another small pocket, nearly under his
arm-pit, was his purse.

The purse first came under inspection, and there I found five tomauns
in gold and two pieces of silver. The watch was gold, and of English
manufacture. His inkstand, beautifully painted, was also valuable,
and contained a penknife, scissors, and pens. All these and the other
trinkets I duly looked upon as my own (for I was determined to play the
whole game), and I replaced them in their proper places on my person.
The notes then came under inspection. One was to this purpose, without a
seal.

'O friend! my intimate! my brother!' ('O,' said I, 'this is from an
equal!') 'You know the affection that the friend who addresses you
entertains for that bright star of the age, the shadow of our blessed
Prophet, and his only wish is, that their intimacy should daily increase
and strengthen. He sends him six choice Ispahan melons, such as are not
to be found every day, and requests him, as he values his beard, to give
him an unlimited permission to drink wine; for the doctors assure him
if he does not take it in abundance, he will not have long to be the
scourge and extirpator of the enemies of the true faith.'

'This can only be from the chief executioner,' said I immediately.
'Who else in Persia could express in such few words his own character,
namely, flatterer, drunkard, and braggart? I will make something of
this; but let me look at the other note. I opened it, and read as
follows:

'O my lord and master, 'The humble inferior who presumes to address the
prop of the true faith, the terror of infidels, and the refuge of the
sinner, begs leave to lay before him, that after having encountered a
thousand difficulties, he has at length succeeded in getting from the
peasantry of his villages one hundred tomauns in ready money, besides
the fifty _kherwars_, or ass loads of grain: that the man, Hossein Ali,
could or would not pay anything, although he had bastinadoed him twice,
and he had in consequence taken possession of his two cows: that he
would go on beating and exerting himself to the best of his abilities;
and if some one was sent for the money which he had now in hand, he
would deliver it over upon receiving a proper order.'

The note then finished with the usual form of words from an inferior to
his master, and was sealed with a small seal, upon which was impressed
Abdul Kerim, the name of the writer.

'Ah,' said I, 'may my lucky stars still protect me,