he apartment received its light from an aperture at the side,
which was slightly concealed by some trellis-work, and from a space
left uncovered in the ceiling, which was adorned with arabesque
figures. The two doors which led from the court were each of them
handsomely carved, and in the middle of the room was a hearth filled
with charcoal embers. My host, beckoning to me to take the post
of honour by the fire, retired a few paces and folded his arms
across his chest; then, assuming a deprecatory air, he asked my
permission to sit down.

Grapes, melons, and other fruit, fresh as on the day when first
picked, were brought in on a large tray and laid at my feet, while
the host himself, bringing in a Russian tea-pot and cup, poured
out some of the boiling liquid and placed it by my side; I all
this time being seated on a rug, with my legs crossed under me,
in anything but a comfortable position.

He then inquired if I had any commands for him, as the Khan had
given an order that everything I might require was instantly to
be supplied.

In the afternoon two officials arrived from the Khan's palace,
with an escort of six men on horseback and four on foot. The elder
of the two dignitaries said that His Majesty was waiting to receive
me, and my horse being brought round, I mounted, and accompanied
him towards the palace. The six men on horseback led the way, then
I came between the two officials, and Nazar brought up the rear
with some attendants on foot, who freely lashed the crowd with
their whips whenever any of the spectators approached our horses
too closely.

The news that the Khan was about to receive me had spread rapidly
through the town, and the streets were lined with curious individuals
all eager to see the Englishman. Perhaps in no part of the world is
India more talked of than in the Central Asian khanates; and the
stories of our wealth and power, which have reached Khiva through
Afghan and Bokharan sources, have grown like a snow-ball in its
onward course, until the riches described in the garden discovered
by Aladdin would pale if compared with the fabled treasures of
Hindoostan.

After riding through several narrow streets, where, in some instances,
the house-tops were thronged with people desirous of looking at
our procession, we emerged on a small, flat piece of ground which
was not built over, and which formed a sort of open square. Here
a deep hole was pointed out to me as the spot where criminals