“On Tuesday, July the 17th, 1877, everything being ready, we were informed that our muleteer was unable to start, his mules being a hundred miles off; so after much delay we found another, and engaged with him for forty mules, each carrying three hundred and fifty pounds, at the rate of seven hundred pounds, from Shiraz to Ispahan, for two pounds eight. Besides this, our cook had three mules for himself and his family, and with our own three horses, we shall form quite a respectable cavalcade.
“Shiraz to Zergūn, 24 miles.—On Wednesday the 18th, after weighing all our cases and tying them up with the charwardar’s ropes, at six P.M. we rode out, accompanied by Mirza Hassan Ali Khan (our friend the British Agent here); having started all our servants, bedding, and road-kit, on six mules. We kept one servant with us, and a gholam (or irregular cavalry man), having an order from the Governor of Fars on all the chiefs of villages to vacate their houses if needed, and to find us with food and forage, of course being paid for them. No sooner had we cleared the town, than, to our disgust, we found our pantry-man surrounded by his weeping relatives, his wife and our cook’s lady being unable to tear themselves from their sympathising friends. This, of course, did not matter, but, alas! the mule-load with our bedding was with them.
“My husband, by a free use of threats, compelled Abdul Hamid (the pantry-man) to start, the gholam following in charge of the mule which carried Hamid’s wife and the cook’s wife and daughter, a girl of nine; all closely veiled, and weeping copiously.
“On getting about a mile out, the cage containing eight canaries, two goldfinches, and eighteen avadavats, which we had got at Kurrachee, was given to Hamid to carry in front of him; but as it was his first journey and attempt at riding, after about a couple of hundred yards he and the cage came crash to the ground, some avadavats escaping; so we gave the cage to a villager to carry on his head; we then bid good-bye to Mirza Hassan Ali Khan; and my husband now was occupied in whipping on the mule of helpless Abdul Hamid, to get him up to the other servants, in which he succeeded after we had gone twelve miles. From the packing, and excitement about getting mules, and not having had anything since breakfast at one P.M., we were very tired; as were the horses, which we had been from peculiar circumstances obliged to keep on grass for the last three weeks.
“The road was a good one, but the moon gave very little light, and we could not canter on that account, and for fear of the servants lagging. This stage was formerly a very bad one, but the road was made good last year, when the king was expected in Shiraz.
“At last, at eleven P.M., we reached the chupper-khana (or post-house) at Zergūn, where we took the bala-khana (or upper room); we drank some milk, and lay down till our dinner—a roast fowl and potatoes, and custard pudding—was ready, which was not till nearly one hour after midnight.
“After that we slept heavily till seven A.M., when we were glad of our tea and devilled fowl. We had breakfast at twelve, and vainly expected the mules all day; and after seeing our horses groomed and fed, we dined at seven on soup, boiled fowl, and caper sauce, Irish stew, custard pudding, figs, and grapes; ice, of course, was not procurable; our wine we brought with us, and we always have a flask full of it for the road.
“Just before starting, at half-past two A.M., in the dark, we had a basin of soup; and having got all our servants off, started for our second stage.
“At three we got off, and after nearly missing the road, we marched along with our mules till dawn, when we cantered over a good and level road, and feeling tired at sunrise, got down and had some cold fowl and wine. Another hour brought us to Hadjiabad, where we found two comfortable rooms occupied by some small official, of whose carpets and water-skin we took possession (by means of a few kerans), and slept till breakfast. We again rested till five P.M., when we had soup, and started, reaching Sivend at nine P.M., seven hours’ journey, thirty-two miles from Zergūn.
“To our disgust we found that the inspector had locked every room in the telegraph-office, he being on leave; so we took up our quarters on the verandah, which was fairly cool. In the morning still no mules, so we moved over to the best house in the village, where we are very comfortable. We were glad to give our horses a rest, for the sudden exertion after grass had done them no good. We passed our day in seeing our saddles cleaned, the washing of ‘Pip,’ and writing letters.