'Through Persia on a side-saddle' [‎118] (149/360)

THROUGH PERSIA ON A SIDE-SADDLE
panted up the steep steps leading to our sitting-room.
He was nearly eighty years of age, with scanty beard and
moustache, well-cut nose, and bright, intelligent eyes, and
was clad in a long-sleeved tunic of pale blue silk, over
which he wore a coat of fine cream cloth, and on top of
all a big lemon-coloured mantle lined with scarlet. The
orthodox kolah of black lamb's - wool completed his
costume, and he entered leaning on a stick, the handle
of which was thickly studded with turquoises.
After we had shaken hands, I thanked him in my best
Persian for^ a present of sherbets which he had sent me
that morning, and he chatted volubly as he tasted our
European delicacies, took snuff, and smoked several kalians^
one of his own being quite a work of art in ebony and
gold. He announced his intention of giving me some
specimens of the rare Jiruft partridges, which accordingly
arrived some days later, but were so wild that they resisted
all my efforts to tame them, and finally were sent to our
Zoological Gardens, undergoing the long voyage remark
ably well, and rearing a flourishing little family before
they reached their destination.
The Sahib Diwan did not stay long at Kerman, for an
intrigue at Tehran ousted him from his Governorship
towards the end of April. When my brother paid him
a farewell visit, just before his departure, there was a sad
change in his establishment, as in place of the busy throng
of servants and parasites who were wont to surround him,
only two or three of his personal domestics were now to
be seen.
The system of government in Persia is, that the Shah
farms out the different parts of his kingdom for so many
thousand tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. (about 4s.) a year to the highest bidder.