'Through Persia on a side-saddle' [‎140] (171/360)

140 THROUGH PERSIA ON A SIDE-SADDLE
ments of riding and letting off a gun. They drank glass
after glass of steaming tea-syrup—all Persians liking to
swallow the beverage when almost boiling—and they
sampled my European delicacies with much relish.
I thanked them for a present of saddle-bags, made of the
famous Rahbur carpet, and had to explain to them that
unfortunately the gifts I hoped that they would accept in
return were at Kerman, but that I would deliver them over
to their husband when he made his next visit to the city
to pay his respects to the Farman Farma, who was shortly
expected as Governor.
They answered with much politeness that the poor trifles
they had brought me were unworthy of further notice, and
thereupon produced various engraved seals, which they
had brought knotted up in corners of their handkerchiefs.
These were made of agate or cornelian, and were inscribed
with Kufic characters, animals, and, in a few cases, with
figures, some of them being beautiful little works of art,
and all dug up from the ruins of a certain buried city,'
mentioned by Marco Polo, near which the ladies dwelt
during the winter months. My brother, who had visited
this place on a previous journey through Persia, had told
their husband, the Governor, how much he was interested
in curios, and that he would be glad to buy anything found
among the debris of what was once an important town.
So eager did the ladies become, when they saw how
much I appreciated the seals, that they insisted on giving
me some set as rings, which they were wearing, and even
tore off others stitched on to the caps of their children in
quite a frenzy of enthusiasm, until I felt ashamed of
robbing them in such wholesale fashion, although as a
matter of fact their gifts were of no intrinsic value.