he had lost a portion of his nose. At this our first interview nothing
relative to our own future proceedings was discussed, though that
was the subject uppermost in our own minds, as we could not but feel
ourselves entirely at the mercy of a robber prince of notorious
character. As it was, the conversation was made up of those
compliments and common-places with which the Orientals know so well
how to fill up "awkward pauses," when, for reasons of their own, they
do not intend talking upon the real business. He very politely acceded
to our request of visiting the bazaar the following morning, which
being market-day, the influx of strangers from the Tartar encampments
at the different oases of the Bokhara Desert, and country people from
the Toorkisth[=a]n mountains, was very great. One of his household was
always in attendance as we passed out of the gate of the caravanserai,
where we lodged, to conduct us about, and act in the double capacity
of spy and cicerone. The city was crowded, and our appearance excited
considerable sensation--much more so in truth than was pleasant, for
we were followed wherever we went by a very curious and a very dirty
crowd. We had heard a good deal about the Mahommedan college at
Koollum, and of course were very anxious to see what comparison
existed between it and our own colleges: we could trace none beyond
the term of college. The house itself was new and capacious, with
clean-looking apartments for the scholars. We entered the halls
of study, which were long narrow verandahs, and found several
white-bearded and sagacious-looking Moollahs reading out portions of
the Kor[=a]n to their attentive scholars, with a grave countenance and
a loud nasal twang, exciting a propensity to laughter which I with
difficulty repressed. I do not think the reasoning of the college is
very deep, or that the talents of its senior wrangler need be very
first-rate, and am inclined to suspect that this pompous reading
was got up for the occasion for the purpose of astonishing the weak