make clean work of it. You must
know, that the provisions for the king's camp are supplied, in great
measure, by the surrounding villages. It seems that the village of Kadj
Sawar, situated between this and Hamadan, has not sent its quota, upon
a pretext that one of the princes, with his suite, not long ago, on a
hunting excursion, had there settled himself for several days, and eaten
the inhabitants out of house and home. I am ordered to proceed thither,
to investigate the business, and to conduct the _ked khoda_ (the head
man), with the elders of the village, before our chief. Since you are
my friend, I have received permission to take you with me, although the
other nasakchies complain that they have lost their turn. You must be
ready to join me after the evening prayer, for I intend to be there
to-morrow morning.'

I was overjoyed to find myself so soon brought into action; and,
although I did not know precisely the plan of operations which Shir Ali
would adopt, yet I had wit enough to perceive that a great field was
open to the ingenuity of fellows like us, who are always guided by the
state of the weather. 'Our star will be an evil one, indeed,' said I,
'if that destructive prince has left us nothing to glean. Some poet once
said "no melon is so bad but hath its rind, and although a tyrant may
pluck out a beard by the roots, yet still the chin is left upon which it
grew."' With these thoughts in my head I went to my horse, which, with
the other nasakchies' horses, was picketed near our tents, and prepared
him for the journey. Casting off his head and heel ropes, I could not
help comparing him to myself. 'Now,' said I, 'beast! you are free to
kick and plunge, and do what mischief you can'; and so, thought I, is
the Persian when absolved from the fear of his master.

Shir Ali and I quitted the camp at sunset, accompanied by a lad, seated
on the top of a loaded mule, that carried our beds; and the coverings,
ropes, etc. for our horses. Since I had become a soldier, I also had
attached the title of Beg to my name; and, to add to my importance in
this expedition, I borrowed a silver chain for my horse's head, and a
handsome silver mounted pistol for my girdle, from one of my comrades,
and promised to bring him a _soghat_, or present, in case the harvest
proved abundant.

We travelled all night, and, having slept for two hours at a village on
the road, reached Kadj Sawar just as the women were driving the cattle
from