 a pity that her husband's furoshes* had not been 
 called on to lay hold of and bastinado the im- 
 postor into more civil and comfortable terms." 
 In short, so much was said and done about the 
 matter, that my mother was roused to throw off 
 the feelings of dismay which ever and anon would 
 weigh upon her heart ; and she was so successful 
 at last, that even her pious intentions were shaken 
 off along with her alarm, the alms forgotten, and 
 the pilgrimages put off from month to month, anil 
 * Tent-pitchers and sweepers.
 
 30 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 then from year to year, till the vow and its 
 original cause waxed faint as a shadow without 
 form or substance, or like the sahrab* of the 
 Desert, which ever flits from the approach of the 
 thirsty traveller. 
 
 Meantime I grew up a great favourite with my 
 father, and in due time a brother and two sisters 
 were added to the family ; while the Koordish 
 lady, who was introduced into the harem a year 
 after my mother, presented the Khan with two 
 boys. 
 
 * Sahrab, water of the desert — the mirage.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. '3 L 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 FIRST ADVENTURES. 
 
 The lands and village of my father were situated 
 on the borders of the great desert which stretches 
 from the banks of the Koolzum (or Caspian) Sea, 
 to those of the river Oxus : they were consequently 
 much exposed to the incursions of the Oozbecks 
 and Toorkoman tribes that wander over it, and 
 who at this period, in the feeble days of Persia, 
 ravaged Khorasan with impunity, from Serrukhs 
 and Mushed, even to the borders of Irak.* In 
 other days, my father, who was a warrior of no 
 mean name, would often muster his dependents, 
 and lead them to attack and plunder these ene- 
 mies, even in their own camps : but times had 
 changed ; the character of the nation had fallen 
 with that of its sovereign, — the good, but weak 
 Shah Hoossein, — into an effeminacy that portend- 
 ed its downfall; and these marauders had in conse- 
 
 " The central and principal province of Persia.
 
 32 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 quence become so daring, that many towns and 
 villages on the skirts of the mountains bordering 
 the Desert, had already become their prey ; and 
 my father was forced to content himself with 
 merely repelling attacks, instead of making them 
 as formerly. 
 
 The Toorkoman tribe of Tekeh, supported by 
 the Oozbecks of Khyvah, had become particularly 
 daring in our neighbourhood ; they had even ap- 
 proached so close as to surprise and plunder a 
 small village belonging to my father, not many 
 miles from his dwelling. But he, hearing of the 
 outrage, collected some of his most trusty ad- 
 herents, and pursuing the robbers, overtook them 
 when off their guard, during their first night's 
 halt. Disregarding the disparity of numbers, he 
 took advantage of their confusion, charged them, 
 — cut a great many to pieces, killed one of their 
 principal chiefs ; released all the captives they had 
 taken, and returned home with many prisoners. 
 This feat repressed for a while the boldness of 
 the Toorkomans, but it created in them a thirst 
 for vengeance, never to be quenched but in his 
 blood. 
 
 For some months every thing remained in quiet, 
 but after that time rumours began to be circulat- 
 ed, that small parties of the Toorkomans had been 
 observed lurking among some ruined villages, and
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 33 
 
 in the ravines in our neighbourhood ; and intelli- 
 gence having at length arrived, that one of these 
 had approached nearer than usual to our village, 
 my father, summoning his best soldiers, left home 
 one evening in hopes of surprising them. The 
 night passed, not without anxiety ; — but little did 
 any of the family dream of the fate that was hang- 
 ing over them. 
 
 In the grey of the morning the sound of horse 
 was heard, and the watchmen on the walls gave 
 notice that the Khan was approaching. The 
 gates were immediately thrown open, and several 
 of the inhabitants, both men and women, went 
 out to meet their friends, returning, as they hoped, 
 successful, and laden with booty. But they were 
 soon terribly undeceived ; for, as the foremost of 
 the troop came near enough to be recognised, the 
 unhappy villagers descried the wild features of 
 their Toorkoman foes, scowling from under the 
 Kuzzilbash caps and turbans. A loud scream of 
 affright told their enemies that they were dis- 
 covered, and instantly spurring their horses to 
 full speed, they pursued the flying wretches, mak- 
 ing way with their swords to right and left, and en- 
 tered the gates almost before the alarm had readi- 
 ed the few guards who remained on duty. All 
 who attempted resistance were cut to pieces in a 
 moment, while a party of the villains, dashing 
 
 c 5
 
 34 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 forward to my father's fortified palace, seized on 
 the gates, which were beset with fugitives, before 
 they could be effectually closed. 
 
 Young as I then was, I can yet remember well 
 the shrieks of horror and despair that ai - ose as 
 the Toorkomans, with their huge rough caps and 
 hideous countenances, all smeared with dust and 
 blood, burst into the private apartments: — the 
 yell of agony and frantic entreaty that burst from 
 the old women and eunuchs, as some of the stern 
 savages hewed them in pieces, while others seized 
 on the younger females and children, still seems 
 to ring in my ears. The nurse, who had tended 
 me from infancy, was speared by two ruffians as 
 I clung to her, adding my cries to hers, and I 
 was covered with her blood. Child as I was, this 
 outrage roused my puny wrath, and, drawing the 
 little dagger which was thrust into my girdle, I 
 dashed it against one of the murderers, who in- 
 stantly raised his spear with an oath, and would 
 have pinned me to the ground ; but his companion 
 struck the weapon aside with his sword, crying 
 " Hold, hold ! harm not the child ! He is a brave 
 fellow, and I shall keep him to attend upon my 
 little Selim," 
 
 In the mean time others seized my mother, who 
 only thought of protecting her younger children ; 
 but they tore them from her arms, and throwing
 
 A KUZZIl.BASH. 35 
 
 them screaming upon the slaughtered bodies of 
 her servants, hurried her along with all the 
 younger females beyond the walls of the fort. 
 According to their custom on such occasions, they 
 carefully forbore to encumber their retreat with 
 any whose old age, or extreme youth, might re- 
 tard them on the march, or who were not likely 
 to fetch a high price as slaves : all such they mer- 
 cilessly slaughtered ; and, as they dragged us 
 along, we could see the work of death going on : 
 we heard the shrieks, and trod on the mangled 
 remains of our friends and relatives. 
 
 At length the pillage was complete -, they ga- 
 thered together their prisoners and plunder, bound 
 the latter hastily upon the camels and other cattle 
 belonging; to the village, and led them forth from 
 the gates. Some of the young females were placed 
 upon camels ; others were seated and secured be- 
 hind their ravishers. My mother, whose beauty, in 
 ^pite of her despair, was so great as to attract the 
 notice of the same person who had saved my life, 
 and who proved to be a chief of some consequence, 
 was accommodated with a camel, and placed under 
 the special care of a trusty attendant: my efforts 
 and entreaties to get near her were also attended 
 to, and I was seated with her upon the same ani- 
 mal. But all the male, and many of the stronger 
 female prisoners, having their elbows pinioned be-
 
 36 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 hind them, and being secured by a rope to the 
 saddles of the horsemen, were forced to follow on 
 loot. 
 
 The signal was now given, and the whole party 
 moved rapidly forward. Loud cries of despair 
 arose on every side as we left behind us our deso- 
 late bloody homes, and saw the hope which was 
 still entertained by many, of rescue by the Khan's 
 party, fast failing. Alas ! we soon learned that his 
 fate had been the prelude to our own. Anxious 
 to discover the enemy, he had divided his force, at 
 first but small, into two parties, in order to scour 
 the country more effectually ; and had unfortu- 
 nately fallen in with their principal body closely am- 
 bushed. He was surrounded and fiercely attack- 
 ed, almost before he saw his danger ; the greater 
 number of his people were killed around him, 
 and he himself was speared from behind, while de- 
 fending himself against three of his enemies. It 
 was the dresses of our unfortunate friends that had 
 been so successfully used to deceive the watchmen 
 of our village ; and in our progress onward, we 
 had the additional misery of marching through the 
 pass where the disaster had taken place, strewed 
 with their stript and mangled bodies. My poor 
 mother first learned the full extent of her mis- 
 fortune, from seeing her husband's well-known sash 
 and turban on one of her guards r it was her 
 death-blow.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 37 
 
 The wail and lamentation which accompanied 
 the first part of our progress, subsided, by degrees, 
 into stifled sobs and silent despair, as we toiled 
 along after our captors, who, regardless of the 
 weakness or weariness of their prisoners, urged on 
 their horses, dragging the poor wretches forcibly 
 along, goading them with the butt ends of their 
 lances, and scarce giving them time to rise, when 
 pain or accident brought them to the ground. 
 Several of them gave up in despair, long before the 
 evening of that dreadful day, and yielded up their 
 lives under the spears of the Toorkomans ; indeed, 
 our course might have been traced by the carcases 
 of men and cattle, and the shreds of goods, or bales 
 of merchandize, abandoned in the rapidity of our 
 retreat ; for the robbers well knew that the alarm 
 would soon be general, and made great exertions 
 to get beyond all danger of pursuit. 
 
 My mother for a long while lay almost insensi- 
 ble upon the pile of clothes which had been placed 
 upon the camel for her accommodation, clasping 
 me ever and anon with a convulsive shudder to 
 her heart, but neither uttering a word nor shed- 
 ding a tear. Her lips, as she sometimes pressed 
 them to my face, were parched and burning ; and 
 her eyes wild, but sunk in their sockets, resembled 
 those of a dying person. Towards evening she 
 became more tranquil, and at length addressed 
 me by my name. " Ismael, Janee !* my dear boy, 
 1 Janee, "my lire!" — A Persian expression of affection.
 
 38 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 thy mother is dying, the Angel of Death is at hand; 
 and I thank Allah that he has permitted me so 
 soon to follow your father. I have this day wit- 
 nessed the ruin of our house, the slaughter of our 
 family, and the murder of my beloved husband ; 
 the blow that reunites me to them is merciful, and 
 I am truly grateful for the boon ; — but you, my 
 child, your fate distracts me with apprehension, 
 and gives me the only pang I feel in quitting this 
 earth. Yet who can read the book of fate ? the 
 same destiny that preserved your life this morning 
 when all your family perished, may still watch over 
 and preserve it, to raise the fallen fortunes of your 
 house, and to take a signal revenge on its destroy- 
 ers." I could only answer with my tears ; my 
 mother's deathlike looks distressed and appalled 
 me, and though her words sunk into my memory 
 I could with difficulty follow their sense. " Is- 
 mael i" she continued, " my dear orphan boy, 
 listen to the dying words of your mother. Child 
 though you are, you have heard the circumstances 
 connected with your birth — alas! could I have 
 foreseen the cruel fulfilment of those prophetic 
 warnings ! Know that your future fate and for- 
 tune are chiefly in your own hands ; happiness 
 and prosperity may be yours, but it will depend 
 on your own prudence and forbearance to render 
 them permanent. Restrain your passions, my child, 
 and taking warning by your mother's fate, submit
 
 A KUZZII.BASH. 
 
 39 
 
 the longings of indiscreet curiosity to the restraint 
 of moderation and reason. Forget not, Ismael. 
 the faith of your fathers! Never abandon the 
 tenets and doctrines of the Sheah* persuasion. 
 Keep in mind your noble descent ; remember that 
 you hold your lineage from the tribe of Affshar, 
 faithful to their friends, terrible to their enemies. 
 You are now unhappily in the power of the last, 
 and must bend to the storm that cannot be resist- 
 ed. But fortune, like a morning of spring, soon 
 changes from dark to bright; the star of your des- 
 tiny may yet shine forth, and the murderers of 
 your father and your family may in their turn 
 eat the bitter fruit of their ruthless deeds from 
 your hand. One thing more keep in your me- 
 mory : — the sage who obscurely foretold your 
 fortune, and whose denunciation against me I 
 now see fulfilled in this calamity — the holy Sheikh 
 Allee Calunder surely still exists: seek him, my 
 son, and make his counsels the guide of your 
 steps : your mother has too certain proof that they 
 
 * It is generally known that the religion of Islam is divided 
 into two principal sects : the followers of Omar, and those of 
 Attee. The former consider Omar to have been the legitimate 
 successor of the Prophet, as God's vicegerent upon earth. The 
 latter attribute that distinction to Allee, the son-in-law and 
 friend of .Mahomet ; and many a bloody war has been the con- 
 sequence of this difference in religious opinion. For particulars 
 regard : m. r these two sects, D'Herbelot, Chardiu, and .Malcolm's 
 History of Persia may be consulted.
 
 40 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 are true as the words of fate ; as such receive them 
 — would I had done so!" 
 
 In this way my mother continued to impress 
 me with her last counsels, as often as her weakness 
 would permit ; and the greater part of her words, 
 spoken under circumstances so painful and pecu- 
 liar, made, it may easily be imagined, an indelible 
 impression on my young mind. 
 
 At last the weary march concluded; the Toor- 
 komans found it impossible to urge on either pri- 
 soners or cattle farther ; rest and food were abso- 
 lutely necessary. A hollow among some sand- 
 hills, where a few wells afforded a supply of 
 water, served for our encamping ground, and the 
 whole party, captors and captives, gladly obeyed 
 the order to halt, and sought a short relief from 
 their misery or fatigue, in sleep. Not quietly, 
 however, were the poor captives permitted to sink 
 to repose : the task of unloading the camels, of 
 rubbing down and tending the horses, of whom 
 upon a march the Toorkomans are always more 
 careful than of themselves, was forced upon the 
 wearied wretches. 
 
 Their captors, in the mean time, seizing on 
 such of the camels as had sunk under their 
 loads, and well knowing they would never rise 
 again, cut their throats, and speedily dissecting 
 the carcases distributed them among their party. 
 Fires were made of such dry weeds and cattle-
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 41 
 
 dung as could be collected, at which the meat, cut 
 in pieces, was scorched rather than roasted, an 
 arrow serving in place of a spit. Happy were 
 those among the female captives, whose youth or 
 beauty had found favour in the eyes of their 
 masters, for it procured them a slender share of 
 this rude feast ; while others, who more required 
 it, were forced to be content with a morsel of dry 
 bread and drop of muddy water; and even this 
 did not fall to the lot of all. 
 
 When the meal was finished, preparations were 
 made for sleep, and for securing the prisoners. A 
 circle was formed by the Toorkomans, within 
 which the former were placed, along with the 
 cattle and the baggage : and those who were 
 thought likely to attempt escaping in the night 
 were pinned down by a horse-cloth thrown over 
 them, on either end of which lay one of these 
 guards, thus preventing the possibility of their 
 stirring. Sentries were then placed on every side, 
 and the whole party were permitted to take repose 
 as best they could. 
 
 A melancholy resting-place it was, indeed : even 
 at this distance of time I shudder to think of the 
 miseries of that night — of all that live-long day. 
 I have witnessed many a scene of blood and 
 horror since that time, and each, in succession, has 
 faded more or less from my memory with passing 
 years ; but the impressions made on my young
 
 452 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 mind by the occurrences of this hideous day, never 
 have and never can be effaced. 
 
 Some of the poor captives, overcome with fa- 
 tigue, but of powerful athletic frames, sunk at 
 once to sleep of the profoundest kind : others, in 
 whom grief struggled with weariness, groaned and 
 wept long ere they were relieved by sleep. But 
 there were many whose strength, exerted to the 
 uttermost, now totally gave way, and they sank 
 exhausted on the ground, to rise no more ; — to these 
 no sleep came — a restless moaning continued for 
 a while, but in the morning they were found dead 
 and stiffened with the cold, just where they lay 
 down. 
 
 Of this number was my hapless mother. The 
 chief, Omer Khan by name, who had preserved 
 both her and me, had directed such attendance to 
 be given as could easily be rendered by one of his 
 followers ; and the man, to do him justice, did not 
 neglect his master's orders. But it was too late — 
 the food which was offered she rejected, giving 
 her portion to me, whose appetite was by no means 
 injured, either by the long march or by grief, and 
 who readily accepted all that was offered me. Her 
 strength was quite gone, her voice failed, and she 
 was unable to express her anxiety and affection, 
 otherwise than by clasping me convulsively to her 
 breast as I lay beside her. Pained and alarmed 
 by her silence, I called loudly on her to speak to
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 43 
 
 me, and cried bitterly at her continued inattention. 
 At length, in a low uncertain tone, I heard her 
 exclaim, " My child ! my child !— Allah, Allah !" 
 while her arms seemed to seek me, and her eyes 
 were half closed and sightless: — as I turned to 
 embrace her, her arms dropped powerless from me, 
 a groan escaped her lips, and she remained mo- 
 tionless. Ignorant of the change that had taken 
 place, I tried to rouse her, and to attract her at- 
 tention by caresses, but finding all in vain, I was 
 struck with a strange alarm, and wept aloud. By 
 this time all around me had sunk to rest, and my 
 cries were quite unheeded ; nature, exhausted at 
 last, gave way, and I dropped into a heavy sleep 
 upon the dead body of my mother.
 
 44 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE TOORKOMAN CAMP. 
 
 The camp was in motion before morning 
 dawned, and I was roused from my melancholy 
 couch by the attendant who had charge of my 
 mother and myself. He soon discovered that all 
 was over with her, and finding me wet with the 
 heavy dew, and stiff with cold, he thought that I 
 had shared her fate, and went to report the cir- 
 cumstance to his master. Omer Khan, disap- 
 pointed at the double loss, came up to examine 
 into the fact, and arrived just in time to see me, 
 who had been roused by the efforts of his servant, 
 stretching myself, and again attempting to awaken 
 my mother. " Take the boy away," said he; 
 " the woman is gone : leave her where she lies, and 
 let the boy still ride on the same camel as yesterday 
 — come, despatch !" But when they told me that my 
 mother was dead, and attempted to carry me from 
 the body, the violence of my grief was so great
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 45 
 
 that it affected even the rough chief who had taken 
 charge of me ; he patted me on the head, bade 
 me be of good cheer, promised that he would take 
 care of me, and left me to his servant Hamet, 
 with a strict charge of kind treatment and at- 
 tention. 
 
 Hamet was fortunately a good-natured fellow ; 
 he soothed me with wonderful patience, and when 
 he found that all would not do, he lifted me with- 
 out farther ceremony from where I lay, and 
 placed me screaming upon the camel which had 
 been prepared for my mother and myself. What 
 became of her body the wild beasts and ravens 
 of the Desert can tell ; but Hamet took from 
 around her neck a talisman, consisting of a small 
 silver box, in which was a cornelian stone engraved 
 with some mystical characters, and a piece of 
 paper inscribed with some verses from the Koran ; 
 this he threw over my neck to please me : — it at- 
 tracted my attention and quieted me for the 
 moment, and it has been my companion ever 
 since. 
 
 We quitted our halting-place just after the 
 hour of morning prayer, which was duly per- 
 formed ; and we marched forward into the Desert, 
 leaving behind us many of our fellow-prisoners 
 along with my unfortunate mother. Peace be to 
 their dust ! may their souls drink in the pure 
 joys of Paradise ! — they early left this weary pil-
 
 46 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 grimage, and escaped from many sorrows, and 
 the long cheerless captivity which awaited the 
 survivors. 
 
 The day passed on in the same fatiguing ex- 
 ertion as the last, and like it had its victims ; for 
 though the nights were piercingly cold, the sun 
 was so powerful in the day-time, that the sands of 
 the Desert sent forth a burning heat. Luckily for 
 the wretched prisoners, the rapidity of our pro- 
 gress was as fatal to the cattle as to human life, 
 and our captors were induced to relax in their 
 rate of speed, in order to secure as much as 
 possible of the booty with which these cattle were 
 loaded ; had it not been for this, few of the pri- 
 soners could have held out at all. But, indeed, 
 as the danger of pursuit abated, the Toorkomans 
 themselves were disposed to move at an easier rate, 
 and though the second day's journey was extremely 
 painful, the third and following ones became gra- 
 dually less so. 
 
 As for me, although I had by no means become 
 insensible to the loss of my mother, yet as the 
 fatigue fell but lightly in comparison on me, and 
 as my friend Hamet was kind, and gave me nearly 
 enough of food, which though coarse was made 
 palatable by hunger, I got reconciled to my 
 condition, and only now and then inquired " when 
 we should reach home.'''' 
 
 It was on the eighth day of our march, having
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 47 
 
 left far upon our right the ancient city of Merve, 
 which spreads its ruins in a wilderness, like Tad- 
 mor of the Desert, that, emerging from a long track 
 of low sand-hills, void of the smallest vegetation, 
 we looked down upon a green stripe of country, 
 through which, among beds of reeds, stole a 
 sluggish river. The stream occasionally swelled 
 out into a small marshy lake, and its blue waters 
 gave a freshness and beauty to the spot, the 
 more delightful from its contrast with the sterility 
 around it. 
 
 The river was bordered on each side bv mea- 
 
 J 
 
 dows, yielding excellent pasture ; and though, at 
 this season, the grass had lost some portion of its 
 verdure, it still furnished abundant food to nume- 
 rous herds of cattle that strayed amongst it. 
 Groups of tents, black from their covering of 
 coarse felt, were sprinkled here and there, and, 
 even at a distance, we could discern their inhabi- 
 tants moving among them, or sitting at the doors of 
 their respective habitations : every thing announ- 
 ced that we had reached our journey's end — that 
 we had arrived at the Toorkoman camp. 
 
 No sooner had the advance of our party issued 
 from among the sand-hills, than they were ob- 
 served by the scouts of the camp, who are generally 
 stationed in positions from whence they may see 
 and give notice of any coming danger ; and who, 
 observing us. set up a loud yell, which occasioned
 
 48 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 multitudes to issue from the tents, with eager and 
 anxious enquiry. But a shrill, peculiar cry, from 
 our party, instantly changed the warning voice of 
 the guards into a joyful shout, and the alarm of the 
 camp into loud clamours of congratulation. Men, 
 women, and children, poured tumultuously from 
 the nearer aouls, # to meet us, and the air re- 
 sounded with loud screams of joy, mingled with 
 exclamations of reply to the watch-words of our 
 party. 
 
 Still we pressed forward, and gained the banks 
 of the river, where now and then a few stunted 
 broken trees might be seen dipping their roots in 
 its waters, and affording some scanty shade. 
 
 After a pretty long course, we reached the resi- 
 dence of Hyder Bey, the chief, who had headed 
 this enterprise, and in front of it the party halted, 
 surrounded by increasing crowds from the neigh- 
 bouring aouls, all eager to hear the news, and 
 learn the particulars of their countrymen's exploits. 
 
 The wild and characteristic scene which ensued, 
 made an impression upon me not easily described. 
 Here were multitudes of the savage Toorkomans, 
 whom I had been taught to hate, if not to fear, 
 clad in coarse wrapping gowns, scarcely girded 
 round their bodies, and their huge rough caps, 
 with their wild broad features, and little angular 
 
 * Aoul, or Oolous, — a subdivision of a tribe or camp ; a 'Pinkish 
 word.
 
 A KtlZZlLBASIL 49 
 
 eyes, lighted up with uncouth joy, all clamorous- 
 ly congratulating their countrymen on their good 
 fortune in capturing or destroying so many of us 
 poor Kuzzilbashes : and the women, with their flat 
 Calmuck faces set off by enormous head-dresses 
 hung all over with gold or silver coins, their hair 
 in long plaits, hanging behind and on either side 
 the head, twisted with silver bells and buttons, 
 came running in their loose flowing shifts to meet 
 their husbands or sons, and screaming out enquiries 
 as to the booty they had brought. 
 
 The party that had arrived, on the other hand, 
 were busy bringing up the prisoners and baggage, 
 unloading the beasts of burthen, and arranging 
 their captives; who, worn out, squalid, and al- 
 most naked, awaited their fate in mute despon- 
 dency. The loud shrill tones of enquiry, the yells 
 of congratulation and joy, the shrieks of distress 
 from those who now for the first time learned 
 that they had lost relatives — tones of exultation, 
 expostulation, quarrelling, and abuse, mingling 
 with the bells of the camels, the execrations of 
 their drivers, and fifty other indescribable sounds, 
 in one stupifying din, formed a striking contrast 
 to the silent and motionless misery of the wretch- 
 ed captives. Through the kindness of my good 
 friend Hamet, I had suffered so little for some 
 days, and had been so well treated on the whole, 
 that my fears had in great measure given way, 
 
 VOL. I. D
 
 50 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 and I rather enjoyed the novelties that passed un- 
 der my observation ; but the show was now over, 
 and my destiny was soon to be decided. 
 
 The family of Hyder Beg, consisting of his fa- 
 ther, a withered old man, with a few long white 
 bristles for a beard, and eyes almost invisible 
 anions the wrinkles of his cheeks and brow, — his 
 mother, an old crone, like a half-animated corpse 
 in a brown parchment skin, with sundry women 
 and children, rushed out to meet him, clinging 
 round him, and taking his horse, his arms, and 
 accoutrements from him with affectionate zeal ; 
 and he soon disappeared with them into his tent. 
 A similar reception awaited Omer Khan, my mas- 
 ter and protector, who, after the first congratula- 
 tions were over, spying me perched on the top of 
 my camel, called to Hamet to take me down, and 
 carry me into the inner tent, where was his fa- 
 vourite wife. " Here, Khanum, 11 * cried he, " I have 
 brought you a young Kuzzilbash to attend upon 
 your little Selim, and be his playfellow : he is a 
 brave little fellow too, — he would fairly have put 
 me to death, if he had but had strength enough, 
 in defence of his old fool of a nurse ; and I don't 
 doubt his turning out an excellent hand at a chap- 
 pow:-J- — take him, and be kind to him." 
 
 * Khanum is the feminine of Khan, Lord — and signifies Lady, 
 the wife of a Khan. 
 
 t A chappow is a plundering expedition, the nature of which 
 will hereafter be more particularly explained.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 51 
 
 The lady, whose face, though downright Cai- 
 rn uck in features, was full of good-humour and 
 vivacity, received me very graciously ; and seeing 
 that I was shy, and that my heart was full — for 
 the thought of my own mother came across my 
 mind with a renewed feeling of bitterness — she 
 took me by the hand, bade me welcome and fear 
 nothing, and, calling to one of her women, sent her 
 to bring her son, little Selim, to her immediately. 
 
 Selim was a tall boy, nearly two years older 
 than myself, well made and handsome, though 
 his features partook somewhat of the Calmuck 
 cast of his mother ; he was strong and active, and 
 already could ride a horse, and draw his little 
 bow, with any one of his years in the camp. 
 Great was his delight when his father told him 
 that he had brought a little servant for him from 
 among the Kuzzilbash dogs ; — " and a fine little 
 ghourumsaug * it is,"" added Omer Khan, " and 
 a brave one he '11 be if he lives." 
 
 " But what can he do, father ?" cried Selim, 
 casting his keen, but good-humoured eyes over 
 my anxious countenance and dishevelled dress; 
 " he looks as if he still cried after his mother ! 
 
 * Ghourumsaug is a Turkish word of abuse, which may be 
 translated by the English word "Scoundrel," although its lite- 
 ral meaning is even still more gross — it is in very frequent use 
 where Turkish is spoken, and sometimes, as here, is used jocu- 
 larly. 
 
 D 2
 
 52 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Can he ride a horse, or shoot a bow ? or does he 
 know how to run, or leap ? — Well, at any rate, he 
 can run and pick up my arrows, and in time I 
 will teach him better things. 1 ' 
 
 " Child, - " observed his mother, " the poor boy 
 is tired and hungry ; take him and give him part 
 of your supper and bed, and to-morrow you shall 
 see what he can do, and teach him what you 
 please." 
 
 Selim now took me by the hand, and led me 
 to an apartment behind the principal tent, where 
 there were several women and children huddled 
 together. Here was novelty and variety enough 
 to engage my attention, if I had been in a mood 
 for amusement: — what a contrast was this rude 
 tent to all I had ever before seen in the shape of 
 a habitation ! Instead of a neatly-finished, well- 
 carpeted apartment, the wicker-walls of this den, 
 covered with black felt, were hung with all the 
 trash and litter peculiar to a Toorkoman tent : — 
 old pack-saddles and camels 1 furniture ; leather- 
 bags for holding milk and churning butter; cook- 
 ing-pots, broken wooden-platters ; a drum made 
 of a hollowed wooden-block, covered with a piece 
 of sheepskin; bags of dried curds* and of wool, 
 bladders filled with tallow and with butter, old 
 
 * The curds, expressed from the milk, or butter-milk, are 
 often dried in the sun, and preserved thus. They are broken 
 small, and, mixed with water, form a pleasant acidulous beverage.
 
 A KUZZILBASII. 53 
 
 boots and piles of sheepskins, lay heaped in every 
 corner, soliciting attention in the semi-obscurity 
 of the place ; while from the ends of the wooden 
 wickerwork of the walls hung sheepskin jackets, 
 fur-caps, women's shifts and head-dresses, tattered 
 trowsers, bows and arrows, swords and spears, in 
 all imaginable confusion. Already, too, had part 
 of the plunder of our village mingled with it ; and 
 shawls, turbans, caps, silken-shirts and trowsers, 
 cloaks and slippers, with calleeoons and metal- 
 platters, basins and ewers, bits of broken looking- 
 glass, ornamented boxes, and many other things 
 of the kind, were now subjected to a very curious 
 scrutiny by one part of the women and children, 
 while some of the female menials of the family 
 were employed in working carpets in a loom at 
 one end of the tent, and others laboured at 
 shaking the milk in a leathern bag to extract the 
 butter from it. 
 
 My entrance gave a turn to their curiosity ; 
 women and children gathered round me in a mo- 
 ment, and beset me with a thousand questions, to 
 which I paid no attention whatever : a sense of 
 forlornncss rose to my heart, and, clinging close 
 to Selim, I could not repress my tears ; and fain 
 would have shrunk into a dark corner to sob out 
 the bitterness of my feelings. It was at this mo- 
 ment that I spied an urchin, of about my own age, 
 decorated with the well-known shawl which had
 
 54 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 been my father's turban ; the same that had been 
 taken from his murdered body to serve his mur- 
 derers as a disguise, and the sight of which had 
 so fatally affected my poor mother. 
 
 Bursting with indignation, I sprang from the 
 side of Selim, and, aiming a furious blow at the 
 little wretch, seized and secured the shawl from 
 his clutches, before he dreamed of the attack. A 
 loud scream was instantly set up by the child, and 
 echoed by all the women. " Wullah !"* " The 
 kuzzilbash dog!" "the cursed imp of Satan!" 
 " What news is this !" " Ah, the ghorumsaug ! 
 seize him, beat him, kill him !" " What devil is 
 this that has got among us ?" cried all speaking to- 
 gether, and, seconding their torrents of abuse by 
 actions, they assaulted me at once, — even Selim 
 turned to me with an eye of fire ; but, dashing 
 some of them from me, and eluding the rest as 
 well as I could, while I held my prize above my 
 head, and my cheeks glowed with anger and ex- 
 citement, " It is my father's turban," exclaimed 
 I, " and no one shall have it — no one shall get it 
 from me !" 
 
 " Well done, my little fellow," cried Selim in 
 his turn, his anger giving place to a smile of ap- 
 probation ; " keep the shawl, and no one shall 
 take it from you — no one shall touch you or it, 
 while I am your master." 
 
 * An oath or exclamation equivalent to, Heavens ! — by God !
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 55 
 
 With these words he dispersed the grumbling 
 
 children ; and, in spite of the angry efforts of the 
 women, he led me clear off to his own corner of 
 the tent, where, after sharing with me a hearty 
 supper of soup, thickened with barley-bread and 
 well seasoned with garlic, with plenty of butter- 
 milk and water to drink, we retired to sleep upon 
 a parcel of felts, having a warm sheep-skin pe- 
 lisse to cover us ; nor did I awake until the 
 noise of the cattle and the bustle of morning 
 aroused my companion and myself to the busi- 
 ness of the day.
 
 56 
 
 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE CHtJSHMAH JEMALLEE. 
 
 The encamping ground of the aoul* to which 
 my master Omer Khan belonged, was pleasant in 
 itself, and particularly grateful when contrasted 
 with the wide extent of desert around it. The 
 banks of the river on which it was situated, had 
 once been well inhabited, and thickly sprinkled 
 with towns, villages and gardens, for a consider- 
 able extent both below and above the city of 
 Merve ; but these were now all in ruins, and, for 
 a considerable distance round the city, totally 
 uninhabited, except by marauders, who took shelter 
 among them for the purposes of concealment and 
 plunder. 
 
 Beyond, and farther removed into the Desert, 
 these ruins served as points of rendezvous, and 
 permanent encampments for the Toorkoman tribes, 
 who formed them into strongholds for storing their 
 
 " See page 48.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 57 
 
 booty and protecting their wives and families in 
 case of attack. The vicinity of the stream, too, 
 gave encouragement to some of the more indus- 
 trious among them to cultivate a little ground ; 
 for, wherever water could be procured, a rich 
 crop of corn or fruits, as water-melons, cucumbers, 
 and the like, was sure to reward the husbandman. 
 
 It was at such an establishment we had now 
 arrived. Ruins of considerable extent, but quite 
 overgrown with rank grass and weeds, announced 
 that a village of no mean size had once existed 
 here. A small square inclosure of sun-dried brick, 
 probably at one time that of a fortified palace, 
 with towers at each corner, had been so far re- 
 paired as to render it proof against any surprise 
 either by horse or foot, and in this were formed 
 several depots of goods belonging to the chiefs 
 and richer individuals of the tribe: a few shops 
 constituted a Bazar, and there was also sufficient 
 space to contain the women and children, with a 
 considerable part of the cattle of the aoul in case 
 of danger. 
 
 But the Toorkomans always prefer their black 
 tents to any other habitation ; and these were 
 scattered about in groups usually forming a 
 square, having behind them inclosures made of 
 split reeds, to contain their cattle at nights. Many 
 of these squares were very pleasantly placed ; for 
 a few straggling trees indicating where orchards 
 
 d 5
 
 58 ADVEKTURES OF 
 
 once stood, were scattered about ; and banks, 
 overgrown with rich vegetation, offered shelter 
 from the wind, and at certain times of the day 
 a shade from the fierce rays of the sun. 
 
 In one place, the river, which sometimes was 
 hardly visible among the reeds, took a sweep 
 beneath a shoulder of the bank rather higher than 
 the rest, and swelled out into a little lake ; a 
 white sandy beach of twenty or thirty yards in 
 length bounded its Avaters at the foot of this bank, 
 which rose above it covered with green turf. 
 Nearly in the centre of this beach, a spring of 
 clear cold water, which took its rise some hundred 
 yards off, under a rock, fell into the lake. So 
 tempting a spot had not been neglected in days of 
 yore : the spring, from its source to the margin of 
 the lake, had been inclosed within a garden, 
 which, to judge by its remains, must have be- 
 longed to some powerful prince. One tradition 
 attributed it to Afrasiab* — another, with more 
 probability, referred it to the time of the first 
 Caliphs. Much care had, at all events, been 
 taken to embellish the garden ; canals, with stone 
 cisterns, had once adorned it, and fountains might 
 be traced, which scattered the pure waters of the 
 stream around to cool the air. A great many 
 stumps, for the most part quite decayed, but some 
 
 * A king of Tartary celebrated in the Shah-Nameh, of 
 Ferdousee.
 
 A KIJZZILBASH. 59 
 
 of which still threw out a few sickly shoots, proved 
 that groves of orange, pomegranate and other 
 fruit trees, once flourished here, and long slender 
 runners of the vine still crept among the tangled 
 weeds. 
 
 Just upon the edge of the bank, the little 
 stream, after filling a canal, had been trained to 
 fall over an artificial cascade of stone, the sides 
 of which had been adorned with ornaments of the 
 same ; but the canal was almost obliterated, and 
 the stone over which the water rushed was broken, 
 and had fallen in such a manner as to confine the 
 stream still more. A rude spout of stone had 
 been placed so as to collect it in the basin below, 
 and to enable the women to fill their water-ves- 
 sels more easily. A huge old sycamore tree, once 
 the chief ornament of the garden, grew on one 
 side and overshadowed the basin ; and a vine, 
 which had rooted itself among the broken stones, 
 formed a still closer covering, protecting the 
 water from the rays of the sun, so as to render it 
 always cool and refreshing. It was a delicious 
 spot, and had become the favourite rendezvous of 
 the whole aoul : the women came morning and 
 evening to fill their water-skins ; the elders of 
 the men met to smoke their calleeoons* under 
 
 Pipes, on the principle of the Indian hookah, but having 
 only a wooden stalk, instead of a snake, for smoking tobacco 
 through water.
 
 60 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 the shade, and the youths to talk over their ex- 
 ploits performed or anticipated, to play at games 
 of chance, and listen to the tales of a Kissago,* or 
 to gossip with the women ; the children sported 
 below upon the green bank, or threw themselves 
 into the sparkling waters of the little lake at its 
 foot. A more delightful scene of pastoral and 
 patriarchal happiness after a rude fashion, than 
 this spot exhibited, cannot be conceived ; nor could 
 it have been readily credited that the men, who, 
 when mounted and armed for plunder, were so stern 
 and ruthless, wading through blood, and sparing 
 neither age nor sex, were the same who now sat 
 happy and harmless with their families beneath 
 the old sycamore, at the quiet Chushmah Jemal- 
 lee.f Such was the place to which I was now 
 conveyed, where most of my boyish years were 
 passed, and the recollection of which I cannot 
 even now recall without emotions of the most 
 lively tenderness. Around, for many miles, lay 
 the meadows where the tribe pastured their flocks 
 and herds until the grass was nearly exhausted ; 
 after which, the greater part of the camp moved 
 along with the cattle to other places affording 
 more abundant herbage. 
 
 From this time forward I became one of the 
 
 * A professional teller of stories aud romances, common over 
 all the East. 
 t The " Fountain of beauty."
 
 A KUZZILBAS1I. 
 
 Gl 
 
 family ; the good-humoured Omer Khan was con- 
 stant in his rough and boisterous kindness to the 
 child whose life he had preserved ; and Selim, his 
 son, became so fond of me that he would seldom 
 let me quit his sight. He took a pride in teach- 
 ing me all that he himself had learned, consist- 
 ing principally of athletic exercises, riding, using 
 the spear, the bow and arrow, and the scymetar, 
 or Persian sword ; at all of which weapons my 
 young master was so expert, that before he had 
 attained his fourteenth year, few could compete 
 with him in their use. His horse, taught to obey 
 the least sound of his voice or movement of his 
 body, seconded his master's address so well, that 
 his spear never failed of striking the point he 
 aimed at, and turned so swiftly from the shock, 
 that his adversary was ever disappointed of his 
 revenge. It was taught to take part in every 
 combat, and to assist its master's efforts with its 
 heels and teeth. From its back, his arrows were 
 discharged with the most unerring skill ; seldom 
 did he miss the brazen basin hung from the high- 
 est pole ; and he marked with infallible precision 
 the smallest opening in his opponent's coat-of-mail. 
 The ball of wetted cotton, the turban of twisted 
 cloth, the thickest hide, and the toughest-scaled 
 fish, alike gave way before the address with which 
 he wielded his keen-edged scymetar. Every one 
 predicted that Selim Beg would be the pride and
 
 62 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 the champion of his tribe. I was his apt pupil, 
 and many a hearty " Barick illah" did my close 
 and steady emulation of his exploits call forth 
 from the old Oostade,* who had been his early 
 tutor, and who still continued his instructions to 
 us both. Envy or jealousy were not in the noble 
 nature of Selim Beg ; and the nearer I approached 
 to his own adroitness, the more he loved and ca- 
 ressed me. Thus, though in station I remained 
 a slave in the house of my master, like other cap- 
 tives of my nation, my condition in reality was 
 happy and comfortable. If the refinements and 
 luxuries adopted in the houses of the Persian 
 khans were not to be met with here, there was 
 at least kindness and cordiality, hospitality and 
 plenty. 
 
 The lot of my unfortunate fellow-captives was 
 very different from mine. After being allowed to 
 rest a very few days, that they might recruit a 
 little from the fatigues of their last severe march, 
 during which time they were scantily fed with 
 barley-bread and a little milk, they were distri- 
 buted, according to the claims of the captors, in 
 various ways. Some remained for a while among 
 the different aouls, employed either in herding 
 camels, or in cultivating the earth ; but the far 
 greater portion were sent farther north into the 
 Desert, both in order to place them more beyond 
 
 * Oostade, a master ; a teacher of any profession.
 
 A KL'ZZILBASH. 63 
 
 the possibility of escape, and to be nearer the slave- 
 markets in the Oozbeck states, from whence mer- 
 chants came periodically to purchase such cap- 
 tives. The women were chiefly placed, either as 
 concubines or slaves, in the harems of the chiefs, 
 where probably they consoled themselves for their 
 misfortunes, in the enjoyment of that influence 
 which the superior beauty of Persian women fre- 
 quently secures to captives of that nation over 
 their Toorkoman lords. 
 
 I saw but few of these captives again : one or 
 two of those who had fallen to the lot of persons 
 in the neighbouring aouls, and who remained with 
 them until sold to slave-merchants, used to recog- 
 nize me, and would repeat to me, when opportunity 
 offered, many of the circumstances connected with 
 our common misfortune, or would entreat me to 
 use the influence I was supposed to possess with 
 the Khan, my master, for indulgence, or for par- 
 don, as might be required ; but these, one after 
 another, all disappeared. One woman alone lived 
 for a longer time in the aoul, and to her it was in 
 a great measure owing that I retained so exact a 
 recollection of my family and early misfortunes, 
 and that I continued in the faith of my ancestors 
 a zealous Sheah. This woman had belonged to 
 my father's household ; and although, in conse- 
 quence of her being but little employed about the 
 person of my mother or her children, I had known
 
 64 
 
 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 her but slightly, when I saw her soon after our 
 arrival at the aoul, and recognized her as one of 
 my own people, I flew to her with uncontrollable 
 delight, and burst into a passion of tears on her 
 bosom. The poor creature was hardly less affect- 
 ed, and ever after, while she lived, which was but 
 for a few years, she sought opportunities of seeing 
 me, — an indulgence which, to say the truth, was by 
 no means prohibited, — and delighted to converse 
 with me on all that had passed — on my family 
 and rights — on what I had once been, and what I 
 was now reduced to. 
 
 Her own misfortune was severe enough ; she 
 had been dragged from her husband and family, 
 from a condition of ease and comfort, to one of 
 solitary servitude and toil ; for, being neither young 
 nor beautiful, no harem opened its gates to receive 
 her — hard menial labour was her lot : and though, 
 in other respects, not harshly treated, she became 
 the drudge of a whole family, who did not spare 
 her toil. Thus, her mind became embittered to 
 the present as she dwelt upon the past ; she hated 
 the authors of her misery, and sought to cherish in 
 my young breast an equally lasting and violent 
 sentiment. She painted to me the atrocities of the 
 dreadful day which cut off our family and clan 
 from among the living ; she reminded me of my 
 murdered father, and the words of my dying mo- 
 ther ; and she charged me never to lose sight of
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 65 
 
 the revenge which I was bound to exact for the 
 slaughter of my parents. Above all, she conjured 
 me, bv every sacred name, " never to forget that 
 I had been born and bred in the only true faith, a 
 worthy Sheah, a follower of Allee, the only lawful 
 successor of the Prophet, — blessed be his name ! 
 — I was now," she reminded me, " in the land of 
 Soonnies, these dogs, worse even than infidels," (and 
 she spit in holy abhorrence, as in duty bound,) — 
 " to desert the faith of my fathers would be the 
 worst of all disgrace, besides being the most cer- 
 tain path to perdition ;" and her zeal had an ear- 
 nestness, and her expressions an emphasis, in en- 
 forcing these injunctions, which co-operating with 
 the charges of my dying mother, impressed the 
 subject on my mind too powerfully ever to be 
 effaced. It was an appeal to pride and constancy 
 which had its effect on my youthful heart, even 
 before I could comprehend the merits of the ques- 
 tion, — (as, praise be to Allah and the Prophet ! I 
 now fully do) — and enabled me to withstand all 
 the attempts that were afterwards made to seduce 
 me from the true faith. 
 
 This honest creature not only explained to me, 
 as well as she was able, — which, it is true, was not 
 very intelligibly — the nature of the difference be- 
 tween the two great sects of Islamism, (if indeed 
 the heretic Soonnies can properly be included in 
 that blessed religion,) but she taught, and particu-
 
 66 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 larly insisted on the very important differences ob- 
 served between them in the forms of prayer and 
 other rituals ; charging me, as I valued the joys of 
 paradise, as I hoped to drink from its rivers of de- 
 licious milk, and bask in the glances of its dark- 
 eyed Houris, never to cease cursing Omar, Abu- 
 bekr, Moaviah, and all the usurper's tribe, — never 
 to use the abominable attitudes of the Soonnies, 
 nor keep my arms hanging down during the time 
 of prayer, nor in my ablutions to wash the hands 
 and arms from the fingers upward, as these here- 
 tics do, which is causing impurity to flow from the 
 extremities towards the nobler parts ; and, thanks 
 to Allee and the Twelve Imaums ! their servant 
 has adhered most strictly to her instructions. The 
 death of this excellent creature was a misfortune 
 which I keenly felt ; for it was like cutting the last 
 tie that bound me to my country and family. 
 
 One part of her injunctions, however, I never 
 could obey: she classed among her enemies and 
 my own, the whole Toorkoman race, without ex- 
 ception ; and would have wished, good soul ! that 
 the lives of every one of them could have been 
 crammed into one chest, and the key delivered into 
 her hand — little mercy would they have received, 
 Heaven knows ! — nay even my master and preserver 
 she would not except from her general thirst of 
 vengeance. But though she possessed the power 
 of exciting my childish wrath to a vow of hatred
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 67 
 
 and revenge against those who had destroyed my 
 family and clan, I never could be brought to in- 
 clude in this denunciation a single member of the 
 family of Omer Khan. They were to me a second 
 kindred ; for I felt that I had been cherished by 
 them as if I were indeed their son. In truth, the 
 vow itself was a delusion, like the obligation of some 
 imaginary hereditary duty, for the sentiments that 
 gave rise to it, in time died entirely away : yet, 
 strange as it may appear, this visionary duty con- 
 tinued still to weigh upon my heart, and, like the 
 traditions of past ages, grew stronger, though less 
 definite with the lapse of time.
 
 68 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 SHIRK EN. 
 
 Thus passed my days calmly and happily. 
 The station of the aoul was chiefly at the Chush- 
 mah Jemallee : but once in the course of the year's 
 revolution, it generally moved over the Desert for a 
 while to other pastures, that our corn might have 
 liberty to ripen, undisturbed by the cattle, and our 
 favourite meadows to recover their customary rich 
 herbage. The quiet of our lives was sometimes 
 interrupted by an incursion from a neighbouring 
 state or tribe, and chappows, or plundering ex- 
 peditions, were undertaken, as prospect of advan- 
 tage tempted our chiefs. A few individuals were 
 destroyed, and many prisoners, with a due pro- 
 portion of booty, were pretty regularly brought 
 into camp; but no serious misfortune was expe- 
 rienced by this division of the tribe, nor did any 
 change of consequence occur for several years. 
 But though, in general, I was treated with a
 
 A KUZZILBASH. GO 
 
 kindness which left little difference between me 
 and a child of the family, there were occasions on 
 which I became forced to remember that I was 
 but a slave. More than once, in moments of pride 
 and thoughtlessness, forgetting my true condition 
 from the lightness of my chain, I fell into serious 
 disputes with young persons of the tribe, and 
 even of my master's family ; and I suffered severe 
 rebukes from Omer Khan in consequence. On 
 such occasions, my friend and companion Selim 
 Beg would generously step forward and assert my 
 innocence, or insist upon my right to defend my 
 character and repel insults. But his father or 
 mother would reply, " You forget, my son, that 
 he is but a Kuzzilbash — a miserable Sheah : he 
 must not forget himself, however indulgent zee 
 may be. 1 ' 
 
 It was after I had been more than four years an 
 inmate and servant in the tent of Omer Khan, 
 that I experienced a check of this description, 
 more painful to my feelings than any thing that 
 had occurred since the commencement of my 
 captivity. In the family of Omer Khan there had 
 once been a Persian captive, taken in a plundering 
 expedition that had extended almost to the gates 
 of Nishapour.* She was of the tribe of Beiaut, 
 young and beautiful, and had fallen to the lot of 
 
 ■ A celebrated city of Khorasan, near which are the finest, if 
 not the only Toorquoise mines in the world.
 
 70 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Omer Khan, who immediately placed her in his 
 harem, and became so fond of her that he raised 
 her to the rank of one of his wives. In due 
 time she presented him with a daughter, lovely as 
 a child of the Peris ; but she died soon after 
 giving it birth. The child was taken in charge 
 by the Khan's principal wife, the mother of Selim 
 Beg, who perhaps was not sorry to be rid of such 
 a rival in her husband's affections ; and it became 
 a great favourite with its adopted mother as well 
 as its father. It grew apace, and surpassed in 
 beauty, as well as in sweetness of disposition, all 
 the children of the aoul. 
 
 This little girl was about three years younger 
 than myself, and for some time she attracted my 
 attention no more than any of the other children 
 in the family. It happened, however, about two 
 years after my arrival, that several of the children 
 of the aoul, among whom was the little Shireen, 
 were running and playing about, upon the green 
 banks of the little stream, close to the lake. They 
 rolled and tumbled, and pushed each other into 
 the water, or splashed it in one another's faces, as 
 the fancy seized them ; when an awkward, turbu- 
 lent boy, observing that the little girl kept timidly 
 aloof from the roughest of the sport, came sudden- 
 ly behind her, and pushed her so rudely that she 
 fell into a deep part of the water, where, confused 
 with the shock, she floundered about unable to get
 
 A KUZZJLBASH. 71 
 
 out. The rest stood apart laughing or amazed, 
 so that the poor little creature might have been 
 drowned outright, had it not happened that I was 
 passing toward the tents, and startled by the noise 
 came running to see what was the matter. I in- 
 stantly plunged in, and seizing hold of the poor 
 sufferer carried her to the bank ; nor did I quit 
 her, till, soothed and recovered from her terror, I 
 led her carefully to her father's tent. This cir- 
 cumstance created an interest for the child in my 
 mind which I had never felt before, and which 
 was fostered and increased by the lively gratitude 
 she evinced towards me ever afterward. In all 
 her little griefs and vexations she would fly to me 
 for sympathy and relief; her manner to me was 
 full of affection and confidence, nor did I fail of 
 returning to her the kindness which she bestowed 
 upon me. 
 
 The fondness which I felt for Shireen was by 
 no means lessened, as I beheld her increase in 
 years and stature, and as the charms of childhood 
 began to mature, giving promise of the perfect 
 beauty to be expected from the full-grown woman. 
 Yet I had never thought of her but as a sister, 
 as a child of the family which had adopted and 
 brought me up ; and all my conversation and con- 
 duct towards her were directed by that feeling. 
 Perhaps, indeed, the unrestrained freedom of in- 
 tercourse which had grown up between all the
 
 72 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 members of the family and myself, led me too 
 much to forget my true condition, and laid the 
 foundation of future humiliation. 
 
