Produced by Jayam Subramanian and PG Distributed Proofreaders
[Illustration: IN THE DESERT SUNRISE]
A RIDE TO INDIA
ACROSS PERSIA AND BALUCHISTAN.
BY
HARRY DE WINDT, F.R.G.S.,
AUTHOR OF "FROM PEKIN TO CALAIS BY LAND," ETC.
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
BY
HERBERT WALKER _FROM SKETCHES BY THE AUTHOR_.
1891.
TO
AUDLEY LOVELL, ESQUIRE,
COLDSTREAM GUARDS,
THIS VOLUME
IS
DEDICATED.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I. TIFLIS--BAKU
II. THE CASPIAN--ASTARA--RESHT
III. RESHT--PATCHINAR
IV. PATCHINAR--TEHERAN
V. TEHERAN
VI. TEHERAN--ISPAHAN
VII. ISPAHAN--SHIRAZ
VIII. SHIRAZ--BUSHIRE
IX. BALUCHISTAN--BEILA
X. BALUCHISTAN--GWARJAK
XI. KELAT--QUETTA--BOMBAY
APPENDIX
MAP
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
* * * * *
IN THE DESERT SUNRISE
TIFLIS
A DIRTY NIGHT IN THE CASPIAN
ASTARA, RUSSO-PERSIAN FRONTIER
CROSSING THE KHARZAN
TEHERAN
PERSIAN DANCING-GIRL
POST-HOUSE AT KUSHKU BAIRA
A CORPSE CARAVAN
A DAY IN THE SNOW
A FAMILY PARTY
YEZDI-GHAZT
THE CARAVANSERAI, MEYUN KOTAL
SONMIANI
OUR CAMP AT OUTHAL
MALAK
A "ZIGRI" AT GWARJAK
NOMAD BALUCH TENT
JEBRI
KELAT
PALACE OF H.H. THE KHAN KELAT
THE KHAN OF KELAT
A RIDE TO INDIA.
CHAPTER I.
TIFLIS--BAKU.
"Ceci non!"
A spacious apartment, its polished _parquet_ strewn with white bearskins and the thickest and softest of Persian rugs; its panelled walls hung with Oriental tapestries, costly daggers, pistols, and shields of barbaric, but beautiful, workmanship, glistening with gold and silver. Every detail of the room denotes the artistic taste of the owner. Inlaid tables and Japanese cabinets are littered with priceless porcelain and _cloisonne_, old silver, and diamond-set miniatures; the low divans are heaped with cushions of deep-tinted satin and gold; heavy violet plush curtains drape the windows; while huge palms, hothouse plants, and bunches of sweet-smelling Russian violets occupy every available nook and corner. The pinewood fire flashes fitfully on a masterpiece of Vereschagin's, which stands on an easel by the hearth, and the massive gold "ikon," [A] encrusted with diamonds and precious stones, in the corner. A large oil painting of his Majesty the Czar of Russia hangs over the marble chimneypiece.
