hen the
ground is covered with snow they stand with bare feet, waiting for hours
till the Amir appears.

Can so cruel a monarch be happy? No. He lives in constant fear of his
life.

He is afraid of drinking water, lest it should be poisoned. All that he
drinks is brought from the river in skins, and sealed, and guarded by two
officers; it is then taken to the chief counsellor, called the Vizier,
and tasted by him, and his servants; it is then sealed again, and sent to
his majesty.

The Amir's dinner when it is ready, is not placed on the royal table, but
locked up in a box, and taken to the Vizier to be tasted, before it is
served up in the palace.

But it is not the Amir only who is afraid of poison. No one will accept
fruit from another, unless that other tastes it first. It must be very
terrible to live in the midst of such murderers as the people of Bokhara
seem to be.

The Amir is so much afraid of people making plans to destroy him, that he
chooses to see all the letters that are written by his subjects; if a
husband write to his wife, the letter must first be shown to the Amir.
There are boys, too, going about the city listening to all that is said,
that they may let the Amir know, if any one speak against him.

But while the Amir is watching his people, _they_ are watching _him_; for
his chief officers hire men to listen to the Amir's conversation, that
they may know if he intends to kill them. Yet every person _appears_ to
approve all the Amir does, saying on every occasion, "It is the act of a
king; it must be good." They are such people as Jeremiah describes in the
Bible. "Their tongue is as an arrow shot out, it speaketh deceit; one
_speaketh_ peaceably to his neighbor, but in his _heart_ he lieth his
wait."--(Jer. ix. 8.)

APPEARANCE.--The people in Bokhara are much handsomer than other
Tartars; their complexions are fairer, and their hair is of a lighter
color. They wear large white turbans, and several dark pelisses with
high-heeled boots. These high heels prevent their walking well, and most
people, both men and women, ride; but the ladies always hide their faces
with a veil of black hair cloth.

The large court of the palace is filled from morning to night with a
crowd of noisy people, most of them mounted on horses and donkeys.

In the midst of the court is the fruit market. It is wonderful to behold
the quantity, and beauty of the fruits. The same fruits grow in Bokhara
as in England, only