 One day, when many of the children of the 
 camp had met in the cool of the evening to enjoy 
 their little sports, and we had all engaged in a 
 game which represented the attack of a chappow 
 upon an enemy's village, I conceived that Shi- 
 reen, who performed the part of a captive, was 
 too familiarly and roughly handled by a lad about 
 my own age and size, the son of a petty chief 
 of the same tribe ; and my displeasure was aug- 
 mented by the idea that Shireen herself did not 
 by any means repel, as I thought she should have 
 done, his odious familiarities. After repressing 
 my impatience for some time with great difficulty, 
 it at last broke forth rudely enough : I seized the 
 lad, and threw him violently to some distance, 
 while, taking Shireen by the hand, I attempted to 
 lead her from the place. But she, resenting my in- 
 terference, and perhaps vexed at the game being 
 broken up, with more anger than I thought she could 
 have assumed, broke from me ; and bursting into 
 tears, demanded what I meant by thus insult- 
 ing her. " Insulting you, Shireen !" exclaimed 
 I, confounded ; " I was only protecting you, as is 
 my duty, from the insults of that ruffian yonder, 
 whose impertinence I wonder you can bear." 
 " And who gave you a right to wonder at or
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 
 
 73 
 
 judge of my conduct?" cried the little girl, her 
 eyes glittering with anger through the tears that 
 stood in them ; " how came you, you Kuzzilbash 
 slave, to interfere with me, or presume to tell me 
 who I am or who I am not to play with ?" By 
 this time the youth, who had recovered himself, 
 came up and joined in the clamour, without daring 
 to strike me, for he had already felt the force of 
 my arm. He poured out the grossest abuse upon 
 me ; called me slave, unbeliever, dog, a scoundrel 
 who should be impaled alive, for my insolence in 
 presuming to lay hands on the son of a Toorkoman 
 chief. He ended by bidding me know my proper 
 station and go about my business, nor dare to min- 
 gle with such as they, nor meddle again with what 
 I had nothing to do with, or it should cost me dear. 
 
 Thunderstruck at the anger of Shireen, unjust 
 as I thought it, and stunned by the torrent of 
 abusive epithets, which placed my unfortunate 
 situation so bitterly before me, I could not utter 
 a word in reply; but turning a look of deep re- 
 proach upon her who had so long been my affec- 
 tionate companion, I left the place, and Hurried 
 to our tent ; where, casting myself on the ground 
 in a corner, I gave loose to the tears that could 
 no longer be repressed, and wept bitterly. 
 
 The next morning I found that my conduct 
 had been canvassed by several members of the 
 family, to whom the childish quarrel of the pre- 
 
 voi.. I. E
 
 74 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 vious evening had been related ; and that the 
 Khan's wife, who, though kind and good to me in 
 general, was fond of keeping every one in their 
 own place, had blamed me severely, and conclud- 
 ed that the reproaches of Shireen and her young 
 companion were just. My friend and master, 
 Selim Beg, on the contrary, true to his affectionate 
 bias in my favour, loudly advocated my cause, 
 accused them both of ungenerous petulance, and 
 declared that they both deserved to be severely 
 punished for it. 
 
 It appeared too, that the little Shireen herself, 
 after her burst of vexation at being so familiarly 
 and even rudely treated by a slave, in the midst of 
 her companions, had subsided, had sorely repented 
 of her unreasonable anger, and was ready to break 
 her heart on recollecting the pain she had given to 
 one whom she loved as a friend. Nor was her dis- 
 tress lessened on seeing me the next day, with 
 swollen and downcast eyes, turn from all inter- 
 course with the family, avoiding her in particular, 
 and betaking me silently to the duties which I 
 usually had to perform. She did not venture to 
 address me, but viewed me with side-long looks 
 and brimful eyes, earnestly watching for an op- 
 portunity of reconciliation. But my feelings had 
 been too severely wounded, and my heart was 
 too proud to yield at once to these pacific over- 
 tures. " The slave, 11 thought I, " now knows his
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 75 
 
 distance, and shall keep it; he requires no more 
 such checks to his presumption, as he met with 
 yesterday ;" and I turned indignantly away. 
 
 These high-wrought feelings continued for many 
 days, in spite of the soothings and solicitations of 
 the kind Selim Beg, who, by every generous at- 
 tention, sought to calm my wounded spirit, to 
 reconcile me to my condition, and bring me back 
 to the social terms on which I had formerly lived 
 with the whole family. His well-meant efforts 
 were not in vain : youth easily accommodates it- 
 self to circumstances, and rises buoyant over the 
 misfortunes that threaten to overwhelm it. By 
 degrees my natural gaiety returned ; I resumed 
 the routine of exercises and amusements, as well 
 as duties ; I met the individuals of the family, 
 and even those who had witnessed the affront I 
 had received, without shrinking or blushing with 
 shame ; and need I say that the silent but earnest 
 efforts of the gentle Shireen to effect a reconcilia- 
 tion were no longer repulsed. 
 
 One day, in the course of her little domestic du- 
 ties, she was attempting to lift and carry a load 
 beyond her strength ; I was passing by, and 
 paused a moment to look upon her: it was the 
 first time I had ventured to do so since our 
 quarrel, and, doubtless, my face expressed less 
 harshness than before; for Shireen, looking timidly 
 at me, and then casting her eyes on the ground, 
 
 e 2
 
 76 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 said, almost in a whisper, " There was once a time 
 when Ismael would not have stood idly by while 
 Shireen was in distress.'" I could resist no far- 
 ther : " Let me try, Shireen, and I will carry your 
 burthen for you ;" and taking it up I walked 
 away with it. She followed me, and when I had 
 deposited it where it was required, I turned to her, 
 and saw her eyes full of tears. " Shireen !" said I, 
 " have you forgiven the offence committed against 
 you by a wretched slave ?" She could contain no 
 longer. "Oh, Ismael !" cried she, running and 
 throwing her arms around me and sobbing violent- 
 ly, "miserable wretch that I am, how could I be 
 so wicked, so ungrateful ! What could tempt me to 
 distress and injure my faithful companion, my best 
 friend ? But, indeed, I never, never can do so 
 again: — forgive me, dearest Ismael; forgive your 
 little Shireen !" Who could have resisted such 
 an appeal ? — certainly not a boy like me ; I return- 
 ed her caresses, wiped her eyes, and swore to be 
 ever her guardian and protector, the most faith- 
 ful and attached of her slaves. 
 
 From this time an affection of the strongest 
 and tenderest nature grew up and increased in 
 my heart for Shireen: — she became the object 
 of my fondest and most anxious solicitude ; I 
 watched over her steps, her wants, her health, as 
 a mother does over those of her child, and could 
 scarcely bear her to be out of my sight. Nor did
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 77 
 
 *his affection continue lonjj without return : — 
 Shireen, eager to make amends for her fault, 
 took every opportunity of giving me proofs of 
 her gratitude, believing that the emotion she felt 
 proceeded from that source alone. Yet, young 
 as she was, female delicacy, in the course of time, 
 taught her to restrain her feelings ; and her af- 
 fection was rather to be detected in kind looks 
 and silent attentions, than manifested in any more 
 palpable shape. 
 
 Children almost as we still were in years, it 
 may seem absurd to translate our early feelings 
 into the language of passion ; but I rather relate 
 the impressions which those days have left, than 
 the feelings themselves as they were developed at 
 the time. It was doubtless the tenderness of our 
 years that rendered the parents of Shireen indif- 
 ferent to all that was going on ; — the singular at- 
 tachment of the little girl to the young Kuzzil- 
 bash slave, and his devoted attention to her, were 
 remarked, it is true, by all ; but they no more 
 entertained suspicion of improper consequences, 
 than they would have suspected that slave of 
 hatching a plot to destroy the whole tribe. 
 
 It may possibly appear strange and improbable 
 to many of my countrymen, that a slave, even 
 favoured as I was, could enjoy such uninter- 
 rupted opportunities of intercourse with a daugh- 
 ter of the family, or that the children of different
 
 78 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 sexes, at ages so far advanced, should be per- 
 mitted to be so constantly together. But it must 
 be remembered, that the strict seclusion in which 
 other nations professing Islamism hold their fe- 
 males, in obedience to the injunctions of the 
 Prophet — (to whose name be praise !) — is by no 
 means practised among the Toorkomans, or in- 
 deed among the wandering tribes of any country. 
 On the contrary, their women employ themselves 
 constantly in the domestic duties of the family, 
 which lead them, both out of doors and within, 
 to mingle with the men ; and this without wear- 
 ing any sort of veil, unless it be a small piece of 
 silk, which sometimes is hung before the mouth 
 and chin. Indeed, moving about, as they con- 
 stantly do, exposed to all the inclemency of sea- 
 sons and all the inconvenience of an unsettled 
 habitation, it would be impossible for them to ob- 
 serve the scrupulous delicacy which separates the 
 sexes in fixed communities ; nay, they go quite 
 into the other extreme, and rival in their habits 
 all that is told us of the freedom permitted to 
 their women by the Franks of the West.
 
 A KOZZILBASH. TO 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 the ch Arrow. 
 
 Years rolled on. Hyder Beg, the chief of 
 our aoul, had fallen in a plundering expedition 
 against a village near Khabooshan, and Omer 
 Khan was recognized as the person of greatest im- 
 portance remaining ; for the Toorkomans possess 
 too restless a spirit of independence to place 
 themselves nominally under the control of any 
 particular chief. Each head of a family, in pro- 
 portion as he acquires riches by his courage and 
 wisdom, becomes a chief of more or less conse- 
 quence, without any direct assertion of his autho- 
 rity ; on the contrary, such an attempt would be 
 apt to prove the ruin of his hopes. 
 
 Omer Khan was rich, his family was large, 
 and his courage and address in leading the tribe 
 on plundering parties was so remarkable, that, 
 without possessing any great superiority of intel- 
 lect, his influence in the aoul became extensive
 
 80 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 The high promise of his son Selim Beg, now fast 
 growing into manhood, had a powerful effect 
 in his father's favour; for the tribe saw in him a 
 leader likely to surpass the father in talents and 
 prowess. Already had he, at his earnest entreaty, 
 been permitted to accompany a small party on an 
 expedition of some peril ; and the readiness with 
 which he bore all privations and fatigue, the high 
 spirit of enterprize, and the sagacity he had evinc- 
 ed in suggesting and assisting in the execution of 
 plans for the success of the adventure, had sur- 
 prised the best and oldest warriors of the party. 
 
 There was, in truth, at this time sufficient 
 scope for enterprizes of such a nature. The king- 
 dom of Persia was distracted by the troubles con- 
 sequent upon the Affghan conquest. Ashruff, 
 their leader and prince, held sway over almost the 
 whole southern provinces. Malek Mahmood Seis- 
 tance had erected the standard of rebellion in 
 Mushed, and overawed a great part of Khorasan ; 
 while Shah Tahmaseb, the last nominal monarch 
 of the Suffavean dynasty, was still acknowledged 
 in Mazunderan, Astrabad, and some few other 
 places. 
 
 While Ashruff found it difficult enough to main- 
 tain himself in the south, and Malek Mahmood 
 was struggling hard with his opponents around 
 Mushed, the northern and border districts of 
 Khorasan, torn to pieces by the jarring interests
 
 A KUZZILBASII. 81 
 
 of a multitude of petty chiefs, all striving for inde- 
 pendence, lay open to the inroads of the Oozbecks 
 of Bockhara and Kyvah, who, with the Toorko- 
 rnans of the Desert, ravaged all the borders, and 
 threatened Mushed itself. The Tekeh tribe were 
 not slow to take advantage of this state of things, 
 and, either in company with its protectors of 
 Kyvah, or alone, upon its own account, was con- 
 tinually on the alert, carrying terror and desolation 
 even to the gates of Nishapore and Subzawar.* 
 
 Though sufficiently desirous of permission to 
 make a display of my prowess, I was thought too 
 young to accompany my master, Selim Beg ; but 
 Onier Khan, who was pleased with the spirit I 
 displayed, promised that when I should have com- 
 pleted my sixteenth year, I should be permitted 
 to accompany the party, and make my first essay 
 in arms. To this period, accordingly, I looked 
 forward with inexpressible impatience. I could 
 not, it is true, forget that I was a Persian, a na- 
 tive of the very country against which we were to 
 carry arms; but I had now almost become a 
 Tekeh in feeling ; the terms on which I had lived 
 with my protectors had been such as to transfer 
 to them a great part of my filial sentiments, and I 
 burned to approve myself worthy of their regard. 
 Besides, this was the only way in which I could 
 acquire such distinction as might wipe out the 
 • Citiea of importance in K'lorasaa. 
 E 6
 
 82 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 unhappy stain attached to the situation in which I 
 was placed. It never failed to recur to me with a 
 pang, that I was a slave ; — but then slaves, by 
 dint of their abilities and courage, often rose to 
 the highest stations, and I was bold enough to 
 think myself not deficient in these qualities — why, 
 then, might not I also succeed ? Ambition began 
 to stir in my heart, and I felt the desire of moving 
 in a higher sphere than that which our little camp 
 could afford. 
 
 Whatever scruples I might have entertained 
 regarding the field in which I was likely to begin 
 my military career, they were removed at the 
 time when my period of probation was about to 
 expire, by a hostile call in another quarter. 
 
 A feud of long standing between our tribe and 
 that of the Eersanees, tributaries to the Oozbecks 
 of Bockhara, broke out afresh, and with a vio- 
 lence that foreboded a fierce and bloody war. 
 This feud, which had originated in and been 
 kept up by a series of murders, robberies, and re- 
 prisals on both sides, had for some years sunk 
 into a surly neutrality, which had in a great mea- 
 sure thrown each party off its guard. 
 
 About this time a small camp of Tekehs, 
 among whom were several families intimately con- 
 nected with our aoul, in ranging through the 
 Desert to change their pastures, and near the con- 
 fines of their usual bounds, fell in with a partv of
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 8-3 
 
 Eersanees returning from an unsuccessful chap- 
 pow. Tiie provocation, if there was any, re- 
 mained unknown : perhaps a few taunts might 
 have exasperated the unsuccessful marauders; 
 perhaps they were rendered more than ordinarily 
 savage by their disappointment : however that 
 might be, they set upon the Tekehs, who con- 
 sisted mostly of women and children, incumbered 
 with cattle and baggage, and by no means pre- 
 pared for such an assault. The few men defended 
 themselves as well as they could, but fell one by 
 one, rather than submit to the fate they foresaw 
 for the survivors. The women and children were 
 bound as captives on the cattle, and hurried off 
 with unsparing rapidity to the most distant haunts 
 of the tribe, where they were distributed as 
 slaves, never to be released or heard of by their 
 friends. 
 
 When the news of this disaster reached our 
 camp, it filled every one with horror and with 
 rage. The ferment was dreadful ; vows of ven- 
 geance were succeeded by the most energetic pre- 
 parations. The elders met in council, while the 
 rest got in readiness for the expedition, which 
 they could not doubt would be decided on ; for the 
 feelings of hatred and rage were too deep and 
 universal to leave any chance of moderate, far less 
 of pacific councils. Orders were immediately is- 
 sued for every man able to carry arms to prepare
 
 84 
 
 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 for marching ; expresses bearing a like import 
 were dispatched to all the camps in the neigh- 
 bourhood ; and within six hours after the arrival 
 of the intelligence, three hundred men, well 
 mounted and armed, with provisions sufficient for 
 eight days, awaited but the signal to leave the 
 camp. 
 
 I was one of that number ; necessity came in 
 aid of my urgent petition, and I was permitted to 
 attend my young friend and master, Selim Beg, 
 upon this my first campaign. 
 
 While busily hurrying about, collecting the few 
 necessaries which, besides his arms, a Toorkoman 
 carries to the field, I almost ran against my dear 
 Shireen, who, hearing the bustle, and learning its 
 cause, had thrown herself in the way to meet me. 
 Her cheek was pale, and her eyes swam in tears. 
 " Ah," said she, " Ismael, and so you are going 
 with my brother Selim on this chappow ?" — 
 " Yes, Shireen, this day your slave commences 
 his career as a soldier, and, Insh-allah !* it shall 
 also be the first step to honours and freedom. 
 You shall have a freeman, and a Beg or a Khan, 
 Shireen, for your servant, instead of the poor 
 captive Ismael." — '* Ah, Ismael, see that in seek- 
 ing these honours you do not lose your life ; — 
 what can you, a mere boy, inexperienced in arms, 
 
 * Insh-allah ! — " Please God !" — an expression in constant and 
 universal use in Persia.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 85 
 
 expect to do against these fierce Eersanees, that 
 have slaughtered so many of our friends ! Oh, 
 how I wish you were returned from this vile 
 business ! But what if you were ; you would 
 only return to set out on some other hateful 
 chappow, till at last you get killed like my poor 
 cousin Hassan. Why, why, cannot we still be 
 children — still play together by the dear Chush- 
 mah Jemallee ? Alas, these days never, never 
 can return !" — " Nay," replied I, " Shireen, do 
 not thus forbode evil : — you know that the old 
 astrologer, Oong Beg, has predicted great success 
 with little loss,— be of good cheer, then ; I shall 
 return, Insh-allah, and bring you a little Eersanee 
 for a slave." A loud shout, intimating the arrival 
 of fresh horsemen, forced me to break off. I 
 offered to salute Shireen, but she, bursting into a 
 passion of tears, threw her arms around me and 
 sobbed upon my breast. At any other time the 
 sight would, perhaps, have overthrown my reso- 
 tion, but I was too highly excited at the moment 
 to think of any thing but glory, and plunder, and 
 slaughter. So I carried Shireen into the tent, 
 kissed and pressed her to my heart, gently dis- 
 engaged myself from her arms, and hurried to the 
 place of rendezvous. 
 
 Here all was eagerness and bustle. The men 
 were buckling on the harness of their steeds, 
 which were neighing, kicking, and pawing the 

 
 86 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 ground with impatience. One was still busy fit- 
 ting a spear-head to its shaft ; another cramming 
 an extra number of arrows into his quiver; some 
 were binding up the scanty supply of barley- 
 cakes, and grape-treacle,* or dried cheese, that 
 was to support themselves and their horses upon 
 the march; others putting on such pieces of mail 
 as they possessed, or adapting their dress to the 
 purposes of active exertion and sufficient de- 
 fence from cold. But the greater number, already 
 equipped, stood by their steeds, or were seated 
 in the saddle, cursing the tediousness of those 
 whose incomplete preparations still detained them. 
 
 Around and among the troops, the women 
 moved hurriedly about, dealing out the necessaries 
 of accoutrements or provision to their husbands, 
 their sons, or their brothers. Most of the fe- 
 males, well-accustomed to such occasions, per- 
 formed these offices quietly, as matters of course. 
 But there were others, whose pale faces and un- 
 certain steps betrayed their terror and anxiety, 
 and proclaimed that they were agitated by newly 
 awakened interests of the tenderest nature for 
 some among the band. 
 
 At length the whole, mounted and arrayed, 
 awaited but the signal for moving. Many a gal- 
 
 * The juice of grapes, boiled to a thick jelly, forms a very 
 common article of food on all warlike expeditions, as it contains 
 much nourishment in small bulk.
 
 A KUZ2ILBASH. 87 
 
 lant army have I seen since then, and I have 
 fought in many a desperate field, brightened with 
 victory or saddened by defeat; but though these 
 may fade from my memory or leave but confused 
 recollections behind, I never can forget this day, 
 when the career of military adventure was first 
 opened to my view, bringing along with it the 
 hope of freedom, and honour, and rapid advance- 
 ment. As 1 vaulted on the gallant horse which 
 my patron had provided for me, I felt as if the 
 whole Desert around was too confined for my 
 course, and it required all my powers of forbear- 
 ance to control the exuberance of my spirits, 
 and withhold me from giving spurs to my steed 
 and bounding headlong onward. The wise may 
 *mile at my boyish extravagance, but they will 
 forgive it : I was but sixteen, and felt myself 
 enrolled among men for the first time, armed and 
 mounted for manly duty. 
 
 Our cavalcade, after all, though it dazzled my 
 unpractised eyes, would have made but a poor 
 appearance compared with that of regularly orga- 
 nized troops. A few of the best and wealthiest 
 of our men were indeed clothed in shirts of mail, 
 composed of steel and brass links interwoven to- 
 gether; with a steel cap, fitting close to the head, 
 from which hung down flaps of the same linked 
 mail, intended to defend the neck and shoulders. 
 Some, instead of the linked mail, wore four plates
 
 88 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 of steel, embossed with various ornaments, and 
 laced on the back, breast, and sides; thus serv- 
 ing to defend the greater part of the body. And 
 those who could boast of a complete suit, added 
 armlets of steel, ending in flexible gloves of steel 
 scales lined with thick quilting. These were ac- 
 counted as the champions of our troop, who, like 
 a forlorn hope, were bound to take the post of 
 danger on all occasions : but few, on the whole, 
 were thus defended. Some wore gowns thickly 
 quilted with silk and cotton, which formed a suf- 
 ficient defence against the blow of a sword. But 
 the greater part had no defensive armour except 
 the talismans, which almost every one wore in 
 profusion, bound round his arms or hung about 
 his neck ; all of which had been procured from 
 such dervishes or great astrologers as chance had 
 thrown in their way while travelling through the 
 Desert. Such are deemed of infinite use by many ; 
 — for my own part, I neither affirm nor deny their 
 value, although I have more than once seen 
 poor fellows, trusting to the efficacy of their ta- 
 lismans, have their heads cloven by the sabre of 
 an Affghaun, or dashed to pieces by the ball of 
 a Turkish cannon. But then, no doubt it was 
 their fate, and who can contend against fate ? 
 
 Our offensive arms consisted principally of the 
 spear, a sharp three or four cornered head of steel, 
 fastened on a slender but tough and flexible shaft,
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 89 
 
 from eight to ten feet long, in the use of which the 
 Toorkomans are very expert ; and when, dropping 
 the reins, they leave their well-trained steeds to be 
 regulated by their voice or the inclination of the 
 body, and grasp the spear in both hands, shifting 
 it with the rapidity of lightning from one side to 
 the other, it is difficult either to avoid or withstand 
 their shock. Every man also bore a bow, made of 
 the horns of an animal and braced with its sinews, 
 very strong and elastic : — all were trained to dis- 
 charge their arrows with unerring aim from horse- 
 back ; and such was the force with which they 
 were delivered, that few coats of mail could with- 
 stand them when shot from a moderate distance. 
 Besides these, most of the party carried scymetars 
 of the fabric of Herat or Mushed, some of high 
 value, which, in the hand of a powerful man, could 
 sever a buffalo's head from its body at a blow, 
 and have been known to cut an ass in two, with so 
 little apparent effort, that the animal would remain 
 for some time standing as it was when it received 
 the stroke.* Some of our men hung an iron mace, 
 or a staff heavily loaded with iron, at their saddle 
 bow, and all wore the khunjur, or common dagger, 
 at their waists. 
 
 Such was the general description of our array; — 
 
 * The feat of cutting an ass in two at a blow, is said even now 
 to be sometimes performed in Persia — the rest of the story 
 javours of the Persian turn for the marvellous.
 
 90 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 but though a captain of Nadir's well-trained Kuz- 
 zilbashes might have smiled at the appearance 
 and accoutrements of our party, he would have 
 been struck with admiration at the manner in which 
 they were mounted. Full two thirds of the whole 
 sat on horses of sixteen hands high, whose large 
 bone, clean limbs, and muscular frames proclaimed 
 their strength and activity, as the hardness of their 
 somewhat scanty flesh, the sleekness and gloss of 
 their coats, the brightness and fire of their eyes, 
 and the quick quivering motion of their ears when 
 they tossed their heads aloft and pawed the ground 
 with their feet, declared the excellence of their 
 condition and high spirit. There was not one of 
 these horses but would have performed a journey 
 of five hundred miles in five days,* and each was 
 trained after the Toorkoman fashion, to fight for 
 his master, and seize his enemy with his teeth. 
 The remaining horses were stout Yaboos,*f- or gal- 
 loways, of fourteen hands high, less beautiful, and 
 less swift than the larger and high-bred horses, 
 but perfect in the essentials of strength, and 
 powers of endurance. 
 
 * This may seem an extravagant and improbable assertion, but 
 it is borne out by authentic accounts of the extraordinary marches 
 which even in these times are performed by the Toorkoman and 
 Persian horses. 
 
 t The name given in Persia to pack-horses, or ponies, of 
 almost every size, which do not rank under the more dignified 
 title of "Asp," i. e. Horse.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 
 
 91 
 
 Such was the party that now, with eyes spark- 
 ling impatiently from under their huge fur caps, 
 waited but the signal for marching. But this im- 
 portant step depended on the decision of Oong 
 Beg the astrologer, who, assisted by one or two 
 other professors of the same valuable science, with 
 astrolabe in hand, was busy ascertaining the height 
 of the sun, and the position of the heavenly bodies, 
 in order to declare the lucky moment for departure. 
 It arrived at last: and the old man, raising his voice, 
 announced the auspicious conjunction. — Omer 
 Khan instantly galloped to the head of the troop, 
 followed by his son, and several of his chosen at- 
 tendants, of whom I was one ; and uttering aloud 
 shout, away we rode, each caracolling and bound- 
 ing in the fulness of his spirits, as his horse chose 
 to carry him. This irregular movement, however, 
 was soon exchanged for a steadier and graver 
 pace ; — the horses seemed to be aware that they 
 had serious work to perform, and the whole party 
 soon fell into the usual quick walk, or rather pace, 
 at which the Toorkomans travel on such expedi- 
 tions, and which carries them on about five miles 
 an hour. As we passed by other camps on the 
 river side, we were joined by fresh parties, and 
 before ni^ht closed in, our force amounted to full 
 five hundred men. 
 
 At the hour of evening prayer, a halt was 
 called, during which, after performing our devo-
 
 92 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 tions, we administered a very sparing feed to our 
 horses, eating still more moderately ourselves ; and 
 after two hours' rest, we again mounted and pur- 
 sued our march. We now quitted the course of 
 the river, and struck into the Desert more to the 
 eastward : — it was important to avoid all observa- 
 tion, and particularly so to keep clear of Merve 
 and the tribes encamped around it, from whence 
 the alarm, if once taken, might soon be communi- 
 cated to our intended victims, and our own retreat 
 very probably cut off. In this manner, we tra- 
 velled all night, keeping our course chiefly by the 
 stars, and by certain land-marks, only known to 
 the more experienced of our troops. 
 
 In the morning we halted a^ain ; said our 
 prayers, fed our horses, and refreshed ourselves at 
 some w r ells discovered by our guides, but which, 
 being partly filled up with rubbish, would have 
 escaped our notice without their aid. After the 
 usual short rest, we resumed our march through 
 a country consisting principally of sand-hills, in- 
 terspersed with hard, sun-dried, clayey plains, or 
 low flats covered with saline efflorescence. No ve- 
 getation was to be seen, and it was with difficulty 
 that a sufficient supply of bitter brackish water 
 could be procured, to enable our horses and our- 
 selves to pursue our journey. 
 
 We continued our course, tending rather more 
 to the southward, for another night and day, by
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 9# 
 
 which time it was judged that we were not far 
 from the object of our expedition. We had left 
 Merve and its river far on the right, and had ap- 
 proached that part of the Desert bordering on the 
 district of Andkooee,* near which lay the haunts 
 of the tribe that had injured us. This night we 
 did not venture to advance far ; but, detaching 
 some small scouting parties for information, we 
 placed sentinels around, and lay down to sleep 
 until the dawn of day. 
 
 Morning had not broken long ere our scouts 
 returned, and reported, that though we were still 
 too far from the aoul which was our object, to 
 discover any traces of its inhabitants, they had 
 nevertheless ascertained our exact position, and 
 reckoned upon the next night for completing our 
 enterprize. We now once more advanced : — the 
 greatest caution was adopted to conceal our ap- 
 proach from the devoted victims of our revenue : 
 one or two horsemen were sent in advance, and 
 others thrown out on each flank, to give the earliest 
 notice of any symptom of habitations. 
 
 At length one of the advanced guard came 
 
 • Andkooee is a town situated in a district of the same name, 
 belonging to the province of Balkh, the ancient Bactria. It is 
 about sixty or seventy miles distant from the ancient and ruined 
 city of Balkh, and the same from the banks of the Oxus ; it 
 contains 1500 or 2000 houses, is surrounded by many camps of 
 Toorkomans and other wandering tribes, and is situated on 
 the borders of the Desert.
 
 94 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 galloping back at speed, upon which we all halted. 
 He told us that a smoke had been observed at a 
 distance, which was believed to proceed from the 
 Eersanee camp, and that traces of cattle could be 
 seen in the sand. We were now travelling in a 
 sandy track, varied with undulating hills of the 
 same nature. They rose rather higher upon the 
 left; and one of our guides assured us that just 
 beyond them we should find a chain of low moist 
 spots, where water might be procured, and grass 
 also, if it had not already been eaten bare off the 
 ground by the cattle of our enemies. Our scouts 
 pressed forward to ascertain that this desirable 
 place of ambush was unoccupied ; and the ex- 
 pected signal being soon made, we all filed to the 
 left, down a slight descent, and found ourselves 
 suddenly in a spot which, contrasted with the 
 scorched-up barrenness through which we had 
 marched, might have been termed fertile and 
 beautiful. The hills rising around, formed a 
 natural hollow or inclosure, of a mile and a half 
 long by half that extent in width ; an emerald tint 
 covered the whole of this space, except in the 
 centre, where there was a muddy pond, at times 
 evidently filled with water, though now dry, and 
 in which holes had been dug to procure that 
 indispensable necessary of life. That this spot 
 had been lately occupied, was evident from the 
 traces of cattle every where visible, and it was
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 95 
 
 equally manifest that it had been abandoned in 
 consequence of the pasture being quite exhausted. 
 It was, nevertheless, a most desirable spot for our 
 halt ; and our half-famished horses made a shift 
 still to crop a very comfortable regale, while their 
 riders, having posted sentinels on the heights, 
 threw themselves on the ground to take a short 
 rest.
 
 96 
 
 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE CHAPPOW, CONTINUED. 
 
 The sun had set, and the moon, fast completing 
 her second quarter, shone full upon us before the 
 word was given to mount and set forward. During 
 the daylight, every one had examined his arms ; 
 repaired the damages incident to a long march ; 
 and fitting his harness and accoutrements for im- 
 mediate use, had prepared himself, as well as cir- 
 cumstances would allow, for the chances of a 
 desperate struggle : and when we once more re- 
 sumed our march, every one knew that before we 
 could again seek repose, or dismount from our 
 steeds, the event of that struggle must be decided. 
 Except to myself, however, and perhaps to one or 
 two more raw hands, I do not believe that a reflec- 
 tion of the kind occurred ; the rest were all too 
 well inured to blood and danger, and too confident 
 of success from the excellent arrangement of their 
 measures, to think of any thing but victory and
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 97 
 
 revenge ; but we, who for the first time in our 
 lives were to measure our strength in earnest 
 against a powerful enemy, could not entirely re- 
 strain the yearnings which Nature in such circum- 
 stances experiences. 
 
 We marched in perfect silence. However dis- 
 orderly a body of Toorkomans may be on ordi- 
 nary occasions, a sense of common interest re- 
 strains the most turbulent on cnterprizes like the 
 present. Nothing was now to be heard but the 
 tread of the horses, and now and then a faint 
 clash of arms. Every man seemed now to hold 
 his breath, and grasped his quiver and his bow, 
 that their rattle might not betray them. At 
 length the faint bark of a dog was heard by the 
 horsemen in advance, and the whole party was 
 once more halted. The nig-ht was more than 
 half-spent, but the plan of our leaders was not 
 to attack the camp till the earliest dawn, that our 
 people might have the full advantage of their 
 enemies 1 surprise, without any risk of those mis- 
 takes which night attacks so often produce. The 
 principal camps were calculated to be still four 
 miles distant ; so we continued full two hours in 
 this anxious situation, without daring to advance 
 nearer, for fear of giving the alarm. 
 
 About three in the morning, we once more got 
 into motion : the moon was setting, and a deep 
 gloom fell around ; but the quick eyes of our 
 vol. r. F
 
 98 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 leaders could detect the first flush of the false 
 dawn* in the East. As we rode along, this ap- 
 pearance vanished ; but soon a broader light ex- 
 tended itself gradually from the horizon to the 
 zenith, and objects at a little distance became vi- 
 sible. Our band was now separated into two 
 divisions ; one of which filed off to the left, 
 while that with which I remained kept straight 
 onward. Presently dark lines of low objects 
 could be discerned, still at a considerable dis- 
 tance ; and we moved on in a direction that led 
 us between two of these lines. It soon appeared 
 that they were tents, and beyond them inclosures, 
 containing the cattle spread over a large space of 
 ground. 
 
 A deep bay, or a long howl, had occasionally 
 given us intimation that the huge dogs which 
 guard every tent as well as the cattle inclosures, 
 were on the alert, though not yet alarmed ; but now 
 one or two loud, sharp barks, followed by an uni- 
 versal yell from all quarters, told us that we were 
 discovered by these trusty guards. This was the 
 well-known, pre-concerted signal : " Forward ! for- 
 
 * " Subah Kauzib," the lying, or false dawn, is a phenome- 
 non common in these eastern countries ; consisting in a bright- 
 ness which appears from an hour to half an hour before the 
 true dawn commences. It may be some optical deception, de- 
 pending upon refraction of the sun's rays, even when he is consi- 
 derably below the visible horizon.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 99 
 
 ward ! M shouted Omer Khan, who was now at our 
 head ; " Bismillah ! Bismillah !"* 
 
 " Allah ! Allah ! Tekeh ! Tekeh P answered 
 every man, and dashed forward at full speed to- 
 wards the tents. Hardly was there time for the 
 alarm given by the dogs to be taken by the still 
 sleeping inhabitants, when our horsemen thundered 
 in among them. The first of the men, as they 
 rushed from their tents to see what was the 
 matter, ran upon our lances or swords ; and even 
 those who came from a greater distance, unarmed 
 and confounded, fell unresisting before their 
 ruthless murderers ! 
 
 Shrieks now rose on all sides : — men, women, 
 and children, finding no safety in their tents, were 
 seen rushing from them half naked, and attempt- 
 ing to fly; — the dogs, frightened at the uproar, 
 barked and bit at every thing; — the cattle, par- 
 taking of their terror, broke down their slender 
 inclosures, and scoured over the plain ; and the 
 tents, the slight fastenings of which were cut by 
 the horsemen, or burst by the flying cattle, were 
 overturned, and their contents scattered abroad. 
 Fires now burst forth in some, which, blazing 
 
 * Bismillah ! " In the name of God." An exclamation con- 
 stantly in the mouth of all Mahometans, wlio pronounce it on 
 all occasions, before commencing even the most common opera- 
 tions of life : it is prayer, invocation, and blessing. 
 
 F 2
 
 100 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 abroad, threw a wild red gleam over the scene of 
 tumult and carnage. 
 
 No opposition could be offered to us, for none 
 of our enemies could find arms or horses, nor 
 had they any rallying point to form upon. We 
 had but to slaughter, and mercilessly did we that 
 morning avenge our murdered friends : — men, 
 women, and children fell indiscriminately in the 
 grey dawn ; for all passed so rapidly, that before 
 the light was clear, the whole was nearly over. 
 
 But our task was not at an end. We had, it 
 is true, destroyed the principal division of the 
 camp, while our friends had been as successful 
 with another of nearly equal size ; but there were 
 several smaller aouls in the neighbourhood, and 
 it was soon discovered that the fugitives had gone 
 to join one of these, the inhabitants of which, 
 having taken the alarm, had armed themselves, 
 and were now advancing to ascertain and oppose 
 the force of their enemy. 
 
 Poor wretches ! the effort was worse than use- 
 less. Not a man of our party had fallen ; not a 
 scratch was received by us in the first encounter, 
 so that, intoxicated with carnage, and undimi- 
 nished in numbers, we swept on like a whirlwind 
 to meet them. But not a moment did they with- 
 stand the shock: their numbers were small; they 
 had not two hundred men, indifferently armed 
 and mounted ; and when they saw us, reeking with
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 101 
 
 the slaughter of their friends, come thundering 
 down upon them, they broke and fled : it then was 
 too late ; we overtook them in a moment, and many 
 were at once borne down and trodden under foot. 
 The remainder, however, seeing that nothing was 
 to be gained by flight, took courage from despair, 
 and boldly faced us. This was the first resist- 
 ance we had met with, and I soon found all my 
 skill called into action. 
 
 My friend and master, Selim Beg, was among the 
 foremost of his party in pursuit : he had charged 
 through the enemies' troop, and when they rallied 
 he found himself in advance of his own men, and 
 almost surrounded by five or six of the enemy. 
 In the whole affair I had kept my eye upon him, 
 pressing forward as close as possible to his side ; 
 and now we were together, opposed, as I have 
 mentioned, to some of the stoutest champions of 
 the enemy, rendered resolute by despair. At the 
 first charge, Selim's spear entered deeply into the 
 breast of his opponent's horse, which, rearing up- 
 right, caught the blow intended for its rider ; 
 unable to recover itself, it fell backwards upon 
 him ; but the spear was broken, and while thus 
 disarmed, the lance of another, at full speed, had 
 reached within a yard of Selim's body. I saw 
 the coming danger, and believed him lost, but 
 rushed with my drawn sword upon the fellow, 
 while, almost mad with alarm, I uttered a loud
 
 102 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 shout ; he started at the noise, and swerved from 
 his coarse — the spear but grazed the shoulder 
 of Selim, though the shock almost overthrew his 
 horse ; — but my sword descended on the neck of 
 the foe as he passed, and he rolled from his horse 
 upon the ground. I gazed at his huge body for 
 an instant, as he lay, and drew my long-held 
 breath ; but this ill-timed pause was nearly fatal. 
 I was recalled to myself by a blow, which, parried 
 by Selim's sword, whistled harmlessly past my 
 head, and we were instantly and closely engaged 
 with two others of the enemy, who came spurring 
 to support their fellow comrades. Others of our 
 people now joined us, just as Selim had succeeded 
 in cleaving his opponent's head ; while I, less for- 
 tunate, received a blow on the neck, which, though 
 the wound it inflicted was slight, almost tumbled 
 me from my horse ; and I might have fared ill 
 enough, had not my old friend Hamet, who, from 
 the first rencounter had kept me in view, spurred 
 up at the moment, and thrust his lance through 
 the man who dealt it. 
 
 I saw nothing more for some time ; but, indeed, 
 the whole was over — the flower of the enemy's 
 force had been destroyed, and the rest in flight 
 fell an easy prey, or escaped by the fleetness of 
 their horses and superior knowledge of the ground. 
 Our men now halted, and stragglers from the pur- 
 suit came in to the loud shouting of their com-
 
 A KUZZU.BASH. 103 
 
 rades. We returned to the scene of our first 
 attack, while a small force was sent to the infe- 
 rior camps to seize the women and children, and 
 brino; the most valuable of the moveables to the 
 place of rendezvous. 
 
 To one, like me, unaccustomed to carnage, it 
 was an appalling scene. In the intoxication of 
 youthful spirits, maddened by the shouting and 
 the din of arms, the atrocities that were committed 
 by the uncertain light of early morning, had, in a 
 great measure, escaped my notice; — in the eagerness 
 of doing I hardly looked at what was done : but 
 now, as we returned to the scene of horror, with 
 spirits satiated with carnage, and saw the victims 
 of our fury, cold, silent, stiffening in their blood, 
 with what different feelings did I view it ! Life- 
 less mothers were there, with their pale and 
 mangled children, who, in 'their vain attempt at 
 flight, had fallen under our unsparing swords. 
 Miserable old women, with their grey hair clotted 
 with blood, and young girls, lovely as the Houries 
 of Paradise, their bosoms gashed with wounds, lay 
 trampled on by the cattle, among burnt and over- 
 thrown tents, and all the melancholy wreck into 
 which the demoniacal work of a few minutes had 
 transformed a populous and well-ordered camp. 
 When these terrible effects of our prowess flashed 
 upon my inexperienced eyes, I became rooted to 
 the spot : however unmoved the hardy and valiant
 
 104 
 
 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 heroes of our band might be, I was overwhelmed 
 with sadness and horror. It recalled to my me- 
 mory most vividly and painfully a scene of my 
 childhood, which had begun to fade from it like 
 a dream of the night; the slaughter of my clan, 
 and the death of my mother, were again before my 
 eyes, and the visions of glory and promotion, after 
 which I had panted so ardently, became for the 
 time worthless and disgusting. 
 
 In this sad and bitter mood, while others spread 
 about in search of plunder, I wandered through 
 the ruined encampment, dwelling painfully on the 
 dead and dying, as they lay scattered on every 
 side ; when, passing by a heap of rubbish, con- 
 sisting, as it appeared, of broken reeds and half- 
 burnt scraps of the black felts which cover the 
 Toorkomans tents, my eye was caught by a 
 slight movement in one part of it. I went up, and 
 had scarcely touched it with my spear, when I was 
 startled by a scream from beneath the heap. It 
 was a poor little girl, who was endeavouring to 
 conceal herself among the ruins until the search 
 should be over. She screamed piteously, when I 
 pulled her from her hiding-place, nor for some 
 time could I bring her to do any thing but tremble 
 and shriek out " Araaun ! Amaun !* pity me un- 
 happy !" I was in no humour to barm her, but, 
 drawing her gently towards me, told her, that if 
 
 * " Mercy," or " quarter."
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 105 
 
 she would come along with me, no one should be 
 permitted to molest her ; for it soon occurred to 
 me that if the little creature could be preserved, 
 it would be just the present I had promised to 
 Shireen. " But you must take my mother too V 
 cried the poor child with great earnestness ; " you 
 must take care of her too — here she is, sorely 
 hurt, and she will not speak to me!" I followed 
 the poor thing to the heap of rubbish among 
 which lay her mother, — but she was already quite 
 dead. "When she comprehended that this was the 
 case, her grief and dismay knew no bounds : she 
 fell on the body shrieking with an anguish that 
 made my heart sore, and soon rendered her almost 
 insensible; of this state I took advantage to carry 
 her in my arms back to the place of rendezvous- 
 When I made my appearance thus loaded, I 
 was saluted from all quarters with loud jeers and 
 laughter. 
 
 " Oh, ho !" said one, " here, Master Ismael has 
 taken care of himself; he has taken an Eersanee 
 wife, at least." 
 
 " Ah, young blood, young blood," said another, 
 shaking his head, " this is the way with these 
 young fellows ; but he would have done more 
 wisely if he had secured her ornaments, without 
 the worthless carcase." 
 
 " Or, suppose he had caught hold of a few more 
 camels and cattle," said a third. 
 
 f 5
 
 106 ADVENTUltES OF 
 
 " Is she not rather young for you, Ismael ?" 
 asked a fourth ; — " but every one to his liking. 
 Now, I prefer this jade of a mare, which will help 
 me to carry my booty, to a worthless baggage, 
 whom I should have to carry myself. 1 " 
 
 At this moment, Selim, coming up, looked with 
 some surprise at my little burthen, and was also 
 about to make some remark, when I stopped him 
 by telling him what I had seen and done; adding, 
 that I intended to carry the girl back with me for 
 his sister Shireen. 
 
 " What are you dreaming of, man P" 1 said he ; 
 " how can that young creature ever accompany 
 you ? we shall have enough to do with the valua- 
 ble plunder we have got — we can't encumber our- 
 selves with such things as that." 
 
 " She shall be no encumbrance, I swear to 
 you,° cried I earnestly ; " I have no plunder, nor 
 do I want any. All I want is to keep my promise 
 to your sister, and she shall share my horse, and 
 give trouble to no one ; so do not, my dear Selim, 
 oppose me in this : rather aid me with your voice 
 against the clamour that I know will be raised." 
 
 " Foolish boy," cried Selim, " you do not know 
 what you are undertaking: the child will never 
 reach our camp, and you must, on her account, 
 give up all your share of booty, which might be 
 of so much use to you hereafter.'' 1 
 
 He was proceeding in his remonstrance, when
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 107 
 
 Omer Khan, whom I had not seen since the end of 
 the fight, came up, attracted by the earnestness of 
 our discourse. 
 
 " Barikillah ! Ismael," cried he, " you have 
 made a good job of your first campaign ; why, you 
 are a perfect Pehlewan, — a hero. Selim tells me 
 you saved him an ugly blow, I shall not forget 
 that ; — but what the plague have you got there ?" 
 added he, observing the little girl, who, stunned 
 and frightened at the bustle, clung round me, and 
 hid her face in the skirts of my gown : " what 
 young animal is this? — what do you mean to make 
 of her, eh ?" 
 
 I blushed, and hung my head, rather alarmed 
 at the view he seemed likely to take of my project, 
 when Selim, pitying my embarrassment, took up 
 the discourse, told my story, and added, that 
 my little captive was meant as a present for his 
 daughter. " A present for Shireen ! v echoed Omer 
 Khan, knitting his brows and bending his keen 
 eyes on me; "and what has Ismael to do with 
 Shireen, that he should think of exposing himself, 
 or plaguing us, to make her presents ?" In a 
 hesitating tone I now told the Khan of my pro- 
 mise to his daughter, but I did not think it neces- 
 sary to relate all the particulars of our parting 
 scene. He still looked suspiciously and with some 
 displeasure at me; but Selim, taking my part, 
 observed, "that there was nothing unnatural in my
 
 108 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 wish to make a present of my first-fruits in war 
 to one of my patron's family ;" and added, " that I 
 had promised my charge should give no trouble 
 to any one on the retreat : — and, indeed,"" added 
 he, " I do not think she will long plague even 
 him, for the poor little creature seems so nearly 
 dead already, that she will certainly be left in the 
 sands ere half our first march is over. 1 ' — " Well," 
 exclaimed Omer Khan, after some pause, " the 
 youth has behaved like a man to-day, he has 
 won his right to favour, and shall have it ; I wish 
 he had been wiser, however — but let him have his 
 fancy, only take care that it does not impede our 
 retreat : and remember," added he sternly, " I 
 will have no playing the fool in my family." With 
 this hint he turned away, leaving Selim and me 
 looking on each other with some confusion. 
 
 " My father," observed Selim, after a pause — 
 " my father is ruffled, but he is fond of you, and 
 you must not mind occasional asperities, which oc- 
 cur in the very best of tempers. It is only on 
 some particular subjects that he is apt to become 
 so much displeased ; and of all these, whatever is 
 connected with the management of his family, par- 
 ticularly the female part of it, is most apt to rouse 
 his feelings and alarm his suspicions." He paused, 
 but was about to resume his speech, when the 
 clamour of parties arriving with prisoners and 
 ca ttle. — female shrieks, with the curses of their
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 109 
 
 captors, and the loud shouting of the chiefs, who 
 endeavoured to maintain some degree of order, 
 broke off our discourse. We ran to our posts ; and 
 I, finding my friend Hamet already on duty, guard- 
 ing some plunder that belonged to the chief, easily 
 prevailed on him to take charge of my little cap- 
 tive, while I went to assist in preparing for our 
 retreat. 
 
 This step could not indeed have been long de- 
 layed without imminent danger. We knew that 
 several men of the plundered aouls had made 
 good their escape ; and though we had ascertained 
 that there was not within a considerable distance 
 any camp of sufficient force to afford the means of 
 pursuing us with effect, it was still obviously pru- 
 dent, with our tired horses, to lose no time in re- 
 gaining our own territories, before any force that 
 might be mustered could overtake us. Before the 
 sun was three hours high, the work of plunder as 
 well as that of death had been completed, and in 
 two hours more that plunder was bound upon the 
 cattle — chiefly horses and camels — which we deter- 
 mined to carry with us; the rest were slaughtered 
 or maimed. Our prisoners, consisting of about 
 two hundred women and girls, with only forty or 
 fifty men, were pinioned and set upon the spare 1 
 beasts, or mounted behind ourselves on the strongest 
 of our horses ; and the whole party, thus encum- 
 bered, quitted the scene of desolation, and turned
 
 110 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 their faces homeward. The preceding sun had 
 set on that unhappy camp and its dependent aouls, 
 in plenty, comfort, and peace, crowded with full 
 two thousand souls of every age and sex, rich in 
 cattle and in goods — the next day it shone upon a 
 heap of smoking ruins ; but there was no one to 
 weep over them, for the wolf, the jackal, and the 
 vulture, were feasting in the blood of its warriors, 
 and its few remaining daughters were led far away 
 into slavery. Such is Toorkoman war and Toor- 
 koman revenge !
 
 A KUZZILBASH. Ill 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE RETREAT. 
 
 Determined to keep my word, and to be inde- 
 pendent of all assistance, I contrived a sort of 
 cushion behind my saddle, upon which I seated 
 my little prize, with her arms about me ; and se- 
 cured her from accident by a shawl passed round 
 her body and mine. She continued for a long 
 time to cry bitterly; till at length she fell into a 
 sort of stupor, and became quiet. I encouraged 
 her as well as I could, and by soothing expres- 
 sions succeeded in inspiring her with rather more 
 confidence; although she could not be brought 
 to forget that she was in the hands of those 
 whom she had been taught to dread from her 
 earliest childhood, and who had on that day 
 destroyed all her family. But the poor child 
 soon became miserably tired; and I was glad, 
 when, after a most fatiguing march, which lasted 
 until about three hours after sunset, we halted at
 
 112 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 some wells in a low spot, where a few half-dried 
 herbs, along with some barley from the plundered 
 camp, afforded a scanty refreshment to our horses 
 and cattle. The exhausted state of these, as well 
 as of the prisoners and ourselves, required a few 
 hours'" repose, even at the hazard of a surprise ; 
 and, indeed, so fatigued was every one with that 
 day's work, that I believe the watch was but in- 
 differently kept ; but nothing disturbed our rest. 
 I wrapped, up my little charge with all the care 
 I could, and took her to sleep in my arms. 
 
 Next morning, before the sun was up, the more 
 prudent and active of our company summoned the 
 rest; and starting from profound sleep, we pro- 
 ceeded to load and march. Anxious for the com- 
 fort of my poor captive, I gave up the idea of 
 carrying her behind me all the way, and made 
 interest with Hamet to procure her a place, for 
 this day's march, on one of the lightest-loaded 
 camels; where, nestled in among a pile of felt and 
 carpet furniture, the little damsel sat more at her 
 ease than on the croup of my horse. But I took 
 care to keep out of my master's way as far as pos- 
 sible, for fear of awkward questions; even Selim 
 made no observation on the subject: and although, 
 from the dropping and disabling of animals, and 
 the necessity of assisting valuable captives, who 
 were unable to continue the march on foot, the
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 
 
 US 
 
 remaining cattle became still more heavily laden, 
 I continued this whole day free of my burthen. 
 
