ty, which consisted of clothes, trunks,
bedding, horse-furniture, pipes, etc., having himself been the cause of
denouncing me to the Shah. He had watched the effect which the murderous
death of the unhappy Curd had produced upon me, and immediately had laid
his plan for my destruction, and for stepping into my situation.

Finding that he could not exert the power which had been vested in him,
and that his firman was so much waste paper, as long as I continued to
hold fast to my refuge-place, he thought it best to return to Tehran;
but in so doing he delivered his powers into the hands of the governor
of the town, with strict injunctions to keep watch over my actions, and
in case I stirred from the sanctuary, to seize and send me a prisoner to
the seat of government.

CHAPTER XLV

He takes refuge in a sanctuary, where his melancholy thoughts are
diverted by a curious story.

I had scarcely got rid of the nasakchi, when I heard the voice of my
friend the dervish, who was announcing his arrival in the holy city, by
all the different invocations of the Almighty and his attributes, which
are frequently made by true believers.

Very soon after, I was delighted to see him coming towards me, and to
hear him express his satisfaction that I had reached my resting-place
before my pursuer had had time to come up with me.

He proposed to keep me company for a short time, and we took possession
of one of the cells situated in the square court forming part of the
buildings in the centre of which the tomb is placed. I had by good
luck brought away my ready money, consisting of twenty tomauns in gold,
besides some silver; and we expended some of this in articles of the
first necessity, such as a mat to cover the bare floor of our room, and
an earthen jug for our water.

But before we had got any further in our domestic arrangements, the
dervish accosted me in the following manner: 'I must be informed of one
thing before we proceed. Do you ever say your prayers? do you keep your
fasts? do you make your ablutions regularly? or do you continue to live
in that fit state for eternal perdition which we were wont to do at
Meshed?'

'Why do you speak thus to me?' said I. 'What can it be to you whether I
pray or not?'

'It is not much to me,' answered the dervish, 'but it is a great deal
to yourself. This Kom is a place that, excepting on the subject of
religion, and settling who are worthy of salvation and who to be damned,
no