267 MY DEAR G. LETTER III. The Fortress of Maliz-Ghird, I now resume the thread of our stirring adventures. We started from our camp at five o'clock on the Sunday morning, to make a retrograde movement; having been assured by the Agha that it was dangerous to proceed; of which fact, indeed, we had every indication around us, as already related. I should tell you that in the course of the night two messengers had arrived from this man to the Khan, bidding us to return, saying that there was great danger of our being attacked. But Ali would not allow his master to be disturbed. The motive for his sending will appear by and bye, as I have since learnt from my informant here in the fortress. We had a sort of feeling that it was better to avoid passing the fortress if possible, and kept somewhat to the right, and were proceeding as we thought with extreme caution, having put the caravan in line, ourselves bringing up the rear. But just as we mounted the height of the village, we heard some guns fired, and a loud shout from the Koords; and on galloping up to the front, we perceived the servants being stripped and knocked off their horses, the muleteers being plundered, the caravan surrounded by a large body of armed men, and such a scene of confusion as is quite indescribable. Immediately we came in for our share of the attack. Three men surrounded the Khan, and three more surrounded me; one of the latter took hold of my bridle, another stood with a drawn sword on my right, and a third with his musket on the left, gave me such a thrust behind as almost to unseat me from the horse. Still I kept my saddle, and really I cannot but laugh when I remember the odd way in which I parried them off for two or three minutes, while waiting to see what the Khan would do-being determined, if possible not to yield. 1 The first things they robbed me of were my pis tols, before I had the power to draw them from the holsters. Being thus taken prisoners they led us towards the fortress, ordering me to get off my horse. I still kept on as well as I could, till another thrust behind, and a blow in the face, serving to dislodge a tooth or two, and the fierce-looking fellow with the sabre, wielding it close to me with the most menacing attitude, I thought it better to surrender at discretion, particularly as my friend was by this time on foot and in their power, and I saw them stripping him of his coats, his watch, and even his shawl. They then began to rifle my pockets, and turned out my powder-horn, waterflask, &c. I begged hard for my book; but the fellow, as if in contempt of me, threw me back the covers of it, and kept the inside. Then he demanded my great coat. This I resisted until the Khan called out, "Give up your coat." In the scuffle I lost my Persian cap; so you may fancy your poor friend in the wilds of Koordistan, surrounded by two or three hundred of these barbarians making the most horrible shouts, and going off with their booty in triumph. By this time our servants came up. Ali made a good resistance, and was shot at by one of the Koords; but the ball passed him and carried off two of the toes of one of the muleteers. This was the only casualty of the kind I have yet heard of. Six of the servants were likewise stripped of every thing, even to their shawls, their pockets turned out, and all their money taken, with numerous effects of guns, pistols, powder-horns, &c. Fancy our party of eight, stripped of every thing, huddled together on the side of a rock, holding a council of war as to what we were to do for personal safety! Apprehending that the wretches might not be satisfied, and that our lives might next be sacrificed, we determined on retracing our way to Khoe on foot. The caravan was driven under the fortress walls, the muleteers dispersed, and every thing seemed to have become a prey to their rapacity, including our beautiful horses intended for England, on one of which I was mounted; but our thoughts were now only occupied about our personal safety. Pursuing our march, we met the good moolah, Hadji Osman Millah Hussein, whose white turban I recollected to have seen in the Agha's divan. He stopped us, and said we must by no means proceed, or we should certainly be murdered-that a party of Koords was waiting for us, being apprised of our intention to return. We then halted, and one of the robbers came up who had plundered me of my coat, and looking most fiercely at me, demanded my boots, saying that I was an infidel, and he would shoot me as he would a dog. The moolah reasoned with him, and asked "if he was not ashamed of being such a barbarian, who after having stripped me of every thing, now wanted to take my life?" and I may safely say that I owe my life to the interference of this good moolah, who seemed to compasionate very much our desolate situation; nor would he leave us, but continued to manifest his sympathy in every possible way. I think I told you that the Khan speaks all the languages so well-Turkish, Koordish, &c., that through him I could always learn the particulars of what passed. Presently Osmond Agha came out of the fortress on horseback, with his numerous followers, and pretended that he had nothing to do with the plunder of the caravan-that it was done by the troops over whom he had no controul. He invited us in; and although we learnt that he had ordered the plunder, yet we thought it best to show some apparent confidence in him, and claim his pro |