t
the spout.

Among other fragments was the capital of a pillar, and portions of Koran
inscriptions. As we dug excitedly with our hands in the sand we found
other inscriptions on slate and on grey-stone, of one of which I took an
impression on paper. It seemed much more ancient than the others and had
a most beautiful design on it of curves and flowers.

A tablet at the entrance of the tomb of the Forty Saints was not of
marble but of slate carved. It bore the following date: [Arabic: 1282]
which I believe corresponds to 1282. The heptagonal tower had two
entrances, one to the north, the other to the south, but was,
unfortunately, getting smothered in sand again.

We became greatly excited on discovering the inscriptions, and pulled up
our sleeves and proceeded in due haste to dig again in the sand--a
process which, although much dryer, reminded one very forcibly of one's
younger days at the seaside. Our efforts were somewhat cooled by a
ghastly white marble figure which we dug up, and which had such a
sneering expression on its countenance that it set the natives all round
shrieking with laughter.

[Illustration: The Figure we dug out at Zaidan.]

[Illustration: Arabic Inscription and marble columns with earthenware
lamps upon them. Fragment of water-pipe. Stone implements. Brick wall of
the "Tombs of Forty Saints" showing in top corners of photograph.]

We thought we had better leave off. Moreover, the natives who had
accompanied us seemed rather upset at my photographing and digging, and
now that I had got what I wanted I did not care to make them feel more
uneasy than was necessary. I had exhausted all the photographic plates I
had brought out with me, night was coming on fast, and we had twenty
miles to ride back. On my last plate I photographed our last find, which
is reproduced for the benefit of my readers facing page 218.

This ugly head, with a very elongated and much expanded nose and a
vicious mouth full of teeth, had been carved at the end of a piece of
marble one and a half feet high. The head, with its oblique eyes, was
well polished, but the remainder of the marble beyond the ears, which
were just indicated by the artist, was roughly cut and appeared to have
been made with the intention of being inserted into a wall, leaving the
head to project outside. Its flat forehead, too, would lead to the
conclusion that it had been so shaped to act as a support, very likely to
some tablet, or moulding of t