place was full of men. Such a scene of confusion as then
ensued had never before been witnessed in a public bath at Tehran. What
with the wailing and lamentations of the women of the chief priest--what
with the noise and cries of those who inveighed against the intrusion of
the men--the clamour was excessive.

'At length the friends and relations of the deceased appeared, and, with
them, the washers of the dead, who immediately bore the corpse to the
place of ablution, where it was embalmed, and prepared for its journey
to Kerbelah, for thither it was judged expedient to send it for burial.

'His widow at once avowed her intention of accompanying the body; and
my mules,' added my informant, 'were hired on the occasion. The tent you
see yonder is occupied by her and her slaves; and there,' pointing to
the packages, 'lies the carcass of her husband. The accompanying dead
bodies are the remains of those who, both at Tehran and on our road
hither, died about the time that this event took place, and are now sent
to Kerbelah to be buried in the suite and under the protection of one
who at the day of resurrection, it is hoped, may lend them a helping
hand into paradise.'

Here the conductor stopped, whilst I, who had been struck by the latter
part of his speech, became almost mute from fear. I felt that having
endeavoured to escape danger, I had fallen into its very mouth. Were
I to be recognized by the chief priest's servants, some of whom I
had known intimately, their knowledge of my person would lead to my
discovery.

'But what happened after the corpse was carried out of the bath?' said
I, anxious to know whether the clothes which I had left in one of its
corners had been noticed.

'By the head of Ali!' said the man, 'I do not very well recollect. This
I know, that many stories were in circulation; and every person had a
different one. Some said that the chief priest, after being drowned, was
seen in his anderun and went to bed. Others that he appeared the next
morning at the chief executioner's, and rode away with one of his best
horses. The chief executioner himself shows a note of his, sealed with
his seal, giving him permission to drink wine. In short, so many and so
contradictory were the reports, that no one knew what to believe. All
were puzzled to find out how he managed to get alive out of the bath
(for that is attested by his servants, and by the master of the bath),
and still remain in the reservoir. Diffic