 In this manner we proceeded, though not with- 
 out alarm; for the rising of the dust on either hand 
 gave us reason more than once to dread that our 
 foes had overtaken us; and once, a small party of 
 horsemen certainly came in view upon our flank, 
 near enough to observe our strength, but no large 
 body made their appearance, nor did we experi- 
 ence an attack of any sort; although, Heaven 
 knows! we left traces enough, and dismal ones, 
 in our course to guide pursuers. 
 
 As we approached our own territories, our 
 chiefs, anxious for the preservation of the va- 
 luable booty and captives, instead of relaxing, 
 urged on the march more rapidly than at first ; 
 and such is the excellence and high condition of 
 the Toorkoman horses, that they bore this in- 
 creased fatigue without distress, and even ap- 
 peared to increase in spirits, as their instinct told 
 them that the termination of their toil approached. 
 The poor women and younger prisoners, indeed, 
 felt it severely, and a good many, unable to en- 
 dure it longer, were left to their fate. But it was 
 well for us that the foresight of our chiefs had 
 thus urged us forward. On the evening of the 
 fourth day, when we knew that our own camp 
 was almost in sight, some of the rearward horse-
 
 114 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 men came spurring up to tell that a cloud of dust 
 was seen rising behind us, which, from its extent, 
 betokened a large body of horsemen. These 
 tidings produced an immediate bustle in our host 
 — the weary cattle were goaded forward, the 
 bonds of the prisoners drawn tighter ; as many 
 as could free themselves of encumbrance got ready 
 for action, and fell into the rear ; but all pushed 
 forward at the most rapid pace in their power, 
 the strong and active pressing and pushing on 
 the slow or obstinate. Woe be to him or her 
 among the prisoners who failed or fell, for they 
 were mercilessly murdered, both to terrify the 
 rest into exertion, and that they might neither 
 escape, nor inform those in pursuit of our real 
 condition. Not a word was spoken, nor a sound 
 heard but the quick trampling of the horses'* feet, 
 and the loudly-uttered threats or abuse of those 
 who urged on the prisoners, or their faint cry 
 for mercy as the butt-end of a lance was applied 
 to quicken their motions. Many an eye was 
 turned anxiously to the rear, as the huge column 
 of dust rose yet higher and denser with the 
 wind, and proved too surely that our pursuers 
 gained upon us fast. 
 
 At last, as the wind veered to one side, those 
 farthest in the rear could mark the gleam of a 
 spear, or of a steel-cap, breaking through the 
 cloud ; and soon the dark forms of those who
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 115 
 
 bore them might be distinguished ; but at this 
 time, too, a cry of joy from the advance of our 
 column, which had just crowned a low ridge of 
 sand-hillocks, communicated the glad tidings, that 
 the first encampments of our tribe were in view. 
 A few of the foremost horsemen instantly darted 
 onward to give notice of our approach, and beat 
 up for assistance to repel the advancing foe. 
 
 By this time our enemies were within less than 
 a mile : they had learned from some of the disabled 
 people, left behind in our retreat, that we could 
 not be far before them, and had in consequence urged 
 their horses to the utmost of their strength to over- 
 take us before we should be able to arrive within 
 reach of aid, so that, though now within our view, 
 they were forced to advance at a more moderate 
 pace, in order to give the rear time to close up. 
 The shout in our column told them that they 
 were late ; nevertheless they closed with us, and 
 poured a flight of arrows upon our rear-guard, 
 which, in good order, and inspmted by the near- 
 ness of succour, returned the salute as they re- 
 treated ; and this desultory skirmishing continued 
 for a mile or two, without much effect on either 
 side. 
 
 And now fresh and more continued shouts from 
 the advance of our party, as they rode across the 
 last sandy ridge near our own sweet river, an- 
 nounced some new event ; and soon the joyful
 
 116 
 
 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 tidings spread, that a considerable troop of horse- 
 men were advancing from the nearest tents. Upon 
 this, our heroes, certain now of victory, where but 
 a moment before even safety was doubtful, first 
 halted to form a little, and then with loud shouts 
 rushed forward to charge the enemy, who were by 
 no means prepared for such an assault. They re- 
 ceived us, however, boldly, and for a few minutes 
 there was a fierce and close-handed struggle with 
 the spear and the sword ; but the news which had 
 given spirits to us, spread also to the enemy, car- 
 rying with it the chill of disappointment. They 
 did not wait for the appearance of their fresh op- 
 ponents, but hastily retreated upon their still ad- 
 vancing rear ; the whole thus fell into confusion, 
 which our men would readily have taken advan- 
 tage of, but their horses were almost worn out, 
 and the night was fast coming on ; so, after a last 
 charge, in which several of the enemy were cut 
 to pieces, we turned and rejoined the line of 
 march, leaving the fresh troops to pursue our vic- 
 tory if they thought fit. 
 
 These, however, consisted only of about one 
 hundred and fifty men and boys, mounted, on the 
 spur of the moment, to assist a detachment from 
 our camp, which had been sent to seek intelligence 
 of us ; and they were too weak to risk any thing 
 alone against the enemy ; so, leaving them to re- 
 treat as they best might, we all made our way to the
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 117 
 
 first large aoul, where we remained for the night, 
 vigilantly watching against any assault on the part 
 of our defeated pursuers. But from them we were 
 quite secure ; the scouts sent out for intelligence 
 reported, on their return, that they had certainly 
 retreated homeward : from some of the wounded, 
 they learned that the force had originally consisted 
 of about four hundred and fifty men, rapidly got 
 together from the neighbouring camps, to endea- 
 vour, if possible, to overtake us encumbered with 
 our plunder. Of these, more than sixty had been 
 disabled or killed in our skirmish and charge, or 
 had fallen behind on the route ; so that they were 
 now too weak to attempt any thing of importance 
 where the alarm had been so effectually given, and 
 they had consequently sought the speediest road 
 back to the neighbourhood of Andkooee, and the 
 banks of the River Amoo.* 
 
 The next day we arrived happily at our delight- 
 ful home by the Chushmah Jemallee, and were 
 welcomed by those we had left there, with a joy 
 at our safety which was not the less lively for 
 the rich plunder we had succeeded in bringing 
 home. I may well say our safety, for out of 
 the whole number that left the camp, we did not 
 lose above ten or a dozen men, and most of these 
 were killed in the skirmish within sight of our 
 homes. It was calculated, that of our enemies not 
 
 " The Ox us.
 
 118 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 less than a thousand souls, men, women, and chil- 
 dren, were killed or taken prisoners. Their loss in 
 cattle could not be estimated ; but we succeeded 
 in bringing into camp about three hundred horses, 
 and an equal number of camels, besides yaboos, 
 and inferior animals. Such was the result of a 
 well-concerted enterprize, aided by good fortune, 
 and conducted with courage and skill. 
 
 When the Khan and his immediate attendants 
 reached the tents, the whole of his family rushed 
 out to receive him, and my sweet Shireen ad- 
 vanced timidly among the rest of the women : 
 her eyes, which wandered over the party, soon 
 rested on me ; and I beheld her beautiful coun- 
 tenance illuminated by a flush of joy, which was 
 mingled with surprise as she observed the bur- 
 then which I had now resumed, seated on my 
 horse's croup, and clinging to me with renewed 
 alarm. When Shireen came in turn to salute her 
 father, he took her kindly in his arms, and after 
 embracing her, was about to pass on ; when, re- 
 collecting himself, he exclaimed, " By the head 
 of the Prophet, I had forgot ! Where is that vaga- 
 bond of a Kuzzilbash, that played the fool about 
 bringing a present for this girl ? let him come 
 forward now." I made my appearance in much 
 confusion ; for this was not the time nor the man- 
 ner in which I meant to have offered the gift, for 
 which I had braved so much. But the Khan was
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 119 
 
 not to be denied : perhaps he suspected my hope 
 of a tender interview, which he did not choose 
 his daughter should be exposed to ; and resolved 
 to crush this, with all other foolish and aspiring 
 hopes, in the very bud. At his desire, I unfas- 
 tened my little charge, who was still buckled to 
 my back, and set her on the ground before him. 
 The poor thing, half dead from fatigue, was al- 
 most annihilated by the half-stern, half-jocular 
 manner of my master, who, taking hold of her 
 not in the gentlest way, cried, " Why, what sort 
 of a baggage is this ? It is a perfect child ; she 11 
 never grow to be a woman ! And what is she in 
 such a fright about ? does she think we are gouls, 
 going to eat her up ? Here, Shireen, here is a 
 young fool, who has risked his neck and half 
 killed his horse and himself, on purpose to bring 
 you a young Eersanee whelp as an offering* — as 
 a nuzzer from my servant to his master's daugh- 
 ter, — do you mind? and as such I permit you to 
 accept of it ! but I need not add, there must be 
 no more such fooleries — you will not find me a 
 man to be trifled with !" So saying, he retired 
 into his tent with his family, leaving me astounded 
 
 * The Persians use different terms to express the various de- 
 scriptions of gifts or offerings. Thus, Enam signifies the present 
 of a superior to an inferior ; Peishcush, or Nuzzer, that of an 
 inferior to a superior ; Moojdeh, a present for bringing good 
 news, &C.
 
 120 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 at the tone he had assumed, as well as at the ob- 
 scure hints conveyed by his warnings, and not 
 a little mortified at the untoward circumstances 
 under which my unfortunate offering had been 
 presented to my mistress. The only consolation I 
 had, was in observing the kindness with which 
 Shireen received the little captive, and the glance 
 which told me that my attention was not lost 
 upon its object. Fatigued and dispirited, I ap- 
 plied myself, with the rest of my comrades, to 
 tend our wearied horses, and dispose of the plun- 
 der ; nor, till all this was completely arranged, 
 did we betake ourselves to repose.
 
 A KUZZlLBASH. 121 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 MORTIFICATION. 
 
 Next morning, rising early, I repaired to the 
 Chushmah Jemallee, the usual rendezvous of the 
 women, in hopes of obtaining an interview with 
 Shireen. She did not appear, and I was vexed and 
 disappointed ; — I thought her unkind, changed ; 
 — and after lingering for some time, I gave up 
 hopes of seeing her, and wandered from place to 
 place, performing my usual duties with restless 
 ill-humour. 
 
 In the course of my work I was found by 
 Selim, who, still elated with the success of our 
 expedition, and the applause as well as plunder 
 he had gained, accosted me gaily. His high spi- 
 rits jarred upon my soul like an ill-tuned instru- 
 ment ; my replies were cold and abrupt, and so 
 ill accorded with the state of his own feelings that 
 he paused and looked at me with surprise. 
 
 " What is the matter, my friend ?" at last said 
 
 VOL. I. G
 
 122 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 he ; " what causes this depression when joy reigns 
 over the whole camp, and you yourself share so 
 largely and so deservedly in the praises that are 
 bestowed upon all ? — say, what ails you, Ismael ?" 
 " Joy," replied I gloomily — " joy is for the 
 happy and the free ; — praise — I lay claim to none 
 for doing my duty ; — but the Kuzzilbash slave 
 might have been spared taunts and mockery, for 
 periling his life, and sacrificing all his chance of 
 private booty, to carry home a suitable present 
 for his master's daughter !" The emphasis I laid 
 on these words brought to Selim's recollection 
 the scene that had occurred on our return the day 
 before, between his father, sister, and me. " Ah," 
 cried he, " I thought as much ; you are distressed 
 at my father's seeming harshness, and disappointed 
 at the manner in which he has taken your kindly- 
 meant exertions. But you must remember, my 
 friend, that my father is advanced in years, and still 
 older in the trade of war : he consequently makes 
 little allowance for the feelings or fancies of youth, 
 and sees merit only in the bold execution of duty 
 — in the performance of gallant and daring exploits. 
 Your romantic promise to Shireen was a thing he 
 could neither understand nor appreciate the mo- 
 tives of; and I can assure you, that had your be- 
 haviour on the whole of our chappow not been 
 greatly to his mind, you would not have met with 
 so much indulgence. But, on the other hand,
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 123 
 
 vour patience of fatigue and privation, your inde- 
 fatigable attention to all points of duty, and your 
 spirited conduct in action, were things which he 
 fully estimates, and which have given him the 
 most favourable impressions regarding you ; it 
 only remains for you to support the credit you 
 have acquired, and to take special care not to 
 lessen or defeat the good effects it may produce 
 upon vour fortune, by any inconsiderate rashness 
 of your own. As to your slavery, as you call it, I 
 think you cannot but allow that it has fallen 
 more lightly on vou than on most of those in your 
 condition ; and vou know that the fault is princi- 
 pally your own, if you are not now in a situation 
 to work out your own freedom." 
 
 I was silent ; — there was so much truth in what 
 Selim had said, yet it had something so grating to 
 my feelings, that for the world I could not have 
 forced myself to reply, but remained dark and 
 moody, turning my eyes fixedly on the ground. I 
 hardly admitted to myself all that was passing in 
 my mind, where shame, vexation, and disappoint- 
 ment were mingled in unspeakable bitterness. 
 But inv friend read that heart better than I dared 
 to do. Considering me for a while without speak- 
 ing, " Come, come," at last cried he, " clear up 
 vour brow, and accompany me to the exercising 
 ground ; let not others see you in this mood ; I 
 would not for the whole booty we took, that you 
 
 6 2
 
 19A ADVENTURES OF 
 
 appeared thus in such a season of rejoicing ; — you 
 — one of those best entitled to enjoy it — with so 
 long a face and so gloomy an eye? what could 
 people think ? what would they say ? — By the 
 way,""' observed he in continuation, " I once before 
 took notice to you of my father's peculiarities, and 
 of those in particular which regard the females of 
 his family. We Toorkomans, you know, have 
 few of those scruples regarding women which 
 are entertained by the Kuzzilbashes and Osman- 
 lees. The mysterious veil, and the sacred screen 
 of the harem, are little known among us ; — our 
 women move about in open day, freely and unre- 
 strainedly as the men ; nay, our enemies aver, that 
 many of us little care about their virtue or their 
 chastity. Yet this is a base slander; for I am 
 certain, that in the families of the elders and well 
 reputed persons of our tribes, the women are as 
 pure, and the men as jealous of their honour, as 
 the strictest among those nations whose women 
 arc constantly immured. 
 
 " Among these, I may safely say, that my 
 father is one of the most scrupulous; and woe 
 be to the man who should wrong him in this 
 point ! Another matter, on which he is equally 
 punctilious, is the sacredness of his oath or his 
 promise. There is, as every one knows, a certain 
 degree of deceit, which custom sanctions, and the
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 12.5 
 
 way of the world requires;* and though we Toor- 
 kouians do not carry our laxity in this particular 
 so far as our neighbours the Kuzzilbashes, there 
 are none of us, perhaps, who have not occasionally 
 recourse to subterfuges, evasions, or untruths. 
 But when my father lias once voluntarily given a 
 solemn promise, or has been induced to bind him- 
 self to the performance of any condition by an 
 oath, nothing may ever compel him to violate it 
 
 " My sister Shireen, his eldest daughter, has 
 been long the subject of such a solemn promise. 
 Certain events induced him several years ago to 
 promise her in marriage to the eldest son of 
 Hvder Beg, his relation ; and the marriage would 
 ere this have been solemnized, had not the young 
 man, who chanced to form an intimacy with the 
 son of an Oozbeck nobleman, solicited and obtained 
 permission to accompany his friend on a pilgrim- 
 age to Mecca, whither the father was bound by 
 a vow : they have now been three years absent, 
 ami their return, which is only supposed to have 
 been delayed by the dangerous and unsettled state 
 of the countries they have to travel through, is 
 now daily looked for. It is possible that this cir- 
 cumstance, and uneasiness at seeing his favourite 
 scheme remaining so long unaccomplished, may 
 
 * This is, at least, Persian reasoning and Persian morality .
 
 126 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 have in some degree aggravated his impatience 
 on first hearing of your intended present to his 
 daughter, although I cannot say that I think him 
 very reasonable in the affair. As it has occurred, 
 however, and as it may be somehow or other con- 
 nected with the circumstances I have just related, 
 I thought it was the part of a friend to advise you 
 of them. 1 "' Selim gave a particular emphasis to the 
 last observation, and, as he concluded, bent a 
 glance on me so keen that I could not bear its ex- 
 pression, and was fain to stoop towards the ground, 
 in order to hide the confusion which overpowered 
 me, and which rushed ever all my face in a scarlet 
 tide. The glance was soon withdrawn, and suc- 
 ceeded by a look of deep compassion, which was 
 barely observed by me, as, in pity to my evident 
 distress, he quitted me, and turned to join his com- 
 panions at their exercises. 
 
 I had need to be alone to reflect; there was 
 matter sufficient to engage all my thoughts. Shi- 
 reen betrothed! — about to be married! My be- 
 loved companion, the object I held dearest on 
 earth — till now I did not know how dear — about 
 to be taken from me! I never had examined the 
 sentiment I entertained for Shireen, it had riot 
 once entered my head to do so; I only knew that 
 it was sweet, and I cherished it without consider- 
 ing consequences. I now saw how much bitter- 
 ness I had been preparing for myself. It seemed
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 127 
 
 as if the very consummation of my misery was at 
 hand, and that I was never to behold my beloved 
 Shireen again. The detested bridegroom — for hate- 
 ful and detested I felt he must be — might arrive in 
 a month, a week, a day ; and then, doubtless, Omer 
 Khan would bring to a conclusion the marriage he 
 had so much at heart. There was no help for it. 
 What was I ? A slave! a Kuzzilbash! a Sheah ! 
 I felt as if I could almost have renounced my 
 faith, if the sacrifice would have preserved Shireen 
 unmarried. — Unmarried ! Would that content me? 
 Oh no! I felt that her daily, her hourly presence 
 was necessary to me ; that to satisfy my longings 
 she must be wholly mine ; — it was love — powerful 
 love! — that love which I had heard described in 
 the poems recited by our story-tellers and bards, 
 that filled my heart and absorbed all my senses. 
 And how was it now to be satisfied? Reason, 
 asserting her sway at intervals, in spite of the con- 
 fusion that reigned in my brain, lifted her voice 
 and told me, that Shireen, the daughter of a Te- 
 keh chief, could never be the wife of a Kuzzilbash 
 slave. Despondency seized on me, and I wan- 
 dered about in utter hopeless misery. 
 
 At length, overcome with exhaustion of mind, I 
 had thrown myself down in a retired part of the 
 ruined garden which lay behind the Chushmah 
 Jemallee, and was gazing on the ground with va- 
 cant eyes, when my attention was excited by a
 
 128 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 slight noise in the rank grass, and on looking up, 
 I observed a female figure slowly approaching 
 the spot where I lay: — it was Shireen, and alone. 
 When she observed me she started, and half- 
 turned as if to retreat; but the misery expressed 
 in my countenance fixed her to the spot, for I 
 could not speak: she hesitated, gazed, and re- 
 turned. "Ah, Ismael! r ' said she, while the tears 
 stood in her eyes, " I must speak to you in spite of 
 every thing. You are unhappy — you are ill — 
 what is the matter? I dare not stay a moment to 
 comfort you; but can I do nothing, can I send 
 no one to you ? — my brother Selim ? tell me." — " Is 
 it you, Shireen," cried I, " that ask if I am un- 
 happy, and desire to know the cause ? Are these 
 the terms on which we parted, or those on which 
 I hoped we should have met again? No, you 
 know too well there is a change, a dismal change, 
 which has blighted all my visions of happiness, 
 and doomed me for ever to be wretched !" — "Alas, 
 alas!" replied she, "there is indeed a change, 
 bat not in me, dear Ismael ; not in me, believe me. 
 I am the same I ever was to you; and never, ne- 
 ver can be otherwise : — but oh ! you do not know 
 — I dare not tell you — I must not, indeed I must 
 not stay here any longer ; only do not be so very 
 miserable, do not look so darkly — indeed I love 
 you, and I thank you for all your kindness. — Oh 
 that I dared to speak ! — but I must go, I must
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 129 
 
 indeed, or " " Or what, Shireen ? Are you 
 
 afraid of me, or what is it that you dread ? do 
 you grudge me a few moments, when they may 
 be among the last we can have together? How 
 soon may it be out of your power to see me at 
 all r — " What mean you ?" cried she breath- 
 lessly : " do you indeed know ?" — " I know all, 
 Shireen: I know that you are betrothed — to 
 be married — married and taken from me — from 
 me who cannot live without you V — And the 
 misery of this thought, exasperated by her pre- 
 sence at the moment, gave me such anguish, th il 
 I hid my face in my hands, and burst into a 
 passionate fit of tears. " Oh, for mercy's sake ! 
 for Allah's sake !" cried the poor girl, terrified at 
 this sight, " be not agitated thus — recover your 
 senses, or I shall be distracted myself, for I can- 
 not endure to see your grief ! Am I less miserable 
 than you, Ismael ? — it was but last night that all 
 this was told me ; and what a night I passed ! Worn 
 out with weeping, I fell asleep, and dreai uch 
 
 dreadful dreams, and woke only to find it all true 
 — my eyes are sore with weeping, and it was but 
 now that I sought the cool air to refresh me a lit- 
 tle. But do you know, 1 ' continued she, anxious- 
 ly looking around, and dropping her voice, as if 
 afraid of being overheard — " do you know, that 1 
 am forbid to walk or play with you any more, or 
 even to speak to you." — "How!" exclaimed I, 
 
 g 5
 
 130 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 starting up in a fury of rage, " what mean you ? 
 who has done this ? Selim told me that you were 
 betrothed, but he never told me this ! — is he too 
 false ?"" — " No, no,' 1 interrupted she ; " do be com- 
 posed, or I must leave you at once. Selim is your 
 true friend, and interposed, as far as he could, 
 when my father, in his severest tone, denounced 
 his anger against me, if I should ever resume the 
 intimate terms on which I have been with you, 
 and which, it seems, he had never suspected, or at 
 least never attended to. Ah ! he spoke so angrily, 
 and called you by such harsh names! — but he 
 loves you, Ismael, for all this ; he said you were 
 a brave fellow or you should not remain another 
 day in his family — that he would sell you to the 
 Oozbecks of Kyvah." — " Sell me! sell me V breath- 
 lessly repeated I ; " did the tyrant dare ? — but, 
 merciful Allah ! what am I, that talk thus ! — am I 
 not his slave ? may he not sell, kill, or cut me 
 piecemeal at his pleasure ?" — " No, no, he will 
 not sell you nor harm you," cried Shireen, in an 
 earnest, soothing tone; "only moderate this violence, 
 which will kill me, and can do you no good ; — it is 
 by soothing, not by irritating, you must endeavour 
 to restore matters to a better footing. My father 
 is now angry ; he dreads or suspects more than he 
 has reason for; but this will subside by degrees, 
 and vou will find him return to his former habits of 
 kindness, if you will be but prudent and cautious.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 131 
 
 But let us not be seen together, dear Ismael ; you 
 may depend upon the affection of Shireen, what- 
 ever becomes of her : but farewell now, may God 
 protect you !" — " No, no," cried T, " stay a mo- 
 ment ; meet me at the retired chasm behind yon 
 sand-hills, where the rocks are, and where the 
 wild asses sometimes feed ; meet me to-morrow, 
 after the morning work is over." — " I cannot, I 
 cannot!" — "Then I will not leave you now; — if 
 you wish me to retain my senses, and act with 
 coolness and judgment, do not refuse me; — pro- 
 mise!" — " Oh!" cried she, wringing her hands, 
 '* what shall I do ! — what will become of me ! Oh, 
 Ismael, you are cruel to treat me thus ! Well, I 
 will try to come ; I will, indeed, do my best ; once 
 more, may God protect you !" She was gone, and 
 darkness seemed to cover me. I rose, scarcely sen- 
 sible of what I did, yet, in a degree, less miserable 
 than before, and took my way towards the tents. 
 During the whole of this day I saw no more 
 of the Khan or of Selim. I avoided observation, 
 and retired at night to meditate rather than to 
 sleep, — if the tumultuous thoughts that swept in 
 wild succession through my mind could be called 
 meditation. It was a chaos in which one object 
 alone was distinct, and that object was Shireen. 
 The Khan's anger, and the degradation which I 
 had suffered — the interdict passed on my commu- 
 nications with his daughter — the intended mar-
 
 132 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 riage of that daughter — all mingled in a dark and 
 
 fry ^ cD 
 
 boding cloud of misfortune, that threatened to 
 change the hue of my hitherto happy life to 
 gloominess and woe;— all my restless musings 
 ended in the bitter conclusion that Shireen was 
 for ever lost to me. I had, it was true, made an 
 appointment with her for the morrow ; — yet to 
 what end ? what had I to propose ? what could I 
 tell her, but that which had so often been already 
 said ? S!ie could do nothing against the will of 
 her father, nor could I by any means shake off 
 the power and authority of my master — to what 
 use, then, was the proposed interview ?■ — But it 
 was too late to reason ; passion demanded the 
 meeting, and to go I was determined, come of it 
 what might. 
 
 This war of thoughts settled into something 
 of a calm before morning, and on rising I applied 
 myself sedulously to my usual occupations, deter- 
 mined to assume- an appearance of the tranquillity 
 I did not feel, and try the effect of an uncon- 
 cerned exterior and attention to my duty, upon 
 the temper of my master. I was at my post, 
 along with Selim and others of my master's house- 
 hold ; and in the usual exercises of horsemanship, 
 the spear and the bow, I performed so successfully 
 as to attract the praise of Omer Khan. " Well 
 done," said he, " Ismael ; — Mash Allah ! * the boy 
 
 * A common exclamation of praise, as " Bravo ! well 
 done !"
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 133 
 
 will do yet : — I feared that all thy manhood had 
 been expended in our last chappow, but I see 
 there is still some left — there is good hope of 
 thee." This was not lost upon me ; I determined 
 to profit by the lesson, and let slip no opportunity 
 of gaining the Khan's good opinion : hope, which 
 never dies, revived within my breast, and my spirits 
 rose with the buoyancy of youth ; although, had 
 the question " Why ?" been put to me, I should 
 have been puzzled to answer it. 
 
 After the morning exercises and meal, during 
 the time which at this season is usually given to 
 repose, I stole out to the place of rendezvous. 
 It was rather more than two miles distant from 
 our tents, and quite beyond the strip of verdure 
 produced by the river. Rising gradually from 
 its banks, the country became sandy and bare, 
 till, after crossing a low ridge of sand-hills, the eye 
 looked down into a narrow dark ravine, the rocky 
 sides of wlvch, without a blade of grass, or bush, 
 served to support the light moveable soil above 
 them. It was like the bed of an ancient torrent; 
 but water had never been seen there, audit was the 
 resort only of jackals, wolves, and occasionally of 
 the gourkhur, or wild ass, in chase of which 
 alone did this wild spot ever receive visitors. 
 
 Hither I came, my limbs trembling with impa- 
 tience, and eagerly examined its recesses, to dis- 
 cover if it were possible that my mhtress could 
 have anticipated me. But the solitude wos com-
 
 134 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 plete ; no living thing was there, and I impatiently 
 paced up and down the narrow valley, ever and 
 anon climbing the bank to see if she approached. 
 
 Long did I continue thus, in a fever of anxiety 
 and expectation, and my mind was busy in fram- 
 ing causes to account for the detention of my 
 beloved. An ardent and excited imagination 
 easily raises phantoms to terrify and distress its 
 owner, nor was mine slow at this exercise. I pic- 
 tured Shireen caught in the act of attempting to 
 seek the forbidden interview. I saw her father's 
 rage, and cursed my wilful folly for having ex- 
 posed her to its fury. I made many wise reso- 
 lutions of forbearance and prudence, swearing 
 never more to expose her to peril, or myself to the 
 risk of losing all chance of the Khan's favour, and 
 consequently of communication with his daughter, 
 by my wayward impatience. Then I asked myself, 
 could Shireen have wantonly and cruelly deceived 
 me ? could she have voluntarily disappointed me ? 
 But both my heart and my reason gave indignant 
 denial to the mental question, and I drove it from 
 my soul as treason against the truth and sweetness 
 of her nature. 
 
 But hours stole on, and she came not ; it was 
 time to resume my duties at the camp, and I came 
 reluctantly to the resolution of returning and taking 
 the chance of meeting her by the way. 
 
 I had scarcely reached the top of the sand-hill,
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 135 
 
 when I saw the figure of a woman hurrying fast 
 
 towards the glen, and soon recognized her whom I 
 had so impatiently expected. I flew to meet her, 
 and she sank exhausted in my arms. " What is 
 the matter, dear Shireen ? why this agitation, this 
 terror ?" — " Ah ! Ismael, you know not what I 
 have risked in order to keep my promise. I am 
 watched, and so, I fear, are you. We must sepa- 
 rate immediately, if you wish to preserve the 
 chance of ever seeing or speaking to me again. It 
 is but a few minutes ago that I found an oppor- 
 tunity of stealing out unnoticed, and I have run 
 all the way, because I knew you must be wearied 
 with waiting for me, and dreaded lest you should 
 think harshly of me. But now we have no time for 
 words. I must return home at once." 
 
 " But stop, Shireen, tell me what has passed to- 
 day ?"" — " Oh ! you are getting into high favour 
 again : my father could not help remarking what 
 a brave active lad you were, and again regretted 
 than you were a Kuzzilbash and a Sheah. You 
 must try to keep him in good humour, and lull 
 his suspicions to rest by caution, and then, per- 
 haps, in time we may be more together again, and 
 be happy. But, ah ! how can that be ? the time 
 approaches, it must now indeed be close at hand 
 
 when But we must not think of that ; for there 
 
 is no help ! we must submit to fate !" 
 
 " That is the deadly pang, Shireen; that is my
 
 138 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 misery: — this hateful marriage — is there no way to 
 prevent it ? Allah, Allah ! grant me but Shireen, 
 and let my fortune be ever so dark, I will embrace 
 it with delight I 11 — "' Oh, Ismael," cried she, " would 
 that I were a captive like thee, and then I might 
 be happy ; then no one would seek to part us." 
 I clasped her to my breast, and we wept together, 
 but neither of us could suggest the slightest 
 remedy. Her alarm at the chance of being dis- 
 covered now became excessive, and we began to 
 walk towards the camp. She besought me to quit 
 her, but my passion was too wild to be reasonable ; 
 nor was it until I saw Shireen almost sinking at 
 my feet that I came to my senses. We then 
 agreed to keep the most cautious reserve upon 
 our words and actions in the presence of the 
 family, and neither to speak nor meet in secret 
 for some time. Shireen swore, that, come what 
 would, she never would love any other than me, 
 and that every means in her power should be used 
 to delay, or, if possible, finally to break off her 
 intended marriage, when the bridegroom should 
 arrive; and we fervently prayed that this might 
 be prevented by his speedy admission to the joys 
 of Paradise. I then embraced and left Shireen to 
 direct her course straight to the tents, while I 
 reached them by a circuit that carried me round 
 from an opposite quarter.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 157 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 A COMMUNICATION. 
 
 For a long while after this I adhered to my 
 resolution of busying myself in the usual occu- 
 pations and warlike exercises of our youth, and 
 in ingratiating myself with the Khan ; nor had I 
 any reason to be dissatisfied with my success. I 
 carefully avoided all intercourse with Shireen, 
 except now and then a stolen look of fondness, or 
 secret act of attention. " Who,'" 1 saith the poet, 
 " shall control the affectionate intercourse of hearts 
 that glow for each other? The lover sees his 
 mistress in the beauty of the full moon : he looks 
 upon the rose and cries, ' Behold there the sweet- 
 ness of my beloved V " 
 
 The season of our periodical emigrations in 
 search of pasturage, which at this time came on, 
 aided me greatly in keeping firm to my resolution, 
 by diminishing the temptations which at other 
 times seduced us into danger, while the continued 
 bustle of marching afforded less opportunity to
 
 188 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 others of making dangerous remarks upon the 
 conduct of Shireen and myself : thus, in the 
 course of time, the suspicions that had been ex- 
 cited, were gradually lulled. Omer Khan, in- 
 deed, appeared to have forgotten that he had 
 even entertained any, and resumed his wonted 
 frank and kindly manner with me ; while the re- 
 straint which had been placed upon my inter- 
 course with Shireen was gradually relaxed, — per- 
 haps in consequence of no effort being made on 
 our parts to resume it ; and had not severe ex- 
 perience kept us in some degree upon our guard, 
 we might have forgotten that any such restraint 
 had ever existed. 
 
 Meantime, our revived feud with the Eersanees 
 kept us constantly upon the alert. Eager to 
 revenge our successful expedition against their 
 camps, several attempts at surprises were made 
 by them ; but though some blood was shed, and 
 some cattle were plundered on both sides, no de- 
 cided advantage was gained ; and the chief effect 
 produced was the preventing either tribe from 
 undertaking expeditions as usual against the 
 Kuzzilbashes, or the Koords of Persian Kho- 
 rasan. 
 
 In the course of time, however, both parties, 
 wearied of this useless drain of strength and loss 
 of time, as if by mutual consent, by degrees wil- 
 lingly desisted from hostilities, and turned their
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 139 
 
 attention to more profitable enterprizes. The 
 northern part of Persian Khorasan was at this 
 time in a state of great confusion : divided among 
 a multitude of petty chiefs, each at the head of 
 a tribe, and possessing several strongholds and 
 castles, with more or less territory attached to 
 them, there was a constant struggle for supe- 
 riority, attended with unceasing frays and blood- 
 shed. These chiefs, when unable to resist a 
 powerful opponent, would frequently call in the 
 aid of the tribes of the Desert, who thereby reaped 
 a rich harvest ; for, independent of the stipulated 
 price of their assistance, they never returned to their 
 homes without ravaging some defenceless district 
 on their way, and carrying the inhabitants of 
 such villages as they could seize, along with them 
 into captivity. 
 
 Among these border chiefs, Nader Koolee Beg 
 at this time held a conspicuous place. He was 
 an Affshar, of no high rank, born in a village of 
 Dereguz, and had raised himself by a fearless 
 intrepidity, united to a sound judgment, to be 
 one of the most redoubted leaders of this tur- 
 bulent province. Many and very contradictory 
 accounts were given of his early career; and there 
 can be little doubt, that, born as he was [in 
 a country at all times harassed by feuds and 
 invasions, and at a period when the whole of Per- 
 sia had fallen into political and moral confusion,
 
 140 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 the young Nader Koolee followed the fashion of 
 the time, and, took advantage of the opportuni- 
 ties afforded him by Providence, as well as of 
 the powers of his own mind, to ameliorate his 
 condition, and to raise his fortune to the level 
 of his lofty and ambitious desires. It is very 
 probable, that in the course of this career he 
 may have committed acts which cannot be justi- 
 fied, if brought to the test of strict morality ; 
 but who was there, among all his countrymen, 
 guiltless of such deeds ? who was there, among 
 the chiefs and nobles of that day, not only in 
 Khorasan, but in all Persia, who had not, in self- 
 defence, been forced to shed the blood of his kin- 
 dred ? These were the days when the hand of the 
 father was against the son, and that of the nephew 
 against the uncle ; when brothers were open or 
 secret foes ; when the cup of the mother was not 
 safe from the poisonous drugs of the daughter; and 
 when even the husband dared not to trust the wife 
 of his bosom; — how was it possible, in such times, 
 to distinguish the crimes which had their source 
 in ambition, from those that were perpetrated in 
 self-defence ? 
 
 Nader Koolee Beg, during his stormy youth, 
 had often distinguished himself, among the chiefs 
 of his tribe, against the Oozbecks and Toorkomans, 
 who continually invaded the Persian territories : 
 he was sometimes in open hostility, at others in
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 141 
 
 amicable union with the Koordish States upon the 
 border; and having succeeded in reducing the 
 most formidable of his neighbours, and establish- 
 ing a very considerable influence, as well as power, 
 throughout this quarter of the province, he was 
 exerting himself to recover the city of Mushed, 
 its capital, from the power of the rebellious usur- 
 per, Malik Mahmood Seistanee. 
 
 It happened, that Seyed Sultaun, a chief who 
 resided at the old city of Diroom, on the borders 
 of the Desert, and who held in subjection a con- 
 siderable territory in its neighbourhood, conceiv- 
 ing himself injured by Nader Koolee Beg, and not 
 being sufficiently powerful to attack him to advan- 
 tage singly, invited several of the Toorkoman 
 tribes to his assistance ; and, among others, over- 
 tures were made to several chiefs of the Tekehs, 
 of whom Omer Khan was one. Our enemies, the 
 Eersanees, having their attention fully engaged in 
 another quarter, and being ourselves unoccupied 
 with any enterprize, these proposals were readily 
 listened to, and nothing was now talked of but the 
 riches and plunder we were to obtain in Koordis- 
 tan. Even the holy city of Mushed itself, with 
 the rich booty it would certainly afford, formed 
 a tempting perspective in the view of those who 
 were most sanguine. 
 
 Enthusiastically fond as I was of adventure, 
 and eager to join in any enterprize that promised
 
 142 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 to afford me an opportunity of distinguishing my- 
 self, I yet felt, in spite of my plundering Toorko- 
 man education, strong scruples, both of heart and 
 conscience, at being led thus confessedly against 
 the land of my birth and the sacred city of my 
 faith. I was myself an Affshar, — I could not forget 
 it; and thus to be made instrumental to the fall 
 of a chief of my own tribe, whom fame spoke 
 highly of, and that in the very place where my 
 father and clan once dwelt in honour and renown, 
 —perhaps to trample on the dust to which their 
 unburied bones were now reduced — there was in 
 all this something so revolting, so like parricide, 
 that I would willingly have sacrificed all my 
 hopes of profit or advancement, to have been 
 excused from joining the expedition. But this 
 was impossible, — such scruples would have excited 
 worse than laughter : I saw that my character for 
 courage might suffer ; that any backwardness on 
 my part might be imputed to fear of peril in the 
 undertaking, and this I could not endure : besides, 
 I should have infallibly been ruined in the Khan's 
 favour, which at present I had the most cogent 
 reasons to seek and secure. Thus I silenced my 
 scruples in the best way I could, and looked upon 
 an expedition into Khorasan, on the terms above 
 explained, with somewhat diminished reluctance. 
 
 A catastrophe, however, occurred at this time, 
 which changed the whole complexion of my des-
 
 A KU2ZILBASH. 143 
 
 tiny, and threw me into a career incalculably 
 different from all that my imagination could have 
 pictured from the occurrences of my past life. 
 In order to explain this I must go back a little. 
 
 The cessation of intimacy between Shireen and 
 myself was maintained only long enough to lull 
 suspicion to rest, as we hoped, so that we might 
 enjoy a greater degree of freedom in future. The 
 intended bridegroom did not appear : the Khan, 
 by nature of an unsuspicious temper, probably 
 forgot for the time all the circumstances which had 
 roused his jealousy of me, and, as I have before 
 mentioned, resumed his former favour and kind- 
 ness. The restraint placed at first upon Shireen 
 appeared to be withdrawn, and by degrees we 
 returned to our old habits of intimacy and affec- 
 tion. But bitter experience had taught us greater 
 habitual caution ; in public., therefore, we carefully 
 avoided all appearance of entertaining any marked 
 interest in each other; but in proportion as we 
 felt this constraint, the indulgence of our feelings, 
 when safe from intrusion, was more delightful and 
 more eagerly enjoyed. We often met in places 
 and at times remote from every eye, and many a 
 stolen interview took place in the rocky dell 
 already spoken of, the scene of our earliest and 
 most interesting explanation. 
 
 The result of all this might easily have been 
 foreseen by persons of more experience, although
 
 144 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 it was not anticipated by us: — - totally inconsiderate, 
 heedless, and indeed ignorant of consequences — 
 listening only to the dictates of a powerful passion, 
 inflamed by frequent opportunities of indulgence 
 — Shireen and I had completed our imprudence 
 almost before we were aware that we had exceeded 
 the earnest expression of our mutual tenderness. 
 
 This stolen intercourse had continued for some 
 time, without our attention being awakened to 
 aught beyond the delight which it yielded us, — 
 when at length I began to be alarmed by an alter- 
 ation in the health of my beloved Shireen. She 
 lost her spirits, became silent and absent; her 
 face grew thin and wan, and her person lost its de- 
 lightful plumpness. At times she would shrink 
 from my caresses, and again hiding her face in my 
 bosom, would weep with uncontrollable bitterness. 
 Still she would deny that any thing was the 
 matter : — she was well, she assured me — quite 
 well — her illness existed only in my fancy. But 
 the change became daily more perceptible, and I 
 could no longer endure the pain it gave me. 
 " Shireen !" I exclaimed one day, " what can all 
 this mean? do you love me no longer? why do 
 you thus shrink from my tenderness ? why do 
 I no longer share your confidence ?" 
 
 " Oh, Ismael !" replied the weeping girl ; " I 
 am changed indeed — but not in love to you ; I do
 
 A KUZZFLBASH. 145 
 
 not shun your caresses — alas ! it is too late for 
 that !" — " Too late ! w hat can you mean, Shireen ? 
 you are ill ! Merciful Allah ! you are dying ! is 
 it not so ? — Shireen ! speak to me for Heaven's 
 sake !" — She threw her arms around me, and 
 faintly whispered, " Ismael, I shall be a mother ! 
 — if indeed, 1 "' continued she with solemnity, " I 
 am permitted to live until the birth of your child ! 
 — and what then will become of you ? what will 
 become of the wretched Shireen ?" With what 
 fervour did I strain her to my breast ! Shireen a 
 mother ! the mother of my child ! — her confession 
 only filled me with inconsiderate joy. What youth 
 of eighteen, indeed, would not be filled with pride 
 when first told he is to be a father ? But the death- 
 like countenance of the unhappy girl, and a single 
 moment's reflection, soon altered the current of 
 my thoughts, and checked my exultation. 
 
 I saw that the situation of both was dangerous 
 in the extreme, and that Shireen had but too 
 much cause for her dejection and alarm. What, 
 inched, had she to expect but a disgraceful end ? — 
 and her timid affectionate nature shrunk with 
 more affright from the thoughts of her father's 
 furv, and the estranged, contemptuous glances of 
 her family, than even from the prospect of ap- 
 proaching death. " If they would but save my 
 child," 1 (tied she, wringing her hands in bitter 
 
 V ,')'... I. H
 
 146 
 
 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 agony, — " if they would only preserve its dear 
 life, and let me die quietly, I would be content, 
 and bless them ! But the furious rage and mali- 
 cious cruelty which I know will be wrecked upon 
 me, I fear I never can endure ; — and indeed, I 
 think I shall not live to see much of it, for I feel 
 as if death were already near at hand, and I 
 should rejoice at it if it were not the thought of 
 you, dear Ismael, and the distress that you would 
 feel at the fate of your poor Shireen ! Isiliael ! you 
 would not forget me ! — yet why, why should you 
 remember what would only give you anguish ? — 
 But, alas ! what may become of you ! Oh ! what 
 will they do to you when all shall be discovered ? 
 for I know, I am sure, suspicion will rest upon 
 you, and you will be sacrificed to their bloody 
 revenge. But this must not be — I cannot bear the 
 thoughts — you must fly, Ismael ! dearest Ismael, 
 you must fly, and that without delay." 
 
 " Shireen, Shireen !" cried I, wild with anguish, 
 " how can you talk thus ? How can you think of a 
 wretch like me, when your own situation is so 
 much more alarming ? I can brave their worst 
 rage — I fear them not ; but you, poor helpless 
 girl ! — merciful Allah ! what will become of yGU ? 
 — what can be done? Wretch that I am, I have 
 destroyed her who is dearer to me than a thou- 
 sand lives !" — Oh ! how bitterly now did I lament 
 the blind inconsiderate rashness that had brought
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 147 
 
 us both into so dreadful a predicament ; and still 
 more deeply did I curse my wretched fortune, 
 which had placed me in a condition where all the 
 better impulses of my nature, all the aspirations 
 of hope, all the overflowings of affection and 
 love, were felt only to be blasted ! I groaned in 
 the utter helplessness of my misery, till Shireen 
 forgot her own distress in the greater agony of 
 mine, and exerted herself to restore me to com- 
 posure. 
 
 Rut sorrow, however deep, repentance, however 
 sincere, now came too late ; the evil was done, 
 and a remedy was to be found : still, nothing, that 
 afforded the least hope of success, presented itself 
 to our confused minds. We had no friends in 
 whom we dared to confide. I at one time thought 
 of communicating every thing to Selim, and trust- 
 ing to his friendship for pardon and assistance ; 
 but the experiment was too hazardous : — even if 
 I could have endured to throw myself upon his 
 generosity, and expose him to the displeasure of 
 his father, was it probable, that in a matter which 
 implicated the honour of his family, his friendship 
 for a slave would be regarded ? was it not, indeed, 
 too likely, that indignation at his friend's apparent 
 faL-ehood and misconduct would tend to exas- 
 perate him, and render him a bitter enemy? We 
 talked of flight — alas, whither could we fly ! how 
 could we ever hope to make our way through the 
 
 h 9,
 
 148 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 vast deserts by which we were encompassed, igno- 
 rant as we both were of pathway or course, and 
 surrounded by camps of our own and other tribes 
 — whether friend or foe, was of little consequence 
 to us ; and the fatigue such an undertaking would 
 involve, in Shireen's situation — it was not to be 
 thought of: our invention was exhausted, and we 
 were forced to separate without a single practicable 
 project being suggested by either. But though 
 our situation was as dangerous as could well be 
 imagined, it was still possible that the condition 
 of Shireen might be concealed for a time, and bet- 
 ter hopes might arise ere discovery took place. At 
 all events, after our first burst of distress was past, 
 we felt our hearts somewhat relieved by the com- 
 munication that had taken place, and our spirits, 
 with the elasticity of yet unbroken youth, rose as 
 the danger appeared to recede ; the necessity, how- 
 ever, of providing for the future was sufficiently 
 apparent, and I quitted Shireen to ruminate on 
 the subject, and devise, if I could, some plan of 
 operations.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 149 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE DISCOVERY. 
 
 Chance, or fate, by whatever name it may be 
 called, led my steps to the rocky dell, already 
 often mentioned as the scene of many tender 
 interviews with my beloved Shireen. It was not 
 to be wondered at, that, occupied as my thoughts 
 now were with reflections on our mutual situation, 
 I should seek it mechanically. 
 
 While winding down the narrow path that led 
 to its recesses, I was surprised by observing at a 
 little distance, seated on some fragments of stone, 
 and utterly motionless, a human figure. Every 
 trifle alarms the guilty ; and circumstanced as I 
 then was, so unusual an occurrence startled me. 
 But it was too late for retreat; and impatient of 
 notice myself, I yet felt impelled to advance, and 
 examine more closely this unlooked-for stranger. 
 
 He betrayed no desire to elude me; on the 
 contrary, he remained motionless until I was
 
 150 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 within a few paces of him ; and though his eyes 
 were intently fixed upon me, he opened not his lips, 
 but gave me full time to examine in detail the 
 whole of his singular aspect. He seemed to be a 
 man of middle age, and was scantly clad in a robe 
 of shreds and patches, over which hung a leopard- 
 skin : his huge mass of hair was twisted fantas- 
 tically with a few faded flowers and feathers, in 
 many plies about his head, and was sprinkled with 
 ashes; but beneath this wild head-dress spread 
 a forehead of so much majesty, — and eves of such 
 piercing lustre shone from under their stern but 
 placed brows, that, however absurd might seem 
 the fashion of his garments, no one could for a 
 moment doubt that their owner belonged to a 
 noble class of beings. 
 
 I had frequently seen dervishes and calunders, 
 who, revered and protected among the tribes of the 
 Desert, came freely among them on their pil- 
 grimages to sell charms and cure diseases; but 
 though the garb of this man in some sort resem- 
 bled that which was worn by such persons, it was 
 evident that he was of a far superior cast to them. 
 
 I remained standing awe-struck before him, while 
 he rose, and with dignity thus addressed me: 
 " Young man! how comes it that, though Allah in 
 his bounty has traced thee out a useful and a glo- 
 rious path, thou in thy folly strivest to counteract
 
 A KUZZ1LBASH. 151 
 
 so benevolent a decree, and perversely seekest the 
 road that leads to misery and ruin p" — " And who 
 art thou, that thus arraignest me so harshly ?"" 
 replied I, struggling for language and for courage, 
 for my guilty conscience had made a coward of 
 me ; " and who mayest thou be, who, though 
 unknown to me, would seem to read my secret 
 thoughts ?" — "Who I am," replied the Dervish so- 
 lemnly, " it boots thee not to know ; enough for 
 thee to learn, that ere thou sawest the light — before 
 thy mother bore thee, I read thy destiny, — and 
 then I warned her, as now I warn thee. Be wise 
 in time, and shun the misery which awaits on ob- 
 stinacy and folly : furget not her last words, her 
 dying prayers ! Dost thou in truth feel that thou 
 hast harshly been arraigned ? is thy conscience, 
 then, at rest ? are the secret thoughts of thy besom 
 calm, virtuous, and tranquil? Thou knowest well 
 they are not ! With guilt upon thy soul hast thou 
 wandered to this solitude ; and the misery which 
 springs from folly and from guilt will pursue thee 
 wherever thou mayest go ! Thou hast betrayed 
 thy master and thy friend ! Thou hast abused un- 
 suspecting innocence ; and, already half apostate to 
 thy faith, thou hast reconciled thy easy conscience 
 to an act of treason against thy native land P 
 
 The words of this extraordinary being pene- 
 trated my soul : conviction sat upon his tongue :
 
 152 ADVENTURES OE 
 
 was there not truth in all he said ? Poor Shireen ! 
 had I not ruined her unsuspecting innocence, and 
 betrayed my master's confidence ? and was I not 
 meditating to follow that master, to war against 
 my own tribe, in the heart of my native coun- 
 try ? I wrung my hands in anguish. " What- 
 ever thou art," cried I, " thou hast judged me 
 severely, but truly ; but the physician who dis- 
 covers the disease, should also know the remedy : 
 — save Shireen, if not the guilty Ismael, from the 
 fatal consequences of a blind and headlong pas- 
 sion ; let not the innocent suffer for the guilty ! 
 If there must be a victim, I am ready for my 
 fate ; but if sincere repentance can atone for un- 
 intended crime, vouchsafe to assist a wretch who 
 sees nothing but ruin and misery around him !" 
 
 " The passions and the follies of youth bring 
 their own punishment," replied the Dervish, in 
 a tone still solemn, but less severe ; " and those 
 who sow the seed of vice, must reap its fruits ! 
 But thy case, young man, is not hopeless, for 
 thy guilt was not premeditated ; sorrow and mis- 
 fortune thou must indeed endure, but brighter 
 days shall come. For the partner of thy folly, 
 fear thou not ; the blossom of her life shall be 
 preserved — more I may not say. For thyself, the 
 current of thy destiny rolls on, and may not be 
 stayed : here there is no abiding place for thee ! 
 Contrive not the means nor manner of thy de-
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 158 
 
 parture : the former shall be provided, the latter 
 thou canst not choose. A star that controls the 
 fortunes and glory of Iran, has arisen in the 
 East ! to its blazing course shall thy destiny be 
 united ; and if thy conduct be wise, and thy 
 heart strong, it shall lead thee on to prosperity 
 and honour." The Dervish paused : his keen 
 burning eye was gazing on vacancy from under a 
 contracted brow. I waited awhile in mute ex- 
 pectation, and then attempted to press farther 
 enquiries regarding those things of which he had 
 spoken ; but he stopped me abruptly : " Seek 
 not to know more, young man ! My mission is 
 ended for the present; be prudent and virtuous, 
 and we may meet again : may God protect thee 
 now ! Dare not to follow me : I go my way — do 
 thou go thine !" So saying, he turned from me, 
 and was soon lost to view among the windings of 
 the rocks. 
 
