the weather was rather disagreeable; rain, wind and snow varying alternately. Thirty pairs of similar kadjevas, ranged in a square, formed a large yard. Several of them were filled with slaves (Parsians and Hozarahs ). In my neighbourhood there was one in which there were four little girls; but as they were carefully watched, it was difficult to get a sight of them; they were going to Bokhara, to be sold there.
The Navvaub had made me a present of two ponies, called chargoosh {i.e., four-eared, because of their ears having been slit) ; and they were of great use to me in the Desert from Cabul to Russia. They instinctively dig up the roots below the snow for food.
On my arrival at Bokhara, I delivered the letter of recommendation which I had from the Nawaub, addressed to the minister Hoshbegi. His first inquiry was, whether I knew Jussuff Wolff and Alexander Burnes ? "Wolff," conti- nued he, "was a very good-hearted man; but as for Burnes, he was a deceiver, because he told me, up to the last moment, that his intention was to go to England, via Russia, whereas he returned to Hindostao, via Khiva." He was convinced that Burnes was a spy, and asked me if I would act as he had done. I was told that there were 600 Russian slaves at Bokhara, most of them fishermen from the Caspian sea, or prisoners from the frontier. During ray four months' stay at Bokhara, a Russian spy, Monsieur D —, was also there, whom the Governor of Orenburg had sent with presents to the Government, and who, although a Frenchman, imitated the musselmans so well, as not to be recognised as an European, for he knew both the Arabic and Persian languages; but the Nogais (Tartarian musselmans, under Russian protection) informed against him, and urged his being decapitated, lest he should inform against them for having transgressed the ukase, according to which, no Rus- sian subject was allowed to go to Bokhara. They availed themselves of the opportunity, and accused him of the crime of being a heretic, who had visited all the sacred places of devout musselmans ; 'they asserted also that he was in possession of a diploma obtained from the Ulemas (learned,
