"تقرير عسكري عن جنوب غرب بلاد فارس، يتضمن أقاليم خوزستان (عربستان)، لورستان، وجزءًا من فارس" [‎٣‎١‎٩] (٤٦٦/٣٦٤)

319
IH passing through their country, and were overheard saying "the Ilkhani
is letting us go to the dogs, bringing foreigners with fat caravans through
our hills> and not letting us take anything from thenl/' , No doubt manv of
the mountaineers did not understand that we were not Persians and Mussul
mans. Frequently Mr. Baring and myself were addressed as " hajji" or
« mirzaor even as " Ambassador of the Shah/' Mr. Baring's companion on
a shooting expedition found fault with him for not saying his prayers, &c.
% [a] Dupulan, 5,67^ feet, lies at the junction of the Ab-i-Kaj or Ab-i-
Rang and the Ab-i-Sabz, both bridged. There are here the ruins of the masonry
bridges that formerly spanned the stream and give the name to the village.
The river banks are thickly covered with tamarisk bushes. The Ab i-Kaj or
Rang is the Karun [see map)', a few miles from Dupulan it is joined by the
Beshtabad stream from Kahv-i-Rukh. The Ab-i-Sabz flows through the Nau-
gun valley, breaking through the Tang-i-Ardal. Crossing the Ab-i-Sabz and
the Ab-i-Kaj, 5,44^ feet, the road undulates to the Ab-i-Sard, and thence
rises gently to the Gandum Kal Pass, 7,940 feet. Descending beyond it
Gandum Kal is reached, at a distance of lOf miles; road difficult [Schindler).
For description of the road by Mr. Schindler to Hillisat, see paragraph
3 {a) .
Stagedj November 12 th. —The Ilkhani presses us politely to stay with him
for a day at Hillisat, saying that afterwards he will
accompany us to Mal-i-Mir; but, apart from the loss of
the time that would be incurred, I am not anxious to
excite his anger by letting him see me surveying, and
already my map has suffered from my having to work
more or less cautiously. At our farewell visit we sit
around a blazing fire under a camel hair tent, any one
who likes listening to the conversation. The Ilkhani talks much in a loud
voice to Mr. Baring on the state of Europe. Then concerning Russia and
the murder of the Czar, of her doings with China in Kuldja, which leads to
the subject of our war with China, and a discussion with regard to our sepoys,
of whom he has a very erroneous opinion, and evidently was astonished when
I described their prowess and daring, and was amused at my excitement
when speaking of Sikhs and Gurkhas. Ayub isag^ain brought under discus
sion; and what are you going to do when Russia comes to Herat ?" is the
leading question. The Ilkhani is wonderfully well up in contemporary poli
tics, and undoubtedly a shrewd man, covering under his bluff patriarchal
exterior a considerable amount of common sense. He renews the invitation of
his nephew Abbas Kuli that I should come and stay with them next summer.
At 8-30 we leave camp accompanied by two retainers charged to see to
our being properly treated whilst in the Bakhtiari country; and well they
executed their duty. About a mile from camp we were overtaken by a
horseman, who proves to be one of the servants to whom we had given a pre
sent. He said he was in danger of the ci sticks " for having taken our money,
insisted on returning it, and begged for a note from us stating that he had
done so.
From Hillisat a steep mountain is ascended, altitude 6,900 feet, another
offshoot from the mighty Garreh. It has to be crossed, and its southern
slope descended to the valley of the Rudbar stream. The top of this offshoot
was of rolling country covered with fine oaks. The road good and open.
Here and there the nomads were tilling the ground under the forest trees,
or shaking down the acorns which they pound and mix with flour to eke out
Hillisat to Rudbar
river, 15 miles, not diffi
cult till about Rudbar
river, where a precipitous
bluff has to be scrambled
down. Direction west
by south. Supplies very
scarce, except firewood.
lit 11
til
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