20th July.

Immediately outside Raid, we had to ascend a rather considerable mountain by a bad and dangerous road, and then came out upon an extensive elevated plain.

We left the high mountains further behind, the headlands were covered with short grass, but there was again a great deficiency of trees. We met great numbers of herds of goats and sheep. The latter were very large, with thick wool and fat tails; the wool is said to be particularly good and fine.

My apprehensions on this journey were not quite groundless, as it was seldom that a day passed in undisturbed quiet. Today, for instance, a circumstance occurred which frightened me not a little: our caravan consisted of six men and fourteen pack animals; we were quietly pursuing our way, when suddenly a troop of mounted men came dashing down upon us at full gallop. There were seven well-armed, and five unarmed. The former carried lances, sabres, daggers, knives, pistols, and shields; they were dressed like the common people, with the exception of the turban, which was wound round with a simple Persian shawl. I thought they had been robbers. They stopped and surrounded us, and then inquired where we came from, where we were going to, and what kind of goods we carried? When they had received an explanation, they allowed us to go on. At first I could not understand the meaning of the proceeding at all; but, as we were stopped several times in the course of the day in a similar manner, I concluded that these men were soldiers on duty.

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