April 24th.—I find, after seeing the Russian telegraph clerk, that the steamers go only once a week; so we must hope to catch that of Sunday, the first. It will be very doubtful if we do it.
To-day I went through the bazaars to try and get a piece of Yezd silk (Houssein Kūli Khani) for A⸺, but failed.
I, however, found biscuits for the children, which the servants said were not to be had. They had been brought from Ispahan, where they were made.
When in the “chupper-khana,” I found a Russian locksmith, who had come to Persia in search of work. He found none, and was returning on foot from Teheran. He left this morning to catch the steamer of the first. Turkish is here more spoken than Persian, and the people seem quite another race, quiet and industrious, and more honest, but rougher.
A good many of the houses are built somewhat after Russian style, and our caravanserai has doors (and also big windows to some of the rooms).
Everything but the bedding is packed ready for a start in the morning early.
I say little of Kasvin, having had too much to do to see a great deal of it.
Kasvin has no special production; it is merely a mart. It is, however, a very populous town, and misrule is not so rampant as in other places.
We each wrote a letter home; found no one at the post-office and no letter-box, so had to entrust our letters to the Russian telegraph clerk. They arrived in due course. The place seems much larger than it really is, owing to large plots of waste ground, which are unbuilt on.
April 25th.—Left for Masreh. Passed in lovely weather through a grassy plain for two farsakhs; then two more to Akabah; breakfasted in the village gateway; then a tremendous two farsakhs through the hills to Masreh. Started at seven-thirty, got in at three-thirty. Seven hours in saddle, one hour halt.