'A Journey from Bengal to England, through the Northern part of India, Kashmire, Afghanistan, and Persia, and into Russia, by the Caspian-Sea. By George Forster. In the Civil Service of the Honourable the East-India Company in Two Volumes. Vol. II.' [‎157] (170/314)

FORSTER’S TRAVELS*
*57
unpleafant colleague. In a few day«, his departure to Herat
left me foie tenant of a dark folitary lodging, with the advan
tage, and with the privilege of being unrefervedly admitted into
the fociety of the karavanfera, as a pure Mahometan.
In the courfe of vacancies, I got poffeffion of a more com
modious apartment, in the corner of which I found at firft en
trance, a decent looking old man fmoking his pipe. On en
quiry it appeared, that he was then wholly at large ; but that
his ufual fubfiftance arofe from vending certain fpells, which
were powerfully efficacious in conferring every fpecies of worldly
happinefs, and confequently in the preclufion of all evil. Yet
he was willing to fhut up his book, he faid, fliould any other
profpedt of maintainance he held out. This being the perfon I
was in fearch of, I made him a cordial tender of my affiftance,
and invited him to a participation of my fare. The offer came
to him, poor man, at a convenient feafon. It was now the depth
of winter, and he honeftly confeffed to me, that his charms had
fo bad a run at Turfhifh, that even a fcanty meal was earned
with difficulty.
The mollah, which was the title he had derived from his
profeffional fkill, with a natural good temper, had acquired an
accommodating difpofition ; he was all things to all men ; and
he found a full exercife of thofe qualities during our affbcia-
tion. The little regularity I obferved in our domeffic fyftem,
efpecially in the hours of eating, was fubjedt of frequent com
plaint