Manuscript of Persia and the Persian Question (Continued) [‎39r] (77/690)

yfor &
jlirza. In the absence of any guard-house, they were now being
kept in the Mirza’s hut, where they shared his sleeping apartment,
took their scats in the manner described at the durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). , and were on
such general terms of familiarity that upon the Mirza accepting an
invitation to dine in Messrs. Lynch’s hut a few days later, he asked
permission to bring his two guests with him. The harmony was
enhanced by all three getting drunk. Next the murderers sat two
green-turbaned Seyids, descendants of the Prophet, whose personal
repute and illustrious descent lent a sort of balancing odour of
sanctity to the proceedings.
Before 7 was on shore with my baggage, but
the mules which had been ordered to convey the latter to the Sum
were not forthcoming; while the engineer was loafing about, wait
ing for instructions from the Mirza. Arousing this worthy, I requested
permission to proceed at once in pursuance of his promise of the
previous evening. I cannot relate in detail the incidents that en
sued ; but I may summarise them by saying that the next three
hours were consumed in frivolous objections by the Persian, who
had either repented of his premature amiability, or was frightened
at the responsibility, or thought the oc casion too good a one to be
lost for demonstrating his own importance. He now protested that
he had no authority to act without direct orders from the Nizam, that
he could not look at my letters to the latter, because they were
another man’s property, and that he must have a formal guarantee
testifying to my identity and absolving him from blame. A long
time was spent in composing this ridiculous document, which had to
be torn up after all, when I found that the Mirza had inserted in it
an order to him from Messrs. Lynch to despatch the Sum —an in
genious attempt to inveigle them into a false position—and a state
ment that the permission was only granted because I had official
business to transact with the Governor, which I had not. It became
necessary for me to adopt a more peremptory tone and to insist either
on compliance or refusal. This brought the Mirza to his senses ; but
another long interval ensued while the revised declaration was
being drawn up, and a letter of explanation written to the Nizam;
and it was not till eleven o’clock that I found myself on board the
Sum, and an hour later that she started under weigh. Exactly five
hours had been consumed in the diplomatic caracoles of the Mirza,
upon whomlw'as sufficiently human to vow vengeance if ever I arrived
at Shuster.
At one stage of the morning’s controversy the mat hut presented
an even more curious scene than on the previous evening. Not only
were the same dramatis ’personas present—the Mirza evolving inter
minable excuses, the pair of respectable but melancholy fratricides,
the two holy men, and ourselves ; but there w'as also a Persian
gentleman who wanted to go up in the Susa himself, and had inter
vened as peacemaker; the Arab sheikh of Ahwaz, a dignified old
gentleman with grey beard, and finally, the sheikh’s son, carrying ‘
gun to protect his father, whose life was thre atened by a bloo
feud, but himself attended by another ^ ma n with a gun, being in
reality a prisoner, like the Bakhtiari couple, and having been sen
tenced to the sticks for an act of robbery. In this mixed society of
seyids and scoundrels, gaolers and prisoners, Persians, Arabs, and
English—as diversified a mc^iilis on a small scale as was ever
assembled—the momentous question was fought out as to whether
I should travel -sixtj'miles by river or by road.