'Military Report on South-West Persia, Including the Provinces of Khuzistan (Arabistan), Luristan, and Part of Fars' [‎9] (36/466)

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liills favour the construction of a road with gentle gradients; the rock cutting
required Would be small; no provisions are procurable,* this latter remark
applies equally to any passage of the hills between Dizful and Isfahan^ except
on the post road Eushire-Shiraz-Isfahan; the road is never impassable on
account of snow; its chief difficulties consist in the number of loose boulders
strewn along it and which it is no one's business to remove, and in the large
boulders blocking it in the ravines, by following which the road crosses the hill
passes; obstructions, presenting no great difficulties to remedy ; were the road
in good order a caravan of mules could pass from Dizful to Khoramabad
in six or seven days at the outside [seepart III),
Allowing two days for the passage of a moderately powerful ^ steam
tug towing fiats to Ahwaz, and for the trans-shipment
Muhammerahto Kho- kelow and re-shipment of goods above the Ahwaz bands,
ramdMd * one day for passage to Shustar and two days for their
transit by mules or donkeys to Dizful, Khoramabad could be reached from
the Gulf in from 11 to days y or if by caravan from the Gulf in froml4 to
15 days. ... i x\- -i j
With reference to the character of the Feili tribes of Lurs, the JJirikawand,
Judeki, Hassan wand, Bairanwand, &c., &c., occupying
Lur -i-Kuchak district. hills, no doubt they are at present lawless and
intractable; but were their chiefs treated with justice and firmness, robbery
and murder in the first instance ruthlessly but continuously repressed, and
an equitable revenue only exacted from them, perfect security would soon
reign throughout these now impassable hills, and commerce would again flow
in its natural channel via Shustar to the Gulf.
With Hajji Ali Khan were 1 3 000 families of the Sag wand subdivision of
the Bajilan tribe; with his brother, who is at enmity with him, are 500 families;
he described his tribe as being impoverished by Government exactions, which
they were unable to meet; certainly, none of them were wealthy, and many were
r 4 , poor, where all should have been rich [see pages 82, 263).
Hajji All Khan. Hijji Ali Khan may be described as a " chip of the old
block." In character he resembles Kalk Ali Khan referred to on page 93 as the
murderer of Captains Grant and Fotherimgham. Many deeds of cruelty and
severity are laid to his charge, and perhaps nothing can instance the increas-
in 0, power now exercised by Persia over these still lawless tiibes, and the
restraint that their chiefs have to put upon themselves, than the conduct
of Hajji Ali Khan during the time that the party remained his guests ; ^
Notwithstanding the letter from the llkhani of the Bakhtians, he
at first received the party coldly and inhospitably; supplies were obtained
with difficulty, and not until asked for. Rumours began to spread that
I was a sartip, called to Teliran by the Shah to join the army, and that
I was also about to visit the Zil-ul-Sultan, the only man feared in these
hills. They had no doubt been spread by the resident Wizir at Dizful as
a means of securing from Hajji Ali fair treatment. They had the desiied
effect, Hajji Ali now acknowledged me as his guest, and directed his tribe
to sell to the party whatever provisions they required. ^ ^
He and his numerous sons together with the Sherif-ul-dm, a mula who
^ c . travelled with him, frequently visited, our camp to chat.
The bagwand Lurs. ^ niGver wearied in admiring our arms, clothes, sad
dlery, &c., and my orderly and myself daily passed some time in his tent. The
Lurs are a simple-minded people; the men are light-hearted and joyous; the
women go unveiled; the young are well favoured, with ruddy cheeks and dark
auburn or black hair; they age early, but not so the men [see page 105), a
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