Table of contents (by pages)
- 1: A Ride to India across Persia and Baluchistán
- 2: Thence by rail to Merv and Bokhara
- 3: Gerome had just returned from a visit to Bokhara
- 4: And buy their saddlery in Tiflis
- 5: Awaiting the arrival of the Baku train
- 6: From the moment you enter until you leave Baku
- 7: Alongside us lies the Bariatinsky
- 8: To find the Kaspia at anchor
- 9: Astara though the port of Tabriz is an insignificant place
- 10: The Khivan arrived with the horses at six next morning
- 11: At midday we halted at Tchergari
- 12: Enzelli is an uninteresting place
- 13: Resht contains about five hundred Armenians
- 14: So that the aid of a Shagird Chapar
- 15: This was my first experience of a Chapar khaneh
- 16: It was nearly nine o'clock when we reached Rustemabad
- 17: Leads through the valley of the Sefid Roud river
- 18: Patchinar was evidently a favourite halting place
- 19: When a loud cry from the Shagird
- 20: Kharzan has a population of about a thousand inhabitants
- 21: Towards midday Mazreh was sighted
- 22: I pass my first evening in Teheran
- 23: The Cossack regiment always stationed at Teheran
- 24: Kalyan B or cigarette in mouth
- 25: Nasr oo din is not so black as he is painted
- 26: Shuku Es Sultana is the mother of the Valliad
- 27: Perhaps Monsieur Prevot had become Persianized
- 28: An attache to the British Legation at Teheran
- 29: Ispahan is about seventy farsakhs distant from Teheran
- 30: The smaller track joins the main road at Koom
- 31: Even the caravans of corpses sent to Koom for interment
- 32: He probably never returned to Pasingan at all
- 33: Kashan was reached on the 7th of February
- 34: Khurood itself is a village of some size and importance
- 35: The post house at Khurood was cold
- 36: To push on at once to Murchakhar
- 37: The Shagird from Murchakhar informed us in confidence
- 38: The Armenian and European quarter of Ispahan
- 39: With the exception of the Maidan Shah
- 40: Ispahan is noted for its fruit
- 41: The trade of Djulfa is insignificant
- 42: The cultivation of this plant is yearly increasing in Persia
- 43: This bridge is the only access to Yezdi Ghazt
- 44: Making friends with the panthers
- 45: Gerome is all for applying a blister
- 46: Not fifty yards from the post house of Poozeh
- 47: For the Shirazis have an unmitigated contempt for Europeans
- 48: Those were pleasant days at Shiraz
- 49: The best tobacco for kalyan smoking is grown round Shiraz
- 50: Obtaining access to the anderoon
- 51: Such is the coup d'oeil on entering an anderoon
- 52: Intrigue loving ladies of Shiraz
- 53: MEYUN KOTAL The caravanserai was crowded
- 54: C The country round Meyun Kotal is well cultivated
- 55: I was glad not to learn the truth till we reached Kazeroon
- 56: Gerome gave us some startling Central Asian experiences
- 57: Sklitch is peculiar to this part of Persia
- 58: For Bushire is indescribably filthy
- 59: My preparations for Baluchistan were soon completed
- 60: Went on Chengiz a treacherous
- 61: My surprise ceased on arrival at Kelat
- 62: Chengiz Khan rode up on a splendid camel
- 63: At Outhal we were met by one Hussein Khan
- 64: Shaking hands with Kumal no easy matter on camels
- 65: Kumal was evidently shy and ill at ease
- 66: About sixty miles from Shahr Rogan
- 67: From Mekran and Las Beila are exported rogan
- 68: To reach Noundra it took us five days
- 69: Jhow situated about twenty miles east of Noundra
- 70: Lay part of the little village of Dhaira
- 71: Malak made his appearance in person
- 72: Gwarjak is situated on the left bank of the Mashki river
- 73: Gwarjak is built without any attempt at order or symmetry
- 74: Illustration A ZIGRI IN GWARJAK A horn
- 75: For though the country south of Gwarjak was
- 76: Chupaos are now a thing of the past
- 77: Jebri and its neighbourhood are well cultivated
- 78: The climate of Baluchistan presents extraordinary varieties
- 79: You have some Beila men with you
- 80: The entrance to Kelat is not imposing
- 81: I followed the Wazir and his attendants into the Mir
- 82: Utterly ignore the answers of the Wazir
- 83: But was at once thrust back into my chair by Azim
- 84: The Khan of Kelat very rarely leaves his palace
- 85: Is the state of things existing at Kelat
- 86: As regards the strength of the juloh
- 87: To the west of Dasht bi Dowlat is Chehel Tan
- 88: And in her I secured a passage for Gerome
- 89: English Miles
- 90: 14 Road stony and undulating
- 91: 20 U No road
- 92: About o No road
- 93: Table of languages of north and south baluchistan
- 94: 27 Lar Anden Dull
- 95: Genealogy of the khans of kelat