the rest tea, henna, and cloth. It had left Yezd fifteen days before, and the leader had made the journey fifty times ; he had done nothing else all his life, and had never travelled along any other road. The thirty-six camels were from Turshiz, and had cost on an average 5o tuman apiece ; most were luk or geldings, a few mares, but not one a nehr or stallion. As usual, I noted down all the names on the road, not one of which is to be found on Stieler's map, but they all refer to springs, wells, and small insignificant hamlets. Tebbes is left at two days' journey to the east, and Turshiz a day's journey in the same direction.
Beside Rabat-gur stand two small huts half underground, where two bakers dwell ; they have their bakery under the half-vaulted front, where they were actively engaged in baking delicious-smelling wheaten bread.
Rabat-i-gur, also called Rabat-gur and Rabat-guru, draws its drinking-water from a hauz, which was now full of fresh water ; if it fails one has to be content with the salt stream from a spring in the vicinity. The reservoir which was built at the same time as the caravanserai is a long basin under a stone tunnel ; a furrow from the hills - conducts the water, and is regulated by low flanking _ banks, so as to enlarge the catchment basin. When one sees the result, a solid mass of water, which had in the morning a temperature of 45.7°, and was sweet and pleasant, one cannot help again admiring the ingenious arrangement which the Persians have learnt direct from Nature ; for many natural sengab and abambar are to be found at the foot of these hills, though they evaporate away more rapidly than the artificial, and are often situated in places where they are not wanted.
We had pitched our tents near the reservoir, but I spent most of the evening at the caravanserai rising proudly and majestically on its terrace, a challenge to and a defence against the dismal desert around. I never tired of looking at the immense flat expanse of the earth's I surface which stretched out eastwards. In the Kevir a remote horizon had circumscribed its circle around us, but there the country was as level as a frozen sea, and every-
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