 Amazed, but, on the whole, relieved by the re- 
 sult of this mysterious interview, I quitted the 
 dell, and returned to the camp, where nothing was 
 spoken of, for several days, but the projected expe- 
 dition towards Koordistan. It was some days 
 before I had an opportunity of communicating to 
 Shireen the encouragement I had received to hope 
 for the safety of both; nor couid I at that time 
 give her a full account of my adventure ; prudence 
 required our being seen together as little as possi- 
 
 h 5
 
 154 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 ble, to prevent the chance of untimely discoveries ; 
 and I awaited with no small impatience the events 
 predicted by the Dervish. 
 
 These did not tarry long. But few days had 
 passed, when the Khan, taking with him a small 
 party of chosen followers, left the camp on an ex- 
 pedition which, it was understood, would detain 
 him several days away. The caution which had 
 been observed between Shireen and myself was at 
 this time unfortunately relaxed, and several inter- 
 views took place between us, some of which, as 
 it too surely appeared, had been observed. 
 
 On the evening succeeding one of these meet- 
 ings, as I was returning to the tents, I perceived my 
 friend Selim advancing precipitately to meet me. 
 His air was disordered, and his manner such as to 
 fill me with an undefinable alarm. " Whither go 
 you, unhappy wretch !" at length cried he: "know 
 you what has happened ? are you aware that your 
 crimes are discovered, and that death awaits you 
 if found ? Dumb with amazement and conscious 
 guilt, I could not utter a word, and Selim, after a 
 pause, resumed : " Oh, Ismael ! is it thus you 
 have requited us ? is it thus you have stung the 
 bosoms that nourished you ? You have spread 
 discord and dishonour in a family that gave you 
 shelter when you were destitute, and you have 
 plucked and destroyed the rose which you knew 
 to be destined for another. Bloody should be
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 155 
 
 the vengeance which the son of Omer, the bro- 
 ther of Shireen, should exact from the destroyer 
 of his sister ; but Selim cannot deal the blow to 
 Ismael — I cannot destroy the creature we all have 
 cherished — the friend I once loved so well ; 
 though duty, though honour may command it, 
 I cannot hate you ! I never can forget the hours 
 we have spent together, the love we bore each 
 other. While Selim lives, Ismael shall not be 
 sacrificed ; and may he never feel the misery he 
 has caused to those who loved him best!" 
 
 I was yet too much confounded to speak, but 
 the last words of Selim cut me to the heart, and 
 restored me to recollection: the idea that he be- 
 lieved me to be a traitor, I could not endure. 
 " Selim," said I, with eyes fixed on the ground, 
 " I am a wretch it is too certain, and unworthy 
 of life; but I am no deliberate villain: — the wrong 
 I have done is indeed great, and dreadful, I fear, 
 may be its consequences, but, Heaven is my witness, 
 it was unpremeditated. Give me up to the worst 
 that can befall me, but believe my assertion, my 
 oath, if you will, that I never conceived a thought 
 of ill to any of your house, and last of all, could 
 I have deliberately injured you, my brother in 
 love and kindness, or her whose life I would die 
 to save ! I am guilty — most unfortunate, but no 
 cold, deliberate seducer; nor can I brook that I 
 should owe my life to you, while you believe me
 
 156 
 
 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 such." My earnestness was not lost on Selim. " I 
 wish to believe you, Ismael, 1 ' said he ; " but, how- 
 ever that may be, my course is clear, my plan 
 fixed: — there is no time to be lost — you cannot 
 return to the tents — you must instantly fly, — and 
 I will provide the means. You must with all 
 possible secrecy and speed make off to the little 
 mount directlv south of where we stand, called 
 Altoun Tuppeh,* and, proceeding one mile east 
 from thence, you will find a small retired hollow ; 
 — there wait for me— I shall not be long ; — no 
 words — begone !" 
 
 Stupified as I was by this sudden and alarm- 
 ing information, I failed not to move at a rapid 
 pace in the direction of the Altoun Tuppeh — 
 which I fortunately reached without interruption. 
 As the late events and their probable conse- 
 quences passed rapidly through my thoughts, 
 the words of the Dervish occurred to me, " Thou 
 shalt soon quit this spot :" — over the time or the 
 manner I was to have no control. How soon was 
 all fulfilled ! It inspired me with confidence, as 
 far as regarded myself; — but then the thought 
 of Shireen, exposed to all the rage and cruelty 
 of her father and his household, recurred to my 
 mind, and I would with joy have braved any 
 danger myself, for the chance of rescuing her 
 from such a fate. But here again the Dervish's 
 
 * Or " Golden Hillock." Tuppeh, signifies a iC hillock."
 
 A KUZZTLBASH. 157 
 
 prediction came to my recollection with comfort; 
 for had he not assured me that the partner of my 
 weakness should also escape ? — and if his pro- 
 phetic declarations with regard to myself were 
 likely to be accomplished, was he not also worthy 
 of credit in those which concerned her ? 
 
 By the time I reached tho Altoun Tuppeh, I 
 had somewhat regained my self-possession, and 
 reasoned myself into a degree of calmness, al- 
 though still full of anxiety, and impatient for the 
 arrival of my friend. The sun had set ; and, in 
 spite of the importance of concealment, I could 
 not help ascending the little mount, which com- 
 manded a distant view of our encampment. There 
 it lay, partly seen, partly hid by the river banks, 
 tranquil and calm by the sweet evening light — 
 many of the tents were full in view, dotting the 
 green meadows with their black lines, and the 
 position of others might be traced by the bushes 
 or sand-hillocks near them ; — and there, under its 
 o-reat sycamore-tree lay the delightful Chushmah 
 Jemallee, by the green banks of which I had 
 spent so many and so happy hours — now, never 
 more to be seen by me. My heart swelled to 
 suffocation ; — I threw myself on the sand with 
 my eyes fixed on the home of my youth, and 
 sobbed aloud. 
 
 The declining light soon warned me that I 
 must lose no time in seeking the place of appoint-
 
 158 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 ment; and rousing myself from this mood of 
 sadness, I soon reached the spot indicated by 
 Selim. It was a small hollow, which, in the 
 winter season, was commonly filled with snow or 
 water, but was at this time dry. It formed a 
 secure hiding-place in the Desert ; and I took pos- 
 session of it, ascending now and then to the 
 brink, to listen and to gaze for the approach of 
 my friend. 
 
 Who can describe the torture of suspense, when 
 the weary hours flit slowly by, and the heart, 
 feverish and restless, grows sick from hope de- 
 ferred ! Long did I look in vain for Selim. I 
 watched the stars as they rose and set, and, end- 
 less though the time appeared, I saw that hour 
 after hour elapsed, and doubt seemed fast yield- 
 ing to the certainty of some great evil. I began 
 at length to consider what might be the chances 
 of escape, should I attempt it, without any longer 
 waiting for Selim. The night was waning rapidly, 
 and only at night was escape to be thought of. 
 My sole path of safety lay towards Khorasan, 
 and the nearest point inhabited by my country- 
 men lay distant three long days 1 journey of the 
 best-mounted horseman. I had neither horse, nor 
 provisions, nor arms, except the dagger at my 
 girdle: my clothes, my language, and manners 
 were Toorkoman : even should I succeed in gain- 
 ing the frontiers, what fate could I expect but
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 159 
 
 that which would be dealt to an enemy ? But, in 
 truth, what chance was there that a youth, even 
 strong and active as I was, — on foot, hungry, 
 unarmed, and ignorant of the way, should ever 
 reach the frontiers? — I remained bewildered and 
 perplexed. 
 
 Thus anxiously and heavily passed the time. 
 It was little past sunset when I reached the hol- 
 low, and now the position of the stars declared 
 that it wanted but one hour of midnight. At 
 this moment, while sitting absorbed in painful 
 reflection on the side of the chasm, the sound of 
 a horse-tramp seemed borne towards me on the 
 gentle breeze of night. Cautiously I stole to the 
 top of the bank, and, laying my head on the 
 ground, listened attentively. It came again, and 
 nearer — oh ! the deep, the mixed anxiety of that 
 moment ! — but it did not last. I ventured now 
 to raise my head, and, looking along the horizon , 
 saw, relieved against the clear sky, the dark figure 
 of a single horseman approaching rapidly. He 
 was soon at hand, and the sound of my own name, 
 pronounced in a subdued voice, convinced me that 
 it was my friend. 
 
 " I have kept you long waiting," said he, 
 springing from his horse, " but it was not to be 
 avoided ; my preparations have been ready these 
 many hours, but it is scarcely one since I left the 
 camp: — jealousy is all awake, and when they learn
 
 160 
 
 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 your absence, which has as yet been concealed, 
 their rage will know no bounds." — " Ah, my 
 friend, my patron," cried I, " how can I tell you 
 all I have endured since you left me ? Your com- 
 ing is as the water of life to a dying man. But 
 tell me, tell me, how fares the unhappy victim of 
 my guilty thoughtlessness ? for indeed, my dear 
 Selim ! the act which has created all this misery 
 proceeded from no deliberate guilt ; it was the 
 offspring alone of youthful imprudence and un- 
 checked affection ; and God knows, if my life 
 could restore the unfortunate Shireen to innocence 
 and happiness, I would freely give it — I would 
 sacrifice it with my own hand." — " I believe it, 
 Ismael," returned Selim, " I believe it, for I wish 
 to do so. I think you could not act the serpent's 
 part, and deliberately sting those who fostered 
 you. But the deed is done — the consequences 
 alone are now our care ; and we must try to render 
 them as little calamitous as possible. For Shireen 
 you need have no anxiety, I pledge myself for her 
 safety, — I cannot say more at present; we have now 
 to secure yours." — " But how did the discovery 
 take place ?" cried I. — " Talk not of it," replied he ; 
 " 1 cannot bear the subject now : in a word, you 
 have long been watched, for neither you nor my 
 sister are without your enemies. And in truth, 
 Ismael, when I learnt what had occurred, my first 
 emotion was that of rage and indignation against the
 
 A KUZZ1LBASH. 161 
 
 betrayer of my sister ; but an interview with the 
 poor girl softened my wrath. When I saw her, 
 dying as she then thought, and heard her swear 
 that however imprudent, however blaineable you 
 might be, you were in truth no seducer ; when, 
 sinking under her misery and terror, pale and 
 breathless, she conjured me to save Ismael, to 
 save that friend who had exposed his life for mine, 
 I could hold out no longer. I thought of your 
 frank and noble disposition, so remote from deli- 
 berate treachery or falsehood — of your devotion 
 and love to myself, of your steady zeal and fide- 
 lity to my family, and I felt that you must be 
 less guilty than unfortunate. I resolved to save 
 you, cost what it might ; and I swore to Shireen 
 that no harm should fall on Ismael or on herself 
 while Selim lived — so might Allah help him at his 
 need ! My arrangements are now complete, and 
 not a moment must be lost in flying from this 
 place. Should the Khan find you here, not all the 
 kindness he once felt for you, not all my efforts 
 in your favour, would avail for a moment — you 
 were lost without remedy : — it is fortunate for us 
 that he is at present engaged at a distance. Come, 
 the night is far spent, you must be many fursungs* 
 from hence before morning breaks. Here is a 
 horse which you know well, for he was your 
 
 * Fursung, is the Greek parasang — a Persian measure of dis- 
 tance, nearly equal to four miles.
 
 162 adventuk.es of 
 
 favourite ; he carried you on your first expedition 
 with me; a better than Boorrauk* cannot be found 
 in all the Kara-coum r-f- he is yours. And here is 
 a scymetar, the work of the celebrated Daood 
 Jeeshagur, of Mushed : it was taken from a 
 Persian khan of no mean name, and will serve 
 you well at your need. Here too is a spear, with 
 a bow and a quiver of arrows, all of the best our 
 camp affords ; and here are Kuzzilbash gar- 
 ments, — your safety will require them when you 
 reach the borders. Besides, you will find in those 
 joalsj barley-bread and corn, enough to support 
 yourself and your horse for five days, and also 
 a small supply of gold, which you will need until 
 you obtain some service ; there is but little of it, 
 for gold and silver abound not among us Toorko- 
 mans. These things, Ismael, accept as the last 
 offers of one who was once your friend — who still, 
 after all that has passed, cannot force himself to 
 hate you." — His voice faltered — my own was 
 choaked, but I attempted to articulate a few 
 words. — " Do not interrupt me," resumed he, 
 
 * Boorrauk, which signifies " lightning," was also the name 
 of the Prophet's. 
 
 t Kara-coum, " black sand," or desert, a Turkish ex- 
 pression, often applied to the extensive desert on the eastern 
 bank of the Caspian Sea. 
 
 X Joals are bags made of canvass or carpet stuff, for con- 
 taining clothes or other necessaries on a journey, and are carried 
 slung one on each side the horse.
 
 A KUZZILBASH, 
 
 163 
 
 (( 
 
 we have no time for weakness; listen to my 
 directions, they are essential to your safety. As 
 you leave this spot, direct your course south- 
 west, to the point where yon red star will set three 
 hours hence. You must proceed rapidly over 
 these sandy plains and clayey flats, and continue 
 after sunrise till you see some low hillocks on your 
 right — one of these is crowned by a remarkable 
 height, which you cannot fail to observe; and a 
 mile and a half due south from them, there are 
 some wells in a low marshy spot, and some her- 
 bage which will serve as food for your horse ; 
 there you must halt and refresh — but examine the 
 ground from the distant height, and see that it is 
 unoccupied before you approach it ; strangers 
 are dangerous. But there is little risk of pur- 
 suit in that direction, I shall take care to lead it 
 otherwise.' 1 
 
 In this manner did Selim, with a zeal worthy of 
 a more deserving object, restraining an indigna- 
 tion which he could not but feel, provide for the 
 safety of one who had so deeply, though uninten- 
 tionally injured him ; and thus he pointed out the 
 course and cautions to be observed on the whole 
 way to the confines of Koordistan ; which, pro- 
 vided I succeeded in my attempt, he calculated I 
 should reach about the district of Dereguz. " And 
 now," said he, when he had finished his directions, 
 " in the name of God, Ismacl, mount and set for-
 
 164 
 
 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 ward, and may the protection of Allah, and the 
 aid of Moorteza Allee,* ever accompany you !" 
 
 It is needless to tell the tears that I shed, or the 
 vain attempts I made to express the gratitude and 
 affection that filled my soul for this inestimable 
 friend ; nor can I describe the acuteness of my 
 feelings when thus quitting him for ever. Guilty 
 as I must have been in his eyes, I dared not 
 seek to embrace him ; I felt that he could not 
 but repulse me. Nor was Selim's distress infe- 
 rior to mine : proud and high-minded, he strug- 
 gled with his feelings till the last ; but when he 
 saw me humbled to the dust by his goodness — 
 wrung with anguish, yet not daring to approach 
 him, he could hold out no longer, his sternness 
 gave way — he threw his arms around me, and 
 strained me, for a moment, to his heart. " Kho- 
 dah Hafiz !""-J- cried he, in a broken voice, releasing 
 me; — and rushing past me, he was soon lost in 
 the darkness. That embrace, that blessing from 
 Selim, was worth more to me than all he had done 
 for my safety ; it was the pledge of forgiveness 
 and reconciliation ; it was balm to my wounded 
 spirit. May the blessing of Allah forsake me, when 
 I forget him and his unfailing attachment ! 
 
 * Allee, the beloved of God ! a designation by which Allee is 
 often invoked for assistance, in the hour of difficulty or danger. 
 
 + " May God protect, or remember you!" one of the most 
 common, expressive, and affectionate " farewells," in use among 
 the Persians.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 165 
 
 While Selim was giving me the directions for 
 my route, I had accoutred myself, given him 
 my Toorkoman jubbah and cap, and put on the 
 Kuzzilbash habit he had brought. I now mount- 
 ed my horse, and took the direction he had in- 
 dicated.
 
 166 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE insert. 
 
 The heaviness of my heart for a while seemed 
 to extend its influence even to my horse ; and lost in 
 mournful musings I proceeded but slowly onward. 
 A slight stumble, from the roughness of the ground, 
 first roused my attention, and I saw with alarm 
 that I had diverged greatly from the proper course. 
 I lost no time in resuming it, and, resolving to be 
 more cautious in future, urged the animal into a 
 more rapid pace. The remainder of the night 
 wore anxiously away ; but every hour, as it passed 
 without alarm or indication of pursuit, increased 
 my confidence, and encouraged my hopes of es- 
 caping from the danger with which I was sur- 
 rounded. 
 
 The grey dawn at last appeared, and, as the ob- 
 jects around me became visible by its uncertain 
 light, I could detect some inequalities on the hori- 
 zon, which I concluded to be the hillocks described
 
 A KUSZILBASH. 167 
 
 to me by Selim. As the light increased, however, 
 I became aware that these appearances were no- 
 thing more than trifling irregularities on the ex- 
 tensive plain before me, magnified into importance 
 by the twilight and vapours of morning. Nothing 
 real met my eye but the grey and boundless de- 
 sert of sandy downs, interspersed with stripes of 
 hard clay, on which my horse and I were the only 
 living things. A sense of awe, and a loneliness 
 hitherto unknown, pervaded my soul, and dis- 
 posed it to devout contemplation. What, indeed, 
 awakens religious devotion like misfortune and 
 fear? — they are far more persuasive to the mind than 
 the most touching discourse of the holiest Moollah. 
 As the increasing light announced the hour of 
 prayer, I threw myself from my horse and per- 
 formed my numaz,* with more energetic sincerity 
 than I ever remember to have done before ; nor 
 did I spare the sand of the Desert, which in such 
 cases, the Prophet — blessed be his name ! — directs 
 the faithful to use instead of water for their 
 ablutions. 
 
 After commending myself to Allah, and calling 
 on Tdcorteza Allee for assistance, I proceeded as 
 nearly in the proper direction, as, judging by the 
 position of the sun, I could determine. Still no 
 range of sand-hills appeared ; and what was w<. 
 
 * Nuuiaz — stated prayers, which good Mussulmans perform 
 five times a day.
 
 168 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 no symptom of any spot likely to afford water. 
 The thirst, which had in a great degree been re- 
 pressed by the cold of night, now, as the day ad- 
 vanced, began to grow painful ; and was increased 
 by the light particles of sand which, put in motion 
 by the breeze, entered my mouth and parched up 
 my throat and nostrils My horse too, was evi- 
 dently suffering under the same distress ; his 
 breath became uneasy, and his wide nostrils in- 
 flamed and dry. There was no help, however, and 
 nothing remained for us but to push forward, in 
 hopes of either falling in with the watering station 
 described by Selim, or some other of those thinly 
 scattered spots where a slight degree of verdure in- 
 dicates moisture and the vicinity of wells. It is 
 true that such spots, however essential to my ex- 
 istence now, were fraught with danger ; as it is 
 there that parties of the Desert tribes are most ge- 
 nerally to be met with : but my situation was be- 
 coming every moment more critical, and it was 
 better even to die by the spears of enemies, than to 
 perish by thirst or suffocation in the sands of the 
 Desert. 
 
 While I thus pursued my way in perplexity 
 and doubt, I thought that I perceived a cloud of 
 dust rising in the horizon to the south-east. At 
 first, I took it i:o be caused by one of those whirl- 
 winds which, even in the calmest day, will often 
 appear in the Desert, raising its sand to the hea-
 
 A KUZZII.BASH. 169 
 
 vens ; but on more attentive observation, it seemed 
 too low and too dense for one of these : it also left 
 a train behind it to the south, as if it was moving 
 in a contrary direction. Alarmed at this sight, I 
 instantly dismounted, that I might observe what 
 was passing with less risk of being myself dis- 
 covered. 
 
 It chanced that, a little to the left of the spot 
 from whence I first perceived the dust, there was 
 a small ridge of sand, rising seven or eight feet 
 above the general level ; I led my horse to the 
 shelter of this, and lying down so as to command a 
 view over its crest, I waited the issue, in breath- 
 less anxiety. 
 
 For some time every thing was hid from my 
 view by intervening irregularities ; but scarcely 
 had a quarter of an hour elapsed, before I observ- 
 ed the cloud of dust nearer than before ; and, as it 
 issued from beyond the point of another sand-hill, 
 I could distinguish a dense mass, like a body of 
 men or cattle, from which now and then flashed 
 the gleam of a burnished weapon. At first I 
 thought they were marching directly towards me, 
 and believed discovery inevitable. I dreaded lest 
 my horse, with the instinct of its species, might 
 become sensible of the approach of others, and 
 betray me by his neighing, and for awhile the 
 suspense I endured was more painful than dis- 
 covery itself would have been; but my fears were 
 
 vol. i. l
 
 170 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 relieved by observing that the party was now 
 moving in a course oblique to mine, and that, 
 though so far as a certain point they seemed to be 
 approaching, they were now moving onward, and 
 rapidly getting farther from me. They passed 
 me at a distance of less than a mile, and I could 
 discern that there were at least an hundred horse- 
 men, accompanied by many camels and yaboos* 
 carrying loads. 
 
 The dust occasioned by their progress had dis- 
 appeared, before I ventured to resume my journey, 
 or to emerge from my place of concealment. When 
 at last I cautiously ascended the ridge of sand, 
 behind which I had taken shelter, I looked eagerly 
 around me, but could see neither human being 
 nor animal in the wide expanse before me. After 
 a while, however, my eyes rested on a singular 
 mass rising from the plain, considerably to my 
 left ; and upon examining it more particularly, it 
 occurred to me that it resembled the description 
 Selim had given me of the remarkable height, near 
 which water was to be found. The very thought 
 gave life to my hopes, and eagerly mounting, I 
 once more urged on my weary steed. 
 
 My distance from the object of my hopes was 
 greater than it at first appeared ; but as I ap- 
 proached closer, they were strengthened by ob- 
 serving that it formed the summit of a small range 
 * Baggage ponies.
 
 A KUZZILBAS1I. 171 
 
 of hillocks, as Selim had said, but which distance, 
 and the erroneous direction I had taken at first, 
 had changed in appearance, and at first concealed 
 from view; — and 1 now discovered how far I had 
 gone astray in the commencement of my journey. 
 
 A short while brought me to the foot of the 
 Tuppeh, and my horse, perhaps instinctively in- 
 spired by the same hope as myself, pressed for- 
 ward with more vigour and alacrity. I soon found 
 myself in the track of the very caravan that had 
 so lately passed me; and I moved on with the 
 greater caution, as it appeared clearly to have 
 come from the direction in which my path lay ; 
 and doubtless they had refreshed at the very spot 
 which I should have reached early in the day, 
 had I not wandered from my road : I determined, 
 therefore, to follow the track, as the sure means of 
 reaching the watering-place. 
 
 It passed to the south-west of the hillock, and 
 after winding, with no small intricacy, among other 
 sand-hills, led me to a level space, where a 
 slight tinge of green declared the existence of 
 moisture. My horse instantly began to stretch 
 his broad nostril to the wind, and whinnied and 
 neighed amain; nor was I void of apprehension 
 lest some lingerers of the party might still be near 
 and take alarm. But all seemed peaceful and 
 lonely ; a few embers yet smoking, and the black 
 spots occasioned by fires, marked the place which 
 
 i 2
 
 172 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 the party had occupied, and where probably the 
 wells were to be found. To this spot I proceeded, 
 still cautiously for fear of surprise ; but it was 
 needless — I was the only human being near. 
 
 Oh ! with what delight did I view the yet moist 
 and plashy ground around the spot where they 
 had watered their horses and camels. There, in- 
 deed, was the well, its source partly stopped up 
 with sand; a precaution usually adopted in the 
 Desert, both to prevent the water from being les- 
 sened by evaporation, and to hide its source from 
 enemies and strangers. This precaution had been 
 but imperfectly taken by the party which had 
 just made use of the well, and it was fortunate 
 for me that it was so, as, had they omitted it alto- 
 gether, the water would have been too low to 
 enable my horse to reach it, whereas the sand 
 thrown in had raised it without entirely covering 
 it up from view ; so that muddy and turbid as it 
 was, my thirsty steed could freely participate in 
 the blessings it afforded. I threw myself on my 
 face beside the delicious element, and drank a 
 long deep draught ; then tearing off my clothes, 
 I bathed my head and bosom in the refreshing 
 stream, before it was quite disturbed by my im- 
 patient horse, who, plunging his fore legs up to 
 the knees on the other side, greedily satisfied his 
 own longings. I now unbitted him, and loosing 
 his girths, permitted him to go at large among
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 173 
 
 the herbage near the well, assured that he would 
 not quit this only spot where he could satisfy the 
 cravings of hunger as well as thirst. 
 
 I had now a moment for calm reflection ; and 
 my thoughts naturally turned on the events of the 
 last few hours. The loss of my way, which I 
 feared might prove my destruction, had, as it ap- 
 peared, secured my safety. Had no obstacle pre- 
 vented my reaching the wells as early as might 
 have been expected, I could not have avoided fall- 
 ing into the hands of those who then occupied the 
 place, and they could hardly have been welcome 
 to me ; for it has been well observed, that no man 
 in the Desert meets a friend. I returned thanks 
 to Allah for the deliverance I had experienced, 
 and hailed this proof of my lucky fortune as a 
 fair pledge of future success. 
 
 I refreshed myself sparingly with some of the 
 provisions which Selim had provided, and a sigh 
 arose in my breast, as I thought of that true 
 and disinterested friend, and of my unfortunate 
 Shireen ; for whose fate, in spite of the assurances 
 I had received from Selim and the Dervish, I 
 could not help entertaining the most lively alarm. 
 
 I did not dare to remain longer than was abso- 
 lutely necessary to refresh my horse; as for my- 
 self, so strong was the excitement of my mind, 
 that had I been in a state of perfect safety, and 
 had my time been entirely at my own disposal,
 
 174 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 sleep would not have visited my eyes ; so after a 
 halt of two hours, during which my horse had con- 
 trived to crop a good deal of such herbage as had 
 been left, and eaten a few handfuls of barley from 
 my joals,* I prepared to set off afresh. 
 
 On casting my eyes around, it seemed to me 
 that the party which had preceded me, must also 
 have been in more than ordinary haste, for several 
 articles lay scattered about, as if forgotten by their 
 owners in the hurry of their departure : besides 
 scraps of provisions, there was a calleeoon,t in 
 which the tobacco was but half-smoked, a hand- 
 kerchief, and some other trifles of dress ; but the 
 only thing which promised to be useful to me was 
 a leathern vessel for drawing and carrying water, 
 which had probably been used to water the camels: 
 this I filled with what water it could easily con- 
 tain, and very gladly hung it at my saddle-bow. 
 
 I now once more mounted and rode forward, 
 directing my course to the southward. It was 
 more than three hours past noon when I left the 
 wells : the sun beat fiercely on my head, and the 
 sand reflected back its rays with painful force ; 
 but my noble horse, true to his blood and race, 
 once more bore me swiftly onward. The night 
 closing in, delivered me from the scorching heat, 
 but subjected me to the equally distressing, though 
 
 * Travelling bags. 
 
 f Calleeoon, a pipe for smoking tobacco through water, uni- 
 versally used in Persia.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 175 
 
 Jess enervating infliction of a severe cold wind, for 
 which I was but ill prepared ; and I had to thank 
 the hardihood of my Toorkoman education for the 
 powers of endurance, which enabled me to bear it 
 at all. I was forced, however, from time to time 
 to get off and lead my horse, to restore by exer- 
 cise the vital heat to my limbs. Long, long did 
 the night appear, as I urged him swiftly through 
 the darkness, and eagerly did I hail the first ap- 
 proach of morning, which would restore to me the 
 blessings of light and heat, although I knew not 
 whether any other relief might accompany them. 
 
 It dawned at last ; and morning found me still 
 in a wide and trackless waste of sand ; which, as 
 the sun arose, was only bounded by those flitting 
 vapours which deceive the thirsty traveller with 
 the belief that water is near, and have thence 
 obtained the name of " the water of the Desert."* 
 In vain I looked for the marks by which my 
 friend Selim had taught me to recognise a place 
 of refreshment. There was but too much cause 
 to fear that I was now in one of those terrible 
 tracks of dry and moving sand, in which no 
 water is ever found, and which sometimes, when 
 set in motion by the wind, swallow up whole 
 caravans and their conductors. Alas ! the morn- 
 ing light, so earnestly expected, only dawned to 
 prove that I was surrounded by dangers I hud 
 * Salirab, the phenomenon of refraction termed the " mirage/'
 
 176 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 never dreamt of. The wind, which had blown so 
 piercingly all night, lulled, as it generally does, 
 towards morning ; but the hazy vapour, loaded 
 with light particles of sand, through which the 
 sun rose red as blood, gave warning that the 
 calm would not continue long; nor had I pur- 
 sued my course another hour before the roar of 
 the Desert-wind was heard, columns of dust be- 
 gan to rise in the horizon, and the air became 
 gradually filled with driving sand. 
 
 As the wind increased, the whole plain around 
 me, which had been heaped by former tempests 
 into ridges, like the waves of a troubled sea, now 
 <rot into motion : the sand blew from off their crests, 
 like spray from the face of the waters, and covered 
 myself and my horse with its dense eddies ; while, 
 often unable to distinguish the true course, my 
 horse toiled over the ridges, sinking up to the 
 very girths in their deep baffling substance. 
 
 I continued for some hours to persevere, strug- 
 gling against the fury of the gale, when my 
 alarm became increased by observing that my 
 horse, which hitherto had stood out with admi- 
 rable perseverance, even when his progress was 
 the most painfully impeded by the deep sand, now 
 became terrified and restive. He snorted, reared, 
 and appeared unable, as well as unwilling, to face 
 the sharp drifting of the still increasing storm. 
 In vain I soothed him, or urged him on with
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 177 
 
 heels and hand ; the animal, which hitherto had 
 obeyed my voice almost like an intelligent being, 
 now paid no attention either to caresses or to 
 blows. In the severe squalls that drove past at 
 intervals, he fairly turned his back to them and 
 would not move ; and even when the wind lulled 
 for a little, he could hardly be forced to advance 
 a step. 
 
 I scorned to yield my life without a struggle, 
 yet saw not the means of preserving it. To 
 abandon my horse would have been, in fact, to 
 give up hope ; for I could not have proceeded 
 a single mile on foot : yet to remain stationary, as 
 I was forced to do by the terror of the animal, 
 involved manifest destruction. Every thing that 
 offered resistance to the torrent of sand, which 
 sometimes poured along the earth like a rapid 
 stream of water, was overwhelmed by it in an in- 
 credibly short time : even while my horse stood 
 still for a few moments, the drift mounted higher 
 than his knees ; and, as if sensible of the danger, 
 he made furious efforts to extricate himself. 
 
 Quite certain that my only hope of safety lay in 
 constant motion, and in the chance of gaining the 
 leeward side of some hillock or mass of rock that 
 might afford a shelter till the storm should blow 
 over, I gave up my true course, turned my back 
 to the wind, and made all possible efforts to press 
 forward ; and at last, just when both man and 
 
 i 5
 
 178 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 horse were exhausted, during a partial lull, I 
 observed something like a rock or mound of 
 earth looming through the dusky atmosphere. — 
 On approaching it, I discovered that it was the 
 bank of an inconsiderable hollow, which was now 
 nearly filled with sand, and the opposite side of 
 which, being exposed to the wind, had by the 
 same means become merely an inclined plane : 
 beneath this bank I retired, resolved to trust 
 to its protection, rather than run the risk of a 
 farther progress with the imminent peril of pe- 
 rishing in the drifting sand, where vision could 
 not extend for a space of many yards. 
 
 For a time my position appeared to be improv- 
 ed, and to afford the shelter required ; but it was 
 not long before the wind shifted, and the sand 
 blew more in upon us. Already the choking 
 sensation produced by thirst and the inspiration 
 of the hot penetrating sand had forced me to 
 have recourse, though sparingly, to the water 
 I had fortunately brought along with me. But 
 the relief was little more than momentary ; 
 the same sensations returned with greater vio- 
 lence : — my throat and nostrils were parched and 
 filled with sand ; my tongue, husky and dry, was 
 almost motionless in my mouth ; and it was with 
 feelings of despair that I saw my horse, my only 
 hope, in an equally alarming condition. I took a 
 little of the water that was left, washed his eyes
 
 A KUZZ1LBASH. 179 
 
 and nostrils, and even permitted him to drink a 
 few inouthfuls, after performing the same offices 
 to myself: this exhausted my store, and, satisfied 
 that nothing more remained to be done, I leaned 
 my back against the bank, and quietly awaited 
 my fate. 
 
 It seemed, in truth, to be rapidly approaching : 
 the wind continued to roar, if possible, with in- 
 creased violence, and the sand, drifting in from all 
 sides, threatened to bury us as we stood, while 
 the heat and density of the air made it almost 
 impossible to breathe. Indeed, my sensations were 
 so painful that I fully believed death to be nigh 
 at hand. My mind, preternaturally active at this 
 crisis, rapidly surveyed the events of my past 
 life, especially those of the last few days, and 
 shrunk with a pang of mingled impatience and 
 horror from the terrible fate that was now likely 
 to bring all to a close. While thus painfully oc- 
 cupied, and casting about my eyes with a rest- 
 lessness that partook of the condition of my mind, 
 I caught a glimpse of something like a human 
 being moving through the gloom. Roused by 
 the sight, and indifferent, at such a moment, whe- 
 ther it should prove to be friend or foe, I endea- 
 voured to call out, but could not — my voice died 
 away in a hoarse croak : my horse at the same 
 moment, and, as might have been imagined, with 
 the same intention, uttered a short neigh. Our
 
 180 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 efforts were both needless, for the figure, which 
 from the moment we first observed it had kept 
 slowly advancing, moved on at the same steady 
 pace, and now stood before me. — It was the Der- 
 vish, Sheikh Allee Calunder. 
 
 " Young man," said he, addressing me in his 
 customary solemn voice, " be not dismayed ; thou 
 hast now experienced the truth of my words, and 
 wilt hereafter yield them more implicit confidence. 
 I told thee that thou shouldst not long remain 
 an inhabitant of the Desert, a companion of its 
 savage tribes ; and that the occasion and means 
 of thy departure would be found without thy 
 seeking ; lo ! thou hast now left these tribes, and 
 with Allah's help wilt soon quit the Desert. I 
 told thee that sorrow and misfortune would be 
 found in thy path ; and is not this a stern earnest 
 of their future presence ? But I told thee too, that 
 brighter days should not fail to illuminate thy 
 pilgrimage, and these are yet to come; arise, 
 therefore, and follow me.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 181 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE CAVE OF THE DERVISH. 
 
 What might it be, in the words or the presence 
 of this extraordinary person, that inspired me so 
 instantly with hope and confidence ? Did he in- 
 deed bear about him some charm or supernatural 
 influence, by which my exhausted strength was 
 restored, as if by magic, at his approach ? Such 
 were the thoughts that flitted across my mind as 
 I extricated myself from the sand which had half- 
 overwhelmed me ; and having aided the efforts of 
 my horse to get free, led him after this mysterious 
 Dervish, whose spare, sinewy form strode through 
 the furious storm as easily as the spear cleaves 
 the air. 
 
 He led the way rapidly and silently along the 
 hollow which I had entered, and which became 
 deeper as we proceeded, with bold and more lofty 
 sides: it seemed strange to me, notwithstanding 
 the cloud of sand, that inequalities so consider-
 
 182 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 able could have escaped my observation. Our 
 progress, however, was short ; — the Dervish turned 
 to a rocky part of the bank, which somewhat over- 
 hung a heap of fragments that had fallen from 
 its summit — several of these, of no small size, he 
 displaced with ease, and discovered a hollow which 
 appeared to extend to a great depth. After he 
 had worked in this way for some moments, he 
 turned to me — " Here, my son," said he, " lend 
 the aid of thy youthful strength to enlarge this 
 opening. The beneficent Allah extends his pro- 
 tection to the brutes of his creation, as well as to 
 sinful man, and commands him to exercise towards 
 other creatures that mercy which he himself re- 
 ceives : — the horse, which hath served thee faith- 
 fully, must not be left to perish — the noble animal 
 must likewise enter here." I lent my assistance 
 readily, it is true ; but, exhausted with my suf- 
 ferings, I could effect but little. The Dervish, 
 however, was satisfied ; indeed he seemed to re- 
 quire but little help. In a short time the opening 
 was sufficiently enlarged, and my guide, enter- 
 ing, ordered me to follow with my horse. The 
 sagacious animal, instead of starting at the dark 
 abyss, quietly and cautiously followed my steps, 
 as if aware that succour and protection were to be 
 found within. 
 
 We proceeded for a few paces in utter dark- 
 ness, when a feeble yellow ray struck upon the
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 183 
 
 sight, proceeding from a small iron lamp, which 
 was suspended from the roof by a chain of the 
 same metal. As the eye became accustomed to 
 the dusky light, we found ourselves in a cavern, 
 hollowed either by nature or art out of the solid 
 rock ; but the dimensions of which it was impos- 
 sible to discover. 
 
 To one who had suffered as I had done from 
 the suffocating blasts of the Desert, the first and 
 most gratifying sensation in this retreat, was the 
 delicious coolness which pervaded it. The death- 
 like pressure on my heart was instantly removed, 
 and the burning heat of my eyes and the throbbing 
 of my temples v/ere allayed. A moment after we 
 entered, the Dervish brought a large gourd, con- 
 taining pure cool water ; " Here, youth," said he, 
 " drink and refresh thyself; here thou art in per- 
 fect security — I will myself attend to the wants of 
 thy steed." So saying, while I drank deep of the 
 cool delicious beverage, and poured a portion over 
 my still burning brows and breast, he took my 
 horse a little on one side, and loosening the saddle 
 and accoutrements, wrung the perspiration from 
 its reeking sides, rubbed it with a woollen cloth, 
 kneaded all its limbs, stretched and cracked its 
 joints, and performed, in short, all that the most 
 experienced groom could have done for a favourite 
 horse : then throwing a numud* over it, he washed 
 
 * A felt horse-cloth.
 
 184 
 
 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 from its mouth and face the sand that covered 
 them, and permitted it to drink sparingly from a 
 vessel which he held to its mouth. He then care- 
 fully washed its feet, picking out the sand and 
 fragments of stone that had got fixed about the 
 hoofs, fomenting them, to cool the burning heat 
 which a long and painful march had occasioned. 
 
 All this time I looked on in amazement ; I was 
 bewildered with all that had passed, and con- 
 founded at seeing a man whose appearance pro- 
 claimed him to be devoted to meditation and 
 prayer, acquitting himself so ably, in those offices 
 which our warriors pride themselves on performing 
 well. Before he had concluded, however, I rose 
 to assist him, but he gently repelled my offers. 
 " Rest thee, youth," he said, " thou needest re- 
 pose ; leave to me this portion of thy duty : there 
 will be sufficient cause for exertion on thy part ere 
 long." I soon had the satisfaction of seeing my 
 favourite comfortably disposed of in a corner of 
 the cavern, with soft dry sand for his bed, and 
 eating from his tobrah,* with an avidity that 
 proved him not likely to suffer from his severe 
 exertions. 
 
 The Dervish now turned his attention to me. 
 " Youth," said he, " the cravings of nature must 
 
 • The nose-bag, from which, when filled with chopped straw 
 or corn, and hung round the neck, all the horses of these coun- 
 tries eat their food.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 185 
 
 be satisfied. Hunger and thirst, like pain and sick- 
 ness, were entailed on man through the sin of Sultan 
 Adam, our first parent ; but God is merciful, and 
 has provided remedies for our ills, which we may 
 lawfully use : eat, drink, in moderation, and re- 
 lieve thy weariness by sleep ; but never forget 
 that these are all the gifts of Allah, and provoke 
 not his wrath by disobedience to his eternal laws.'' 
 With these words, he placed before me coarse 
 barley bread, dried fruits, and some crumbs of 
 cheese, with pure water which he brought from 
 a dark recess in the cave. He then invited me 
 to eat, by uttering a solemn Bismillah !* followed 
 by a few words which might have been of prayer, 
 although I understood them not. He did not 
 taste the food himself, but sat beside me in 
 silence while I ate ; and when I had finished, fer- 
 vently ejaculating " Alhumdulillah ft he pro- 
 strated himself, with his forehead touching the 
 sand. He then rose, and leading me to another 
 corner of the cave, where a black felt carpet lay 
 spread on the sand, he bade me " rest in peace,"" 
 and left me to repose. 
 
 Much as I certainly required sleep, it was long 
 ere it visited my eyelids. Both mind and body 
 were fevered, and I tossed and turned upon my 
 
 * " In the name of God !" Vide page 99. 
 f "Thanks ! or praise be to God!" used in returning thanks 
 by Mahomedans.
 
 186 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 couch, until at length a troubled slumber came 
 over me ; but the visions which it brought were 
 filled with the fantastic images of an over-excited 
 mind. At first, innumerable distorted shapes 
 reeled through my brain, among which, though 
 many were familiar, none could be recognized or 
 remembered : they resembled the indescribable 
 phantoms that flit across the imagination of one 
 who is under the influence of opium. 
 
 At last the restless shadows assumed more defi- 
 nite shapes, and I could distinguish among them 
 many well-known objects. The scene resembled 
 our encampment at the Chushmah Jemallee, with 
 its Toorkoman inhabitants; and yet its appearance 
 was strangely altered. Shireen, Selim, and others 
 of my intimate friends, were busy among the rest, 
 and they seemed to be preparing a feast. I sought 
 to join them, but some fearful shadow always ob- 
 structed my progress : — sometimes Omer Khan 
 would interpose, with his countenance inflamed by 
 wrath and with threatening gestures; — at others, 
 the form of the Dervish, enlarged to preternatural 
 size, would waft the whole away by a motion of his 
 gigantic arm. Again I saw our camp, but it was 
 confused with slaughter and blood ; the scene of 
 my first plundering party appeared to be passing 
 in it. I saw the furious rage of my comrades, and 
 heard the yell of despair from the murdered. I 
 gaw the women flying, and Shireen among them
 
 A KUZZII.BASH. 187 
 
 screaming for help and mercy. I sought to over- 
 take and save her; but the more I exerted myself, 
 the more I seemed glued to the spot ; and the ra- 
 vishers were just seizing hold of her, when the 
 Dervish suddenly appeared, and bore her away 
 from her disappointed pursuers. 
 
 Then came a rapid succession of strange and 
 unintelligible visions. Brilliant assemblies — troops 
 armed and habited, as I had heard of in other 
 lands, in rich apparel, mounted on noble horses ; 
 figures of power and majesty marshalling them in 
 order. Then confusion and tumult, battles and 
 plunder, with seas of blood and fire. In all these, 
 the figure of the Dervish was predominant ; it 
 was he that filled my imagination, and was the 
 ruling spirit of every thing I saw. As for my- 
 self, I was lost in the crowd of images around me, 
 but still I followed the Dervish with my head 
 and eye, as if my being itself depended on his 
 will. 
 
 Suddenly there was a great commotion, and 
 I felt the rush of a crowd upon me as if I were 
 the object of their wrath. Omer Khan and Selim 
 were among the first, with wild distorted visages, 
 crying out for vengeance upon the destroyer, and 
 pointing to the shadow of Shireen, which, pale 
 and dying, flitted away in the distance. I shrieked, 
 and endeavoured to avoid them, and stretched out 
 my arms to the passing shadow with a violence
 
 188 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 that awoke me — when, looking upward, I saw 
 the Dervish bending over me, holding a lamp in 
 one hand, and with the other gently pressing my 
 arm. 
 
 I stared wildly around, believing all I saw to 
 be but the continuation of my dream, while the 
 Dervish soothed me, and endeavoured to recall my 
 bewildered senses : " My son," said he, " thy 
 visions have been troubled and thy sleep unre- 
 freshing. Thy body is distempered ; rise, drink 
 this potion, and then thou wilt enjoy repose as 
 well as sleep." I tried to rise, but my head swam 
 round, so that I reeled and fell again upon the 
 couch. I now discovered that I was really awake, 
 but sick and faint : my temples throbbed, and my 
 eyes felt like balls of fire. The Dervish still held 
 the cup containing the potion ; my thirst was 
 great, and almost unconsciously I seized and 
 swallowed the refreshing draught. Its effects 
 were speedy : in a few minutes a delightful calm 
 spread throughout my whole frame, and soon 
 after, sleep stole upon me so gently, and continued 
 so sound, that I was insensible to all that passed 
 for many hours. 
 
 Recollection did not return with returning con- 
 sciousness. Darkness was around me, but I could 
 not conceive where I was. I felt about, but no- 
 thing within my reach conveyed any information 
 to me : a confused remembrance of terrible things
 
 A KL'ZZILBASH. 189 
 
 rushed upon my mind, but supplied no definite 
 idea ; and I was striving to recollect my scattered 
 senses, when the light reappeared, and the Dervish, 
 who bore it, came and seated himself beside me. 
 
 " Thanks be to Allah, youth," said he, after 
 feeling my pulse and examining my countenance, 
 " thou art now in safety, but thou hast escaped a 
 great danger ; the star of thy destiny burns 
 brightly, take heed that thou thwart not its benign 
 influence by thoughtless imprudence. The delay 
 which thou didst suffer on the way, by straying 
 from thy path, was the means of preventing thy 
 meeting with those from whom thou couldest not 
 have otherwise escaped ; and the storm which well 
 nigh proved fatal to thee, has numbered among 
 the victims of its fury those who sought for, and 
 would have found thee, had their progress not 
 thus been stopped short. Learn from these events, 
 young man, that the wisdom of mortals is folly — 
 and adore thou the omnipotence of Allah ! 
 
 " Thou art now about to enter on another 
 course of life, beset with dangers different in cha- 
 racter, but not less perilous than those from 
 which thou hast hitherto escaped. To guard 
 against these, thy prudence will be as needful as 
 thy courage : by nature thou art sufficiently en- 
 dowed with both, — seek to give them exercise, that 
 they may not fail thee in the hour of need. Yet 
 another day thou must tarry in this asylum to
 
 190 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 recruit thy still imperfect strength, for thy toils 
 are not over ; on the morrow the dangers of the 
 Desert must again be faced, but they shall be strip- 
 ped of their terrors to thee, by the directions 
 thou shalt receive for thy path."' 
 
 It was true that my strength was exhausted ; 
 the moment I left my couch I became sensible of 
 my weakness, and was not sorry to contemplate 
 another day's repose, before being again exposed 
 to the toils of a Desert journey. The Dervish now 
 left me to myself, nor was there lack of matter to 
 employ my thoughts. 
 
 In the evening, a little before sunset, the 
 Dervish led me from the cavern to the summit of 
 a small eminence above it. The wind was now 
 still, and the sky serene; a low train of purple 
 and e-olden clouds mustered around the sun as he 
 rapidly descended in the west towards the distant 
 sea of Koolzum.* The change on the face of na- 
 ture from the preceding day, when terror and 
 desolation were abroad, and the angel of death 
 seemed sweeping through the air on the wings of 
 the whirlwind, was striking enough to affect the 
 most thoughtless. The Desert, indeed, was still 
 spread around us, and it was barren and desolate 
 as ever ; but its terrors were gone, and the last 
 rays of the declining sun threw a peaceful gleam 
 over its withered surface, like the calm smile of 
 hope on the face of a dying saint ! " Mark, 
 * The Caspian Sea.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 191 
 
 young man,' 1 said the Dervish, " how the good- 
 ness of Allah can shed beauty over the wilderness, 
 and extract a balm from misfortune, as the bee 
 gathers honey from the bitterest flowers. It is 
 the hour of prayer ; let us adore and bless his 
 
 name 
 
 I" 
 
 holy 
 
 After our prayers were over, the Dervish, turn- 
 ing towards the South-west, directed my attention 
 to that quarter. " Look yonder," said he; " thou 
 seest that distant object, like a cloud rising above 
 the line of our visible horizon ; observe its out- 
 line, regular and unchanging in its form, in one 
 part rising to a point, and in others relieved by 
 lighter tints, as if still lighted up by the sun, which 
 has set to us. That is the land to which thou 
 art journeying. These are the lofty mountains 
 of Khorasan, flecked with the first showers of 
 autumnal snow. That lofty peak, which rises to 
 the West of Dereguz, will be thy unerring guide 
 for the rest of thy journey. To the East of it are 
 the mountains, which contain the impregnable for- 
 tress of Kelaat ; and beyond lie the districts oc- 
 cupied by the warlike Koordish tribes. The dis- 
 tance from hence is still great, and the path will 
 lead thee near the ancient cities of Nissa, Abi- 
 verd, and Meheene ; and by many villages once 
 populous and rich, now desolate as this Desert. 
 But the ruins of Diroom are still occupied by 
 the crafty Seyed Sultaun, whose country and fol-
 
 192 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 lowers must be shunned by thee as a pestilence ; 
 for he is opposed to the chief whose fortunes thou 
 art doomed to follow, the great Nader Koolee, 
 whom Providence has destined to be exalted high 
 in fame, as Iskunder,* as Chengiz, or as Timoor. — 
 Avoid, then, the Toorkomans of Diroom, and all 
 the tribes of the Desert. It is with the Kuzzil- 
 bashes thou henceforth must associate, and to 
 the Kuzzilbasb.es thou must look in future for 
 friendship and assistance. 1 ' 
 
 I looked at the Dervish with enquiring eyes. 
 " Yes," continued he, " it is this powerful, this 
 fortunate, this terrible chief, who shall lead thee 
 to fortune and to honour. It is thy happy des- 
 tiny to follow in the train of that brilliant star, 
 whose liffht shall shed a lustre on Persia, unknown 
 since the days of the earliest Sooffees.-f* But it 
 is a red terrific planet, whose course is crossed by 
 many a constellation of evil power, which may 
 render its influence baneful. Praise, praise to 
 Allah ! who mercifully hides from his creatures 
 the perfect knowledge of a future, which may 
 teem with misery ! And now, my son, 1 ' conti- 
 nued the Dervish, after a pause, " betake thee to 
 
 * Islcunder is the name by which Alexander the Great is known 
 and celebrated over the East. 
 
 f The Sooffee or Suffavean dynasty was the most brilliant of 
 the latter dynasties which have ruled over Persia : it includes the 
 reigns of Ismael, Tahmaseb, both the Abbasses 3 which may be 
 considered the Augustan age of Persia.
 
