een so leniently dealt
with in any European state!

In almost every village, a great part of the people immediately
assembled round me. The reader may imagine what a crowd had
gathered together during this discussion. To be continually stared
at in this way was one of the greatest inconveniences of my journey.
Sometimes I quite lost my patience, when the women and children
pressed round me, handling my clothes and head. Although quite
alone among them, I gave them several slight blows with my riding-
whip. This always had the desired effect; the people either went
away altogether or drew back in a ring. But here, a boy about
sixteen was inclined to punish my boldness. As usual, I went to the
river to fill my leathern flask, to wash my hands and face, and
bathe my feet. This boy slipped after me, picked up a stone, and
threatened to throw it at me. I dare not, of course, evince any
fear; and I went, therefore, quite composedly into the river. The
stone came flying, although I observed, by the way in which it was
thrown, that he was more desirous of frightening than hitting me; it
was not thrown with force, and fell several feet away. After
throwing a second and third, he went away; perhaps because he saw
that I did not heed him.

20th July. Immediately outside Raid, we had to ascend a rather
considerable mountain by a bad and dangerous road, and then came out
upon an extensive elevated plain. We left the high mountains
further behind, the headlands were covered with short grass, but
there was again a great deficiency of trees. We met great numbers
of herds of goats and sheep. The latter were very large, with thick
wool and fat tails; the wool is said to be particularly good and
fine.

My apprehensions on this journey were not quite groundless, as it
was seldom that a day passed in undisturbed quiet. Today, for
instance, a circumstance occurred which frightened me not a little:
our caravan consisted of six men and fourteen pack animals; we were
quietly pursuing our way, when suddenly a troop of mounted men came
dashing down upon us at full gallop. There were seven well-armed,
and five unarmed. The former carried lances, sabres, daggers,
knives, pistols, and shields; they were dressed like the common
people, with the exception of the turban, which was wound round with
a simple Persian shawl. I thought they had been robbers. They
stopped and surrounded us, and then inquired where we came from,
where