'Through Persia on a side-saddle' [‎190] (223/360)

19° THROUGH PERSIA ON A SIDE-SADDLE
away Baji !" she cried dramatically. " She is not worthy
to attend on you. Take me instead, who love you so
much more!" All this was most embarrassing, as my
acquaintance with her had always been of the slightest,
and my attempts to calm her unreasoning sorrow brought
on fresh accesses of the most despairing and heart
rending howls.
I myself felt sad at heart at leaving the place where
I had been so well content; but there were too many
last things to arrange for me to dwell much on my own
feelings. I had to soothe Ba/i's mother, who had come
up to commend her daughter to me in a series of moving
appeals, and I could not help having a nervous fear
lest Baji herself might cry off at the last moment,
surrounded as she was with weeping relatives and children.
However, she stuck to her mistress nobly, and we rode
away down the avenue amid the crowds assembled to
see us off, while Sultan Sukru distributed coppers for
the last time to all the beggars of Kerman, who showered
blessings on our heads as we passed along.
Outside the gate many personal friends were in waiting
for a last word, and some accompanied us across the
hill-encircled plain which would lead us out on to the
road to Mahun, where we were to stop for that night.
We reined up and halted at the last point from which
we could get a glimpse of our late home, of the white-
columned house and leafless garden which had become
very dear to me; and as we looked, a host of pleasant
memories came rushing into my mind. The wide desert
brought back the remembrance of many a glorious gallop ;
of many a merry picnic or Gymkhana meeting; of many
an exciting insect hunt; of many a photographing