 A KUZZII.BASH. 193 
 
 repose — to-morrow's sun must see thee on thy 
 way; go forth in the strength of the Almighty, 
 and be thy course bright as virtue, steadfast as 
 truth !" He ceased, and we returned to the cave. 
 Fain would I have sought to learn more of my 
 destiny — to know if I should ever again meet 
 with this mysterious being. But there was a ma- 
 jesty about him that awed the beholder, and I 
 did not dare to question him farther. He quitted 
 me, and I retired to my place of rest. My thoughts 
 for a while dwelt on the words he had uttered 
 regarding my future destiny. I have already said, 
 that the fame of Nader Koolee Beg had extended 
 even into our deserts, and that proposals had 
 been made to our tribe to range themselves along 
 with his enemies against him. I had always con- 
 templated with reluctance the chance of opposing 
 in arms a chief of my own people, and carrying 
 havoc into the bosom of my own country ; and 
 it was with joy I hailed the prospect of being re- 
 lieved from such a necessity. These cheering 
 reflections were soon terminated, however, by a 
 sound sleep, which ceased not till a loud neigh 
 from my horse startled me, and the faint light of 
 a wandering ray told me that it was time to rise 
 and pursue my journey. 
 
 Reluctant to seem slothful in the eyes of the 
 Dervish, I was soon equipped, and felt with delight 
 that the vigour of my body was restored, and 
 VOL. i. K
 
 194 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 with it the energy of my mind ; hope sprang 
 fresh in my soul, and brightened all the future, 
 as the beams of the morning-sun gild the summer 
 landscape. Nor was my joy inferior at seeing 
 my trusty steed, as I led him forth from the 
 cavern, equally refreshed, and full of spirits as 
 his master : he pawed the sand, shook his arch- 
 ing crest, and glanced his bright eye upon me, 
 expressing his impatience the while by quick 
 neighings. 
 
 I waited for some time in expectation that the 
 Dervish would make his appearance ; but though 
 all I could require for my journey stood ready 
 prepared for me, my benefactor was not to be 
 seen. There were my joals replenished with food 
 for myself and provender for my steed, and there 
 was spread my light morning's meal. I hastily 
 partook of it, still hoping that he who supplied 
 it would afford me an opportunity of express- 
 ing my gratitude for all his kindness ; but the 
 time was passing fast and yet he came not. I 
 then remembered his solemn benediction of the 
 preceding night, and felt that it was his farewell. 
 His advice and his directions for my route had 
 been given me then also, and it remained for me 
 but to avail myself of them and depart. 
 
 But what had become of the mysterious being 
 who traversed the pathless Desert as a familiar 
 place, and walked in safety through the storms
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 195 
 
 where others perished ? Long did I muse on this 
 perplexing subject, as mounting my horse I rode 
 forward on my journey ; but the more I thought 
 of the adventure and all its circumstances, the 
 more I was bewildered. At length, abandoning 
 all idea of comprehending the mystery, but satis- 
 fied that, be he whom he might, he was the agent 
 of a beneficent power, I mentally returned thanks 
 to Allah for all his goodness, and, collecting my 
 scattered senses, urged on my steed in the di- 
 rection pointed out by the Dervish. 
 
 k U
 
 196 ' ADVENTURES OF 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 THE RENCOUNTER. 
 
 I pursued my way in safety for many hours 
 along the sand, for the landmarks given me by 
 the Dervish were too clear to be mistaken ; but I 
 found that the distance to the foot of the hills was 
 much greater than might have been imagined 
 from the view we had obtained of them in the 
 calm hour of morning, before the dust had arisen 
 and dimmed the pure air. Indeed, as the day ad- 
 vanced, the haze entirely obscured them ; and it 
 was not till long after the sun had passed the me- 
 ridian, that I again observed their summits rising 
 above the clouds of dust that still hid their bases 
 from view. 
 
 The nature of the country now began to 
 change ; tracks of clay and gravel made their ap- 
 pearance, and relieved my horse's steps from the 
 weariness of constantly sinking to the fetlocks in 
 the heavy sand, which had hitherto predominated.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 197 
 
 After a while, traces of former cultivation 
 could be detected ; channels for irrigation here 
 and there furrowed the ground ; from the sides 
 of which, fields producing rich crops of wheat, 
 barley, dourra, and other grains, once received 
 the water that fertilized them. The canals were 
 now dry, and the fields produced only camel's 
 thorn, and other stunted weeds. 
 
 I came soon afterwards to a collection of mud- 
 walls, the ruins of some village to which the cul- 
 tivation had belonged : — the houses were roofless, 
 and the walls had mouldered down from the ef- 
 fects of rain. A few withered creeping plants, 
 the produce of spring and summer, now hung 
 around them, rustling in the wind — the only 
 sound to be heard. The place seemed more de- 
 solate even than the Desert, and I shuddered as 
 I passed by this first monument of ruin and 
 decay. 
 
 This village was probably among the few that 
 in more peaceable times had crept forward to the 
 confines of the waste, and had consequently been 
 one of the first swept away, when the tribes of 
 the Desert, which for a time had been repelled, 
 rolled back like a furious tide, overwhelming 
 every thing to the very foot of the mountains. 
 
 It was a long time after passing these ruins be- 
 fore I found any other vestiges of habitations ; 
 but towards evening I observed, both to the right
 
 198 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 and left of me, several low lines of broken walls, 
 and the country assumed a more fertile aspect ; 
 the earth was better clad with herbage, although 
 it was dry and withered, and cultivation had 
 plainly once abounded. 
 
 A few miles farther on, my eyes were gladdened 
 by the sight of a strip of verdure^ which I found 
 bordering the bed of a stream, at this time nearly 
 dry : it had been employed to irrigate a great 
 portion of the abandoned cultivation in the neigh- 
 bourhood, but the watercourses were choked up, 
 and the water spent itself fruitlessly, running at 
 large over the country. 
 
 I had now approached so near to the moun- 
 tains that their features were distinctly visible, 
 projecting, and retiring in great ridges and deep 
 dark valleys. A series of smaller hills continued 
 from their feet, undulating in various irregular 
 swells, till they became lost in a long gradual 
 slope that stretched down to the ground where I 
 stood. This slope was furrowed, and partly fer- 
 tilized by many streams, the superfluous waters 
 of which were lost in the Desert beyond, or were 
 collected in a single stream, which divides that 
 desert from the more fertile country, all the 
 way to the banks of the Koolzum, into which 
 it falls. 
 
 By the time I reached the banks of this stream, 
 the sun had set, and it was necessary to seek
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 199 
 
 some retreat where I might pass the night, and 
 refresh myself and my horse without fear of 
 discovery. Ascending the river bed, therefore, 
 with this intention, I soon found a recess where 
 I could repose myself, surrounded by green pas- 
 ture, in which my horse might feed ; but as it 
 would have been dangerous to let him go at 
 large all night, I employed myself, for a while, 
 in cutting the longest and thickest of the grass 
 which grew on the banks of the stream, for his 
 night's repast, permitting him to pasture at will 
 until dark ; and securing him then close to the 
 spot I meant to occupy, after a moderate meal, 
 I commended myself to Allah, and lay down to 
 rest. 
 
 The loud neighing of my horse awoke me with 
 a start, as the first light of dawn broke in the East. 
 Quickly springing on my feet, and grasping my 
 spear and scymetar, which lay under my head, I 
 looked around for the cause of alarm. Nor did it 
 long remain doubtful, for, at the distance of scarce 
 two hundred yards, I saw a single horseman ad- 
 vancing. — To tighten my girdle round my loins, 
 to string my bow, and prepare two or three arrows 
 for use, was but the work of a few moments ; be- 
 fore these preparations, however, were complet- 
 ed, the stranger was close at hand. Fitting an 
 arrow to my bow, I placed myself upon guard, 
 and examined him narrowly as he approached
 
 200 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 He was a man of goodly stature, and powerful 
 frame ; his countenance, hard, strongly marked, 
 and furnished with a thick black beard, bore testi- 
 mony of exposure to many a blast, but it still pre- 
 served a prepossessing expression of good humour 
 and benevolence. His turban, which was formed 
 of a cashmere shawl, sorely tached and torn, and 
 twisted here and there with small steel chains, ac- 
 cording to the fashion of the time, was wound 
 around a red cloth cap, that rose in four peaks 
 high above the head. His oemah, or riding 
 coat, of crimson cloth much stained and faded, 
 opening at the bosom, showed the links of a coat 
 of mail which he wore below ; a } T ellow shawl 
 formed his girdle; his huge shulwars, or riding 
 trowsers, of thick, fawn-coloured Kerman woollen- 
 stuff, fell in folds over the large red leather boots 
 in which his legs were cased : by his side hung a 
 crooked scymetar in a black leather scabbard, and 
 from the holsters of his saddle peeped out the butt- 
 ends of a pair of pistols — weapons of which I then 
 knew not the use, any more than of the match- 
 lock which was slung at his back. He was mount- 
 ed on a powerful but jaded horse, and appeared to 
 have already travelled far. 
 
 When this striking figure had approached 
 within thirty yards, I called out in the Turkish 
 language, commonly used in the country, " Who- 
 ever thou art, come no nearer on thy peril, or I
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 201 
 
 shall salute thee with this arrow from my bow !" 
 — " Why, boy," returned the stranger, in a deep 
 manly voice, and speaking in the same tongue, 
 " thou art a bold lad, truly ! but set thy heart at 
 rest, I mean thee no harm. 1 ' — " Nay," rejoined I, 
 " I am on foot and alone. I know thee not, nor 
 thy intentions; either retire at once, or show thy 
 sincerity by setting thyself on equal terms with me ; 
 — dismount from thy steed, and then 1 fear thee 
 not, whatever be thy designs. — Beware I 11 and so 
 saying, I drew my arrow to the head, and pointed 
 it towards him. " By the head of my father !" 
 cried the stranger, " thou art an absolute youth ! 
 — but I like thee well ; thy heart is stout, and thy 
 demand is just ; — the sheep trusts not the wolf when 
 it meets him in the plain, nor do we acknowledge 
 every stranger in the Desert for a friend. See," 
 continued he, dismounting actively, yet with a 
 weight that made the turf ring again, " See, I 
 yield my advantage; — as for thy arrows, boy, I 
 fear them not ; 11 with that he slung a small shield, 
 which he bore at his back, before him, as if to 
 cover his face, in case of treachery on my part, 
 and leaving his horse where it stood, he advanced 
 to me. 
 
 Taught from my youth to suspect and to guard 
 against treachery, I still kept a wary eye on the 
 motions of the stranger. But there was something 
 in his open, though rugged countenance, and 
 
 k 5
 
 202 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 manly beating, that claimed and won my confi- 
 dence. Slowly I lowered my hand, and relaxed 
 the still drawn string of my bow, as he strode up 
 to me with a firm composed step. 
 
 " Youth," said he, " had my intentions been 
 hostile, it is not thy arrows or thy bow, no, nor 
 thy sword and spear, that could have stood thee 
 much in stead. I am too old a soldier, and too 
 well defended against such weapons, to fear them 
 from so young an arm. But I am neither enemy 
 nor traitor to attack thee unawares: I have 
 travelled far during the past night, and mean to 
 refresh myself awhile in this spot before I proceed 
 on my journey ; — thou meanest not,' 1 added he with 
 a smile, " to deny me the boon which Allah ex- 
 tends to all his creatures ? What ! still suspicious ? 
 Come then, I will increase thy advantage, and 
 try to win thy confidence." With that he un- 
 buckled his sword, and threw it, with his match- 
 lock, upon the turf a little way from him. " See 
 me now unarmed, — wilt thou yet trust me ?" 
 Who could have doubted longer ? I threw down 
 my bow and arrows: "Pardon," cried I, " my 
 tardy confidence ; but he that has escaped with 
 difficulty from many perils, fears even their sha- 
 dow : — here," continued I, " are bread and salt, 
 eat thou of them, thou art then my guest, and that 
 sacred tie secures the faith of both." The stran- 
 ger, with another smile, took the offered food.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 203 
 
 " See, youth, I am forward to prove my sincerity. 
 I consent to be thy guest, as thou wast first in 
 occupation of this spot ; and, by the holy Caaba,* 
 I am like to profit by it, seeing thy stores seem 
 better and larger than mine ; it is some days since 
 I have eaten a bit of bread like this. But now, 
 with thy leave, I shall bring hither my weary 
 horse, that he too may rest and be refreshed. 
 Here, Roushun!*f- hither, hither!''' — he gave a long- 
 whistle, and the animal came trotting to his call ; 
 then loosing the saddle and appurtenances, he 
 scraped the sweat and dust from his sides, rubbed 
 him heartily for a while, pressed his muscles, and 
 drew his joints after the fashion of a good and careful 
 groom ; then throwing over him a numud,+ which 
 had been fastened to his saddle, he permitted him 
 to graze at will. In all this I assisted him, and 
 gained many commendations for my willingness 
 and dexterity. — " So ! well done, young man, one 
 may see that thou hast learnt to tend a horse ; — 
 there, rub his nose well ; lift up that off fore-leg 
 till its joints crack again ; now pull his tail, 
 nothing pleases a wearied horse more than that ; 
 
 * The temple, or mosque, at Mecca, towards which all Mussool- 
 mans turn their faces at the time of prayer. This edifice, or part 
 of it, is attributed to Abraham, and is considered the holiest 
 earthly object of Mahomedan regard. 
 
 f Houshun, — light, splendour, — a common name for a favou- 
 rite horse in Persia. 
 
 J A horse-cloth of felt.
 
 201 
 
 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 lend thy hand to rub this side a little dryer: — - 
 there, that will do ; that's well — we'll just clap 
 this numud on him to keep his loins warm ; and 
 now, my poor Roushun, go fill thy belly, for thou 
 hast much need." 
 
 After this task had been performed, the stran- 
 ger, turning to me, said, " See, the first beams of 
 the sun have lighted up that distant mountain ; 
 it is the hour of prayer, a duty I never neglect, 
 neither shouldst thou omit it, if thou be'est a good 
 Mussoolman. 
 
 The stranger performed his ablutions in the 
 clear stream, and used it as men do who have toiled 
 sore and long. He bathed his head, his breast, 
 and feet, and let the cool water stream over his 
 black bushy beard. He then prayed long and de- 
 voutly, prostrating his forehead upon a piece of 
 clay brought from Kerbelah.* Being less accus- 
 tomed to protracted devotions, my prayers were 
 sooner over, and I felt half ashamed at the cir- 
 cumstance : at last he rose and approached me, 
 " And now, youth, let us see what we can muster 
 for breakfast." 
 
 * The place, in Arabia, where Hassan and Hoossain, sons 
 of Allee, were murdered and buried. It is a very holy place of 
 pilgrimage for the Sheahs, and it is customary for all of that sect 
 to carry with them a piece of clay brought from thence, and stamp- 
 ed with the seal of the high priest of the tomb, which they place 
 before them during prayers, and press their forehead against it 
 when prostrating themselves.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 205 
 
 He took a small pair of joals from behind his 
 holsters, and poured their contents on a handker- 
 chief which he spread on the grass. Some frag- 
 ments of tough old bread, mingled with crumbs of 
 cheese, and a few withered roots of garlic, were all 
 that appeared. " Wullah !"* cried he, opening 
 wide his eyes, here is a pretty mess for a hungry 
 man indeed ! the Kumbucht-|* has treated me 
 worse than I believed ; but never mind. I hope, 
 young man, you are better supplied ; if not, come 
 share with me and welcome; there is enough to 
 keep life in our bodies till we reach better quar- 
 ters." 
 
 " Nay, 1 ' said I, " remember thou art my 
 guest, we join stocks on this occasion, at all events, 
 and I have plenty for both.' 1 With that I pro- 
 duced my store, which, thanks to the Dervish's 
 bounty, was very respectable : it consisted, it is 
 true, only of barley bread, but less ancient than 
 that of my new friend, with some tolerable cheese, 
 some dried plums of Bockhara, and grape jelly, all 
 good of their kinds, and all in sufficient quantity 
 to quiet any scruples he might have felt at inter- 
 fering with my proper allowance. Indeed, such 
 scruples seemed to be foreign to his frank and 
 liberal nature, and he eyed the eatables witli a 
 
 * A common exclamation of surpiise, — literally, " By God \" 
 t Ill-fated ! — wretch ! — a common term of reproach or abuse 
 in Persia.
 
 206 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 look that sufficiently declared how welcome they 
 were. — " Hah, my young friend, j'ou travel well 
 provided — such things are not to be picked up in 
 every corner of the Desert — but let us fall to, Bis- 
 millah !"* — " Bismillah,' 1 echoed I; and we fell 
 upon the victuals like men who had fasted long, 
 and who might not soon again find wherewithal 
 to satisfy their appetites. 
 
 At length, both being satisfied, and a pause 
 having ensued, the stranger took occasion to re- 
 mark on the singularity of finding a youth like 
 myself alone in so dangerous and desert a country. 
 " By thy dress,"" added he, " thou shouldst be a 
 Kuzzilbash, but thy tongue and thy bearing tell 
 a different tale." Greatly as I had been prepos- 
 sessed in favour of my new friend by his frank 
 deportment, I did not think it altogether prudent 
 to intrust him with my story ; I therefore merely 
 replied, that I had travelled from a great distance, 
 and had encountered many dangers, but that, by 
 the mercy of God, I had been preserved in the 
 greatest extremity, and got my store of provisions 
 replenished when nearly exhausted. 
 
 " Well," said the stranger, " I press not to know 
 thy secret : yet thou art young ; and though bold 
 and cautious for thy years, mightest not be the 
 worse for advice or assistance from one who has 
 
 * " In the name of God !" the common Mahomedan grace ; 
 an exclamation also common upon all occasions.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 207 
 
 seen something of the world, and who well knows 
 every foot of these dangerous plains. Thou hast 
 seen that I seek not to harm thee, and I tell thee, 
 youth, there is something in thy look that draws 
 me strongly to thee. Thy garb, as I said before, 
 would speak thee a Kuzzilbash, but thy horse and 
 his harness, with thy spear, bow and arrows, are 
 those of the sons of the Desert : — nay, I might 
 say, for well I know their fashion, that they be- 
 long to the tribe of Tekeh ; — yet there is some- 
 thing of more noble lineage in thy large dark 
 eyes, thy high, straight nose, and the smile which 
 plays around thy mouth. But be thou who thou 
 may est, Ibrahim Beg Keerkloo would never take 
 a base advantage, even of a foe, whose guest he 
 hath been, with whom he hath eaten bread and 
 salt, and whose hand has been given, as to a 
 friend, in the broad Desert P 
 
 " Keerkloo !" demanded I, looking earnestly in 
 the warrior's face; " then art thou an Affshar ? v * — 
 " Ay !" rejoined he, " an Affshar I am, and not 
 of the meanest family, although many are the 
 changes of fortune that I and my kindred have 
 known. 11 — " I too am an Affshar," cried I, my 
 heart warming to my frank-hearted clansman as 
 I spoke, — " I too am an Affshar ! and if I err 
 not much, of the family of Keerkloo also!" — 
 
 * A noble Turkish tribe, dwelling partly in Azerbijan, partly 
 on the confines of Khorasan. Nader Shah was of this tribe.
 
 208 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 "Thou an AfFshar?'" cried Ibrahim: "thou 
 of the family of Keerkloo ? By the tomb of the 
 Prophet, youth, but this sounds strangely ! — and 
 yet that countenance — it speaks the truth for 
 thee ; methinks I could read it in thy face ! But, 
 then, from whence comest thou now ? and who is 
 thy father ?" — " Whence I am come, thou mayest 
 know hereafter,'" returned I ; " and, for my fa- 
 ther, know that many years have passed since he 
 went to share the joys of Paradise, — when all his 
 family except myself, and great part of his clan, 
 fell beneath the spears of that desert tribe, from 
 which even now thou deemedst me to be sprung. 
 My father was Moorteza Khan of Karabulagh, 
 who resided at Khojahdeh, once the principal 
 village of that district." — " Thou the son of 
 Moorteza Khan Keerkloo ? thou the child of my 
 old friend and companion in arms ? By the head 
 of my father, welcome to Ibrahim ! and may the 
 hour of our meeting be propitious !" 
 
 With that he rose, and embracing me, kissed 
 me with great zeal three times on both cheeks, 
 and held me at arm's length, as if to look for 
 the likeness he expected to find in confirmation 
 of my assertion. — " I must believe thee, youth ! v 
 at last continued he ; " that open front and steady 
 look could never support a falsehood ; and in thy 
 youthful features I can trace the sterner traits of 
 thy brave father. But how didst thou escape
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 209 
 
 the ruthless sword that destroyed thy whole 
 house ? and how is it that I now find thee wan- 
 dering so near the haunts of these savage hordes ; 
 so near, too, to the scene of thy family's" de- 
 struction ?" 
 
 " The story," answered I, " is long, and would 
 require more time than I should judge may safely 
 be given to it here ; but this I may tell thee, — for 
 be it prudent or otherwise, there is something which 
 bids me confide in thee, and young and inexpe- 
 rienced in the world as I am, I fain would have the 
 aid and counsel of some one better known to its 
 ways, — I have fled from that very tribe of Tekeh, 
 whose tents, from the time of my father's murder, 
 have served his son as a home : I now seek to be 
 re-united to my countrymen and tribe ; and I am on 
 my way to join that gallant captain, their chief 
 ornament and support, the victorious Nader ; if 
 the services of one so young and inexperienced 
 may be accepted by that chief, whose fame has pe- 
 netrated even to the remote corner where our 
 tents were pitched.'" 
 
 " By the sword of Allee, they shall be accept- 
 ed !" cried the warm-hearted Ibrahim. " To the 
 camp of Nader thou shalt indeed go, nor shalt thou 
 want a o-uide and a guard : the brother of Nader 
 shall himself lead thee to him, nor shall his own 
 welcome from the chief be the less warm because 
 he presents to his acceptance the scion of a noble
 
 210 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 stock, the son of a brave and highly valued kins- 
 man. In me you see Ibrahim, the unworthy bro- 
 ther of that luminary, which, like the sun, has 
 risen in the East to shed its reviving influence over 
 its own Khorasan, and enlighten all Persia with 
 its beams !" 
 
 It was now my turn to gaze : young and pas- 
 sionately fond of enterprize, nothing connected with 
 a chief so high in fame as Nader could be indiffer- 
 ent to me ; and thus, at the very outset of my ad- 
 ventures, in a manner so extraordinary and un- 
 looked for, to meet with the brother of that chief 
 himself, and that too at the very moment when I 
 stood most in need of assistance and advice, — the 
 influence of my happy star was so powerful and 
 so distinct, that I was penetrated with gratitude 
 and amazement. In Ibrahim I felt that I had 
 acquired a warm, a hereditary friend : meeting 
 with him was like regaining my country and my 
 family. New hopes, new energy sprang up in my 
 soul, and but for one dark cloud, which still gave 
 its tinge to my destiny, all the future would have 
 been bright and glowing in my eyes. Visions 
 of glory and of happiness flashed across my 
 thoughts, nor could I for a while reply to the ani- 
 mated assurances of protection which Ibrahim so 
 frankly offered me. 
 
 " Allah Kereem ! God is merciful !"" exclaimed 
 I at last ; "he deigns to let his favours shine upon a
 
 A KL'ZZILBASH. 211 
 
 wretch like me i And will the brother of Nader 
 indeed befriend an orphan who can proffer no- 
 thing in return but his gratitude and zeal ? With 
 confidence, Ibrahim ! do I place myself in thy 
 hands, assured that in so doing I am fulfilling the 
 will of the Almightv ! Ah, Dervish ! how true a 
 prophet art thou ! — how vain is it to strive against 
 the will of Providence ! — how impossible to con- 
 travene the decrees that have been registered 
 since the beginning of time ! The star of Is- 
 rael's destiny is indeed rising ; and it is truly 
 from Kuzzilbashes that he has already received, 
 and must in future seek support." 
 
 The curiosity of Ibrahim was again excited by 
 my last exclamations, which were uttered aloud ; 
 and I promised to satisfy it by relating my whole 
 story as soon as an opportunity should occur. He 
 then adverted to the circumstances that had occa- 
 sioned his being found himself alone and in so 
 perilous a spot. " My brother," said he, " was 
 summoned to the neighbourhood of Khabooshan, 
 by reports of disturbances among the Koords of 
 that district — no uncommon event, indeed. He 
 sent me to recruit near Semulghan, and to confirm, 
 if I could, the friendly tribes of these parts in their 
 allegiance. I raised a good many men, and sent 
 them direct to my brother ; but there were threat- 
 ening appearances in the Desert, and I wished to 
 see with my own eyes the extent of real danger ;
 
 212 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 so, taking a few steady men with me, I took this 
 road by the skirts of the hills." — "And what has be- 
 come of your escort P 11 enquired I, — " did you find 
 the reports correct? 1 ' — "Faith! not entirely un- 
 founded, it must be owned," rejoined he ; " for 
 though I have seen no large bodies of troops, there 
 certainly are plunderers abroad. Last evening, 
 while passing through an ugly defile, I was sur- 
 prised by a troop of twenty or thirty of theDiroom 
 horsemen: — my escort had been weakened by de- 
 taching several messengers, and by a few casual- 
 ties — and they attacked us so fiercely, that two 
 more were killed at the first burst ; so we were 
 forced to trust to the goodness of our horses for 
 safety, and all dispersed, flying different ways, to 
 distract the attention of the miscreants who were 
 at our heels. Two of them stuck by me, and 
 gained on me so fast, that I turned to give them 
 battle, and fortunately shot one of them with my 
 pistol ; on which the other ran away as fast as I 
 had done at first, and left me to pursue my way 
 unmolested. I took advantage of this, to plunge 
 into the most intricate and inaccessible parts of the 
 country ; but my horse, as well as myself, began to 
 feel the want of food and rest, we were in deserts 
 where nothing of the kind was to be had, and a 
 few hours after midnight I resolved upon seeking 
 this remote spot at all hazards, where rnv horse, at
 
 A KTJZZILBASH. 2l£i 
 
 least, might feed and be refreshed, before I should 
 push for the pass of Dereguz. 
 
 " I shall still," continued he, " allow my horse 
 some farther rest, and snatch a little sleep myself, 
 during which time you, young man, who are 
 fresh, may remain on guard ; afterwards, we shall 
 both proceed towards Dereguz : and, as we are 
 now not far from the means of procuring sup- 
 plies, I shall borrow a little barley from your 
 well-filled joals for my faithful Roushun ; who, to 
 say the truth, was sorely put to his mettle yester- 
 day : but he has carried me bravely through many 
 a harder day against my foes, as well as from 
 them, and Insh-allah ! shall do so yet again and 
 again. 11 The corn was quickly bestowed, and 
 Ibrahim, recommending to me a careful watch, 
 placed his saddle under his head, covered his 
 face slightly with a napkin, and in a few moments 
 was fast asleep.
 
 214 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE SKIRMISH. 
 
 The sleep of Ibrahim was that of a soldier ; 
 deep and refreshing, yet short and easily put to 
 flight. I sat by his side, or traversed the green 
 turf near him, for little more than two hours, my 
 mind intently occupied with this fortunate ren- 
 counter, and in anticipating its consequences, when 
 a noise, made by the horses near us, disturbed my 
 companion, who instantly sprang to his legs, and 
 felt for his arms, as he gazed around. I would 
 have had him once more seek repose, but, casting 
 his eyes to the sun, now high in heaven — " No, 
 no, my friend," said he, " we must not lose an- 
 other hour — who knows how much we may re- 
 quire it? — how much may be lost or won before 
 the sun sets ? — let us be gone at once." Accord- 
 ingly, without farther delay, we made our horses 
 ready, resumed our arms, mounted, and rode 
 forward.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 21 
 
 O 
 
 For some time we continued to ascend the 
 course of the stream, which formed a ravine of 
 considerable depth in the slope that extended 
 down from the mountain-foot. A few stunted 
 trees here and there hung over the waters, and 
 brushwood clothed the hollows in its sides ; but 
 the banks, for the most part, were gravelly and 
 bare. 
 
 After a course of nearly two hours, we rose 
 from the bed of the stream, and taking a direction 
 more to the East, crossed a part of the slope, 
 which here began to change its character. The 
 wood which partially clothed the mountains, in 
 some places extended downwards over the lower 
 ground at their base ; and this occasionally rose 
 into swelling undulations, covered with wood and 
 pasture, interspersed with extensive traces of cul- 
 tivation. Ruins of villages became more frequent 
 as we approached the mountains ; and still farther 
 distant, among the receding valleys of their skirts, 
 the smoke which arose from amid the trees and 
 corn-fields proclaimed that we were approaching 
 the abodes of men. 
 
 During this part of our ride, which lay over 
 comparatively level ground, I seized the oppor- 
 tunity of relating to Ibrahim the particulars of 
 my life, since the time of my father's murder and 
 my own captivity among the Tekehs. He was 
 much interested by the recital, and many were
 
 216 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 the exclamations it called forth. He was inclined 
 to yield Omer Khan some applause for the con- 
 duct which he held towards me, but it was con- 
 strainedly and rather ungraciously bestowed : it 
 was a triumph of generosity over prejudice scarce- 
 ly gained : for Ibrahim, though by nature noble, 
 frank, and candid, had not failed to imbibe sun- 
 dry prejudices, and particularly against some of 
 the Desert tribes, which could not be conquered, 
 and were seldom brought under decent control. 
 " Yes," observed he, " the fellow saved your life, 
 if you will ; but to what end ? To make you a 
 slave, — to render you valuable to himself. And 
 if he did make a difference between you and other 
 captives, what good purpose did it serve to you ? 
 He saw you were a fine young fellow, and that 
 your services would be useful ; therefore he 
 treated you decently : but you see, when there 
 was any talk of giving you a chance of rising — of 
 becoming a free man, he discountenanced it at 
 once. And — may his father be burnt ! — the dog ! 
 what reason did he give ? Why, that you were 
 faithful to your religion and your honour; that 
 you were and would remain a Sheah. The ac- 
 cursed follower of the accursed Omar, may he 
 never see the joys of Paradise ! He deny you 
 freedom because you dared to continue a faithful 
 believer ! But he will howl for this yet, as well 
 as for all the faithful and holy blood he has shed !
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 217 
 
 And yet the dog seems to have been a good leader, 
 by your aecount, too. That was a well-managed 
 business in which you first drew blood ; he de- 
 serves credit for that — prompt, daring, and gal- 
 lantly achieved ! But give me your friend Selim, 
 that is a brave noble fellow— pity he is a Soonnee ! 
 — but what better could be expected in such a place 
 and such company ?— But, Ismael, that fellow's 
 devotion and conduct to you will save him 
 from hell, ay, if he were to slay a thousand 
 Seyeds."* 
 
 He treated my conduct towards the unhappy 
 Shireen with less severity than I was myself in- 
 clined to do. 
 
 " It was a silly affair, my lad," said he ; " I 
 cannot quite acquit you there. As for what you 
 say about innocence and inexperience, and all 
 that, it is nonsense ; I can't believe a word of it ! 
 No young fellow of your age can convince me 
 that he did not know when he was p-oing: too 
 great lengths with a pretty girl ; — no, no, there 
 you were certainly to blame ; for though a soldier 
 like me may think somewhat lightly of women, 
 I hate a traitor — a cold-blooded seducer ; — but I 
 don't believe you were one. I think, on the con- 
 trary, your blood was too hot ; you forgot what 
 you should have remembered ; you played the 
 
 * Seyeds are the descendants of the Prophet Mahomet, and 
 therefore are considered as partaking of his sanctity. 
 VOL. I. L
 
 218 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 fool, and there is an end of it. But your pretty 
 fellow of a master, Omer Khan — why did he not 
 give you the girl ? — that is what he should have 
 done, had he meant to be thought generous — 
 secured her a good husband, and himself a brave 
 son. But never mind, 'tis better as it is ; you are 
 out of his clutches, and all may be well. I hope 
 he is not brute enough to hurt the poor little 
 girl ; and I '11 tell you what we 11 do, Ismael : — 
 as soon as the affairs of Koordistan are settled, 
 and Mushed our own, well get a chosen set of 
 well-mounted lads together, and make a dash, 
 and carry off your mistress for you, by force of 
 arms." 
 
 Thus would Ibrahim talk, and beguile the way 
 with his gay conversation, while I freely told him 
 all my adventures. I felt my admiration for his 
 blunt, warm-hearted gallantry hourly increase; 
 and he, on his part, seemed no less pleased with 
 me. 
 
 We continued for some time longer, riding over 
 a track once fertile and well-cultivated, but now 
 returned to its original desolation. The wild 
 pomegranate, the thorn, and the thistle, grew high 
 in the fields, and overran the walls that formerly 
 inclosed them. At length we reached an open 
 space, occupied by the ruins of a large walled 
 village, among which a square building, with
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 219 
 
 walls of greater height, and towers at each cor- 
 ner, rose particularly conspicuous. 
 
 As we approached this place, I felt my heart 
 stirred within me, and my whole frame agitated 
 with a secret and indescribable emotion ; visions 
 of past events seemed hovering dimly in my me- 
 mory, but my sensations were too indistinct and 
 too confused to be intelligible to myself. At 
 last, a vague idea shot through my brain, and 
 thrilled like a fiery arrow in my heart : — with 
 burning cheeks and eager eyes I looked towards 
 my companion, and saw his own bent keenly 
 upon me. 
 
 " Knowest thou this spot, young man P 11 said 
 he, after a pause : " if thy memory does not 
 serve thee, cannot thy heart tell thee what walls 
 are these ?" — I gasped for breath, but could not 
 speak. — " Yes, Ismae!," continued he, " these are 
 the ruined walls of thy father's house ; — there 
 passed the first days of thy childhood ; — within 
 that broken tower thy eyes first saw the light ! — 
 But its courts are now strewed with the unbu- 
 ried dust of thy kindred, and the foxes and wolves 
 of the Desert rear their young among its roofless 
 chambers. These are the acts of that tribe to 
 which thou hast so long been in bondage — such 
 is the debt of blood, which cries out for thy 
 vengeance I 11 
 
 l 2
 
 220 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 I checked my horse to gaze on the scene of my 
 infant years, and my companion seemed willing to 
 indulge me. — Is it indeed true, as some sages have 
 taught, that man's good angel hovers over the 
 place of his birth, and dwells with peculiar fond- 
 ness on the innocent days of his childhood ? and 
 that in after years of sorrow and of crime she 
 pours the recollection of those pure and peaceful 
 days like balm over the heart, to soften and im- 
 prove it by their influence? How could it be, 
 without some agency like this, that gazing thus 
 unexpectedly on the desolate home of my fathers, 
 the violent passions, the bustle, and the misery of 
 later years, vanished from my mind like a dream ; 
 and the scenes and feelings of my childhood came 
 fresh as yesterday to my remembrance ? I heard 
 the joyous clamour of my little brothers and 
 sisters ; our games, our quarrels, and our recon- 
 ciliations were once more present to me ; the grave 
 smile of my father, the kind but eternal gabble of 
 my good old nurse, and, above all, the mild sweet 
 voice of my beloved mother, as she adjusted our 
 little disputes or soothed our childish sorrows — all 
 rushed upon my mind, and for a while quite over- 
 powered me: — I covered my face with my hands, 
 and wept in silence. 
 
 An emotion of deep indignation sprang up in 
 my mind as I contemplated the devastation around 
 me, and remembered the treacherous and bloody
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 251 
 
 acts that had been perpetrated here upon my kin- 
 dred. I would at that moment have braved any 
 danger for the chance of wreaking vengeance on 
 their murderers. But deep as this hostile feeling 
 entered into my breast, it never once extended 
 itself to those who had been the protectors of my 
 helpless childhood : the family of Omer Khan 
 could never be less than kindred to me. What- 
 ever had been the crimes of its chief, had he not 
 saved my life ? — had I not been to him almost as 
 a son? — and Selim, was he not indeed my brother ? 
 did I not owe him more than life ? was not his 
 true and noble friendship beyond all ties of blood ? 
 Shireen too ! — but of her I did not dare to think. 
 
 I awoke from the reverie during which these 
 thoughts had rapidly passed through my brain, 
 and turning suddenly to Ibrahim Khan, who sat 
 looking on me with deep attention : " Oh, Ibra- 
 him,"' cried I, " my family shall indeed find an 
 avenger ; the debt of blood shall be paid, if Allah 
 grant me the power to exact it ! but the debt of salt* 
 
 * Or of gratitude— that which is due to those who have given 
 one salt — that is, the means of living. Nlmmuk-haram, and Is'im- 
 muk-huluU — faithful, or unfaithful to one's salt, are phrases used 
 expressively, as grateful or ungrateful. It is likewise well known 
 that the circumstance of having tasted salt or food in any dwell- 
 ing, becomes a pledge of union and safety between the host and 
 guest, which is seldom violated even among the worst banditti — 
 for hospitality is a virtue of the fii>t consideration in the East, from 
 the earliest ages.
 
 222 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 is not less sacred — I cannot be ungrateful, I dare 
 not imbrue my hands in the blood of those who 
 cherished me when I was helpless — whose bread I 
 ate — who loved me like a son. Nor would the 
 father, whose death I mourn, and would revenge 
 at the hazard of my life, acknowledge the son who 
 could act so basely." 
 
 " My young friend," said Ibrahim, in a tone that 
 betrayed how much he was affected, " set thy 
 heart at rest. The debt of salt is sacred indeed — 
 accursed be he who would violate the laws of hos- 
 pitality and gratitude ! Ibrahim would never urge 
 thee to do so. May Allah grant that thy principles 
 be strengthened, and that thy actions never swerve 
 from their dictates, or be forced to oppose them ! 
 But we linger here too long ; this is neither a time 
 nor a place for delay ; every ruin and ravine within 
 thy sight may teem with enemies : — let us haste to 
 gain the defile, and get clear of its intricacies ere 
 darkness be added to its dangers. 11 
 
 So saying, we resumed our way, which led us 
 close under the walls of the village, and then 
 wound among a collection of small hollows, formed 
 in the deep soil by the torrents of winter forcing 
 their way to the river. These ravines were scan- 
 tily covered with thick shrubby bushes and stunted 
 trees, which afforded excellent cover for an ambus- 
 cade. 
 
 The suspicious character of the ground induced
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 2°,3 
 
 us to urge our horses on as rapidly as we could 
 with convenience and safety ; for the path, which 
 was narrow and stony, wound and twisted around 
 the frequent jutting points, in a manner which 
 might have baffled the recollection of a less prac- 
 tised guide ; and we were proceeding in silence and 
 not without anxiety along a deep and hollow way, 
 when suddenly Ibrahim Khan, who was in front, 
 checking his horse a moment to allow me to close up 
 with him, cried out in a low earnest tone, " Quick ! 
 quick ! follow me at speed, there is danger near us !" 
 and spurring his horse, he dashed forward at full 
 gallop over height and hollow, without stopping a 
 moment, but turning every now and then to see if 
 I was at his heels. In this way we hurried for- 
 ward for several minutes, at the risk of our necks, 
 his steed appearing to take care of itself, while he 
 unslung his matchlock, struck a light with his flint 
 and steel, and examined the powder in the pan ; — 
 then he disengaged his pistols from the holsters, 
 and felt that his sword was ready to his hand : and 
 all this was done with as much coolness and pre- 
 cision as if he had been at exercise upon the 
 maidaun.* 
 
 " We are beset,' 1 said he ; "I saw the point of 
 
 a spear and a fur cap rising over a bush in yon 
 
 ravine, and we shall be immediately pursued, for 
 
 there cannot be a doubt that they are enemies ; 
 
 * Parade, — exercising ground.
 
 224 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 but if we can cross this plain, and gain the defile 
 beyond, where only two can ride abreast, we may 
 do well enough yet : — string thy bow — get thy 
 arrows ready, and prepare to fight for life and 
 death : — now is an opportunity to try thy mettle.' 1 
 I was ready in a moment, and again received the 
 praises of Ibrahim for my expertness. " Thou 
 art a choice hand indeed, youth," said he, " I 
 have great confidence in thee : by the mercy of 
 Allah, we shall baffle the rascals yet. 
 
 By this time we had got clear of the ravines, and 
 were bounding over the plain more at our ease. It 
 was some six or seven miles in breadth, and thinly 
 sprinkled with wild pomegranates and thorns, but 
 afforded free enough scope for our horses, and tole- 
 rable footing. We had not, however, ridden half 
 a mile when a low thundering noise in our rear 
 told us that our pursuers were on our traces; and 
 they soon appeared emerging from the ravines we 
 had quitted, to the number of fifteen or twenty 
 horsemen, whose great fur caps and long spears 
 proclaimed at once what they were. " Stakhfer- 
 ullah !"* cried Ibrahim, " there's enough of them, 
 to be sure ! Oh for five or six of my brave Kuz- 
 zilbashes, with their matchlocks and keen scy- 
 metars, and not one step farther would Ibrahim 
 fly ! But now fly we must, and that in earnest. 
 
 * " May God avert it !" an expression of concern and astonish- 
 ment, like the English " Zounds I" in very common use.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 225 
 
 Come, come, put your horse on his mettle ; I 
 know mine will serve me: let us see who wins the 
 race ; by the sword of Allee, the stake is a sharp 
 one !" 
 
 On we swept with redoubled speed : — our horses 
 seemed to know how much need there was for 
 their exertions, and devoured the ground. The 
 distance between us and our foes visibly increased, 
 and they became scattered by the unequal speed 
 of their own horses — the plain seemed to fly back- 
 ward, and the opposite hills to approach fast. 
 " Barikillah r * cried Ibrahim Khan, " this is 
 excellent, but it cannot last ; — we must not kill 
 our horses ! Let us try what the leaders of these 
 fellows are made of — let us see what they will say 
 to a matchlock ball !" Three of the party had 
 kept pretty well up all along, and were not much 
 more than half-a-mile behind us ; two or three 
 others were spurring on at various distances, within 
 a mile in their rear ; and last of all came on the 
 main body, keeping more together. 
 
 " Pull up by degrees, 11 cried Ibrahim, " until 
 these three fellows approach ; it will breathe our 
 horses, at all events ; and if we arc lucky in our 
 aim, we may dispose of some of them, and check 
 the rest for a while." I did as he proposed : — the 
 three first horsemen, supposing our beasts blown, 
 
 * Well done ! 
 L 5
 
 226 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 came thundering on abreast, their spears in rest, 
 protending far over their saddle-bows. Already 
 were they within thirty yards, standing on their 
 stirrups, and ready to bear us down, when 
 Ibrahim, turning round on his saddle, without 
 checking his horse, gave his fire ; and I at the 
 same moment discharged an arrow at the group. 
 Whether the ball took place on man or horse we 
 never knew, but there was a sudden cloud of 
 dust, and we saw the middle horseman rolling 
 with his steed several times over on the ground, 
 from whence he never rose again ; — the others, 
 checking their horses in full career, wheeled ofF a 
 few paces to either side, and halted. I saw my 
 arrow sticking in the shoulder of the right-hand 
 horse. Away we rode once more like the wind ; 
 Ibrahim charging his matchlock as he went, and 
 I fitting another arrow to the string; — and we 
 quickly regained our vantage of distance. 
 
 The next two horsemen now came up with their 
 companions, and the pursuit was renewed, while 
 we strained every nerve to gain the jaws of the 
 defile, which, now hardly a mile in front, opened 
 between two rocky hills, sprinkled with under- 
 wood. — " We might gain the pass/' said Ibrahim 
 anxiously, " but our horses can never keep up at 
 this violent rate, and the pathway before us is 
 terribly rough. See you yon ruined watch-tower 
 on the height ? — it is our only chance. It may
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 227 
 
 stand our friend against these desperate odds — 
 push on, and gain the tower, Ismael — up that 
 rocky path to the right. I will protect the rear 
 until you are ready to command the entrance 
 from its top ; — we shall at least sell our lives 
 dearly.' 11 
 
 There was no time for farther words : on we 
 swept like the whirlwind ; our horses panting 
 with their exertions, and two of the enemy now 
 gaining upon us. I reached and sprang up the 
 path without accident, although the huge frag- 
 ments of rock in my way might have baffled 
 a fresher horse. I found that the tower stood 
 within a small walled inclosure, still in tolerable 
 preservation ; but the gate having been long ago 
 destroyed, the gateway was open to all, and ad- 
 mitted my horse without difficulty. The tower, 
 which stood in the wail overhanging the defile, 
 had its entrance also by a gateway ; but this had 
 been partly built up by some banditti, who for- 
 merly frequented the place ; and it was with dif- 
 ficulty that it admitted a horse without its rider. 
 I sprang from mine, and dragging him inside, 
 rushed up-stairs to the summit with my bow, 
 ready to defend the entrance. Ibrahim Khan, 
 whose horse had stumbled from fatigue, was but 
 just entering the outer inclosure, while the exer- 
 tion necessary to recover the animal's footing had 
 deprived him for the time of the use of his
 
 228 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 matchlock : at this moment the foremost Toorko- 
 man was close behind with his spear. The mo- 
 ment I saw how matters were situated, I took a 
 deliberate aim with my arrow ; and just as the 
 fellow was rising to make his thrust, he received 
 it up to the feather in his heart- Uttering a 
 loud yell, he fell backwards, checking his horse 
 so rudely that it also reared and fell — block- 
 ing up the path so effectually, that had his compa- 
 nions been close at his heels, they could not have 
 advanced a step. 
 
 Ibrahim, meantime, had entered and got his 
 horse under cover; then, calling me to assist him, 
 we hastily rolled some large stones to the entrance, 
 so as to impede the enemy's progress. This was 
 soon done, for the stones formerly used still lay 
 there. We then hurried above, to defend our 
 castle. - c . ( 
 
 It was full time ; for now the whole party of 
 horsemen, sixteen in number, had come up or 
 were close at hand; and three or four were en- 
 tering the outer gateway together. Scarcely had 
 the first got beyond the threshold when the re- 
 port of Ibrahim's matchlock was heard, and the 
 Toorkoman, dropping the reins, rolled on the 
 ground ; the ball had passed through his body. 
 Nor was I less fortunate in my aim : as the horse 
 of the second, terrified at the noise and fire of the 
 matchlock, reared and turned sharp round, my
 
 a KuzziLr.Asn. 229 
 
 arrow struck the rider behind the ear : he fell 
 immediately ; and as his foot still stuck in the 
 stirrup, his terrified horse dragged him at speed 
 down the steep, scattering in confusion the rest, 
 who were all busily ascending. 
 
 The sudden fate of these men checked the fury 
 of their comrades 1 onset. Not possessed of any 
 fire-arms themselves, they dreaded the effect of 
 these weapons so much, that no one cared to ex- 
 pose his person; while Ibrahim, unwilling to ex- 
 pend his ammunition, would not fire again until 
 certain of doing execution : my arrows too were pre- 
 cious, for of them no supply was to be had. Thus 
 there was a cessation of hostilities on either side, 
 the enemy having collected under shelter of the 
 wall, and we remaining on the watch to shoot the 
 first who might make his appearance. 
 
 This pause was of no long duration ; we scon 
 became sensible that the enemy had dispatched 
 one or two of their number round the walls, to see 
 if entry might be obtained by some other passage 
 less exposed than the gateway. The first unfortu- 
 nate spy, however, had no sooner turned the cor- 
 ner, than he became exposed to our shot, and 
 Ibrahim's matchlock sent him sorely wounded 
 back to his companions. 
 
 The enemy had now lost four of their party, 
 and the majority of the rest, in all probability, 
 would willingly have given up a contest against
 
 230 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 men so desperate, in which, at best, so little was 
 to be gained. But there were among them some 
 of a more determined spirit, who urged on the rest 
 to revenge their fallen companions, and exerted 
 themselves successfully to inspire them with con- 
 fidence. On hearing the report of Ibrahim's 
 matchlock, they conceived that he must now be 
 unarmed, and they resolved to make a desperate 
 and simultaneous attack upon our barricadoes. 
 At once the whole party rushed to the outer gate- 
 way, some on horseback, some on foot ; and re- 
 gardless of my arrows, which flew not without 
 effect, the principal body pressed forward to the 
 entrance of the tower, while some returned my 
 discharge of arrows from their own bows. " Below ! 
 below :" cried Ibrahim, " we must defend the 
 entrance to the last ; we must not lose our 
 horses : follow me quickly, 1 ' and he rushed down 
 to the gateway of the tower, the barricadoes of 
 which the Toorkomans had already commenced 
 pulling down. 
 
 My spear now pierced one of the foremost, 
 while Ibrahim blew out the brains of another on 
 the spot with his pistol : "Allah il Allah !" cried 
 they, as they gave back for a moment at this un- 
 expected assault; " they have more guns!" But 
 their rage and determination was now at its height ; 
 they returned to the charge, while we, on our part, 
 dealt them ghastly wounds with our spears and
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 231 
 
 swords. But stone after stone was now falling, and 
 the large breaches gave entrance to their spears, 
 which not only prevented our opposing them so 
 effectually, but slightly wounded us both. We 
 were about to abandon our horses, and to retreat 
 to the platform above, there to sell our lives as 
 dearly as possible, when a confused noise without 
 struck our ears, and caused a momentary pause in 
 the efforts of our antagonists. 
 
 The sound came nearer and nearer, and was like 
 the tramp of horse. " We are gone,' 1 cried Ibra- 
 him ; " it is a fresh party of Toorkomans — let us 
 ascend and die hard there!" At this moment we 
 heard a hurrah ! mingled with " Kuzzilbash ! 
 Kuzzilbash I 1 ' and accompanied with several shots 
 and loud cries. "Allah hu Akber !"* cried Ibra- 
 him, " they are my Kuzzilbashes ! — we are safe, 
 praise be to Allah and the Prophet ! — Ho, my 
 good steed !" as the horses neighed loud at the 
 noise of the tumult, " we shall now face the vil- 
 lains on equal terms, nor need to fly again." Up 
 he bounded to the platform on the summit, whi- 
 ther I quickly followed him ; and from thence, in- 
 deed, we saw an animating scene. There were the 
 few remaining Toorkomans flying like chaff before 
 the wind, before a party of forty or fifty Kuzzil- 
 bash horsemen, fully equipped, whose matchlocks 
 every now and then rang upon the ear, and a 
 
 * God is great.
 
 232 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 horse of the fliers was seen to fall, or a fur cap to 
 roll along the ground. Nearer at hand, fifteen or 
 twenty more of our deliverers, having put most of 
 the dismounted Toorkomans to death, strove who 
 should enter first and release those who had been 
 so sorely beleaguered. An officer in rich apparel, 
 who had just dismounted from a noble horse, all 
 foaming with the speed he had made, now entered 
 the court, and, followed by several soldiers, ap- 
 proached the tower. At the entrance he was met 
 by Ibrahim Khan, covered with sweat and dust 
 and blood. " Who art thou P 11 cried the officer. 
 " Hussun Allee Beg,' 1 exclaimed Ibrahim Khan 
 in reply, "is it thou ? Welcome, by the hand of 
 my brother ! welcome, in any season, to the soul 
 of Ibrahim ! but doubly so, when, like the water of 
 life to a dying man, thou comest so opportunely 
 in the time of need." 
 
