But To-Day I Got Hold Of A Wiry, Game Little Chestnut, Who Was
Evidently New To The Job, And Reached And Tore Away At His Bridle As
If He Enjoyed The Fun.
Seeing, about half-way, that he was bleeding at
the mouth, I called Gerome's attention to the fact, and found that his
horse was in the same plight - as, indeed, was every animal we passed
on the road between Koom and Pasingan.
This is on account of the
water at and between the two places, which is full of small leeches,
invisible except through a microscope. Horses, mules, and cattle
suffer much in consequence, for nothing can be done to remedy the
evil.
A pleasant gallop of under an hour brought us to Pasingan. It was
hardly possible to realize, riding through the warm evening air, for
all the world like a June evening in England, that but two days before
we had well-nigh been frozen to death. Had I known what was in store
for us beyond Kashan, I might have marvelled even more at this sudden
and welcome change of climate.
The guest-chamber at Pasingan was already taken by a Persian khan,
a rude, blustering fellow, who refused us even a corner; so we had,
perforce, to make the best of it downstairs among the rats and vermin.
Devoured by the latter, and unable to sleep, we rose at the first
streak of dawn, saddled two of the khan's horses, and rode away to
Sin-Sin before any one was astir.
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