"عبر بلاد فارس على سرج ركوب جانبي" [‎١‎٩‎٧] (٣٦٠/٢٣٢)

LAST MONTHS AT KERMAN
197
Camels were browsing here and there, and the sight of
the ungainly animals made me realise in what a different
part of the country we were now travelling. Hitherto we
had journeyed with mules, which were clean and quick-
stepping in comparison with the evil-smelling, slowly
moving ' ships of the desert.' But now we were on the
borders of Baluchistan, in a country for the most part the
' abomination of desolation,' where a mule could not well
survive the intense heats of the summer and autumn, and
would die of starvation on the apparently barren plains,
where the camel flourishes on the abundant thorn. Our
servants, only accustomed to mules, were most reluctant at
first to mount these unknown creatures, the awkward
shuffling gait of which made many of them violently sick
at the commencement; but in a short time they got quite
used to them, guiding them with the nose-rope and a light
switch, or falling fast asleep on their backs if they formed
one of a long string, and it was curious to see our grooms
perched up aloft leading the horses alongside, the latter
looking mere pigmies, so dwarfed were they by their tall
escorts. There are few things more unpleasant than to get
entangled in a crowd of camels during the loading-up
process. The groaning and roaring of the animals and
their disagreeable odour are bad enough; but one has
besides to run the gauntlet of many a bite or kick. A
camel's long neck can reach inconveniently far, and the
stroke of his springy pad is a thing to be carefully avoided
by those who wish to keep their bones whole.
At Regan, the frontier village between the provinces ot
Kerman and Baluchistan, we could complain of the sultri
ness no longer, as a heavy shower ot rain brought down
the temperature by n 0 , this sudden and delightful change