May to September : the others are transitional months, spring and autumn. During the fearful heat the people live in an inactive and stupefied condition, and spend all the day in a serdab or underground room with or without spring water, down to which a badgir conducts any small draught of wind which may pass over the roof. As soon as the sun has set they creep up again to the surface, and spend the evening and night on the housetops, where some freshness is to be found. The town in summer is lifeless, caravans seldom come to Tebbes, and business in the bazaar languishes. We therefore visited Tebbes during the best season, and it was still considered to be winter, though the temperature in the afternoon rose sometimes to 68°.
In the warm season especially one has to be on one's guard against three poisonous reptiles, which contribute to render life miserable to the dwellers in the beautiful oasis. A poisonous and dangerous snake houses in the old walls ; and scorpions, both black and yellow, are found
in every house in Tebbes. It is difficult to find an
inhabitant who has not been stung once or oftener by scorpions. Then there is a large, swift - footed hairy spider, probably a kind of phalanger, which is said to give a very severe and painful bite. It lives out in the desert, especially on sandy ground and on the boundary of the Kevir. Its curiosity is roused by light, and when men camp in the desert it makes for the camp fire. If they abstain from lighting a fire they may be sure of coming off scot-free. It is said not to strike for defence or out of maliciousness ; but if a man passes the night in a lighted tent the spider may creep up inside the tent canvas and fall down on any one sitting or lying below, and to get a fresh hold it strikes its mandibles. into any object it meets with, and if that chances to be a man's hand, the blood is inflamed by the poison. The people in Tebbes assured me that if a man kills a female, her mate gives himself no rest till he has exacted vengeance. He will follow the murderer even for 3 farsakh, and is as swift - footed as a galloping horse. He does not run like an ordinary spider, but leaps forward in
IIIFカラー高解像度