 " Ibrahim Khan! Zohire-u-dowlut I""* exclaimed 
 the officer, starting back with surprise, and bowing 
 low to the ground with respect. " Ibrahim Khan 
 alone, and in this condition ! let his slave find 
 pardon from my lord — he would humbly ask ! — 
 he wants words to express himself ! — he is full of 
 amazement !" — " Nay, Hussun Allee Beg, no need 
 
 * Supporter of the State, the name given to Ibrahim, the 
 brother of Nader, in all Persian works which treat of this period. 
 All great men bear titular denominations of a like description, by 
 which they are fully better known than by their proper names.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 233 
 
 of so much ceremony now ; let me embrace thee, 
 for thou art my deliverer and well deservest it — and 
 let me present to thee my young companion and 
 assistant, who, I declare to thee, has seconded my 
 efforts, on tins occasion, like a very Hustiim." — 
 " Mash- Allah !"* Ismael, but thou hast made a 
 prosperous commencement of thy career with us : 
 we had a tough business of it with these rascals ; — 
 but thy arrows were keen and well planted, — by 
 the holy Caaba, hadst thou not shot steadily and 
 true, that fellow's spear would have done me harm 
 when my horse stumbled yonder. Poor Roushun ! 
 he has had hard work for these many days past, 
 and I must bestow myself upon one of these 
 rascally Toorkomans"' horses that you have taken, 
 to ease him for the rest of the journey. Why, 
 Hussun Allee, I wish you could have been by, even 
 without these fellows of yours, to have seen how 
 Ismael and I worked yon Hying scoundrels, with 
 all their odds of strength ; — not but that they are 
 brave enough too, and no doubt they would have 
 done our business had you not made your appear- 
 ance so opportunely." 
 
 While Ibrahim Khan talked thus in the fulness 
 of his heart, we had all got into the court-yard, 
 and the soldiers had gathered around him anxious 
 to know whether he had received any hurts, and 
 how he came to be in such peril ; for the frank 
 * Praised be God !
 
 234 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 and kindly disposition of Ibrahim had made him an 
 universal favourite among them. He met their 
 zealous affection with his customary warmth of 
 feeling, and had a kind word or a good-humoured 
 nod of recognition for every one around him. 
 " What ! Mahomed Allee, my old friend, art thou 
 here? — and you too, Hoossain Jelowdar? you would 
 not stay behind, I warrant, when there is a chance 
 of getting hold of a Toorkoman horse. Hah, Meer 
 Goonah, art thou sufficiently recovered to measure 
 lances with these dogs of Soonnie robbers ? I know 
 thou wouldst not let thy old master have his throat 
 cut, without risking thine to save his — but Insh- 
 allah !* Ibrahim was not born to be meat for such 
 curs : may their fathers be burned ! — and thou 
 shalt see me live to make them yelp yet again, 
 please God ! Come, who has a calleoon-f- for me ? 
 we both of us need it, for the rogues did not give 
 us much time to refresh ourselves. Come, and 
 while the men are re-assembling, I will tell you 
 all that has befallen me since I quitted the camp 
 at Goonahbad." 
 
 Ibrahim Khan then in a few words related all 
 that I have already detailed, — his progress through 
 the border districts, his narrow escape from the 
 Diroom horsemen, and finally his accidental meet- 
 ing with me, and our perilous adventures up to 
 the moment when we were rescued by the arrival 
 * Please God ! f Water-pipe for smoking tobacco.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 235 
 
 of our friends. During this recital, the attention 
 of both officers and men was frequently directed 
 to me ; and among the exclamations of surprise 
 and of applause, which the detail produced from 
 our auditors, I was confused and distressed by the 
 share bestowed on me, even while it flattered my 
 vanity. The plain character of our Toorkoman 
 conversation was so different from the more in- 
 flated and highly-coloured language of my new 
 Persian friends, that I scarcely knew how to be- 
 lieve them sincere. Certainly, among all the com- 
 pliments I received, none was so grateful, or so 
 touching to me, as the blunt, but honest approba- 
 tion of Ibrahim Khan himself, and the simple ob- 
 servation of an elderly man among the soldiers, 
 who appeared to be a personal attendant upon their 
 chief. " Happy,' 1 exclaimed he, " is the mother 
 that bore thee, and the father who trained thee to 
 be so skilful and brave ! That which thou hast done 
 this day is worth the whole lifetime of thousands; 
 and many are the veterans who would give all 
 their fame to have fought as thou hast done for 
 Ibrahim Khan Keerkloo ! 
 
 " What! old Cossim Allee, art thou also here?" 
 cried Ibrahim, on hearing the old man's voice: " I 
 saw thee not before : welcome, my trusty old sol- 
 dier ! And thou art right as to the youth, though 
 little has he known of a father or a mother's care. 
 When thou shalt hear to whom he owes his birth,
 
 236 
 
 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 thy heart will swell with pride to think that he 
 has merited thy honest praise. Know that his fa- 
 ther was Moorteza Khan Karabulaghee, and thy 
 old master ; and see in him the sole survivor of his 
 family, who has but now effected his escape from 
 these accursed Tekeh robbers. - " 
 
 Cossim Allee turned round, looked full and ear- 
 nestly in my face for a while, " Khodah Kereem V* 
 at last exclaimed he, casting up his eyes and hands 
 to Heaven ; " I thank thee, merciful Allah, that I 
 have been permitted to see this day"" And the 
 old man, falling at my feet, kissed them, anb rub- 
 bed his beard in the very dust before me. Much 
 distressed, and greatly moved, I strove to raise 
 him, but he resisted long, and remained overcome 
 with his emotion, while the crowd around looked 
 on with silent interest, and the rugged face of Ibra- 
 him showed strong signs of sympathy. At last 
 the old man rose, and regarding me wistfully again 
 with streaming eyes, while he grasped hard the 
 hand I had given him, " Yes, 1 ' at length he 
 cried, " I can see it now, — his father's face is 
 there ; but far, far younger and fairer. Ai, Khan ! 
 can this be all that is left of that noble house, and 
 gallant tribe ! and do I live to see that it is so!" — 
 " Come, my good Cossim Allee," interrupted the 
 Khan, " these old tales must be forgotten : you 
 must look for better days. Ismael is now return- 
 * God is merciful !
 
 a KuzziLUAsir. 237 
 
 ed, and may light the lamp of his father's tomb, 
 and revive the lost name of his family. He is go- 
 ing to my brother's camp, where he cannot fail to 
 prosper ; and thou shalt follow his fortunes, as thou 
 didst those of his father. The day will surely 
 come, when he will collect the remnant of his tribe, 
 avenge the slaughter of his house, and raise its 
 name higher than ever."" " Insh-allah, Insh-allah!"* 
 responded Cossim Allee : " so may it prove ! and 
 praise be to God, who has preserved this young 
 lion of a noble breed !" So saying, he fell respect- 
 fully back among those around us. 
 
 I now learned that Cossim Allee had been a fa- 
 vourite jelow r darf of my father's, who, being acci- 
 dentally absent when the village was destroyed, 
 had escaped the catastrophe it experienced. After 
 several turns of fortune, he had enlisted in the ser- 
 vice of Nader Koolee Beg, when his good conduct 
 had gained him the protection of Ibrahim Beg, 
 and the command of ten men. 
 
 It is needless to say how delighted I was, thus 
 at every step to find a friend ; and how willingly I 
 received the assurances of Cossim Allee, that he 
 would never leave me. 
 
 * Please God ! please God. 
 
 f Head groom, from Jelow, a rein, because they are supposed 
 to ride at the bridle-rein of their master, ready for auy service.
 
 238 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 NADER. 
 
 " And now, 1 ' said Ibrahim Khan, " tell me, 
 Hussun Allee Beg, how it chanced that you came 
 so opportunely to this place ; and what are the 
 news from my brother's camp at Goonahbad. ,, 
 
 " Thy slave," replied Hussun Allee, " would 
 humbly represent, in obedience to Zohire-u-dow- 
 lut,* that the light of the nation and pillar of 
 the state was in full enjoyment of health and 
 prosperity, when his servant turned his footsteps 
 from the fortunate camp, which, however, is no 
 longer at Goonahbad, but has been removed to 
 the neighbourhood of Dereguz. The troops of 
 the state have succeeded in discomfiting the 
 rebellious khans of the Shadloo tribe, about 
 Sheerwan, many of their adherents having drunk 
 the bitter potion of death for their crimes, and 
 Lootf Allee Khan having been taken prisoner with 
 * Support of the state — vide page 232.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 239 
 
 several of his principal followers. But while 
 these fortunate events were blessing the august 
 arms of his highness, evil tidings arrived from the 
 northern districts bordering upon the Desert. 
 It is said that the tribes of Merve, and others 
 from the Kipchauk Desert, have been summoned 
 to assist the rebels of Diroom and Nissa; and 
 that the whole Attock* swarms with their maraud- 
 ing parties. These rumours had gained strength 
 ever since Zohire-u-dowlut left the august camp, 
 and were confirmed by many fugitives from the 
 ravaged districts, who came to the presence with 
 complaints and prayers for protection. The in- 
 dignation of his highness was excited by these 
 insulting aggi*essions, and he determined to move 
 with his victorious troops towards the point 
 attacked. Accordingly the camp was moved to 
 Chargadeh, where it still remains." — " Good, good, 
 Hussun Allee !" interrupted Ibrahim ; '' no doubt 
 my brother is at his post, watchful over the wel- 
 fare of the state ; but it is of yourself I would hear 
 — how came you to be cantering so merrily down 
 this accursed pass? 11 — "Thy slave was about to 
 observe, 11 rejoined Hussun Allee, " that although 
 the defence of the frontier occupied the attention 
 of his highness, the critical situation of his noble 
 brother filled his august mind with solicitude ; 
 his highness remembered that the course of Zohire- 
 * Or skirts of the hills — from a Turkish word.
 
 240 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 u dowlut of necessity lay through the invaded dis- 
 tricts ; and well knowing that the existence of 
 danger would rather stimulate thee to proceed, 
 than induce thee to delay thy progress, his anxiety 
 became more violent than can be expressed. To 
 add to the distress, certain of thy messengers ar- 
 rived in the presence, conveying authentic informa- 
 tion that plundering parties had already reached 
 the frontiers. Upon this, his highness gave instant 
 orders that several parties of picked men should 
 be dispatched with the speed of light to all the 
 passes of the Attock, with instructions to descend 
 by them to the skirts of the hills, and seek to gain 
 intelligence of his august brother's safety, or suc- 
 cour him in case of need. Thy slave received 
 orders but last night from that sun of victory, to 
 descend by the pass of Dereguz, and scour the 
 country from the Mile-e-Toorpaun, to Koorkan 
 Kallah ; when the star of his lucky destiny pre- 
 vailed, and brought him to the feet of my lord, 
 at the fortunate moment of his need." 
 
 " It is well, my friend," returned Ibrahim, " and 
 my brother, as well as myself, shall thank thee 
 for thy prompt and successful exertions. But 
 it is time to think of proceeding : we are strong 
 enough to drive away such marauders as these; 
 but who can tell what force may be within call, 
 and may be collected by the few runaways who 
 have escaped ? Besides, it is fit that my brother's
 
 A KUZZ1LBASU. 241 
 
 anxiety should be relieved, and that he should 
 be put in possession of all the intelligence I 
 have collected on my journey ; therefore let the 
 men be got ready to resume the march, and let 
 two of the captured horses be prepared for Is- 
 niael and me, so that our own tired animals may 
 proceed up the pass with empty saddles." " Be- 
 chushm !*" returned Hussun Allee Beg, putting his 
 hand to his eyes; and instantly hurried to give 
 the necessary orders. 
 
 By this time the men had all returned from 
 pursuit, bringing in some prisoners and horses, 
 besides those from which the party that at- 
 tacked us had dismounted, and the most of which 
 had been secured. The wounds of Ibrahim Khan 
 and myself, which were of no serious description, 
 were bound up ; and mounting two of the best 
 among the captured horses, we left the old watch 
 tower in possession of the dead, and took the 
 narrow path that led up the dehineh,-}' or throat 
 of the pass. 
 
 The hills which formed this entrance, were 
 rugged, rocky knolls, precipitous towards the dell, 
 and continuous with a series of rising grounds, 
 that connected them with the roots of the moun- 
 
 * " By my eyes !" or " Be it on my eyes !" a phrase indi- 
 cating the deep devotion of a servant to a master, his acquies- 
 cence in hi* will, and absolute obedience to his orders — constantly 
 in the mouths of Persian servants. 
 
 t Literally " mouth " often applied to the entrance of a pass. 
 VOL. I. M
 
 242 
 
 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 tains. A small stream, at this time nearly dry, 
 ran along the bottom in a confused bed of great 
 rocky fragments ; over these also the path occa- 
 sionally led, but it frequently rose sharply over 
 promontories of rock jutting out from the moun- 
 tain sides, where the horses had difficulty enough 
 to make their way. 
 
 After pursuing this path for a few miles, we 
 clambered up the left side of the hill, and crossing 
 a narrow neck, among trees of moderate size, we 
 descended again into a larger dell, from which 
 the mountains rose in more important masses, 
 and displayed precipices of very imposing height 
 on either hand. 
 
 This scenery, so new to me, attracted my at- 
 tention powerfully ; and the impressions it made, 
 fixed themselves deeply in my memory. — The 
 forests which clothed the sides of the mountains, 
 interspersed with huge grey crags, that threatened 
 to crush the traveller as he passed, and had already 
 sent innumerable fragments into the chasm at their 
 feet ; the roar of the stream twisting among them 
 in a line of foam ; and the wild confusion of rock, 
 stumps of trees, and foliage immediately around 
 our path, was enough to confound the senses of 
 one, who till then had only been accustomed to the 
 monotonous sands and barren wastes of the Desert, 
 or to the smooth green meadows, and stagnant 
 though welcome waters, near winch he had passed
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 2 ii3 
 
 so much of his life. But the dangers of the path 
 soon required all our attention, for there are few 
 passes more intricate and difficult than the Koot- 
 hul-e-Khodaufereen,* which leads into that of 
 Dereguz. 
 
 In some places the precipices on either side 
 approached so close together as to leave barely 
 room for the water to pass, and then we had to 
 climb by a succession of steps worn in the rock, 
 or among great masses of its ruins ; in others, the 
 intricacies of the path were increased by the tor- 
 rents which, taking new directions every winter, 
 as the snow lies deepest, tear down and furrow the 
 mountains, carrying the wreck of trees and rocks 
 along with them. In one place the difficulty was 
 so great that we were forced to dismount, and 
 give assistance to several of the horses, which were 
 least accustomed to this kind of travelling ; nor 
 was it without much toil that at length we won 
 our way to a more open space, high on the moun- 
 tain, where a small green meadow, surrounded by 
 rocks and more scanty wood, invited us to repose 
 awhile. Indeed, night had for some time fallen 
 around us, so that to proceed farther would have 
 been highly dangerous, if not impossible, and 
 Ibrahim gave orders for the party to halt. " We 
 have happily passed the Koothul-e-Khodaufe- 
 rcen, 1, said ho, " and the difficulty of the pass 
 
 * Kootluil is a steep mountain pass. 
 M 2
 
 244 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 is over ; nor can we be surprised in this place 
 by any enemy from below. Place two sentinels, 
 Hussun Allee Beg, on the top of the Tungeh,* 
 and another in advance, at the corner of yonder 
 rock : — let the horses be turned loose to feed in 
 this meadow, under charge of two trusty men ; the 
 rest may all repose themselves until to-morrow's 
 dawn."" 
 
 No time was lost in taking advantage of this 
 permission : — every man dismounted in a moment, 
 — the horses were relieved of their saddles and 
 bridles, and the numuds which formed the saddle- 
 cloths, being unfolded and spread over their backs, 
 were girthed around them. Each man took his 
 saddle for a pillow, and placed them in a circle, so 
 as to leave an open space in the centre, where the 
 heavier arms and our little baggage was deposited. 
 It might have been hazardous to leave so many 
 horses at large together, had they been in their 
 usual vigour and spirits ; they would certainly 
 have fought, and probably one half would have 
 been lamed, but we knew that the effects of fa- 
 tigue and hunger would keep them quiet: — their 
 severe march up and down the Dehineh Dereguz,*f* 
 had sufficiently quelled their exuberant fire, and 
 after a few screams, hinneyings, and a kick or two, 
 
 * Tungeh, literally " a straight," is applied to the narrowest 
 and most difficult part of a mountain pass. 
 f Pass of Dereguz.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 245 
 
 they very industriously applied themselves to fill 
 their bellies with the sweet grass of the meadow. 
 
 Their masters did not neglect so sensible an 
 example: a very compendious observance of the 
 duties of evening prayer, was followed by a strict 
 and curious search into every joal,* package, and 
 pocket of the party ; nor were the stores produced 
 to be despised. The fare, indeed, was coarse, but 
 we had all fasted twelve hours at least, in severe 
 exercise on horseback, so that the absence of 
 niceties was readily excused, and bread, cheese, 
 garlic, parched peas and the like, disappeared as 
 fast as produced. The cravings of our stomachs 
 being appeased, each man sought out the warmest 
 means of covering in his power: — a huge fire was 
 lighted in the middle of the circle, both to keep us 
 warm and to scare away wild beasts ; — and in a few 
 minutes all were fast asleep. 
 
 The night passed without alarm : — no sound 
 was heard but the howling of wolves and of 
 jackal«, the voices of the sentinels, or an occa- 
 sional quarrel among the horses ; few, indeed, 
 heard even these noises, so sound was their re- 
 pose. 
 
 At the first grey light of morning, however, 
 Ibrahim Khan started up, shook himself, and 
 rousing those near him, gave the signal for re- 
 newing our march. The night air in these ele- 
 
 *' 
 
 Ravelling bag.
 
 24G ADVENTUilES OF 
 
 vated regions was very cold, and those who, like 
 myself, were slightly provided with clothes, rose 
 benumbed and stiff: the dew, which had fallen 
 plentifully during the night, had wetted us 
 through : and the grass and bushes around were 
 covered with a hoary veil. The ceremony of 
 morning prayers was got over as rapidly as that 
 of the preceding night: — a few minutes 1 bustle 
 prevailed, as each man caught and prepared his 
 horse for the march : — and in little more than 
 half an hour from the time of our first awaking, 
 the whole party was mounted and in route. I 
 was happy to regain my own good horse, which, 
 renovated by a night's good feeding, and the cares 
 of my friend Cossim Allee, was now once more 
 able to bear me as he was wont to do. 
 
 After passing the rock where our sentinel had 
 been posted, we entered a narrow glen, and wound 
 along the stream, which now and then received 
 tributes from chasms on either hand. The quan- 
 tity of wood diminished, and the hills above the 
 immediate vicinity of the stream, were for the 
 most part rocky, or covered with withered grass 
 and small bushes : — where their summits could be 
 seen, they were bare, and streaked with scaurs of 
 grey stones. 
 
 We kept along a very stony path, winding 
 among such hills, and ascending gradually, but 
 considerably, for about three hours; when, quitting
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 2i7 
 
 the stream, now diminished to a mere rill, we 
 turned sharp up a ravine, so steep and stony, that 
 many of the party chose rather to dimount than 
 risk breaking their own necks, or their horses' 
 wind, by remaining on their backs. By this path 
 we reached the top of the mountain, and after a 
 steep descent of similar description, found our- 
 selves in a long grassy valley, bounded by rocky 
 and comparatively low hills. 
 
 The road being now good, we passed rapidly 
 through this valley, and after descending a little 
 longer among bare brown hills, Ave came in sight 
 of the town of Dereguz, with its fort, lying in 
 the plain to our left ; while rather farther distant, 
 on the right, appeared the white tents of Nader's 
 encampment, surrounded with clusters of the ka- 
 raooees, or black tents, belonging to the tribes 
 which furnished his army with many of its sol- 
 diers. 
 
 At first we were at too great a distance to be 
 able to distinguish minute objects; and as our 
 road still wound among the hills, we soon lost 
 sight of it. But as we drew near, and gained a 
 more commanding height above it, the whole of 
 its extent and details lay full in our view ; and 
 then, indeed, I felt my whole soul absorbed in 
 the interest they created. 
 
 The troops at this time with Nader did not 
 exceed four thousand men, but the camp was
 
 24*8 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 swelled by the multitude of followers and idle 
 gazers, as well as those who resorted to it for 
 protection, or on business with its chief; and all 
 contributed to increase the bustle, and render 
 the spectacle more imposing to a raw youth like 
 myself. 
 
 " Well, Ismael ! what think you of a Kuzzil- 
 bash camp: - " said Ibrahim Beg: " is it equal to your 
 expectations ? What appearance would it make, do 
 vou think, beside one of your aouls of the De- 
 sert — of some hundreds of your karaooees ?* How 
 is it, compared with your camp at the Chushmah 
 Jemallee ? See, yonder are the tents of my brother, 
 surrounded by white screens; and behind, and on 
 either hand, are ranged those of his principal offi- 
 cers: — that 10 the right is mine, and yon large one 
 with the blue border belongs to the brave and 
 well-known Adinaverdee Khan ; and there, in front 
 of all, float the standards which flash confusion and 
 defeat upon the foes of Persia !" 
 
 I was too intent on gazing to return any answer ; 
 every energy of my mind was employed in sur- 
 veying and trying to comprehend the hitherto un- 
 imagined sights of grandeur and of interest, that 
 now for the first time burst upon my senses. 
 Around the quarters of the general stretched lines 
 and clusters of tents, all white and dazzling in the 
 sunshine, in numbers exceeding any thing I could 
 Black tents of the wandering tribes.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 249 
 
 have conceived. In several open -paces, double 
 rows of horses might be seen, picketed, and at- 
 tended by their grooms; in other parts, rows of 
 tents, forming a street crowded with people, indi- 
 cated the well-supplied bazaars; multitudes of black 
 tents, differing entirely in form and appearance 
 from those I had been accustomed to see, covered 
 the plain for miles around the camp, swelling its 
 dimensions to a vast extent ; — yet in the great and 
 open plain on which it was pitched, the whole 
 occupied but a trifling space — like a city in the 
 Desert. 
 
 As we approached, the movement and bustle in 
 the camp increased : the drums were heard to beat, 
 and the tents and huts poured out their inmates, 
 who moved with a uniform impulse, like streams of 
 water, to the point where rose the tents and floated 
 the standards of the chief. " What can be the 
 matter?" observed Ibrahim Khan to Hussun Allee 
 Beg ; " the camp seems all in a bustle; and yet the 
 sight of this small band cannot surely have occa- 
 sioned this movement ? they surely know your 
 troops? they must see that we are not enemies? 
 Why the troops arc forming under their different 
 chiefs ! Some deputation must have reached the 
 camp ; it can be no bad news, for there is no ap- 
 pearance of striking the tents. Let us push for- 
 ward, and learn what is passing." 
 
 We now all spurred our horses and hastened 
 
 M 5
 
 2-50 A D V E N T U RES O I- 
 
 forward, keeping together at least, if not in good 
 order ; and we soon reached the precincts of the 
 camp. Every thing here possessed a strong de- 
 gree of interest for me, for all was new and strange : 
 the dresses of every one we met, so different from 
 that of our Desert tribes; the rich harness of the 
 horses, which, picketed by the heads and heels, 
 stood in rows, eating their chopped straw ; the 
 piles of arms and accoutrements, all so gay and new 
 to me ; the shops and bazaars established near the 
 quarters of each chief, filled with provisions and 
 goods displayed for show. Even the black tents, 
 spread low and wide over the ground, like a dark 
 spider's web, were quite different from any I had 
 ever seen ; and their inhabitants, with their dark 
 ruddy hue, long hooked noses, deep set black eyes, 
 heavy eye-brows, and full bushy beards, were 
 beings as opposite in appearance to the small-eyed, 
 flat-nosed, high-cheeked, fair, beardless, Toorko- 
 mans, as if they had come from another world. 
 The troops were composed of Koords from Dere- 
 guz and Khabooshan ; Affshars* and Jalloyers,* 
 from Abiverd, Kelaat, and the districts around 
 them ; Beiauts* from Nishapore ; and some of the 
 Arab and Turkish Eeliats,*f- or wandering tribes, 
 
 * All names of various tribes. 
 
 f Eels, or Eeliauts, are the wandering tribes of Persia, who live 
 constantly in tents, have no settled home, and wander continually 
 about in certain districts, to which they confine themselves, in 
 search of pasture for their cattle and flocks, on the produce of
 
 A KCZZILBASII. 251 
 
 who feed their flocks in the mountains of these 
 places, and are in some degree dependent on their 
 chiefs. The diversity of manners and costume 
 among these various tribes gave an additional in- 
 terest to the scene, which, on the whole, was of a 
 character highly calculated to impress an utter 
 stranger, like myself, with astonishment and de- 
 light. 
 
 As we passed along, we learned that a party of 
 the troops had arrived from the neighbourhood of 
 Sheerwan, bringing along with them Lootf Allee 
 Khan Shadloo, and some of his followers, with 
 others of the rebels who had been taken in the late 
 expedition ; and that the General had signified his 
 intention of passing judgment on them this very 
 morning. For this purpose, half the troops in 
 camp had been ordered under arms, and Nader 
 himself had already taken his seat in the tent of 
 audience and of justice. 
 
 When we reached the Maidaun,* a square space 
 preserved unoccupied before the General's tent, it 
 was completely surrounded with a triple rank of 
 soldiers, disposed in a square. Of these, only a 
 small part were mounted, but the whole were arm- 
 ed ; the matchlock men with lighted matches, the 
 archers with bent bows, and the rest with spears 
 
 which they subsist.— See .Malcolm's History of Persia, and other 
 works which treat of that country, for an account of these singu- 
 lar people. * Exercising ground, or parade.
 
 252 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 shouldered and swords drawn. Ibrahim, with 
 Hussun Allee Beg, followed by myself and a few 
 attendants, entered this formidable array, which 
 opened readily to admit the General's brother ; and 
 the chief Yessawu), or master of ceremonies, ad- 
 vancing to receive him, would have announced his 
 arrival to his Highness ; but Ibrahim, observing 
 that his brother was intently occupied, did not 
 choose to interrupt him, and signified his wish to 
 remain unannounced until the business in hand 
 should be concluded. I was not sorry at this 
 arrangement, which gave me an opportunity of 
 observing the person of the renowned chief, to 
 whom I was about to be presented, before that 
 somewhat trying ceremony should take place. 
 
 Having entered the outward square of troops, 
 we came in view of the tent of audience ; but 
 although the front was open in all its extent, the 
 crowd of people that were ranged before it inter- 
 cepted all view of its interior. From each side, a 
 row of guards, armed with scymetars and battle- 
 axes, extended for about forty yards in front, 
 forming a broad lane to the tent. Within these, 
 and close to its front, on either hand, stood parties 
 of the principal officers on duty. 
 
 But two very different groups, in advance of 
 these, speedily fixed my attention. The one con- 
 sisted of ten stout hard-featured fellows, with 
 strong muscular arms bared to the elbow, each
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 253 
 
 holding a naked sword ; attended by an equal 
 number of Furoshes,* with long sticks in their 
 hands. The harsh, unrelenting countenances of 
 these men contrasted strongly with the varying 
 expressions of the miserable wretches who, with 
 hands tied behind them, and guarded by a strong 
 party of soldiers, stood at a little distance with torn 
 and disordered garments, and hanging down their 
 heads from shame or from despair — it was not 
 difficult to comprehend, that these were the un- 
 happy culprits brought to receive their doom ; 
 the others, their destined executioners. 
 
 Still keeping close to Ibrahim, we made our 
 wav through the line of guards, and making a low 
 obeisance towards the tent, remained standing 
 among the other officers, and full in the view of 
 his highness the General, who was too much oc- 
 cupied at the time to remark our arrival. 
 
 However calculated the scene before us might 
 be to excite the deepest interest, my attention was 
 at first directed exclusively towards the chief, 
 whose fame had filled my whole imagination ; nor 
 did the view I obtained of his person and appear- 
 ance in any degree disappoint my expectations. 
 
 * Furoshes are menial servants who pitch tents, sweep and 
 lay down carpets, &c. and also go before great men to clear the 
 way for them. They are also made the executioners of petty 
 punishments, as inflicting the bastinado, &c. and in this last 
 capacity were they standing with the executioners, as mentioned in 
 the text.
 
 254 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 In a two-poled tent of no great size, and lined 
 with yellow woollen-stuff of Europe, sat Nader 
 Koolee Khan, upon a coarse numud,* spread at 
 the upper end, near the front, and clad in gar- 
 ments which certainly would not have distin- 
 guished him from most of his inferior officers. He 
 wore a kabba,-f- or ordinary dress of dark-coloured 
 cotton-stuff, girt round his waist with a shawl of 
 small value, in which was thrust an ivory-hilted 
 dagger, mounted with gold. Over this was 
 thrown a barouneef of murrey-coloured broad- 
 cloth, lined and trimmed with black lambskins of 
 Bockhara ; and on his head he wore a turban, 
 formed of a crimson shawl. 
 
 But there was no need of ornaments to increase 
 the striking effect of his noble face and person. 
 Though he was at this time seated, it was easy to 
 discern that his stature rose far above the common 
 size, that his person was admirably made, and his 
 strength fully equal to the promise of his ap- 
 pearance. The peculiar roundness of his shoulders 
 would have given an air of heaviness to his figure, 
 had it not been relieved by the energetic activity 
 of his movements and the fire of his eye; while it 
 added in reality, as well as in appearance, to the 
 
 * An oblong carpet of felt, used for sitting upon. 
 
 f The name of the common Persian gown. 
 
 J The Barounee is an ample cloak with sleeves, made to cover 
 the whole person ; it has its name from baroon, rain ; against 
 which it is intended for a defence.
 
 A KDZZILBASH. 255 
 
 force of his muscular powers. His head was 
 large ; his face nobly formed ; his complexion 
 darkened more by exposure than by nature : his 
 forehead was high and ample ; his nose straight 
 and well-shaped : his eyes were dark and full of 
 expression, his brows strong and decided, capa- 
 ble of adding sweetness to the charm of his smile, 
 but bending and wrinkling into a terrible expres- 
 sion of fury when agitated by anger or revenge. I 
 never saw a man whose look was so much calcu- 
 lated to inspire awe, even when in perfect repose : 
 but when his energy was roused — when he spoke, 
 and particularly when he desired to intimidate 
 his hearers, there were few who could withstand 
 the terrors of his aspect. Such was Nader Koo- 
 lee Khan, as I saw him at this time ; and though 
 it was willed by Providence that, in after-days, I 
 should be on more familiar terms with this great 
 chief, the impression which he first made upon 
 my mind never lost its influence. 
 
 There were but two persons with him in the 
 tent at this time ; both were standing, and to one 
 of them he was speaking when we entered the pre- 
 sence. He leaned his arm upon a steel battle-axe 
 of great size, a weapon in the use of which he ex- 
 celled, and his scymetar, in a plain black leather 
 scabbard mounted with damasked steel, lay upon 
 the carpet by his side. 
 
 After f> pause of some minutes, during which
 
 .°56 ADVENTUftES OF 
 
 I 
 
 the most perfect silence reigned throughout the 
 whole multitude, Nader turned towards the group 
 of soldiers in front, and an officer made them a sig- 
 nal to advance with their prisoners. Upon this, 
 three men, who seemed to be the principal persons 
 among the captives, were dragged forward ; the rest 
 remained standing a few paces behind. Then in 
 a voice, clear, deep, and terrible as that of Azrael, 
 the angel of death, Nader addressed the wretch- 
 ed criminals. 
 
 " Lootf Allee Khan Shadloo, and thou Allee 
 Koolee Beg, and ye others, their companions 
 and abettors in evil deeds, give ear to the words 
 of justice. Behold, this is now the fourth time 
 ye have raised the standard of rebellion, and dis- 
 turbed with your restless treason the peace of these 
 realms. Twice have we ourselves, or those offi- 
 cers who were delegated by us, baffled your trea- 
 sonable attempts, and then pardoned your offences, 
 consigning them to forgetfulness. A third time 
 didst thou, Lootf Allee, consort with thy kinsman 
 Jaffier Koolee Beg and the rebellious Affshars of 
 Koorgan Kallah, (may shame rest on their memo- 
 ries !) and it was owing solely to the peculiar cir- 
 cumstances of the times, and the timely repentance 
 and capitulation of Jaffier Koolee, that the sword 
 of vengeance did not then descend upon thy head. 
 But the servant of sin cannot escape the reward 
 of his deeds, — the fool never profiteth by expe-
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 257 
 
 rience ! A fourth time hast thou disturbed the 
 peace of Koordestan, and hast even carried thy 
 malice to so deadly a length, as to invite the sa- 
 vage sons of the Desert to fatten on the rich spoil 
 of thy native land. These repeated crimes have 
 silenced the voice of mercy — the sterner claims of 
 justice must now be satisfied. — May Allah receive 
 thee to his mercy I' 1 
 
 At the wave of his hand, the three unhappy 
 men were forced upon their knees, their bonds 
 were drawn tight, and behind each of them stood 
 an executioner, with his naked sword glittering 
 aloft in the sun. — " Ai Nader ! in the name of 
 God ! — by the holy martyred Hussein ! — by the 
 mother that bore you !" — cried Lootf Allee, strug- 
 gling with desperate earnestness to be heard, while 
 the others also murmured some words which 
 could not be distinguished : — but a stern order 
 to " silence the accursed dogs !" issuing in thun- 
 der from the voice of Nader, accompanied by the 
 last signal of his hand, quickened the motions of 
 their guards, and before the sentence was con- 
 cluded, their heads rolled on the ground, and 
 their bodies, still quivering with life, lay deluging 
 the sand with gore. 
 
 Executions were too common even at this time, 
 in the camp of Nader, to excite any great sensation ; 
 but a momentary, half-suppressed murmur, which 
 succeeded the deep breathless silence that had reign-
 
 258 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 ed for some minutes, betrayed that the spectators 
 did in this case take some share in the terror of the 
 scene. As for me, who, though no stranger to car- 
 nage, had never before seen death thus dealt out by 
 rule and measure, or clothed with the terrors of 
 pomp and preparation, I was completely horror- 
 struck ; the blood curdled in my veins ; it seemed as 
 if I was about to enter the service of a tyrant who 
 made sport of man's life ; and I felt a strong im- 
 pulse to abandon all the hopes and prospects which 
 I believed so promising, and fly from so disgust- 
 ing a master. It was in vain that I said to myself 
 " These men were guilty ; they were traitors and 
 rebels, and they deserved to die ;" my imagination 
 was too vividly impressed with horror to listen to 
 the voice of reason : it constantly painted them as 
 prisoners, bound, helpless ; — they raised the voice 
 of supplication, and were cut off in cold blood, 
 with the prayer of mercy still hovering on their 
 lips. 
 
 The scene that succeeded was badly calculated 
 to remove these painful impressions. The pri- 
 soners of lesser importance were brought forward : 
 some of these, as they were named, were recognized 
 for men who possessed no free will of their own, 
 but followed their leaders from necessity. Such 
 were ordered to be drafted into the troops of 
 Nader, or were set at liberty, with a caution re- 
 garding their future conduct. Others, probably
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 9.5$ 
 
 considered as more independent, and therefore 
 more criminal in the course they had taken, were 
 sentenced to have their eyes put out, their ears 
 and noses, or their hands cut off. These sentences 
 were executed on the spot, and by no means in the 
 tenderest manner, by men accustomed to the work ; 
 and the poor bleeding wretches were turned loose, 
 suffering and.* forlorn, to seek, where they might 
 find it, the succour which was denied them by 
 their stern judge. 
 
 Such scenes as this were not of unfrcquent 
 occurrence in the camp of Nader, and it must be 
 allowed they were but bad proofs of his humanity. 
 Yet Nader was certainly not naturally disposed to 
 cruelty ; the bloody acts of the period had their 
 source in policy alone : he thought that now, when 
 his fortune was so completely triumphant over all 
 his rivals as scarcely to leave any chance of a 
 reverse, it was wiser to check all opposition in the 
 bud, and thereby prevent insurrection, than have 
 it to combat when matured. In truth, this severity 
 of Nader was justified in a great measure by the 
 conduct of those on whom it fell. Treacherous and 
 cruel themselves, there were none who would not 
 have treated him as they had been treated by him ; 
 nor would they have scrupled in the least as to 
 the means of getting him into their power, provided 
 that could have been accomplished. Selfish and 
 unprincipled, they looked only to aggrandize them-
 
 200 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 selves , while Nader, at this time, certainly had at 
 heart the welfare and the glory of Khorasan and 
 of Persia, and was cruel only because he was not 
 superior to his age and country. 
 
 The tragedy I had just witnessed, and which 
 had jarred so harshly on my previous high-wrought 
 feelings, had its origin in such motives; but, 
 ignorant as I was of the facts and the reasoning 
 above stated, I could see in it nothing but cool- 
 blooded cruelty, and would willingly have avoided 
 exposing myself to its influence : but this was 
 now too late — I was already in presence of the 
 dreaded chief, surrounded by his guards and 
 known by several of his officers. I reflected too, 
 that Ibrahim, his frank, warm-hearted brother, 
 was my friend, and I tried to hope for a favour- 
 able reception. 
 
 The trying moment was at hand. Ibrahim 
 Khan, observing that his brother had finished the 
 business before him, left me with Hussun Allee 
 Beg, and walked towards the tent. When Nader 
 saw him approach, he rose hastily from his seat, 
 and made a rapid stride or two towards his bro- 
 ther ; and those who were nearest, could trace 
 the glow of joy that lighted up his stern features. 
 But he checked himself ; and, although he em- 
 braced Ibrahim, he would not permit the full tide 
 of his affection, or the joy which he felt at his 
 safety, to flow freely forth. The truth is, that
 
 A KUZZILBASH. £(> I 
 
 Nader loved his brother warmly, and fully appre- 
 ciated his value as a leader, counsellor, and friend ; 
 but he had found it often necessary to check the 
 open and somewhat careless impetuosity of his 
 courage, which frequently led him unnecessarily 
 into danger : besides, naturally reserved, and 
 cautious of lessening his authority, ei.her with 
 individuals or with the multitude, by a full dis- 
 play of his sentiments, he restrained them upon 
 principle : — thus he checked the warmth of his 
 expressions, and although he received his brother 
 with cordial affection, it was not without some 
 show of censure for the anxiety he had caused 
 and the risk to which he had exposed himself. 
 
 " Khoosh guelden, Khoosh guelden !* thou rash 
 and headstrong brother of mine,'''' cried he, shak- 
 ing his head, while the pleasure that sparkled in 
 his eye showed that his censure was but lip deep ; 
 " by the head of the Prophet, thou deservest that 
 I should place thee in arrest, rather than give 
 thee welcome from thy wild expedition ! Thou 
 Zoheir-u-dowlut ?-f* thou the support of the 
 state ? yet ever perilling it in thy own person ! 
 Shouldst thou not better know thy own value to 
 the country, and to thy brother, than thus to 
 expose thyself to the risk of falling into the 
 hands of our enemies ? Had the vile rebels of 
 Diroom, or the dogs of Toorkomans their allies, 
 * Welcome! welcome ! — Turkish. fThe support of tlie state.
 
 262 ADVENTURES OK 
 
 got possesion of Nader's brother, what thinkest 
 thou would have been his ransom ? By the holy 
 Caaba !* a pretty ransom and noble terms would 
 they have demanded for thy liberty ! But come, 
 thou art safe; thy star is fortunate, and 1 for- 
 give the pain thou hast cost me. Tell me now 
 thy adventures, and say what intelligence thou 
 hast brought ?" 
 
 " Your servant*!* would humbly represent to 
 your Highness, 11 replied Ibrahim, who well knew 
 his brother's real sentiments, " that, confessing 
 his imprudence on many occasions, and lament- 
 ing the uneasiness which it too often gives to the 
 soul of his august brother, — in the present in- 
 stance, he ventures to hope that the superior judg- 
 ment of your Highness will attach less blame to 
 his conduct. Upon leaving Semulghan, thy ser- 
 vant found that so many contradictory reports 
 prevailed regarding the dispositions of the Khans 
 and tribes of the Attock, that he did not dare 
 to trust to any less zealous inquirer the task of 
 
 * Vide page 203. 
 
 t This humble and formal mode of expression may seem over- 
 strained, as from one brother to another ; but it is the universal 
 custom in countries where rank, power, and station are every 
 thing, and all else is consequently sacrificed to maintain them. 
 Thus the Prince stands, not daring to lift up his eyes, like 
 a menial servant, in the presence of the King his father ; and the 
 same principle is kept up through all ranks of society. Nader was 
 a great chief, and his brother here addresses him as such.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 263 
 
 ascertaining the truth, nor confide to any other the 
 more delicate charge of confirming in their alle- 
 giance those who might be found wavering or ill- 
 disposed. Of the result, your Highness may judge 
 in part by the contents of these papers. Your 
 servant will await your Highness's leisure to com- 
 municate all farther particulars. As to your ser- 
 vant's adventures, they are soon told." Ibrahim 
 then, in more familiar terms, related all that has 
 already been said, prefacing the narrative with 
 some few particulars which had occurred previous 
 to his rencounter with the horsemen of Diroom, 
 and concluding with our fortunate rescue by the 
 party under Hussun Allee Beg. 
 
 " And now,"" continued he, " permit me to 
 introduce to the notice of your Highness my 
 young companion, Ismael, the son of your an- 
 cient friend and ally, Moorteza Khan Karabu- 
 laghee, and I will venture to say that a braver 
 or more promising youth, has not for many a day 
 enlisted under your banners. Your Highness well 
 knows that I have seen some hard fighting, but 
 more presence of mind, more quickness in con- 
 ception, or more courage in execution, under very 
 trying circumstances, I do not remember to have 
 witnessed in any person, or at any age. ,, Such 
 was the good Ibrahim's eulogium on my un- 
 worthy self, which I almost blush to transcribe. 
 
 " Ilah V cried Nader in reply, " let the youth
 
 264 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 approach. You describe a very Roostum ; lie will 
 have a hard task, Ibrahim, to maintain such a 
 character as you have assigned him ; — let the 
 youth step forward." The distance was not great : 
 the chief Yessawul * approached, the crowd fell 
 back, and I was immediately in presence of 
 Nader. 
 
 The chief bent the full force of his piercing eye 
 upon me, as if he would hrve read my very soul. 
 There was a fascination in the noble character of 
 his stern countenance, which commanded admira- 
 tion, and subdued all to' his wishes. The inter- 
 view I had just witnessed with his brother had 
 touched and interested me ; the doubts and mis- 
 givings occasioned by his apparent cruelty had 
 abated, and confidence was gradually returning to 
 my mind : thus, though my obeisance was pro- 
 foundly low, and my eyes remained bent upon 
 the earth, a feeling of self-consideration kept my 
 person erect, and my salute free from cringing 
 timidity. The chief, with whom firmness and 
 intrepidity were virtues of the first order, seemed 
 favourably impressed by my deportment : per- 
 haps the soiled and businesslike appearance of 
 my arms and apparel, still spotted with blood from 
 my wounds, had its effect, and united with what 
 he had heard from Ibrahim Khan, to confirm him 
 
 * An officer performing the duty of master of the ceremonies, 
 in the houses or courts of chiefs and petty sovereigns.
 
 A KUZZTLBASH. Q65 
 
 in the opinion that I was fit for his service, and 
 worthy of his notice. 
 
 After gazing steadily on me for a while, the 
 chief turned to his brother, and said in a familiar 
 under-tone, " The youth's appearance is not 
 against him ; he is young, but hardy-looking, and 
 quite an Affshar in countenance. Young man, 11 
 continued he, turning to me, " thou hast com- 
 menced thy career favourably ; the Zoheir-u- 
 dowlut is satisfied with thy conduct, and his 
 good report goes far with me. Thou shalt have 
 employment, and fair scope to show thy own 
 value. Men here receive the esteem and promo- 
 tion which their own merits determine, — nor, how- 
 ever partially we may be disposed towards thee, 
 for thy services to our brother, or our an- 
 cient friendship for thy father, shall the course 
 adopted with regard to thee be different. For 
 the present, Hussun Allee Beg shall provide for 
 thv wants ; thou needest refreshment and repose, 
 retire and enjoy them freely." 
 
 I bowed low, and was retiring, when the thong 
 which suspended the quiver at my side, accidentally 
 becoming loose, it fell to the ground, and the few 
 remaining arrows it contained tumbled out. The 
 accident attracted the eye of Nader : " Truly, 
 young man," said ho, " thy quiver looks like that 
 of a soldier returning from the field ; thy shafts 
 have been spent, and spent to purpose, I hear. 
 
 vol. i. N
 
 2G6 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 They say thy arrows tell sharply and true ; come 
 hither, let me see thee use them. 1 ' I stood a mo- 
 ment irresolute, and uncertain of his meaning : 
 * : Strino- thy bow, 11 cried Nader, giving the well- 
 known word of command in use among our tribe : — 
 it carried me back to the Desert, and I instinct- 
 ively obeyed ; old habits rushed upon my mind, 
 and awakened all its energy. " Will your High- 
 ness permit me to have my horse P 11 — said I to 
 the chief, turning round at the same time to look 
 for Boorrauk. Nader smiled at my eagerness. 
 " What is a bow without a string ? — what is a 
 Toorkoman without his horse ? — let it straight be 
 brought. 1 ' He praised its figure and its spirit, 
 and turning to Ibrahim, remarked that we were 
 both wild, active creatures, well suited to each 
 other. " Yah, Hyder !— Yah, Allee ! # " cried I 
 mentally, as I mounted — " help a good Sheah at 
 his need ! for much may depend on this mo- 
 ment." 
 
 I now mounted and waited for orders to proceed. 
 The Maidaunf before the tents of the chief was 
 the place appropriated to military exercises, nor 
 were there wanting butts and poles upon which to 
 hang marks for the archers to practise at. The 
 
 * Oh, Hyder ! Oh, Allee ! exclamations ever in the mouth 
 of Persians on such occasions. Hyder is a name of Allee, and 
 signifies the " Lion," i. e. of God. 
 
 f Exercising ground.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 267 
 
 motion of Nader's arm pointed out the mark at 
 which I was to aim : the crowd opened wide in 
 the same direction, and I started at full speed 
 after the Toorkoman fashion. Three times I 
 passed the lofty pole within a moderate distance, 
 each time discharging an arrow ; once in approach- 
 ing, once in retreating, and once in the act of 
 wheeling — and each time I was fortunate enough to 
 make them ring upon the basin which hung sus- 
 pended by a thong from its summit. It happened 
 that, as I returned a fourth time, a blue pigeon, 
 numbers of which built their nests in the wells and 
 watercourses of the neighbourhood, flew over 
 the plain, and whether alarmed and confused by 
 the noise, or sent by Allee expressly to do me 
 service, it alighted upon the top of the pole at 
 which I had been shooting. The thought of 
 making this the mark for my last arrow, struck me 
 as I observed it, and I urged my horse to fuller 
 speed, lest the bird should take wing before I came 
 within distance : just as I reached within a long 
 and difficult shot, I saw the first flutter of its wing 
 upon the rise ; but my bow was drawn, I uttered 
 an ejaculation to Moorteza Allee, and saw my 
 shaft strike the bird before it had well quitted 
 the pole. It fluttered and fell, while the cries 
 of the crowd rent the air, and, " Barik illah !" 
 " Mashallah T " Mashallah P * echoed on all 
 
 t 
 
 Bravo ! Well done ! &c. 
 
 x- O
 
 268 ADVENTURES OK 
 
 sides. Many years have passed since that day^ 
 but I still can remember the thrill of delight with 
 which I picked up the bird, and galloping to the 
 tent, with glowing cheeks laid it at the feet of 
 Nader. 
 
 " By the head of my father ! youth," said he, 
 " Ibrahim has not belied thee in his praises of thy 
 archery or thy horsemanship : these thou hast now 
 fairly proved; let thy skill and conduct in other 
 things be but equally conspicuous, and thou shalt 
 not lack advancement. But this is enough for one 
 day: thyself and thy horse need rest, and, in truth, 
 he is a brave beast, and should be well dealt with ; 
 — where didst thou get him ? but I need not ask, 
 for every hoof and sinew speaks him desert bred, 
 as well as thee. Thou art, in truth, a strange 
 youth, and I must hear thy story at large ; — but 
 not now. Get thee gone for the present — thou art 
 welcome !"" 
 
 It now occurred to me, that the General had 
 taken a fancy to my horse. I knew that when a 
 great man has once signified his admiration of 
 any thing belonging to a dependent, it 'is deemed 
 equivalent to a demand, and expected that the 
 coveted article shall forthwith be tendered as an 
 offering to conciliate his favour. In the elation 
 of the moment, I felt that I could even bear the 
 bitter pang of parting with my faithful steed ; 
 particularly when I considered, that my future
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 26*9 
 
 fortune might depend upon the sacrifice. Re- 
 spectfully bowing, therefore, and taking the bridle 
 in my hand, I said, " May the favour of your 
 Highness never diminish ! may your servant find 
 grace in your eyes ! the horse of your servant is 
 unworthy of your notice — but, pardon the poverty 
 of your slave, and deign to accept his humble 
 offering P So saying, I offered the bridle to an 
 attendant. " No, no, young man I 11 replied Na- 
 der ; " the horse is a good one, and thou meritest 
 him well ; keep him, and tend him as he deserves; 
 I promise thee thou shalt need his best service. 
 Meantime, it is thou, rather, who mayest look to 
 me for a token of favour : thou hast exhausted 
 thy arms ; the stock shall be replenished — now go 
 thy ways !" " May the happy fortune of your 
 Highness increase ! may your favour never dimi- 
 nish towards your servant !" cried I, bowing 
 once more, and left the presence with Hussun 
 Allee Beg.
 
 270 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 INFORMATION. 
 
