'Through Persia on a side-saddle' [‎7] (34/360)

THE JOURNEY TO THE CAPITAL OF PERSIA 7
houses with thatched roofs, strings of camels and donkeys,
veiled women riding astride, and men in long coats, pleated
at the waist, and wearing high astrachan caps.
Our destination that night was a great bare building
opening on to a courtyard at the back, round which were the
stables for the horses. We mounted a dirty staircase, with
steps of abnormal steepness, and reached the balakhana,
or upper story, where we found a couple of rooms with
matting on the floor, and actually tables and chairs. Now
our servants showed to advantage. They unpacked our
belongings, covering the floors with carpets, hanging up
curtains before the draughty doors and windows, setting up
our folding wrought-iron bedsteads, removing the leather
covers from the enamelled basins which contained all our
washing apparatus, and mounting the aforesaid basins on
wooden tripods. All our bedding was carried in ' Sykes'
Tent Valises,' an invention of my brother's and very handy,
as when the valise is unrolled on the camp bedstead the
bed is ready for use, the stout canvas of which it is made
forming the mattress, and a long bag at the head containing
clothes acting as a bolster. In the morning the whole thing
is merely rolled up and strapped, an operation taking about
a couple of minutes. The 'tent' part is a mackintosh
sheet drawn up over the head from the feet, and kept off
the face by iron supports which fit into the head of the
bedstead, but this is only necessary when sleeping in the
open. By the time we had used our indiarubber baths,
the servants had prepared us an excellent dinner of soup,
pillau, woodcocks, stewed fruit and custard, everything
done so briskly and willingly that it was a pleasure to be
served by such men. The meal was laid on our ' Paragon
camp tables, ingenious arrangements of laths, string, and