ird and puzzling a bit of scenery as can be found in Persia,
if one carefully examined each hill, each rock, and tried to speculate on
their formation.

From the rocks--a hundred feet or so above the salt stream,--we came to a
spring--if one could call it by that name--of delicious sweet water. The
water dripped at the rate of about a tumbler-full an hour, but a gallon
or two had collected in a pool directly under the rock, with a refreshing
border of green grass round it. We gladly and carefully transferred the
liquid into one of the skins by means of a cup judiciously handled so as
not to take up the deep sediment of mud in the shallow pool.

We came across a very large caravan from Quetta in charge of some Beluch
drivers, and--after one's experience of how things are packed by Persian
caravans--one was greatly struck by the neat wooden packing boxes, duly
marked and numbered. I inquired whose caravan it was, and the Beluch said
it belonged to two English Sahibs who were ten miles behind, and were
expected to catch it up during the night. The names of the two sahibs
were so mispronounced by the Beluch that I could not, to save my life,
understand what they were.

We halted in the gorge at four o'clock, having come only sixteen miles
from my last camp. Altitude, 4,440 feet.

CHAPTER XV

Sadek's wastefulness--Meeting two enterprising English
traders--Another circular crater--Wind and electricity in the
air--Their effects--A fortress--Soldiers and
brigandage--Zemahlabad--Windmills--Bandan--Ancient
tombs--Picturesque women--Lost our way--A welcome
messenger--Nasirabad--"Ruski" or "Inglis"--Several miles of
villages and houses--English maps and foreign names--Greeted by
Major Benn.

We intended continuing our journey after dinner. This camp being well
screened on all sides, Sadek gave way to his ambition to have the camp
lighted up by a number of candles, with which he was always most
wasteful. He had two candles alight where he was doing his cooking, I had
two more to do my writing by, Abbas Ali had also two to do nothing by.
Luckily, there was not a breath of wind to disturb the illumination.

Towards nine o'clock we heard noises of camels' and horses' hoofs
stumbling against the rocks down the gorge, and my ears caught the
welcome sound of English voices.

"What can all those lights be?" said one.

"They look like candles," replied the other.

"They _are_ cand