"I should like to be honoured in some other way for the future," I observed; "and Radford tells me that you are always praying instead of saddling the baggage-horses."
"Quite true, sir," remarked Radford, who gathered from my gestures what the conversation was about. "Quite true; he has worn off the nap of my new great coat a-praying on it. He is always on his knees whenever there is some work to do."
"Now for the future, Osman," I continued, "should I give orders to commence loading the animals at daybreak, you must get up two hours before sunrise: there will be then ample time for your devotions. In the meantime, when you pray, you are to kneel on your own jacket, and not on Radford's."
"Is my brother angry?" said the Turk, pointing to his fellow-servant.
"Yes."
"Well, I will not offend him any more."
And shaking hands with the Englishman, Osman manifested his friendship by borrowing a little tobacco.
On leaving Sileh Zela we rode by numerous gardens, planted with all kinds of fruit-trees, and enclosed by high walls built for the most part of dried mud. The road then continued through a series of vast circular basins, each from six to seven miles in diameter, and similar to the one which surrounded the town. The walls of these basins were formed of many coloured sand-hills. The plains below were sowed with every kind of grain.
We passed Tartars on their way to Sileh Zela, the women walking along the road, and the lazy husbands on horseback, riding in front of their wives.
Turkoman and Circassian villages abound throughout this district. The inhabitants were eager to hear about the war. When the Russians drove the Circassians from the Caucasus, the Sultan gave the exiles land in Anatolia. The wild mountaineers thirst for the opportunity of revenging themselves upon the Muscovites.