 " By ray soul ! and by the head of Nader !<" 
 exclaimed Hussun Allee Beg, when we had 
 reached his quarters ; " thou art truly a fortunate 
 youth ! A single lucky action, well brought to 
 notice, has done for thee that which years of hard 
 service have hardly gained for others. I have 
 long been an officer — I might say a companion, of 
 Nader Koolee Khan : for, though the dew of pros- 
 perity has nourished the flower of his fortune, till 
 its blossoms have fully expanded, while mine has 
 been nipt by the withering blast of adversity ! 
 we were companions and equals in early life ; 
 but in all that time I scarcely can remember that 
 any youth aspiring to his service, has met with a 
 reception so promising as thou hast done to-day ! 
 I know the General, and am certain, from what I 
 saw, that, however cautious he may have been in 
 speech to thee, thy fortune is made, as far as de-
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 271 
 
 pends on him, if thou but carefully attend to thy 
 future conduct. But beware of improvident se- 
 curity ! As the friendship of Nader is honour 
 and fortune, so is his displeasure the certain he- 
 rald of ruin ! — and when thy favour in his sight is 
 at the highest pitch, a trifle may strip thee of it, 
 and hurl thee to destruction I" 
 
 " How !" replied I, willing to hear farther re- 
 specting the character of my new master ; " is 
 the disposition of Nader then so fickle, that a 
 single fault is sufficient in his eyes to efface the 
 remembrance of long and faithful service? 11 — 
 " No !" rejoined Hussun Allee ; " that cannot exact- 
 ly be laid to the General's charge ; his mind is too 
 powerful, his judgment too sound, his under- 
 standing too acute, for fickleness to dwell in his 
 soul ! But Nader, indefatigably active himself, and 
 possessed of a frame powerful enough to second 
 the energies of his mind, looks for similar exer- 
 tions in his servants ; and is, perhaps, unreason- 
 ably disappointed if their efforts do not keep pace 
 with his expectations. Thus it happens, that a 
 man who has once succeeded in gaining his ap- 
 plause, will find, that instead of having reached 
 a point of security from whence he may look in 
 ease and confidence upon the future, he has only 
 attained a dangerous station, where he is forced 
 to support his dear-bought reputation by new- 
 exertions. Should he fail in a single point, he
 
 272 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 finds that his fault is by no means extenuated by 
 the merit of past services, but rather aggravated 
 by a comparison with his former exemplary con- 
 duct. Thus his best and most highly-valued ser- 
 vants fear him even more than they love him: 
 yet they do love him ; for he is liberal to his sol- 
 diers, careful of their welfare, and scrupulously 
 just. He is severe towards offenders, strict in his 
 discipline, never pardons disobedience, and hates 
 and despises a coward : but who, indeed, dares 
 to be a coward when the frown and the wrath of 
 Nader are more terrible to the pusillanimous than 
 the sword of the enemy !" 
 
 " And is the General," resumed I, " as simple 
 and abstemious in his habits of life, and as laborious 
 in the discharge of his public duties, as fame re- 
 ports?" — " Thou wilt judge of that for thyself, 1 "' 
 said Hussun Allee ; " but I may assure thee that 
 the meanest soldier in the camp lives quite as well 
 as the General does. He seeks not to pamper his 
 appetite with rich pillaws, high-seasoned kubaubs,* 
 and stews swimming in melted butter : — some plain 
 chillaw,'!; with a few bits of meat, a little bread and 
 cheese and radishes, or even some parched peas, a 
 few of which he commonly carries in his pockets, 
 content him for his evening meal, and are sufficient 
 to sustain his strength and energy upon the most 
 fatiguing march. 
 
 * Roast meats. f Plain boiled rice.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 273 
 
 " As for his application to business, it were 
 enough to destroy half his officers, were they 
 forced to do what he does. Every morning before 
 sunrise, after the hour of prayer, he is to be found 
 in public, where he sits for several hours, and 
 where the meanest person may have access upon 
 business. He then commonly attends to the dis- 
 cipline of his troops, and regulates the economy of 
 his army : he inrolls recruits, inspects arms and 
 accoutrements among the various corps, observes 
 them at military exercise, and often bestows re- 
 wards on such as distinguish themselves. 
 
 " A light breakfast, seldom exceeding a few 
 crumbs of bread and cheese, with a cup of butter- 
 milk and water, follows his morning employments, 
 after which he again sits in public. He then de- 
 cides such causes as may be brought before him 
 for judgment, taking care to see the decisions and 
 sentences put in force upon the spot : — he dictates 
 letters, and transacts whatever business presents 
 itself, till sunset, when, after the evening prayer, if 
 not prevented by a more than ordinary press of 
 business, he retires to the khelwut, takes his even- 
 ing meal, and passes a few hours in familiar conver- 
 sation with some of his favoured friends. Should 
 public duty require it, however, these hours also 
 are dedicated to it, for he never suffers his owl 
 ease or appetites to interfere with such claims. At 
 a late hour he retires to the women's apartment, 
 
 n 5
 
 274 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 where he remains until near break of day ; but in 
 spite of the attachment which it is said he enter- 
 tains for the pleasures of the Harem, his indul- 
 gence there, including the time devoted to repose, 
 seldom exceeds five hours in the twenty-four. 
 Such, young man, are the labours and employ- 
 ments of the chief thou art now to serve, and from 
 this short account, while it cannot escape thee that 
 only the brave and the diligent can hope to thrive 
 under his shadow, thou mayest also perceive that 
 the pleasures and occupations of this great chief 
 are combined in one object, which fills his whole 
 mind — to restore peace and tranquillity to his 
 country, and to drive from its soil the enemies and 
 invaders who for so long a time have been destroy- 
 ing it." 
 
 " And are all his officers inspired with the same 
 zeal. ?v> demanded I ; — " are the troops to be depend- 
 ed on? And what thinkest thou of the chance 
 there may be of ultimate success ?" 
 
 " The troops thou seest in the camp,"' returned 
 the Beg, "are the chosen of the army; they con- 
 sist of Affshars, Jalloyers, Beiauts, and Koords,* 
 all of whom are bound as much by inclination and 
 interest, as by duty, to fight in Nader's cause. 
 There are few who have not suffered from the in- 
 cursions of the Toorkomans and Oozbecks; from the 
 malice or revenge of Malek Mahmood, the usurper 
 * Various tribes of Khorasan.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 275 
 
 of Mushed and the country around it ; or from 
 the consequences of feuds with their neighbours, 
 the enemies of Nader. Hence they have collected 
 under the shadow of his Highness for protection, 
 and look to him for the means of revenge upon 
 their adversaries, and for peaceable re-establish- 
 ment in their own possessions. 
 
 " But many are led to serve by feelings of per- 
 sonal respect or friendship for Nader : some here 
 are his relations, others his hereditary friends and 
 allies. No inconsiderable number of his soldiers 
 are adventurers, who, willing to follow the fortunes 
 of any successful chief, under whose banner they 
 may plunder and pillage at discretion, have enlist- 
 ed under him, because they see his destiny trium- 
 phant; and although the strictness of his disci- 
 pline curbs their licentious dispositions, they con- 
 tinue in his service because it is the only one now 
 in Persia that promises security and permanence, 
 and because they well know what their fate would 
 be if they were taken with arms in their hands as 
 his enemies. 
 
 " The Koords are, perhaps, the least to be de- 
 pended on of all our troops: these transplanted,* 
 though now naturalized tribes, are by no means 
 
 * 'Hie Koords of Khorasan were tribes removed by orders of 
 Shah Abbas the Great, from Koordistan, on the borders of Arme- 
 nia, to the northern districts of Khorasan, where they still con- 
 tinue a distinct race.
 
 276 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 united among themselves; even some of the tribes 
 are divided into parties, and each chief is jealous 
 of his neighbour. Thus Nujjuff Allee Beg, of 
 Khabooshan, hates and envies Mahomed Hoossein 
 Beg, of Radcan ; while the Koords of Dereguz, 
 among whom we are now encamped, dread and 
 detest them both, and consequently take refuge 
 under the conquering banners of Nader. To-day 
 you have seen certain chiefs of these Koords un- 
 dergo the punishment they merited, and which, 
 indeed, their many transgressions called loudly for 
 long before now. I marked your change of coun- 
 tenance as the sword of justice fell, and saw the 
 traces of horror and disgust in your face. But 
 you are young, and unused to the severities which 
 regard to public safety requires from a military 
 chief, who rules a turbulent country. If Allah 
 spares your youth, time will make you better ac- 
 quainted with such sights; ay, and with more 
 terrible ones still i 11 
 
 " I own, 11 replied I, " that to take the life of 
 men unresisting and supplicating, in cold blood, 
 in the manner I witnessed this morning, shocked 
 me as a cruel and unmanly deed. Had they fallen 
 in battle, it would have been nothing : they had 
 sinned, and would have suffered death, and there 
 was an end of it — but to slay them when holding 
 up their hands for mercy ! — thou mayest be in the 
 right, and the deed may have been needful, but
 
 A EUZZILBASH. 277 
 
 I cannot yet conquer the repugnance I feel for it. 
 It is not so among the tribes of the Desert : — there 
 is much of slaughter in their wars with each other, 
 and many horrid barbarities are committed on 
 their chappows ;* men too are often put to death 
 by one another ; but it is in public or private 
 quarrel, when the chance is the same to all parties. 
 If any individual commit a grave offence against 
 the society, the elders of the aoul assembling in 
 judgment, punish him by loss of property, by ex- 
 pulsion, or by selling him as a slave : if guilty of 
 murder, the family of the slain are sure to exact, 
 with severity, the price of blood, or the penalty of 
 his life. But thus to assemble a multitude for the 
 purpose of beholding defenceless captives suffer 
 the punishment of death thus arbitrarily inflicted, 
 we do it not. 
 
 " As to myself, I am not to be shocked by 
 blood and carnage alone ; young as I am, I have 
 witnessed enough of that, and thou thyself hast 
 seen that I can bend my weapon against a foe 
 as readily as I would embrace a mistress. But I 
 shall conceal my feelings another time, and will 
 suspend my judgment on the conduct of others 
 until experience shall have given me a right to 
 form one. In the mean time, oh Hussun Alice ! my 
 thanks are due to you for your most interesting 
 information. By thy soul, and by the head of 
 * Plundering expeditious,
 
 278 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Nader, I beseech you to proceed : you know I am 
 a stranger in the place, almost in the world, and 
 much require the advice of friendly and expe- 
 rienced men like yourself; make your servant 
 then somewhat better acquainted with the scene 
 on which he is entering, and you shall not find 
 him ungrateful or indiscreet. 11 
 
 " Ismael !" replied Hussun Allee, " many of 
 your observations are founded on just principles, 
 and they do credit to your feelings : nevertheless, 
 they savour strongly of inexperience. You have 
 lived till now in a very confined circle, the mem- 
 bers of which are little removed from a state of bar- 
 barism. In such a community the restraints of law 
 are less required, or rather their absence is less felt 
 than in a larger and more complicated system of 
 society ; because temptations to interfere with the 
 property or privileges of each other are compara- 
 tively fewer. But in a populous country, where 
 the evil passions of mankind are stimulated into 
 action by a thousand conflicting interests, vigorous 
 and even severe measures are indispensable to re- 
 strain their operation ; and it is the neglect of such 
 wholesome severity, which to the unthinking and 
 inexperienced may appear to be cruelty, that has 
 given rise to all the confusion and misery under 
 which Persia now groans. 
 
 " And when you say that such barbarities are 
 never practised among your late friends of the
 
 a kuzzilbash. £79 
 
 Desert, thereby insinuating that they are less cruel 
 than we, the blindness of your prejudice becomes 
 more manifest. To prevent much misery, rapine, 
 and bloodshed, we occasionally sacrifice a few- 
 lives, already forfeited by the laws of nations and 
 of their country. The Desert tribe whom thou 
 upholdest, from the pure spirit of plunder and 
 thirst of gain — without the excuse of original en- 
 mity towards their victims, and totally regardless 
 of the misery and desolation they are about to 
 cause, steal, like tigers in the night, upon a village 
 or a town, and sweep it remorselessly from the face 
 of the earth. Which, think you, arc the most 
 cruel, the most cold-blooded murderers ? — they, or 
 we ?" 
 
 Truth is powerful — I was silent — I could not 
 then answer as I might since have done, by asking 
 my monitor what proportion of the murders and 
 atrocities that daily occur in states which are consi- 
 dered civilized, he should consider as executed 
 purely upon public principles, — and how many as 
 sacrifices to ambition, cruelty, private malice, or 
 convenience : the very crimes which the severities 
 of the law were provided to restrain ? 
 
 " For your desire to be made acquainted with the 
 state of affairs in this country, and to know some- 
 thins of the scene on which thou art now to enter," 
 continued Hussun Allee, " it is reasonable ; and as 
 far as it is in your servant's power, he will readily
 
 280 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 satisfy it ; for in truth, Ismael, I will confess that 
 your youth, your bravery, and the peculiarity of 
 your situation have interested me greatly in your 
 favour. 1 knew your father, though not intimately ; 
 he was a brave man, and a respectable chief. 1 
 rejoice to see that his son is likely to fill his place 
 worthily, and to keep his lamp burning ; I am 
 glad that the General has appointed me your host, 
 though I fancy you will not long remain with me, 
 for Nader never permits his servants to eat the 
 bread of idleness. You are welcome, however, 
 now and at all times ; nor shall you want a friend 
 and adviser while Hussun Allee Beg is able to 
 assist thee. At present, it is fit that we refresh 
 ourselves with food: our ride of this morning, 
 coupled with the scanty fare of last night, has 
 sharpened my appetite ; and if the death of these 
 rascally Koords has not sickened your stomach, it 
 should now be slow to second mine." 
 
 A cloth was now spread upon the floor of the 
 tent, cakes of wheaten bread, the first I had ever 
 seen, were laid upon it, and a large tray of 
 whitened copper, bearing several dishes of better 
 fare than that which was said to compose the Ge- 
 neral's breakfast, was brought in by an attendant, 
 and placed before us. The truth was, that my 
 host was fond of good living, although he could 
 put up with indifferent fare when necessity re- 
 quired it ; and he thought that as his dinner the
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 281 
 
 night before had been but poor, it was fair to 
 make up for it by this morning's repast. So the 
 pillaw, full of Bockhara plums and raisins, with 
 the savory meat-stew with sweet sauce, was now 
 introduced, and washed down with draughts of ex- 
 cellent sherbet. We both did it ample honour; 
 nor while our fingers were in the dish, did many 
 words pass between us. " Allium dulillah,"* at 
 last said Hussun Allee Beg, rising from his stoop- 
 ing posture over the tray, and holding out his 
 greasy hand for the water, which was poured upon 
 it from a pewter ewer ; " let us now have a fresh 
 calleoon.f Seat yourself at ease, Ismael, opposite 
 me in that corner ; and after we have smoked our 
 pipe, I will try to give you a sketch of the infor- 
 mation you desire." 
 
 It is unnecessary, however, to enter here into 
 the detail which was given me by Hoossain Allee 
 Beg ; the more so, as many of the circumstances 
 will be alluded to more particularly in the sequel 
 of my narrative. I will, therefore, only advert 
 concisely to the situation of the country at this pe- 
 riod, when I commenced my public career. 
 
 Every one knows how great was the glory of Iran 
 when its sceptre was swayed by the earlier mon- 
 arch s of the Suffavean race. The vigour of their 
 
 * Thanks be to God ! — the Mahomedan expression for return- 
 ing thanks ou all occasions, as well as after meals, 
 t Pipe.
 
 282 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 powerful administration was felt throughout the 
 reigns of their worthless successors ; and even the 
 first years of the feeble, though amiable Shah Sul- 
 taun Hoossein, enjoyed a tranquillity for which 
 they were indebted to the fame of his great 
 ancestors. 
 
 But this could not last : — the latter years of this 
 monarch's reign were disturbed by rebellions in the 
 provinces; and the neighbouring powers, who en- 
 vied the greatness and long prosperity of Persia, 
 hailed with joy its increasing weakness, and watch- 
 ed with eagerness the moment of its anticipated 
 dismemberment. 
 
 The first serious blow was struck upon the 
 eastern frontier, where Meer Vais, chief of the 
 Ghiljee tribe of Affghauns, who resided at Kan- 
 dahar, indignant at the oppression under which 
 his countrymen were groaning, and provoked by 
 repeated personal insults, rose in rebellion, put 
 the Governor, Goorgeen Khan, and all his 
 Georgian troops, to death, and established him- 
 self in sovereign authority in the province. 
 
 His son, Meer Mahmood, who inherited all 
 his father's ambition with much greater pru- 
 dence, succeeded in cajoling the weak ministers 
 of the Shah into giving him the government of 
 Kandahar which his father had usurped, and 
 affording him great powers and assistance to be 
 employed against the rebellious Abdallee AfF-
 
 A KUZZ1LBASH. 283 
 
 ghauns of Herat : — with these he prosecuted his 
 own schemes of aggrandizement : and soon throw- 
 ing off the mask, he first seized on Kermaun, 
 and advancing into Irak, laid siege to Ispahan 
 itself. 
 
 The result of this expedition is too well known 
 to require mention here ; besides which, many of 
 the particulars will hereafter be taken notice of 
 in detail. When Mahmood was put to death, 
 he was succeeded by his nephew Ashruff, who at 
 this time held possession of Ispahan, and of many 
 of the southern provinces of Persia. 
 
 The usurpation of the government of Mush- 
 ed, and of many of the surrounding districts, by 
 Maleck Mahmood Seistanee, has already been 
 adverted to. This person, a native of the pro- 
 vince of Seistan, was governor of Toon, an an- 
 cient city in the south of Khorasan ; but having 
 rendered himself obnoxious to the Shah's minis- 
 ters, he raised the standard of rebellion, and 
 succeeded in defeating Ismael Khan, governor 
 of Khorasan, and rendering himself master of its 
 capital, the holy city of Mushed ; where he began 
 to exercise the functions of a sovereign, and 
 subdued a considerable part of the neighbouring 
 country. 
 
 While so large a portion of the empire was di- 
 vided between these usurpers, its rightful, but 
 weak and effeminate prince, Shah Tahmaseb, held
 
 284 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 out with difficulty in the small portion of his do- 
 minions which still continued to acknowledge his 
 authority : — this was confined almost entirely to 
 the small and difficultly accessible provinces of 
 Mazunderan and Astrabad. The Turks, by a 
 treaty with the usurper AshrufF, had obtained 
 possession of Khuzistan and Louristan,* in the 
 south, and the whole of Armenia, with the greater 
 part of Azerbijan, on the west ; while the Rus- 
 sians, on their side, had seized on almost all Sheer- 
 wan and Gheelan, and were seeking to extend 
 their dominion along- the rest of the southern 
 bank of the Caspian Sea. 
 
 Such was the condition of the Persian empire, 
 when a champion appeared in the person of Nader 
 Koolee Khan. Although sprung from a warlike 
 tribe and an ancient family, this chief owed no- 
 thing to fortune or to favour. Rich in his own 
 high talents, and powerful in native courage, he 
 carved his own fortune with his sword, and rose 
 to the highest pitch of human grandeur by the 
 strength of his own genius. Merit and success 
 belong not exclusively to those of highest rank. 
 A dark mine gives birth to the keen and brilliant 
 scymetar. Conquerors and kings have sprung 
 from the cottage as often as from the palace. 
 
 * Two provinces on the South of Persia ; the former of which, 
 lying on the banks of the Tigris, bounds with the Turkish domi- 
 nions of Bagdad, &e.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 285 
 
 Khawah, who delivered his country from the ty- 
 ranny of Zohauk, was a blacksmith. Jacoob-bin- 
 Leis was a pewterer. The Dilemee sovereigns 
 owed their origin to a poor fisherman. It is not, 
 therefore, matter of surprise that Nader, glowing 
 with the consciousness of his own high endow- 
 ments, should aim at and attain the high distinction 
 of being the deliverer of his country. 
 
 It would be in vain to detail the various strug- 
 gles and vicissitudes which chequered the years of 
 his youth. Constantly at war with hostile tribes, 
 he was sometimes victorious, sometimes a fugitive 
 reduced to the greatest distress. Rut his mind, 
 energetic and unsubdued, rose above every misfor- 
 tune, and considered only the means of repairing 
 it. By his alliance with Baba Allee Beg Ahmed- 
 loo, he strengthened his influence, and gained many 
 staunch adherents; while the acquisition of the 
 impregnable fortress of Kelaat, and several other 
 castles of great strength upon the frontiers, enabled 
 him, when in distress, to retire from the fury of 
 his enemies, until the star of his fortune again be- 
 came propitious. 
 
 By dint of indefatigable perseverance and con- 
 summate address, by a continued system of plans 
 wisely conceived, and boldly executed, and by a 
 wary and cautious line of policy, Nader had suc- 
 ceeded at this time in extending his authority 
 over the whole northern districts of Khorasan, from
 
 286 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Serrukhs to Goorgaun and Jahjerm.* There was 
 no chief in all that long extent, who did not dread 
 his anger or seek his protection ; and though petty 
 disturbances were occasionally breaking out, it 
 generally required but a demonstration of march- 
 ing to the spot, or the appearance of a detachment 
 under his brother Ibrahim, to restore tranquillity. 
 
 The object which for some time past had occu- 
 pied the attention of Nader, was the destruction of 
 the usurper Maleck Mahmood, and the recovery 
 of the holy shrine of Mushed from his accursed 
 power. Towards the accomplishment of this, much 
 had already been done ; the limits of his authority 
 had been great'y contracted ; but the country be- 
 tween Mushed and Nishapore was still in his pos- 
 session. 
 
 Some time previous to my arrival, the unfor- 
 tunate Shah Tahmaseb, hearing of the success of 
 Nader against the malcontents of Khorasan, dis- 
 patched one of his principal officers, Hussun Allee 
 Khan, to congratulate his Highness on the same, 
 and to appoint him general of all the royal troops 
 in this quarter ; signifying at the same time his 
 Majesty"^ intention to form a junction with him 
 with all the troops he might be able to muster. 
 The mission was of course well received by Nader, 
 and information had already reached the camp 
 that his Majesty was on his way from Shahrood ; 
 
 * Two districts on the North- western boundary of ^ •"" "n.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 287 
 
 so that accounts were daily expected of his near 
 approach. The belief was, that when the forces 
 should have united, we should march against Ma- 
 leek Mahmood, and attack him, even should he 
 shelter himself behind the walls of Mushed. 
 
 Such is a sketch of the information I received 
 from Hussun Allee Beg, with whom I continued 
 to converse with much satisfaction for a consider- 
 able time. I found that he was possessed of no mean 
 natural talents: he had shrewdness and observa- 
 tion enough, but knew not how to use them to 
 advantage. In truth, like too many Persians, he 
 was indolent and inconsiderate in the extreme ; 
 he enjoyed to-day, and thought little of to-morrow. 
 Not that Hussun Allee ever neglected his duty ; 
 no officer of Nader's could do that : he scrupu- 
 lously performed all that was assigned to him, but 
 never dreamt of going beyond its limits. He 
 was not deficient in zeal ; but the exertion of rous- 
 ing it to activity was troublesome, so he let it lie 
 dormant. No man Mas more to be depended upon 
 in the hour of action : and if his commander had 
 a service to be performed, in which boldness and 
 decision were essentially required, it could not be 
 intrusted to better hands than those of Hussun 
 Allee Be<r. But with its execution the matter was 
 sure to rest. As for calculating on consequences, 
 or taking advantage of events, and following 
 them up by spirited and judicious measures, such
 
 288 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 exertions of intellect were totally out of the way 
 of my worthy host ; his habitual indolence of mind 
 had incapacitated him from all exercise of forecast. 
 From this cause alone he had failed to rise in 
 the service of Nader, to whom he was sincerely 
 attached; and Nader, on his side, perfectly appre- 
 ciated all the good as well as the faulty points in 
 the character of his early friend. 
 
 Hussun Allee Beg was an Affshar by tribe, and 
 related to the family of Baba Allee Beg, the fa- 
 ther of Nader's first wife. He thus possessed some 
 influence, which he had always exerted in the 
 service of his chief, who in return treated him 
 with consideration and kindness, although he 
 found it inexpedient to promote him to any high 
 command. Hussun Allee, therefore, remained 
 nominally a commander of five hundred men, 
 though he seldom had more than half the number 
 under his orders ; and he was employed in services 
 which required more of boldness and dispatch 
 than judgment, like that in which he had so for- 
 tunately assisted Ibrahim Khan and myself. 
 
 For the rest, blessed with an easy temper, my 
 worthy host consoled himself for slow promotion, 
 by enjoying himself as well as circumstances 
 would permit ; and it must be allowed that he 
 never permitted care to prey upon his spirits or 
 his health. He was at this time about forty 
 years of age ; his person more inclined to fulness
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 289 
 
 than that of most Persians ; he had a florid com- 
 plexion, a handsome good-humoured countenance, 
 dark eyes, and a high nose, with red lips and 
 white teeth, always breaking forth in a smile 
 through the waves of his full black beard. Such 
 was the person and the character of my good 
 host ; who now observing that evening was draw- 
 ing nigh, left me, in order to pay his respects 
 to the General, and receive his orders for the 
 morrow. 
 
 For my part, as it would have been too soon 
 to have accompanied him to the presence, I 
 amused myself in straying through the camp, 
 and looking at the troops, who were assembling in 
 parties for the evening muster, or examining 
 every thing around me with a curiosity propor- 
 tioned to its novelty. Nor did I forget to visit 
 my faithful steed, which now, under the care of 
 Cossim Allee, who had constituted himself meer- 
 achor,* or master of the horse, enjoyed as much 
 as its master its relaxation from fatiuue. 
 
 ;: Literally, lord of the stable, i.e. master of the horse, 
 
 vor.. I.
 
 290 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 FIRST FRUITS. 
 
 Hussun Allee Beg returned to the tent by 
 the hour of evening prayer, and soon after was 
 joined by one or two of his friends, attracted, per- 
 haps, as much by curiosity to see his guest, as to 
 hear the particulars of our adventures, which had 
 been a good deal talked of in camp. For my part, 
 I was so eager to become better acquainted with 
 the new world on which I was entering, that every 
 opportunity of seeing and hearing delighted me, 
 and I drank in greedily with eyes and ears all that 
 passed around me. 
 
 What a different race of beings have I got 
 amongst ! was the thought that perpetually oc- 
 curred to me, at every thing I saw and heard. 
 What an elegant, what a polite, what a refined 
 people ! How superior to the rough Toorkomans ! 
 how very unlike them in manners, features, 
 habits ! Instead of the dingy, sandy hue of the
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 291 
 
 Desert tribes, the complexions here were in every 
 variety of tint, from sallowness to the dark ruddy 
 hue of health, and then almost to black ; but all 
 were set off with dark eyebrows and thick black 
 beards, piercing black eyes and high noses, in 
 place of the small Calmuck pigs eyes, flat mis- 
 shapen noses, and scanty bristles, serving in place 
 of beard and mustachios. The distinguishing; 
 characteristics were strongly marked, yet thev 
 admitted of infinite variety in feature and ex- 
 pression. 
 
 The difference of dress was not less remarkable. 
 In place of the sheepskin cloak or jacket, and the 
 brown woollen or striped stuff gown of the Toor- 
 komans, covering a coarser vest, or perhaps a 
 shirt of blue cotton or grey woollen, all girt loosely 
 about them with a rag, a leather belt, or any 
 girdle they might get hold of; — instead of the 
 rough fur cap, black, brown, or grey, coarsely 
 made up from the hides of their own sheep ; the 
 rough leather boots, or, in default of them, the 
 rag wound about their legs and forced into a 
 shoe like a leather bag; — instead of all these 
 coarse and mean habiliments, what a rich variety 
 of dress was here ! Nader, it is true, was him- 
 self plain in his apparel, but, as he rose in fortune 
 and dignity, he did not dislike to see his officers 
 make an imposing and gallant appearance. In his 
 camp, therefore, might be seen the rich pelisses 
 
 o 2
 
 292 ADVEMTCRES OF 
 
 of shawls or silk, or broad cloth of Europe, lined 
 and trimmed with fur, and covering vests of gaily- 
 coloured stuffs, sometimes ornamented with gold 
 and silver lace : there was the flowing barounee, 
 or wrapping cloak, often of scarlet cloth, with rich 
 embroidery ; the smart oemah, or riding_coat, 
 with its ample skirts, and sleeves thrown back 
 over the shoulders; and the warm kuleedjah, or 
 fur jacket, with half sleeves, only serving to cover 
 the body. Then there were the handsome girdles 
 of shawl, either from Kermaun, or Cashmere, ac- 
 cording to the wearer's means ; the blue or red 
 silk shirts, and trowsers of various colours, de- 
 scending below the skirts of the vest, even to the 
 ankles ; there was the smart green high-heeled 
 slipper, which in camp more frequently gave place 
 to plain brown leather, shod with pieces of bone ; 
 or to boots of Russian or red Hamadan leather. 
 Above all, there was the lofty four-peaked crimson 
 cap, the military head-dress of Persia, which, worn 
 by a crowd, had a remarkably gay appearance; and 
 the small turbans of shawl or coloured muslin, that 
 were wrapped around these caps, increased the 
 variety and brilliancy of the effect. If to all this 
 be added the more warlike figures galloping about 
 in brilliant coats of mail and bright steel caps 
 surmounted by a long sharp pike, and upon richly 
 harnessed horses ; the glittering arms of every 
 kind, the spears, the scymetars, the battle-axes,
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 293 
 
 and the matchlocks, that flashed back the rays of 
 the sun from every side, — some idea may be formed 
 of the impression made by such a scene on one 
 who had never witnessed any more imposing spec- 
 tacle than the array of a Toorkoman plundering 
 party. 
 
 But if I was dazzled by the gaiety of their dress, 
 I was still more impressed by the remarkable dif- 
 ference in manner and address between my new 
 friends and old associates. My friend Selim, and, 
 it may be, a few other individuals in our camp, 
 were men of dispositions naturally mild and graci- 
 ous, particularly when compared with the boister- 
 ous bluntness of Omer Khan, and the majority of 
 his countrymen. But I had now fallen into the 
 society of men who maintained such a suavity of 
 manner — so warm, and almost poetical a flow of 
 compliment to each other, that I was at first over- 
 powered and confounded. Every observation, how- 
 ever trivial, was prefaced by some flattering ex- 
 pression ; every action seemed to be studied, every 
 motion in some degree constrained. The very at- 
 titudes of sitting were to me so new and painful, 
 that I scarce could follow the example of my host. 
 I was forced to sit upon my heels, instead of cross- 
 leo-o-ed, as was our usual custom ; and to show the 
 smallest glimpse of a foot, was, I understood, the 
 height of ill-breeding. At meals, the left hand lay 
 under the same proscription ; and I often thought
 
 5294 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 of the good sheep's-heads we sometimes had to 
 tear asunder in the tent of Omer Khan, and mar- 
 velled how Ave should have accomplished such a 
 feat, i-estricted as we were here to the use of one 
 hand. 
 
 The same fetters seemed even to be placed on 
 conversation ; I discovered that when any thing 
 was to be said, instead of coming at once 
 to the point, it was considered polite to use a 
 world of circumlocution, which, in my opinion, 
 very much weakened the force of what one had to 
 say. I was never to speak in the first person ; in 
 addressing an equal, I was to denominate myself 
 his servant, his slave ; if a superior, I was to be 
 his sacrifice ; while those addressed on the other 
 hand, were to be my lords, my masters, the pro- 
 tectors of the poor, the shadow of the unfortunate, 
 &c, whether they had any right to such titles or 
 not. These things, to my rough Toorkoman ap- 
 prehension, were absurd and troublesome shackles 
 on social intercourse, and I began to despair of 
 ever being considered any other than a rude and 
 vulgar savage. 
 
 Many of these reflections arose from what I had 
 seen this day, and the conversations I had already 
 listened to; and until custom made every thing fa- 
 miliar, they were strengthened by all I heard and 
 saw. The intercourse between Hussun Allee Beg
 
 A KL'ZZILBASH. 295 
 
 and his friends this night was of this description, 
 and save me no small amusement. 
 
 " Enter, enter ! you are welcome, very welcome, 
 my lords, my dear friends, the light of my eyes! 
 — you expand my heart with joy — you bring hap- 
 piness along with you ; by my soul ! by the head 
 of my father ! you are welcome: how are your 
 noble healths ?"* — " May the favour of my lord 
 never be less!— may your treasures increase ! — may 
 your noble prosperity endure, please God ! — Your 
 slaves enjoy good health, they are happy in seeing 
 your honour well !" Such, and such-like, were the 
 replies that were poured by the guests upon their 
 host. " And your lordship, too, is welcome home 
 — you have been missed — your place has been 
 very empty — your return diffuses happiness." 
 " You have been pleased to ordain great favour 
 to your slave," replied Hussun Allee; " his head is 
 exalted by it !— his gratitude is great : — and your 
 noble honours are quite well, perfectly free from 
 complaint ?" — " Alhumdulillah ! Alhumdulillah !f 
 — " It is fortunate that you say so ; may the blessing 
 
 * This and the whole of the following dialogue is a literal 
 translation of the phrases of salutation and welcome commonly 
 made use of upon occasions of visits and meetings of acquain- 
 tances in Persia. Perhaps this excessive appearance of ceremony 
 and politeness is one reason for their having obtained theappel- 
 lation of " The French of the East." 
 
 t Thank God ! Thank God !
 
 296 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 continue I 11 All this time they were standing up 
 bowing and smiling at each other, and Hussun Al- 
 lee now ushered them to seats at the upper end of 
 the tent. " Pray let my lords be seated — pray oc- 
 cupy this place." 1 — " No, by no means, not so high." 
 " Your slave entreats. 11 — " No, God forbid ! I can- 
 not sit there, it is my lord's place; — let your ser- 
 vant represent in your service." — " No, no, by no 
 means: — I could not think of it: — far be it from me!" 
 — " Well, then, my lord Caleb Allee Khan will sit 
 here, his servant will sit here opposite." — "You have 
 ordained well." — " Bisnwllah !* Bismillah !"" and they 
 all sat down, were silent a moment or two, till they 
 settled themselves in due order on the numuds, 
 and then the same compliments, inquiries, and 
 replies, (word for word almost,) were repeated, 
 until, in compliance with the constant custom at 
 all visits, the calleeoons-f- were brought, which oc- 
 casioned another silence. 
 
 The Toorkoman pipes are rude machines : a 
 reed stuck into a rough piece of burnt clay, or a 
 clumsy wooden bowl, often answers their purpose. 
 The splendid calleeoons, mounted with silver and 
 enamel, which were used by the Persian officers, 
 were equally new to me with every thing else. 
 
 * " In the name of God !" Generally ejaculated before sitting 
 down, rising up, eating, drinking, or any of the most ordinary 
 acts. 
 
 t Pipes.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 5297 
 
 They were handed to the guests by youths hand- 
 somely dressed, with red cheeks, dark eyes, fine 
 arched eyebrows, and long locks hanging down on 
 either side the head in gentle curls; each of these 
 blooming pipe-bearers, as he approached his mas- 
 ter, drew a few quick whiffs in order to light the 
 tobacco well, and then lifting off the pipe-head 
 with the tobacco from the upright stalk, to let the 
 smoke he had drawn pass clear away before his 
 master should begin to inhale it, he presented the 
 instrument with a low obeisance. 
 
 When the pipes were removed, conversation 
 was gradually resumed, and proceeded in a some- 
 what less constrained tone than at first. " In a 
 happy hour hast thou returned to camp, Hussun 
 Allee Beg !" said Bahrain Allee Khan, the com- 
 mander of a troop of Affshars and Jalloyers from 
 the neighbourhood of Kelaat. " By the head of 
 the Prophet ! thou hast made thy face white, 
 thy deeds have been fortunate, and thy fame will 
 be great : — thou hast performed an action of in- 
 finite merit, and the General is eternally obliged to 
 thee for this ; he owes thee a khelut,* at least ! 
 But, by thy soul I conjure thee ! let us hear how 
 
 * Khcluts are dresses of honour given by kings and princes to 
 inferiors; and consist generally of a suit of dress-clothes, but 
 sometimes of other things, — as a horse, a suit of armour, or 
 money. A fullkhelut includes not only a dress and arms, but a 
 horse and its harness. 
 
 o 5
 
 298 ADVENTURES OK 
 
 it happened : tell us the particulars, for Caleb 
 Allee Beg and I are dying to know all about it !" 
 " Oh, friends !" replied Hussun Allee; " you do 
 me honour ; your favour is more than I deserve ; 
 and your praises are as a crown to the head of 
 your servant, as water from the rivers of Paradise 
 to his soul ! What should he represent to you ? 
 his story is short. The soul of the great Nader, 
 as you all know, fearless for himself, was racked 
 with alarm for the safety of his valiant brother, 
 whom he languished to behold again. The lover, 
 in despair, cries aloud to his absent mistress — 
 ' I am full of sadness ; night after night do I pine 
 to be near thee ! come, my beloved, return to 
 bless the arms of thy wretched friend !' — Among 
 the rest, I received orders to proceed with fifty 
 matchlocks and as many spears, down the Dehi- 
 neh Dereguz. 1 ' 
 
 Here Hussun Allee recounted all that I have 
 already written ; detailing the particulars with 
 tolerable accuracy, and by no means detracting 
 from the zeal and boldness of his party. But if 
 he took sufficient credit to himself, he as certainly 
 attributed our full share of merit to Ibrahim and 
 myself; he exalted us into perfect heroes: Zal, 
 Itooslum, and Isfundear,* were hardly fit to be 
 compared with us ! and I sat blushing with 
 
 * Heroes of the Shah Nameh, the celebrated heroic poem of 
 Ferdousee.
 
 A KUZZI LB'ASH. 299 
 
 shame and confusion. Had I been better ac- 
 quainted with my countrymen, I should have 
 known that no more was meant by my good host 
 in all this, than that, in his opinion, we had done 
 our best under all circumstances, and fought man- 
 fully. 
 
 The others were not slow in re-echoing his 
 compliments ; exclamation succeeded exclamation, 
 and to their praises there were no bounds. " La-il- 
 lah-e-ilullah ! M * cried one, " what a desperate affair ! 
 What would have become of us, if the Zoheir- 
 u-dowlut had been taken by the Toorkomans ? 
 there would have been a catastrophe! Mash-al- 
 lah ! Hussun Allee, what good fortune is yours !" 
 exclaimed one. " And what capital good use he 
 makes of it too [" interrupted another. " Our 
 friend is always at his post — always in his duty V 
 rejoined the first. " Insh-allah if the General will 
 reward him for it !" said the second. " And this 
 young hero, this Ismael, — praise be to Allah that 
 sent us such a pehlewan !| how did he come by 
 all this skill and boldness ? where has his for- 
 tunate path been till now? What! was it six of the 
 Toorkomans that you killed ?" — " Your servant 
 cannot say how many !" — " Barickillah !|] what 
 
 * " There is no God but God !" The first sentence of the Ma- 
 homedan confession of faith, constantly in their mouths, as an 
 exclamation of admiration or amazement. 
 
 | Please God ! + Hero — champion. j| Well done.
 
 300 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 modesty ! listen to that. But you shot the fellow 
 that was going to spear the Zoheir-u-dowlut ?" — 
 " Your servant was so fortunate !" — " La-illah-e- 
 ilullah ! may your prosperity increase ! may 
 your stores be multiplied, young man ! We are 
 fortunate in your society ; you are a light to our 
 steps, and a sword to our hands ; and your 
 shadow will protect the weak !" With such 
 extravagant expressions did they continue to per- 
 plex me at intervals, until I was happily relieved 
 by the entrance of our evening meal. 
 
 The same young servants having laid upon the 
 carpet before us a cloth, full of the stains of 
 former feasts, and never washed for fear of ill- 
 luck, brought in a brazen basin, and ewer of cold 
 water, and kneeling down on one knee, poured a 
 little upon each of our right hands as we held 
 them one after another over the basin ; — this 
 slight ablution prepared us for our meal ; then 
 were flaps of bread laid clown before each guest, 
 and two large metal trays were brought in, contain- 
 ing an ample quantity and variety of good pillaw, 
 and sweet and sour stews, with other good things, 
 and a bowl of excellent sherbet. Silence ensued, 
 and all of us settling ourselves well forward, and 
 bending over the dishes, buried our hands in the 
 savoury food. 
 
 When we had satisfied our appetites, and 
 washed our hands in warm water, we sat our-
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 301 
 
 selves back upon the good felt carpets, and each 
 assuming the most comfortable attitude he could, 
 we called for our calleeoons, and began to talk 
 more at ease. The conversation now turned 
 upon the state of the country, and the duty we 
 should probably be called on to perform next. 
 " Is it true, 11 asked Hussun Allee, " that the Shah 
 has left Bostam, and is on his way hither ?" — 
 " Wull ah r * cried Bahrain Allee Khan, " are 
 vou so ill-informed ? Have you not heard, then, 
 that the Shah has already reached Jahjerm, on 
 his way to Khabooshan, in hopes of being 
 joined by the Koords of that district ? and that 
 Hussun Allee Khan has again been sent to solicit 
 the General to lose no time in joining the royal 
 force at Khabooshan ? This force consists of about 
 four thousand men, chiefly of the Kudjer tribe 
 from Astrabad and Mazunderan, of whom about 
 one-half may be horsemen poorly mounted, the 
 rest Serbauz, or foot soldiers armed with sword?, 
 spears, and bows, and perhaps a few matchlocks. 
 They are commanded by that haughty fellow 
 Futeh Allee Khan, one of the principal Kudjer 
 chiefs, who is reported not to be over-well dis- 
 posed to the expedition." 
 
 " And what news from Mushed ?"" inquired 
 Hussun Allee. " What is Malek Mahmood 
 about ?" — " We hear," replied the other, " that 
 * Heavens ! God !
 
 I 
 
 302 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Malek Mahmood, when he learned that the Shah 
 was really approaching, advanced from Mushed 
 by forced marches, to meet him and force him to 
 fight before he could form a junction with our 
 General, whom he believed to be scarcely re- 
 turned from Merve ; but, being informed of his 
 near approach, he has thought proper to retreat 
 back to his den, and we shall probably have to 
 force him from behind the walls of Mushed. 11 — 
 " And what have you on your part gathered re- 
 specting the Chief of Diroom, and his allies, the 
 Tekeh and Yamoot dogs ? We know that thev 
 have scoured the Attock, but it was supposed 
 that the check given to the rebels of Sheerwan 
 and Goolphooloo, with the capture and punish- 
 ment of the Shadloo chiefs, would intimidate 
 them, and drive them back.'"- — " I believe that 
 has, in reality, been the case," replied Hussun 
 Allee; " we could hear of nothing beyond parties 
 of forty or fifty horsemen, and neither the Zo- 
 heir-u-dowlut, nor the scouts from camp, have 
 collected any information that would lead to the 
 belief of any junction having been formed, or 
 any general plan of attack having been projected. 
 The prisoners we brought in have been separately 
 interrogated, and they could tell of no rendez- 
 vous except that appointed for their own particu- 
 lar tribe.'" 
 
 We were conversing thus, when an attendant
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 303 
 
 hastily entered, to say that a Yessawul* of the 
 General's desired to speak with Hussun Allee Beg 
 and his guest. The curtain of the tent was im- 
 mediately lifted, and two persons entering, we re- 
 cognized one of Nader's favourite yessawuls, at- 
 tended by one of the body-guards. 
 
 " Salaam Aleicoom !"-f- said he ; — " Aleicoom 
 Salaam !" returned Hussun Allee, standing up with 
 respect, " peace be with you — you are welcome — 
 your presence brings us honour — be seated. 1 ' 
 
 After a few more compliments, the Yessawul 
 thus addressed my host. " Behold in me a mes- 
 senger of good tidings to your guest. He has found 
 favour in the sight of his highness rhe General ; 
 and I come by his Highness's orders to inform 
 him, that he has been appointed one of the gho- 
 laums, or confidential military guards of his High- 
 ness's person. And as the young Ismael cannot 
 be provided with the means of equipping himself 
 suitably for such a situation, his Highness has 
 farther been pleased to present him with this full 
 assortment of clothes and necessaries ; and adds 
 thereto this light coat of mail, suited to his youth, a 
 sword of true Khorasanee temper, and a spear with 
 a bow and arrows such as his best archers bear ; 
 bidding him remember, that he has once seen him 
 
 * Usher, or master of ceremonies. 
 
 t " Peace be with you!*' and " Witli you be peace!" the 
 Mabomedaa salutation and reply.
 
 304 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 use them, and may soon require his skill again. 
 Moreover, the General sends this matchlock 
 brought from Room ;* with such he arms his 
 favourite guards; — he says, that the eye which so 
 truly directs an arrow cannot fail to aim with 
 equal certainty the more deadly ball : he bids 
 young Ismael strive to learn the art of using this 
 weapon, that he may compete with his companions 
 in the service; yea, that he may surpass them. 
 Finally, his Highness, knowing that youth may 
 have wants which food and clothes alone will not 
 supply, and willing to see his confidential servants 
 independent and comfortable, sends this purse con- 
 taining twenty gold tomauns, counselling him to be 
 wise and careful so to use them as to do him 
 credit — his Highness asks no more. Such is my 
 message; and Ismael is required to attend muster 
 at his Highness's tent to-morrow morning after 
 prayers. But his commanding officer is here, and 
 I need say no more." 
 
 Surprise kept the party silent while the Yes- 
 sawul spoke. Of all situations in the service, that 
 of a gholaum was most earnestly sought after by 
 all young men of spirit and pretensions ; and was 
 the most difficult to be obtained. In all services 
 of confidence and trust, on all missions of a profit- 
 able nature, gholaums were the persons employed : 
 in action they fought around the person of their 
 * Turkey, — Constantinople; so called by the Persians.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 305 
 
 chief, and while sharing with him the post of dan- 
 ger, they enjoyed the fullest opportunity of distin- 
 guishing themselves in his sight. That a perfect 
 stranger, known but by one lucky action ; a raw 
 youth fresh from the deserts of the Karacoum,* 
 should thus at once be promoted to a station so 
 enviable, struck all the party with astonishment ; 
 nor was their surprise diminished when they re- 
 garded the messenger sent to announce the appoint- 
 ment : — the General's Yessawul himself, attended 
 by one of his guards too ! and with such a pre- 
 sent: — it could only be regarded as a Khelut — a 
 dress of honour. The whole was puzzling to them ; 
 but they had learned to regard the decisions of 
 Nader so much as the fiats of a superior being, 
 and had so implicit a confidence in his judgment, 
 that they never thought of questioning my quali- 
 fication for the office ; and it produced the gratify- 
 ing effect of obtaining for me a degree of con- 
 sideration which could not be indifferent to a youth 
 of my age and inexperience. 
 
 My joy at the good fortune that had befallen 
 me was very considerable; but I was not so fully 
 aware of its extent as to be at all bewildered by it. 
 I felt the General's generosity, however, in the 
 handsome present he had sent me, and after 
 
 * " Black sand ;" i. e. Desert of— applied to the Destrt on 
 the eastern side of the Caspian sea.
 
 306 
 
 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Hussun Allee had replied to the message of his 
 Highness in good set terms, I stood up and re- 
 turned my thanks for his munificence in much 
 plainer but warmer language ; and so it seemed to 
 be thought, for it called forth many compliments 
 from all parties. The company then finding their 
 tongues, gave vent to their astonishment, but took 
 care to soften what might be offensive to me, by 
 interlarding it with many congratulatory observa- 
 tions, and many assurances that I well deserved 
 my good fortune, ever and anon ejaculating praises 
 of his Highness, who so well knew how to dis- 
 tinguish and reward merit. 
 
 At last, Caleb Allee Beg, the Koolevaghassee,* 
 my future commander, who had spoken but little, 
 turning to me said gravely, — " Compliments are 
 well enough, my young friend, among common 
 acquaintances, and may pass upon common occa- 
 sions ; but when people are sincere, such flummery 
 is misplaced and ridiculous. I have heard of 
 thee from Ibrahim Beg, who is not the man to 
 laugh at one's beard, and who knows a brave 
 fellow from a hen-hearted coward better than 
 most men. Thou art now to be under my com- 
 mand ; and thou wilt not find leisure to sit thee 
 down and twine garlands of flowers. Thy com- 
 panions are youths of spirit ; lion-eaters ; brave 
 fellows, that fear not the cannon when it spits 
 
 * Commander of the slaves — that is, the gholaums or guards.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 307 
 
 forth fire and balls; but be thou henceforward 
 what thou hast shown thyself to the Zoheir-u- 
 dowlut, and there needs no more — thy companions 
 will be proud of thee — thy commander will be thy 
 true friend, and thou wilt secure that which will 
 repay every toil, the esteem and favour of 
 Nader/' 
 
 I rose respectfully, and thanked the Kooleva- 
 ghassee for his frank and friendly advice ; and 
 then turning to the Yessawul, repeated my thanks 
 for the good news he had brought me, proffering 
 at the same time five of the gold pieces he had 
 brought me. But he positively declined accepting 
 any thing from me — " No," said he, " I know 
 thy present circumstances too well; thou art a 
 brave youth, and the service thou hast done to 
 the Zoheir-u-dovvlut binds every servant of his 
 brother to love thee. Besides, to tell thee the 
 truth, I have been commanded by his Highness 
 to forego on this occasion the perquisite which we 
 Persians, servants of the great, almost invariably 
 expect, as thou thyself wilt soon discover. I can- 
 not receive thy offered gift ; hereafter it may, per- 
 haps, be thy turn to serve me, for fortune is change- 
 able, and too often it is to-day a khelut,* to-morrow 
 the Jelick.* I must now take my leave; may God 
 
 * Kliclut, a dress of honour. — Felick, a beam with a noose on 
 it, in which the feet of those who are to undergo the bastinado 
 are fastened, The saying, which is illustrative of the frequent 
 changes of fortune in Persia, is often literally fulfilled.
 
 308 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 protect thee, and you all !" So saying, the Yes- 
 sawul departed, and the rest of the party soon 
 after followed. 
 
 " La-illah-e-ilullah I 11 * exclaimed Hussun Allee 
 Beg, as we spread our carpets on the floor : " see 
 what it is to have a happy kismut (fate). Many 
 a day have I fought for Ibrahim Khan, and his 
 brother also ; and many a ToorkomaiVs and Koord's 
 head have I cloven with my scymetar; but when 
 did kheluts and appointments shower down upon 
 me in this way ? Mash-allah ! a gholaum ! well, 
 well, thou art a fortunate youth, I say again ; 
 but thou deservest it, and I envy thee not — why 
 should I ? I am well enough off — I have a good 
 horse, a sharp sword, and good clothes, nor is the 
 cypress waist and the stag-like eye entirely a 
 stranger to Hussun Allee. I enjoy the day, — for, 
 as the poet says, ' Who knows whether we shall 
 have streams as clear, and bowers as sweet in 
 Paradise, as there are here on earth ? therefore, 
 leave care and envy to fools, and let us be happy 
 while we may.' — Get thee to sleep, youth — get thee 
 to sleep — A gholaum, truly ! La-illah-e-ilullah V 
 
 * There is no God, but God! — see page 299.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 309 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE SHAH. 
 
 Next morning, after examining the present I had 
 received, and admiring the several articles of which 
 it consisted — riches entirely new to me — I dressed 
 myself in the suit of clothes provided for me, and 
 taking my arms sallied forth to the quarters of 
 Caleb Allee Beg. I found him mustering some of 
 his men, examining the condition of their arms, 
 and appointing them their several duties. He re- 
 ceived me kindly, and made me acquainted with 
 some of my future companions, recommending me 
 to observe and join them at their exercises. 
 
 While thus employed, a stir began to rise in the 
 camp; we observed several of the officers posting 
 towards the General's quarters, and in a short while 
 Caleb Allee himself was sent for. This broke up 
 our meeting, and I accompanied my commander 
 to the presence. 
 
