In the land of the lion and sun, or, modern Persia

by C. J. Wills

In taking servants, take men who have travelled before: men who know their business, and to whom travelling is no trial, soon learn their duties and your ways, and after the second stage do all that they have to do with great regularity. Men who may be good servants in a city, on the road if they have never marched are quite helpless—they are for ever tumbling off their mules, dropping and leaving things behind, always tired, always asleep, and ever grumbling. Drop them as soon as you find them out, let some one else have the pain of breaking them in and making men of them. An old man (or middle-aged one) who has never travelled is hopeless; a boy may learn.

The cook should be a good one and one who is used to the road, and a man of even temper. Pity and spare him, for his trials are many—all day on his mule, the rest of the twenty-four hours in the smoke and blowing up a fire of, as a rule, damp wood, he barely gets his well-earned rest of four hours. Promise him a good present on the arrival at destination, humour him, let him make a little profit, and let him give you his accounts. Make him always have hot water and soup ready, and always cold fowl or meat in his bags, and he should be prepared to cook a hot breakfast at an instant’s notice in twenty minutes on a bare desert plain, with the wood and water he has with him, and without shelter of any kind.

In choosing a horse for the road it must be remembered that beauty is nothing. Great strength and health with quick and easy walking powers are needed, and a smooth action; the beast should be in good health, with a healthy back and clean feet, and a good feeder; he above all things should have a long stride and no tendency to trot; his paces being a walk, an amble, and a canter, he should not be lazy or a puller; his temper should be good, that he may be taken near the mules; and unless he be sure-footed, and never cuts, he is useless for marching purposes. He should not be too young or at all delicate, the more of a cob he is the better; greys should be avoided, and above all white hoofs, or even one white hoof.

He should be shod the day before leaving, but the hoof left as long as possible. The Dayrell bridle, being also a head-stall, is good for marching.

In starting it is very needful to secure a respectful and respectable muleteer, and having got him, to protect him from the exaction of ten per cent. of his total hire by the servants; let him feel that you are his friend.

All the kit that is required on the journey, as tables, chairs, food, clothes, and liquor, should be on one or two mules, not all mixed up on many, with things that are not needed till the journey’s end.

On the groom’s mule (which should be a good one in order to come in with the master’s horses) should be all the horse-clothing, head and heel ropes, etc., and full nose-bags, so that the horses may get a good feed on arrival (of chaff).

With the cook’s should be all their kit, a little dry fire-wood, knives and forks, and tea: with the head-man on a good horse, a snack, water, wine, matches, money, and a big whip, and the rugs and wraps. A whip is needful, as one is liable to be mobbed or insulted.

A good supply of tinned provisions should be taken, dried fruits, rice, flour, sago, tinned milk, and chocolate and milk, and some soups and vegetables in tins. The wine should be strong, to bear dilution. One bottle of brandy we took as a medicine; it arrived unopened.