"عبر بلاد فارس على سرج ركوب جانبي" [‎١‎٠] (٣٦٠/٣٧)

THROUGH PERSIA ON A SIDE-SADDLE
and I invariably had a curious feeling of dizziness. We
got to fairly level ground before we reached our destination,
Rustemabad, where we left the rainy zone of Resht behind
us for good, and now saw real Persian scenery, bare hills
rising up from sandy valleys scantily sprinkled with scrub
and tamarisk, and snow-clad peaks in the distance.
On the third day's march, the road was very dangerous
in places, and I well remember one precipitous descent
with a stream running down among the boulders which
formed the pathway, where we were met by a string of
laden mules, escorted by a couple of men on horseback.
One man's steed got alarmed, kicked out wildly, and would
have rolled over the precipice with its owner, if the latter
had not sprung off promptly and then held on firmly to its
bridle.
The experiences of the day before had quite hardened me
by this time, and I was positively surprised at finding that
I was able to ride down places never imagined even in my
wildest dreams, with scarcely a tremor. The post-horses,
however, were wonderfully sure-footed little animals,
carrying us over places that an English horse would not
dream of attempting.
On the whole the weather was superb : brilliant sunshine,
cloudless blue skies, and a purity of atmosphere that
enabled us to see the smallest details at a great distance.
After cloudy England, this clearness was most deceptive,
as objects several miles off seemed quite close, merely a
five minutes' walk or so. In this country a panorama of
over a hundred miles in extent may be enjoyed from the
top of a mountain—for example, the Caspian Sea may
be seen from Mount Demavend, Often at the commence
ment of a day's march, if over level country, the halting-