Meshed, and was then making a bargain with a merchant, to
convey merchandise, consisting of the lambs' skins of Bokhara, to the
capital. As soon as he saw me, he uttered an exclamation of delight, and
immediately lighted his _nargil_, or water pipe, which he invited me to
smoke with him. I related all my adventures since we last parted, and
he gave me an account of his. Having left Meshed with a caravan for
Ispahan, with his mules loaded partly with bars of silver, and partly
with lambs' skins; and having undergone great fears on account of the
Turcomans--he reached his destination in safety. That city was still
agitated with the recollections of the late attack of the caravanserai,
of which I have given an account; and the general belief was, that the
invaders had made their approach in a body, consisting of more than a
thousand men; that they had been received with great bravery, and that
one Kerbelai Hassan, a barber, had, with his own hand, wounded one
of the chiefs so severely, that he had escaped with the greatest
difficulty.

I had always kept this part of my adventures secret from everybody; so
I hid any emotion that might appear on my face from the muleteer, by
puffing out a sufficient volume of smoke in his face.

From Ispahan he carried cotton stuffs, tobacco, and copper ware to Yezd,
where he remained some time, until a caravan was collected for Meshed,
when he loaded his mules with the manufactures of the former city. Ali
Katir agreed that Dervish Sefer and I should return with him to Tehran,
and that whenever we were tired with walking, he would willingly assist
us, by permitting us to mount his mules.

[Illustration: The shaving of the ass. 11.jpg]

CHAPTER XIII

Hajji Baba leaves Meshed, is cured of his sprain, and relates a story.

When I had cleared the gate which leads out of Meshed to Tehran, I shook
the collar of my coat, and exclaimed to myself: 'May Heaven send thee
misfortunes!' for had I been heard by any one of the pilgrims, who were
now on their return--it very probably would have gone ill with me. My
companion, Dervish Sefer, whom I knew to be of my mind, entered into my
feelings, and we both vented our spleen against the inhabitants of that
place; I for the drubbings which had been inflicted upon me, he for the
persecutions he had undergone from the Mollahs.

'As for you, my friend,' said he to me, 'you are young; you have much
to suffer before you gain the experience necessa