 There was a number of persons collected around 
 and in front of the audience tent, where Nader 
 was seated, and from these we learned the cause of
 
 310 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 the bustle. It appeared that the Shah, having at 
 length arrived in the neighbourhood of Khaboo- 
 shan, was joined, as had been anticipated, by the 
 Koords of that place, with Nujjuff Koolee Beg, 
 their chief, at their head. The Shah received 
 them graciously, and all was going on well, when, 
 instigated, as has been alleged, by the general of 
 his army, Futeh Allee Khan Kudjer, he issued 
 some extravagant or unreasonable orders to Nuj- 
 juff Koollee Beg. That chief, it was said, flatly 
 refused to obey them, upon which the Shah, exas- 
 perated at his insolence, and farther inflamed by 
 the misrepresentations of Futeh Allee Khan, or- 
 dered the Koordish chief to be seized and his head 
 struck off. 
 
 The Koords, filled with indignation at the loss 
 of their chief, and uncertain how much farther the 
 torrent of destruction might extend, left the camp 
 and renounced their allegiance to the Shah ; but on 
 farther reflection, considering their own weakness, 
 they resolved upon sending deputies to Nader, to 
 solicit his protection and advice in this dilemma. 
 These deputies had just arrived in camp, and the 
 news they brought was the cause of the ferment 
 we had observed. 
 
 For some time I could not get a glimpse of the 
 General, who was surrounded by his officers, all 
 anxiously listening to what was passing ; for Nader 
 had no interest in concealing the news, so that the
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 311 
 
 assembly was a public one. At last, I made good 
 my way, and joined some others of the gholaums, 
 who were standing in attendance, and obtained a 
 full view of the interior of the tent. The Gene- 
 ral was seated as I had before seen him, but his 
 aspect was altered ; his brow "was furrowed into 
 wrinkles of displeasure, and the expression of his 
 eye was dark and gloomy. He had changed his 
 ordinary dress too for a more military garb : a 
 coat of mail glittered beneath his cloak, and in- 
 stead of the turban he wore the common cap of 
 the soldiery. His brother Ibrahim, and one or two 
 more old officers, sat near him ; and opposite to 
 them were placed the Ivoordish deputies, who, 
 having told their tale, were answering such ques- 
 tions as he put to them from time to time. 
 
 It was plain that Nader was greatly displeased ; 
 and not less evident that he took little pains to 
 conceal it. In truth, as the occurrences in ques- 
 tion tended to throw odium upon Futeh Allee 
 Khan, who bore him no good will, and to con- 
 trast his own prudence and moderation favour- 
 ably with the Shah's improvident rashness, he 
 scrupled not to enlarge upon all that had passed. 
 
 " This is a brave business, is it not, my friends? 
 Stakhferullah !* A gallant man, the chief of a 
 valiant tribe, and loyal too, receives a most inde- 
 
 * " May God avert it!" — an oath equivalent to the English 
 " Zounds !"
 
 312 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 finite, an unofficer-like order — to comply with 
 which, indeed, his force is totally inadequate ! — 
 he remonstrates : his remonstrance is set down 
 as a refusal; and before he has time to explain, 
 off goes his head ! This is the method by which 
 a prince in distress endeavours to attach adherents. 
 Barikiilah ! — he will find too late, if he goes on 
 in this course, that he has caught the bare blade 
 in his hand instead of the hilt. But it is not the 
 Shah's doing,— weak though he be, he has not this 
 folly to answer for; it is that accursed Kudjer 
 Futeh Allee Khan who has misled him by false- 
 hoods ; it is he who has eaten dirt.* What think 
 you, Ibrahim ? — What think you, Shahveidi Beg ? 
 this wretched Nujjuff Koolee Beg was ordered 
 to ride to the gates of Mushed, and keep the Seies- 
 tanee and his whole army in check, with his hand- 
 ful of Koords. Allah il Allah ! why should a 
 chief be expected to lead the flower of his tribe to 
 certain destruction, for no other end than to pro- 
 mote the intrigues of a cursed Kudjer old woman ? 
 But his time is drawing nigh ; he will pay for all 
 this. We must march to Khabooshan to meet 
 the Shah, and that without delay. In two hours 
 the camp moves on to Meyabdeh ; let the sol- 
 diers take a slight refreshment, let the baggage 
 and tents be packed up instantly, and let every 
 
 * A common Persian expression for telling falsehoods, or mak- 
 ing misrepresentations.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 318 
 
 corps march in its usual order. Officers ! you are 
 dismissed — see that these orders are executed. 11 
 
 The Khans, Begs, Mimbashees*, and other 
 officers, row left the tent, and soon the increased 
 hum and bustle gave token of preparation : the 
 soldiers and camp-followers might be seen running 
 to and fro, and the tents here and there falling, 
 were rolled up into bundles fit to be placed on 
 camels; but still the General remained dictating to 
 several Meerzas, who were seated and writing in 
 the tent. Caleb Allee, as was his duty, remained 
 in presence, and ever and anon received a hasty 
 order, which sent a gholaum galloping like light- 
 ning from the camp. At length his High ness's eye 
 lighted on me. " Hah, my young archer [" said 
 he, " how like you my choice of service ? are you 
 content ? But I need not ask, I see it in your 
 eyes. Fear not, there will be full scope for all 
 your energy ; but you are too raw yet. The eagle 
 herself imps her wing at lower flights ere she 
 soars towards the sun. A stirring hour is com- 
 ing, see and prepare for it. At present, you are 
 dismissed, get you to your quarters, and be 
 ready for the march." I bowed low, uttered 
 some expressions of gratitude and entire devoted- 
 ness, and quitted the tent. 
 
 By this time the camp was all in motion, tents 
 falling apace, loads ready, mules and camels with 
 
 * Commanders of a thousand men. 
 # 
 
 VOL. I. P
 
 314 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 their tinkling bells, set down in circles waiting for 
 their burthens ; the servants having packed up the 
 yekdans,* muffrushes,* and joals,* were eating up 
 the fragments left by their masters ; and now, the 
 troops having swallowed their hasty breakfast, be- 
 gan to form in their respective corps. The greater 
 part of the force consisting of cavalry, made a glo- 
 rious show ; for the horses were excellent and well- 
 appointed, and the men well-armed, and in good 
 order. Banners, spears, and matchlocks, with 
 steel caps, and coats of mail, glittered everywhere 
 in restless splendour. 
 
 Hussun Allee was not the last in readiness. I 
 found his tent all packed up, and Cossim Allee in 
 possession of my little baggage, Availing my or- 
 ders. I now discovered that arrangements had 
 been made for me in the equipage assigned to the 
 gholaums, and that I was to share a small tent 
 with two other young men, to whom I had been 
 introduced this morning. My baggage, that is to 
 say, the clothes I had brought from the Desert, 
 with the carpet and cloak I slept in, took their 
 place along with the head and heel-ropes, and 
 other horse-gear of my companions, upon a mule, 
 their joint property, to which I was expected to 
 contribute something in time. They were good- 
 humoured, careless fellows, and we had every pro- 
 spect of getting on pleasantly together. 
 
 * Travelling trunks, and bags of various kinds
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 315 
 
 At length the drums began to beat, and the 
 army to move. Our post was close by the 
 General's person, who rode near the head of the 
 line, but behind the advanced-guard, surround- 
 ed by his officers and household. The gho- 
 laums followed, and then the rest of his guards ; 
 after them the cannon, of which there were three 
 pieces. I was delighted beyond all description or 
 control with every thing around me. I found 
 myself in a situation dazzling beyond my brightest 
 hopes, and could think of nothing but conquests 
 and glory. Scarce could I repress my bound- 
 ing spirits, or keep in the sober order of the 
 march ; I envied every horseman who darted past 
 us with orders or on other duty, and fain would 
 have expended some part of my superfluous energy 
 in a good hard galiop. 
 
 We left our ground at nine in the morning, 
 and about four in the afternoon the advance of our 
 line of march reached their ground at Meyabdeh, 
 after a march of seven furlongs, or about twenty- 
 eight miles ; but the tents, baggage, and camp- 
 followers, did not all come up for three hours 
 after. 
 
 In the morning, Nader had an interview with the 
 chiefs of the discontented Koords, in which he 
 consoled them for their misfortune, and promised 
 them his protection, conferring a present of con- 
 gratulation upon Sam Beg, who succeeded the 
 
 p 2
 
 316 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 murdered Nujjeff Koolee Beg, as chief of the 
 tribe. 
 
 The same day the army marched to the neigh- 
 bourhood of Khabooshan, near which place the 
 Shah's camp was pitched ; and it was arranged 
 that his Majesty should receive the homage of his 
 highness the General on the following day. 
 
 Brilliant and novel spectacles now daily pre- 
 sented themselves to my gaze. The Shah of Per- 
 sia ! — how often had I listened to tales of his 
 wealth, his magnificence, his terrible power ! and 
 now I was about to witness all in his sacred per- 
 son. I had heard so much of the splendour of his 
 appearance, and the brilliancy of his attendance, 
 that my imagination was quite at fault to suggest 
 an adequate idea of either ; so I awaited the truth, 
 with a mind totally unoccupied by any precon- 
 ceived idea regarding it. 
 
 Early in the morning the camp was all in mo- 
 tion ; the tents and baggage remained as they 
 were, but the troops were drawn out in their best 
 array. The time of meeting was appointed for 
 an hour before noon, but it was calculated that the 
 previous ceremonies would occupy the whole inter- 
 vening time. The camp of the Shah was distant 
 about five miles; and Nader intended to proceed 
 to it with an escort, composed of his choicest 
 troops, amounting to about two thousand cavalry. 
 
 The power of Nader was by this time too great
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 317 
 
 and well-established, and the condition of the 
 Shah much too dependent, to render it prudent 
 or expedient for the former to affect humility, 
 or to veil the real prosperity of his circumstances 
 by any affectation of poverty. On the contrary, 
 as this was to be something like a trial of strength 
 between his rival, Futeh Allee Khan Kudjer, 
 and himself, his Highness rather strove to add to, 
 than detract from, the power and splendour of his 
 appearance. Accordingly, the whole of the gho- 
 laums, to the number of two hundred; the ordi- 
 nary guards, about four hundred more; with 
 fifteen hundred picked Affshars, Jalloyers, and 
 Koords, were drawn out in order. The gholaums 
 and guards in rich dresses and bright armour, 
 mounted upon superb horses, with silver-mounted 
 harness, — many of them with heavy silver chains 
 and breast ornaments hung around their horses' 
 necks, — armed with muskets or matchlocks, and 
 Khorasanee scymetars, all brightly polished, made 
 a magnificent show ; — nor was the appearance of 
 the other troops greatly inferior. Nader himself 
 chose to be plainly dressed; he wore the Kuzzil- 
 bash cap and a light coat of mail — he was a sol- 
 dier, he said, and would wear a soldier's garb : — his 
 girdle was of plain Kermaun shawl, and his cloak, 
 neither very new nor handsome, was lined with 
 black lambs' skins. Well did he know how little 
 his tall majestic figure required the aid of dress.
 
 318 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 But the officers who accompanied him made 
 amends for any deficiency of their chief. His bro- 
 ther Ibrahim, the commanders of the gholaums, 
 of the musketeers, and of the artillery, with seve- 
 ral others of rank, were splendidly equipped in 
 armour, with gallant crimson and other richly co- 
 loured cloaks, and gay shawls around their caps. 
 
 In this array we left our station, about nine 
 o'clock, and marched slowly towards the Shah's 
 camp, our young gallants galloping on in front 
 or darting across the line, practising the spear or 
 the jereed, to prove the goodness of their horse- 
 manship. I joined in this amusement, and was 
 not ill pleased to find my horse and myself a match 
 for the best of them in agility and skill, if not 
 in strength. 
 
 Our course lay across some rising ground to 
 the east of the small town of Khabooshan ; and on 
 reaching the top of these, we gained sight of the 
 royal encampment spread over the plain below : — 
 there were the red serpurdehs* which surrounded 
 the royal tents, and before them floated the im- 
 perial banners. Even at this distance we might 
 see a busy movement among the tents ; and when 
 their sentinels descried our column descending the 
 
 * Serpurdehs are screens formed of canvass stretched upon 
 wooden poles, about eight feet high, and placed like a wall around 
 the tents of princes and great men, for purposes of privacy.
 
 A KCZZILBASH. 319 
 
 hill, the drums and trumpets sounded, and the 
 music of the royal nokara khaneh* came floating 
 towards us upon the breeze. 
 
 Unlike the audience tent of Nader, which was 
 open at all times to view, the whole of the Shah's 
 pavilions were surrounded by an extensive inclo- 
 sure of the aforesaid serpurdehs, or screens, so that 
 no one could approach the royal quarters. Before 
 these, on the maidaun,T was drawn up a body of 
 cavalry, and a still larger number of foot soldiers 
 were ranged in two lines on either side. A num- 
 ber of officers and horsemen, who were standing in 
 front of the troops, now advanced to meet us, as an 
 istackball^ sent to receive and welcome the General 
 on the part of the Shah. 
 
 It soon appeared that Futeh Allee Khan was 
 not among them, as ought to have been the case ; 
 and this disrespectful neglect did not at all tend to 
 soothe the feelings of Nader towards this nobleman. 
 All the other chief officers of the camp, however, 
 
 * A baud of music, consisting of drums, trumpets, horns, &c. 
 is always an appendage of royalty in the East ; it is stationed 
 generally in an apartment over the gate of the palace, aud plays 
 at stated hours, and upon all occasions of ceremony : it accom- 
 panies the King wherever he goes. 
 
 f Exercising ground, or square space kept vacant before the 
 tents of a prince or commander of an army. 
 
 * The ceremonial of sending forward a deputation to receive a 
 great man on his approach to any place ; or perhaps the deputa- 
 tion so sent, is itself called an lstackball.
 
 320 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 came ; and after the customary compliments we pro- 
 ceeded towards the dur-khaneh.* 
 
 Our approach was regularly announced by the 
 Chiaooshes-f- who went in advance; and by the 
 time the General had reached within three hundred 
 yards of the serpurdehs, one of his Majesty's lords- 
 in-waiting came forward to say that the Shah had 
 impatiently awaited his arrival, and would almost 
 immediately be ready to receive him. In the mean 
 time, the troops were ordered to halt some five 
 hundred yards distant ; and only the General and 
 his officers, with a few of his chosen attendants— 
 among whom I had the good fortune to be— went 
 forward to the royal tents. 
 
 Great men in Persia are too apt to detain their 
 servants or their suitors long in attendance before 
 granting them permission to enter their presence. 
 This is done, no doubt, to enhance the favour 
 of admission ; but it is ungracious, and often pro- 
 duces needless irritation. Notwithstanding the 
 peculiar situations of the Shah and Nader, that 
 monarch could not. entirely depart from this vain 
 affectation of state, and unwisely forced his High- 
 ness to wait nearly half an hour at the gate of the 
 serpurdehs. Nader made no remark, and, indeed, 
 
 * The gate of the palace, or entrance to the tent of a great man, 
 where his servants and officers await his orders, is called the duv- 
 khaneh. 
 
 t Messengers, heralds.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 821 
 
 the indignity was too contemptible to be taken 
 notice of; but it did not escape his Highness. 
 
 At length it was announced that the Shah was 
 in the pavilion of audience ; and the first screen 
 being drawn aside, we were admitted into a small 
 space behind another screen, which alone inter- 
 cepted the view of his Majesty. The General then 
 was permitted to advance, and each of us in turn 
 came forward, making three low bows, with our 
 hands placed upon our knees. The master of the 
 ceremonies then ushered the General forward, fol- 
 lowed by the chief officers, while his other attend- 
 ants were desired to remain outside of those who 
 formed the royal suite. 
 
 The tent of audience was a large handsome 
 pavilion of white cotton, ornamented with crimson 
 mountings, supported on three pillars with golden 
 balls on the top, and lined with yellow silk. His 
 Majesty was seated upon a sofa covered with gold 
 brocade, aad leaned against a large cushion of gold 
 cloth, embroidered with pearls. His dress, as it 
 appeared to me from a distance, was blazing with 
 jewels ; but it only consisted of rich cloth of gold, 
 magnificently wrought into flowers with precious 
 stones and enamel. His girdle was covered with 
 jewels, and his arms were bound around with 
 armlets of pearls and emeralds. His turban of 
 gold muslin of India bore the royal Jikah, or 
 plume of diamonds and feathers ; round his neck 
 
 p 5
 
 322 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 was a collar of large pearls, from which hung a 
 glittering ornament of many coloured stones. His 
 dagger-hilt was set with precious stones, as were 
 his gold-mounted scymetar and belt, which lay on 
 the musnud beside him. It was a brilliant and 
 novel sight in my eyes ; and little did I then think 
 how dear these glittering gems were to cost him. 
 On the one side, within the tent, stood Futeh 
 Allee Khan, — on the other, Hussun Allee Khan, 
 the chief minister, — both in their robes of state : on 
 the outside stood groups of royal guards, Yessa- 
 wuls, Peish-khidmuts,* executioners, and tent- 
 pitchers, in rich dresses ; and in front, the chief 
 officers of state, extended in two rows. It was 
 altogether a splendid assemblage, and, combined 
 with the profound silence and ceremony observed, 
 the spectacle it formed was very imposing. 
 
 When Nader approached to salute the Shah, 
 his Majesty pronounced with a loud voice, 
 " Khoosh amedeed ! -f- thou art welcome, Nader 
 Koolee Khan ; thy good services have reached the 
 Shah's ears, and he thanks thee for thy zeal." In 
 saying these words, he made a movement as if to 
 reach his hand towards his Highness, who, kneel- 
 ing down, took and pressed it to his forehead, at 
 the same time professing himself the humblest and 
 most devoted of his Majesty's slaves. 
 
 The conversation which now took place was 
 * Body-servants. f Welcome !
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 323 
 
 carried on at too great a distance, and in too low 
 a tone, to reach us where we stood ; but afterwards 
 we learned that the General had given a full and 
 satisfactory account of his whole conduct to the 
 Shah, proving thereby his fidelity and zeal. He 
 ventured to pass some censure upon his Majesty's 
 advisers for their conduct towards Nujjuff Koolee 
 Beg : he assured his Majesty that the Koords 
 were now willing to devote themselves to his ser- 
 vice, but recommended that he himself should be 
 permitted to deal with them. He strongly urged 
 the expediency of immediately advancing with the 
 combined forces to drive Malek Mahmood out 
 of Mushed, of which expedition he would him- 
 self take the command, while his sacred Ma- 
 jesty should remain safe in camp near Khabooshan ; 
 and it was accordingly decided that the troops 
 should move forward without farther delay. His 
 Majesty then declared his full approbation of all 
 that his Highness had said, assuring him of his 
 unreserved thanks, and ordering him to be pre- 
 sented with the full khelut, or dress of honour, 
 o-iven to a khan and general of a province. After 
 the usual ceremonies, the party received leave to 
 quit the presence; but orders were given that the 
 troops should remain in their ranks until his Ma- 
 jesty should advance the light of his fortunate 
 countenance, and behold the heroes before whom 
 his enemies were to flee like antelopes of the desert, 
 or like leaves before the breath of autumn.
 
 324) ADVENTURES OF 
 
 This desire of his Majesty had been anticipated, 
 and therefore gave rise to no other inconvenience 
 than that of detaining the men inactive upon the 
 ground, exposed to the heat of the noonday sun. 
 The General retired to the tent of Futeh Allee 
 Khan to partake of a slight repast, until the Shah 
 should be ready ; and, indeed, his Majesty gave us 
 ample time to refresh ourselves, for it was full 
 two hours ere the trumpets announced that he was 
 ready to mount his horse. This being brought 
 forth, and the royal retinue having got all in or- 
 der, the Shah mounted, under a discharge of swivel 
 artillery from the backs of camels, and, accompa- 
 nied by the General and all his own officers and 
 guards, rode forward to the ground which was 
 occupied by our troops. 
 
 His Majesty was evidently very much struck 
 with the brilliant appearance we made, and the 
 excellence of our appointments; and though there 
 is no doubt that his jealousy was excited, he made 
 many gracious compliments to Nader on the good 
 order of his army. Nothing very remarkable, how- 
 ever, took place ; we escorted the Shah back to 
 his tents, and then returned to camp ourselves.
 
 A KUZZiLBASII. 325 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 PROMOTION. 
 
 Early next morning the army was in full 
 march to Mushed. If we had not now the glit- 
 ter which had been displayed during our late 
 visit to the Royal camp, we had more of the 
 business-like appearance of soldiers preparing to 
 dispute with a powerful enemy for a great prize. 
 The gay apparel packed among our baggage, 
 gave place to the well-worn working-suits of many 
 a day's service. The horsemen bound behind 
 them such stores of provender as were sufficient to 
 render them independent of the heavy baggage ; 
 the infantry loaded themselves with ammunition 
 and provisions ; and all, arranged in their separate 
 corps, marched on with sedate step, and in tole- 
 rably compact order. 
 
 The progress of the march needs not to be 
 detailed : during its progress we were joined by 
 several large bodies of troops, summoned from
 
 326 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 different quarters to take part in the impending 
 contest ; so that our numbers rapidly augmented, 
 and our encampment was daily enlarged. On 
 the sixth day, after passing the ruins of the 
 ancient city of Toos, the lofty gilded dome of 
 the sacred shrine at Mushed was seen e;leamin£r 
 above the haze that still hid the city from our 
 view. At this sight, the soldiers shouted loudly, 
 " The Durgah ! the Durgah ! the tomb of the 
 blessed Imaum Reza ! see how it shines to lighten 
 our steps! may the sight be propitious! Insh-allah !" 
 The whole army seemed now inspired with a 
 pious zeal ; even Nader urged his horse onward 
 with increased impetuosity. Perhaps he desired it 
 should be seen that he participated in the feelings 
 of His soldiers ; but it was only for a moment : 
 he quickly restrained himself, and soon after the 
 army encamped for the night within about two 
 fursungs (8 miles) from the city. 
 
 The next day was, in all probability, to bring 
 us into action with the enemy ; and although I 
 thought it likely to prove a very different matter 
 from the skirmishes in which I had hitherto been 
 engaged, I was all anxiety for the trial. It was 
 well known that Malek Mahmood possessed a 
 formidable artillery, in which he placed great 
 confidence; particularly as our array was but ill 
 supplied with these formidable engines, so totally 
 new to me. There were four pieces, of small
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 327 
 
 size, in our camp, which had powerfully attracted 
 my curiosity, as they stood in pairs on either side 
 of the General's tent. This curiosity had been 
 greatly increased by the accounts given me of 
 their dreadful powers, so that I burned to see 
 them used. Until my adventure with Ibrahim 
 Khan, I had never seen the effect of any sort of 
 fire-arms. At the Shah's camp, the Zumbooruks, 
 or camel artillery, firing in salute as his Majesty 
 mounted, had impressed me with a great idea of 
 their powers : but what were they to cannon of 
 the size said to belong to Malek Mahmood ! I 
 was impatient to see these engines of death, and 
 hear them roar, even at the risk of proving their 
 effects in my own person. 
 
 The troops were in motion by daylight ; and 
 the baggage under a strong escort being left to 
 follow, we moved forward to occupy a convenient 
 position for commencing operations against the 
 city. Our forces, which continued to be joined by 
 many recalled detachments, together with some 
 of the Shah's troops, amounted now to upwards 
 of 12,000 fighting men. Those of the rebel 
 Malek Mahmood were not calculated to exceed 
 that number; but, as a constant course of de- 
 sertion and recruiting was known to be £oin<r on, 
 it was impossible to depend implicitly upon the 
 accounts we received. 
 
 Upon occasions of importance, like the present,
 
 328 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 it was not the custom of Nader to trust to the 
 vigilance of others, matters that he could attend 
 to himself; he therefore rode in person at the 
 head of his troops, detaching a few hundred men 
 as an advanced guard in front, and some well- 
 mounted horsemen on either flank, to give notice 
 of the appearance either of the enemy, or of am- 
 buscades, but performing the duty of reconnoitring 
 principally himself. He was attended in this by 
 many of his principal officers and gholaums ; and 
 the whole of his guards rode in a compact troop 
 behind him. 
 
 No ambuscade was attempted by the enemy ; 
 indeed the ground did not favour any such mea- 
 sure ; and the army proceeded unmolested to the 
 environs of the city. But when the advance had 
 reached a point, rather less than two miles distant 
 from the walls, where the road to our encamping 
 ground diverged from that which leads to the 
 north-western gate, some of the horsemen came 
 galloping in to tell that the broken ground near 
 the walls upon our right was occupied by an 
 armed force, whose spears and caps appeared above 
 the ridges. 
 
 Upon receiving this intelligence, the troops 
 were ordered to halt, while the General with some 
 of his attendants rode forward to examine the 
 ground. It soon became clear enough that a 
 strong body of the enemy were posted to dispute
 
 A KLZZILBASH. 329 
 
 our passage, but near enough to the walls of the 
 town to secure their retreat if unsuccessful. Sa- 
 tisfied with what he had seen, his Highness was 
 about to return, when a flash like that of light- 
 ning darted from behind a mound of earth, suc- 
 ceeded by a dense white cloud of smoke, and a 
 thundering roar, and immediately a noise, like 
 the hissing of fifty serpents, passed over our heads. 
 " Hah ! the ehorumsaugs !"* exclaimed Nader, 
 " they have cannon there ; we must drive them 
 away from that." So saying, we all rode back to 
 the troops without suffering any farther moles- 
 tation. 
 
 His Highness now told off a certain number of 
 his guards, and fifteen hundred men of his best 
 cavalry, and directed his brother Ibrahim to lead 
 the rest of the army towards their ground, keep- 
 ing a line farther to the left. He then shortly 
 told the chosen party, among whom I was permit- 
 ted to remain, that it was his intention to attack 
 and capture, or drive off, if possible, the guns 
 that had been planted by the enemy to interrupt 
 our line of march, and that he depended on them 
 to do their duty ; " Bechushm ! w -f* cried the offi- 
 cers, and the men answered with a shout. 
 
 The General led the way, and we marched in 
 silent and compact order, taking advantage of the 
 hollows and irregularities of the ground to get as 
 * Scoundrels ! t By our eyes !
 
 330 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 near as possible, without discovery, to the spot 
 where we believed the enemy to be posted ; but 
 the birds had flown. They knew that Nader 
 would not fail to make a desperate attack on them, 
 and resolved to meet it in less practicable ground : 
 — we saw a few of their horsemen, and some spears 
 and caps disappearing half-a-mile a head. "We 
 must pursue them, but cautiously, 1 ' said Nader, 
 " for the ground becomes more intricate ; but I 
 know it well ; follow me !" 
 
 We now moved on at a hand gallop to give them 
 as little time as possible for forming in their new 
 position. It was not long before we overtook our 
 foes, and they stood to receive us. " Bismillah !" 
 shouted Nader, striking his stirrups into his horse's 
 flank ; " we have them now : follow me !" On we 
 drove, but had not made thirty yards, when half- 
 a-dozen flashes, and as many loud reports in front, 
 told us plainly enough where the cannon were 
 posted. This time their aim was better ; the balls 
 whistled in amongst us, killing and disabling near 
 a dozen men and horses. One poor wretch fell 
 close by my side : a large shot struck his horse in 
 the neck, and himself in the body, hurling them 
 both, mangled and bleeding, on the ground. I 
 shuddered as I witnessed this first specimen of the 
 terrible effects of artillery. 
 
 The boldest of us were checked for a moment by 
 this salute ; but Nader's well-known voice recalled
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 331 
 
 us to ourselves — " Forward, forward !" shouted he, 
 " now while they are loading ;"" — and crying, " Al- 
 lah, Allah !" in reply, we pressed onward with re- 
 newed spirit to the dangerous spot. But here again 
 we were baffled, for a deep though narrow ravine 
 covered the front of our foes, who, finding us so de- 
 termined, did not venture to await our attack, or 
 even to re-load their guns, but drew them ofFin safe- 
 ty while we were endeavouring to surmount the na- 
 tural obstacles in our way. We effected this, how- 
 ever, sooner than they calculated on ; and though 
 they succeeded in dragging off their guns, we over- 
 took a covering party of cavalry, some hundreds of 
 which were cut to pieces in revenge for the com- 
 panions we had lost by their cannon. 
 
 As we pursued these, we came in view of 
 Malek Mali mood's whole army, which had been 
 drawn out behind some hillocks, to protect his 
 artillery, and take advantage of any favourable 
 chance that might offer for attacking our troops. 
 No such chance had occurred. The bulk of our 
 army was moving on in good order to the tomb 
 of Khawjeh Rubbce,* where it was intended to 
 encamp ; and the chosen detachment, under the 
 command of Nader, after having driven off' his 
 vaunted artillery, showed so determined a counte- 
 nance that no one dared to attack it. Malek 
 
 * A tomb of some sanctity, about four miles from Mushed, over 
 which a splendid mausoleum was built by Shah Abbas the Great.
 
 332 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Mahmood, therefore, contented himself with can- 
 nonading us from a distance that prevented any 
 considerable loss ; and the day passed in skirmishes, 
 all greatly to our advantage. At the approach of 
 night Malek withdrew into the city, and left us 
 to form and intrench our camp at leisure. 
 
 It is unnecessary to detail the particulars of this 
 siege, which lasted two months; during which 
 time constant skirmishes, and some actions of more 
 importance took place between the armies, gene- 
 rally to our advantage, and the discomfiture of the 
 enemy. But one or two incidents occurred, which 
 deserve notice. 
 
 When Shah Tahmaseb was forced to fly from 
 the power of the Aflfghauns into Mazunderan, he 
 was compelled to trust himself in great measure in 
 the hands of the Kudjers, a powerful tribe, who 
 had their chief residence in that province, and 
 whose chief, Futeh Allee Khan, very soon ob- 
 tained an influence over him, which he exercised 
 without either delicacy or moderation. But the 
 unfortunate monarch, though unable to break his 
 chains, was not the less sensible of their weight ; 
 and it was to Nader he looked as his deliverer 
 from his secret as well as his declared enemies. 
 Futeh Allee Khan, who was by no means pleased 
 with this expedition to Khorasan, and would 
 willingly have witnessed the discomfiture of Nader, 
 solicited leave to return to Mazunderan, upon
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 333 
 
 some private business, meaning to withdraw a 
 large part of his followers. The true motive of 
 this ill-timed request was easily discovered by his 
 Majesty's counsellors, who accused the Khan of 
 treasonable correspondence with the rebels in 
 Mushed; and the Shah, not sorry perhaps to have 
 so good a pretext for getting rid of his trouble- 
 some protector, ordered him into confinement in 
 the camp of Nader. 
 
 In all probability his Majesty did not deem 
 himself secure from the consequences of this de- 
 cisive step, whilst the disgraced nobleman lived ; 
 and one day, after we had been near a month 
 encamped before Mushed, a certain officer from 
 the King's camp made his appearance at the quar- 
 ters where Futeh Allee Khan was confined, and 
 demanded admission to the prisoner. The guards 
 either recognizing the royal messenger, or possibly 
 havino- secret orders to guide their conduct, made 
 no opposition, and admitted the officer and his 
 attendant. The unfortunate Futeh Allee Khan, 
 aroused rudely from sleep, opened his eyes to see 
 his most inveterate foe, attended by a man whose 
 father he had put to death, standing over him 
 with naked swords, and faces dark with implacable 
 hatred. He called aloud upon his guards, but 
 no one replied ; he tried to spring from his 
 couch, but the powerful arms of his murderers 
 held him down ; he struggled for a while in hopes
 
 334 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 that his cries might bring him assistance, but all 
 was silence. He then knew that his hour was 
 come. — " Mangle me not," said he indignantly ; 
 ** let me die decently, and like a man — I will 
 make no farther resistance.' 1 Beneath the lifted 
 swords of the two miscreants, the hapless noble- 
 man knelt down, stretched out his neck to the 
 blow, and fell a corpse. 
 
 The bloody head was sent by express and laid 
 at the feet of the Shah : it is said he shuddered 
 as he saw the ghastly features of his once powerful 
 though overbearing protector ; dim forebodings of 
 evil came over his mind, and he half wished the 
 deed undone. Whether any part of this blood 
 lay on Nader's head I cannot tell, and I will 
 not surmise ; at all events, a powerful rival was 
 by these means removed from his path. 
 
 When Malek Mahmood heard of the death of 
 Futeh Allee Khan, who certainly was a brave 
 man and a good officer, he resolved to take ad- 
 vantage of the surprise into which he calculated 
 the royal army, consisting chiefly of Kudjers, 
 would be thrown by the loss of their chief : and 
 for this purpose, mustering the choicest of his 
 remaining troops, with the greater part of his 
 artillery, he sallied out one morning very early, 
 intending to attack the camp of the Shah. 
 
 But Nader, who contrived to obtain exact in- 
 formation of all that passed within the walls of
 
 A KUZZU.BASH. 335 
 
 Mushed, received accounts of this intended sally, 
 in time to prepare for disappointing its object. 
 Having selected five thousand of his best men, 
 and appointing three thousand more as a reserve, 
 under charge of Shahverdi Beg, he marched from 
 camp before daylight, and posted himself about 
 two miles from the city on the road which Malek 
 Mahmood was to take. 
 
 This road, after leaving the gate of the city, 
 winds at first through some rough broken ground, 
 and then among orchard walls and ruined inclo- 
 sures, which extend to a considerable distance on 
 this side of the walls. It would have been dan- 
 gerous to take post among these inclosures, where 
 we might be outflanked and surprised in our turn; 
 so we took our station on the plain just beyond 
 the last of them, intending to attack the enemy's 
 column as it should issue from the narrow lane. 
 
 We waited with impatience until the trampling 
 and neighing of horses, with the dull lumbering 
 sounds of the heavy guns, gave notice of the ene- 
 niv's approach : for, as he wished to conceal his 
 march from the knowledge of Nader, he neither 
 blew trumpets nor beat drums. His appearance 
 was the signal for our attack. Our cavalry gal- 
 loped forward and quickly drove in his leading 
 squadrons with no small loss ; and they dispersed 
 to the right and left, like chaff before the wind. 
 Rut Ibrahim Khan, the commander of his artil-
 
 33G ADVENTURES OF 
 
 lery, a brave and skilful officer, quickly perceiv- 
 ing the danger of such a surprise, not only to the 
 troops, but to his own artillery, suddenly wheeled 
 five or six of the guns through an opening be- 
 tween two orchard walls, while three or four other 
 pieces were halted and prepared in the road ready 
 to receive us. Therefore, as we thundered on, dis- 
 persing their cavalry and clearing the way before 
 us down the road, these guns opened in our front, 
 while the others, commanded by Ibrahim Khan in 
 person, poured a destructive discharge of large 
 shot and pieces of broken iron upon the flank of 
 the troops that passed within their range. This 
 soon checked the charge and threw the advance of 
 our troops into confusion, for the loss by this first 
 discharge was terrible. But while they were re- 
 loading their guns,* our men, encouraged by their 
 officers, and still more by the voice of their chief, 
 rallied again. A part of them, headed by Nader 
 himself, charged down upon the guns in the road, 
 while others wheeled round the inclosures, seeking 
 for an opening by which they might penetrate to 
 those commanded hy Ibrahim Khan, which were 
 too formidably defended to be attacked in front. 
 It chanced that just before the first charge was 
 
 * Asiatics, particularly those who, like the Persians, have but 
 little experience in the use of artillery, take a long time to load 
 their guus : — a large gun is seldom loaded and fired ofteaer than 
 once in a quarter of an hour.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 337 
 
 made, having been dispatched with orders to a 
 corps upon the right of our line, I had not re- 
 turned to my post when the action commenced, 
 and could not therefore join in that part of the 
 charge which swept the road. Prevented from 
 following, by the crowds that blocked up the nar- 
 row way, I called upon the right hand squadrons 
 to follow me round the inclosure which interrupt- 
 ed our course ; and no officer of rank being nigh, 
 the men, recognizing me for one of the confidential 
 gholaums, followed me readily to the number of 
 about two hundred, aud we galloped as hard as 
 our horses would carry us to the point where the 
 loud cries and the cannon shots announced that 
 the battle was hottest. 
 
 My lucky star was predominant. Scattering a 
 few of the enemy's horsemen, who were forming 
 after their first discomfiture, we found ourselves 
 just in rear of the guns commanded by Ibrahim 
 Khan, now again belching forth death upon our 
 friends. Not a moment did I hesitate. " Allah ! 
 il Allah !" cried I, waving my sword, " the guns 
 are our own : charge for Nader ! charge, follow 
 me !"" The men seemed inspired with my enthu- 
 siasm ; they never checked bridle, but dashing 
 their stirrups in their horse's sides, bore down like 
 lightning on the topechees,* who, occupied with 
 their pieces, were not prepared for such an assault. 
 * Artillery-men — gunners. 
 
 VOL. I. Q
 
 338 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Hut we were not long unopposed ; the quick eye of 
 Ibrahim perceived our advance in spite of the con- 
 fusion, and he ordered some of his men to wheel 
 round and receive us, while the fugitives now col- 
 lecting in crowds attacked us in rear. It was now 
 for life or death we fought ; the half-armed tope- 
 chees fell before us indeed, but bullets were pour- 
 ing in and scymetars flashing from behind ; some 
 of us in turn were forced to face about and repel 
 these assaults, while I still strove to reach the spot 
 where the gallant Ibrahim was strugo-lina; to main- 
 tain his guns. One of my comrades, too rashly 
 approaching, was cut down by a blow of his sword ; 
 and as I came on he levelled one at my own head ; 
 but, using a Toorkoman's sleight, half slipping 
 from my horse I eluded the blow, while, with a 
 back-handed stroke, I succeeded in cutting the 
 reins of his bridle, and thus rendered him defence- 
 less. Fain would I have given him quarter, and 
 carried my noble prisoner to Nader, but there was 
 no time for parley : unable to direct his horse to- 
 wards me, he drew a pistol with his left hand, and 
 before I had well recovered my seat it flashed in 
 my face — the ball grazed my cheek so close that 
 I was half blinded with the powder, but, as his 
 finger pulled the trigger, he received my sword 
 full on his neck, and fell with his head almost 
 separated from his body. Half stunned as I was, 
 I made an effort to secure my prize, while, at the
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 339 
 
 same moment, a loud noise in front announced 
 some new event. But I saw not what it was — 
 another blow on the head, from behind, brought 
 me to the ground, and I heard nothing more. 
 
 When I recovered my senses, I was seated on a 
 bank supported by my old servant Cossim Allee, 
 who held my head against his breast with one 
 hand, and was stuffing some pungent perfume up 
 my nose with the other. On gazing about, I per- 
 ceived that he was assisted in these offices by 
 Yar Mahomed, one of my messmates, and that 
 Ibrahim Khan, the General's brother, attended by 
 some of his officers, was standing near us, looking 
 on with an air of great interest. 
 
 " See ! he recovers !" cried my companion, " he 
 opens his eyes." " Alhumdulillah i' 1 responded 
 Cossim Allee fervently, and Ibrahim Khan came 
 forward. " I rejoice," said he, " my young friend, 
 to see you so far revived ; we feared you had made 
 a step too far in front, and received your passport 
 to Paradise ; but there is enough still left of you 
 to taste the joys of this earth yet a while longer, I 
 hope. I shall tell my brother of your safety — he 
 will be pleased to hear of it. Take care of him, you 
 Cossim Allee ; and you, Yar Mahomed, see him 
 safely conveyed to camp. 1 ' So saying, he gallop- 
 ed off. 
 
 My recollection was now restored. I tried, to 
 rise and look about me, but sick and faint from
 
 340 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 the blow on my head, I fell down again, while the 
 others exhorted me to have patience awhile. " But 
 where are the troops ?"" cried I anxiously, " What 
 has happened ? Where are we ? — Where is the 
 enemy ? — Where is Ibrahim Khan Topechee- 
 bashee ?"* " The enemy is flying on all sides," 
 replied Yar Mahomed ; " most of those who 
 still live are by this time within the walls of 
 Mushed. Our victory is complete ; the greater 
 part of their cannon remains in our hands ; and 
 I may add, that Ismael deservedly enjoys the 
 credit of having in no small degree contributed 
 to this fortunate result. As to where you are, 
 raise him, Cossim, and let him look round." I 
 stood upon the bank with Cossim's aid, and raised 
 my eyes yet aching with pain. We were still on 
 the field of battle : the dead and the wounded 
 lay thickly scattered around among the broken 
 ground ; at a little distance was the open space 
 where the cannon of Ibrahim had flanked our first 
 charge, where I had attacked him and so nearly 
 received my death. Parties of horse were still 
 scouring about after a few flyers, who had not yet 
 got under shelter ; others were returning, in obe- 
 dience to the trumpets which announced the place 
 where the main body of our troops were collecting. 
 But hundreds of stragglers were still making the 
 best of their time, and proving their dexterity in 
 * Commander of Artillery.
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 341 
 
 stripping the dead bodies, without being particu- 
 larly scrupulous as to which party they belonged. 
 The walls of the city were hid from our view by 
 the inclosures about us, but dropping shots aimed 
 at such of our men as ventured too close in pur- 
 suit, proved that they were well-manned against 
 assaults. 
 
 As I stood and inhaled the fresh breeze, my 
 strength returned by degrees ; my wounds, which 
 were not in themselves very dangerous, were 
 bound up ; and I found myself strong enough, as 
 I hoped, to sit my horse and ride back to camp. 
 
 I now learned that Nader, having headed in per- 
 son the charge made upon the guns in the road, 
 and succeeded in obtaining possession of them be- 
 fore they could be fired a second time, had driven 
 the enemy before him in utter and irremediable 
 confusion for a long way ; but, recollecting the 
 artillery in his rear, he returned with the design 
 of cutting off their retreat to the city. On reach- 
 ing the opening where they were posted, deter- 
 mined to charge them, cost what it might, he was 
 surprised, instead of receiving a volley of shot, to 
 see the topechees almost totally destroyed, defend- 
 ing themselves against a party of his own troops 
 who had got into their rear. On galloping up to 
 improve this advantage, he was just in time to wit- 
 ness my affair with Ibrahim Khan Topechee-bashee, 
 
 and to see me knocked off my horse by one of the 
 
 ci 3
 
 342 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 topechees, with the butt-end of a musket. Ano- 
 ther instant decided the affair ; the whole gunners 
 were cut to pieces, and their guns remained in 
 our hands. But Nader did not forget his young 
 gholaum : he ordered Yar Mahomed to take care 
 of me, and by his aid, and that of Cossim, who 
 came up at the same time, after secuiing my horse, 
 I was dragged from among the dead and dying, 
 and carried to the place where I first recovered 
 my senses. Thus I had the satisfaction of learn- 
 ing that my fortunate movement in flank proved, 
 in truth, the means by which the better part of his 
 artillery had been taken from the enemy. Ibrahim 
 Khan, when he saw the increasing confusion of his 
 friends, would not have failed to withdraw his 
 guns by the very way which so well had served 
 us for attacking them. 
 
 My head was giddy still, and I rode so slowly 
 that most of the troops were on their return before 
 I reached camp. Upon entering it, I was over- 
 taken by the General himself, as much begrimed 
 with blood and dust as myself. No man, officer, 
 or soldier, exposed himself more than Nader ; and 
 on this day his person had been in imminent peril : 
 one horse had its head shattered to pieces under 
 him by a cannon shot, and two matchlook balls 
 had passed through his clothes. His terrible bat- 
 tle-axe had done its duty well : it was said, that 
 eight Affghauns had drunk the sherbet of death
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 343 
 
 from Ins hands : and, in truth, his appearance 
 seemed to confirm the report, for, though un- 
 wounded, he was spattered with blood from head 
 to foot. " Hah ! Ismael, my friend," said he, 
 with a gracious smile, " I give thee joy of thy 
 success and thy safety ! Thy gallantry and judg- 
 ment have not been overlooked, nor shall they be 
 forgotten : when thou art able, let me see thee." 
 But I was not like to be able soon : when I reach- 
 ed the tent, a sick dizziness came over me, and I 
 once more lost my senses. 
 
 On recovering, I found myself stretched upon 
 my own couch ; my arms and clothes had been re- 
 moved, and my friend Yar Mahomed was seated 
 on the ground beside me, together with a grave- 
 looking personage, whom I afterwards understood 
 to be a man pretending to some knowledge of 
 surorerv, and for that reason entertained in the 
 camp. This sage put many questions to me, and 
 gave me a good deal of pain by examining my 
 wounds ; but my head swam round, and I could 
 make no satisfactory replies, so he continued to 
 prate for a while, in a jargon, which, if my senses 
 had been clearer, would have been equally unintelli- 
 gible ; and then binding up my wounded cheek, 
 and applying some simple fomentation to my 
 bruised temple, he took his leave, saying, that he 
 would send me a decoction of very powerful drugs, 
 which, Insh-allah, would make me soon quite well.
 
 344 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Whether this vaunted medicine would have 
 done me good or harm, I know not, for I never 
 put it to the test. A sharp fever came on, and 
 for some days I was unconscious of all that passed. 
 The loss of blood from my cheek, aided by a good 
 constitution, probably saved my life ; and after a 
 week's hard struggle, the fever left me, weak in- 
 deed, but in a fair way of recovery. My wounds 
 healed by degrees, and though a slight giddiness 
 remained for some time, they gave me no more 
 trouble. 
 
 During my confinement I was more than once 
 cheered by a visit from my steady friend Ibrahim 
 Khan ; and Nader himself sent frequently to in- 
 quire after me while I remained in danger. But 
 it was not until three weeks after the battle, that I 
 was able to pay my first visit of respect to the 
 General, and even then I was pale and emaciated 
 from the effects of confinement. 
 
 I experienced a very gracious reception, and his 
 Highness, after taking occasion to remark that he 
 was greatly indebted to my decision and gallantry 
 for the important success gained by his army on 
 the day I was wounded, continued, " I believe, 
 Ismael, that you desire to continue near my per- 
 son, and, in truth, I wish it also ; therefore, you 
 shall still remain one of my gholaums ; but I give 
 you the rank of captain of two hundred men in 
 my guards, and desire that henceforth you carry
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 345 
 
 the title of Beg, which is your right by birth, and 
 which I shall take care to have confirmed by the 
 Shah, for your good service in his cause. The 
 khelut of your office shall be sent to you immedi- 
 ately. Take care of your health, that you may be 
 enabled soon to resume your duties. 1 ' 
 
 Prepared as I was to expect some signal proof 
 of the General's favour, that which was now be- 
 stowed upon me, so far exceeded my anticipations, 
 that at first it overwhelmed and confounded me ; 
 and its after-effects on my mind were not, I fear, of 
 the best description. I was grateful, very grate- 
 ful ; — but if the truth must be told, pride and 
 arrogance arose in my heart — I began to think 
 myself a great man, assumed a loftier air than 
 before, and committed divers other follies of a 
 similar sort. Neglect of duty, however, was not 
 among them ; and as soon as my health permitted, 
 I returned to my usual constant attendance at 
 the dur-khaneh, and the customary military ser- 
 vice. 
 
 Tedious as the siege had been, it drew to a 
 close before I was able to resume an active share 
 in it. After the loss of his artillery, Malek Mah- 
 mood never dared to show himself without the 
 walls ; his sallies became more rare and less effec- 
 tive ; his troops were thinned by casualties, but 
 still more by desertion ; and although we had not 
 enough of ammunition to render the captured guns
 
 346 ADVENTURES OF 
 
 of service to us, their loss was so great a depriva- 
 tion to our foe, that the fate of the city soon be- 
 came clearly inevitable. 
 
 The catastrophe was only a little hastened by 
 treachery. Nader, who had kept up a constant 
 intercourse with certain persons within the walls, 
 found means at length to prevail on one Peer 
 Mahomed, an officer of rank in the service of 
 Malek, to favour our entrance at one of the gates, 
 of which he had the charge. This man, foreseeing 
 the imminent downfal of his master, was desirous 
 of providing for himself, and stipulated for the 
 government of Jam, a town between Mushed and 
 Herat, as the price of his treachery, which was to 
 be accomplished by murdering the guard of the 
 gate, and opening it to our troops upon a cer- 
 tain night agreed upon. 
 
 On that night, Nader, taking with him a 
 large party of his best men upon foot, silently 
 approached the town, and leaving the greater part 
 of them concealed in the broken ground near the 
 walls, he crept cautiously to the gate with a small 
 number of attendants. To avoid, as much as 
 possible, the chance of discovery, they ranged 
 themselves close under the wall ; which, the ditch 
 being dry, was easily done ; and in this situation 
 they remained for two hours, at which time their 
 attention was awakened by two or three half- 
 stifled cries, and three or four bleeding heads were
 
 A KUZZILBASH. 347 
 
 thrown amongst them from the parapet above. 
 This was the preconcerted signal. True to his 
 promise, Peer Mahomed, along with a trusty 
 attendant, had fallen upon the sentinel and the 
 few guards on duty, and put them to death, 
 throwing their severed heads over the wall. Nader 
 and his men ran to the gate, which yielded to 
 their efforts ; and making a signal to the ambushed 
 troops, they rushed in and secured the post. Be- 
 fore the alarm had spread, the troops, already told 
 off in divisions, ran to their several appointed 
 posts, and, putting the enemy's guarcls to death, 
 seized on all the important points of the place with 
 little resistance. The troops of Malek Mahmood 
 attempting to assemble in haste were cut to pieces, 
 or fled with their master, who shut himself up in 
 the citadel. Nader first cleared the way to the 
 sacred shrine, and then turning to the left, drove 
 all before him to the gardens of the Char Baugh, 
 of which he took immediate possession. 
 
 As soon as day broke, Malek Mahmood made 
 an attempt to recover the town. Issuing from 
 the citadel, he attacked our troops in several 
 points, but totally without success : and this 
 failure proving to him the folly of farther resist- 
 ance, he surrendered himself next day at discre- 
 tion ; declaring his resolution of renouncing the 
 world, assuming the garb of a Dervish, and 
 taking up his abode in the sacred mausoleum.
 
 348 ADVENTURES OF A KUZZILBASH. 
 
 This was done in hopes that such pious projects 
 would induce his highness the General to spare 
 his life ; and it had the desired effect. 
 
 After having completely secured his conquest, 
 and made all the regulations immediately neces- 
 sary, the first act of his Highness was to proceed 
 with his officers and suite to prostrate himself 
 at the tomb of the holy Imaum Reza ; and I shall 
 never forget the sensations with which I entered 
 the magnificent square, and approached the sa- 
 cred shrine in the dim obscurity of the lofty 
 mausoleum. But of these matters hereafter. 
 
 The next point was to dispose of his captives; 
 and this was very speedily arranged. A few of 
 the ministers and chief officers who were under- 
 stood to have influenced Malek Mali mood to 
 continue in his rebellious course, when he other- 
 wise would have submitted to the royal clemency, 
 were put to death ; but upon the whole little 
 blood was shed. A part of the troops were en- 
 rolled in our army ; and the Affghauns who were 
 not required, or who did not wish to serve, were 
 permitted to return to their own country. 
 
 END OF THE FIRST VOLUME. 
 
 LONDON 
 PRINTED BY S. AND R. BENTLKY, DORSET STREET.

 
 
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