________________
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
I my selfe beinge at noone in the Sunn, a hote breese hath taken me & skind my face. Those yt weere scoreth wth ye Sann, was of ye Bashaws [Pasha's] Soldiers, web lay without ye Citty, for ye Bashaws of Bagdatt, Kirkway & Neneve weere goeing wth theire Armies in ye Grand Senior service agst Bassora, now in ye hands of ye Arrabs. This was in ffebruary thus hott, & in Spawhawne in August soe Cold as my Sarvt in Pertia had his toes rotted of.
180
[MAY, 1907.
Mad I went to old Babbylon wel is 12 Leagues from Bagdatt, and assended the Tower, & plumd it with a line I carried for yt purposse, & its inst 60 fathom from ye top to ye earth; but theires a great depth of earth aboue y foundation, weh depth is not knowne; its foote broade at top. They are every day loading a way from it stones to Bagdat or new Babylon.
48
In Bagdatt I staid 28 Days, And On ye 4th Day of ffebruary I tooke my Jurney for Alleppo, And in the way, the first great Citty was Hanna [Anal], A Citty wthin a ffort in yo Middle of a River [the Euphrates] woh goes to Bossara, The River Tygrisse & it joyneing theire to gether, And on each side of the River a Citty, And is distant from Babylon 130 Leagues. This Hanna is in y° Wildernesse of Arrabia.
The ffrench Padrey hyred a guide in Bagdatt, & had security by his wife & 4 Children & an Arrabian Marchant that this guide should bring vs saife to Alleppo & bringe vs every 2 days wheere we should haue water. All was On my charge, And I would not haue patience to tarrie till ye Coffelo went. We tooke wth vs noe more then One days water, My Company beinge with my selfe, The padre & his sarvant, My Slaue, the padreys horss & sarvte Mule, My horsse & slaues Mule. All of vs beinge wthout water 2 days, I questioned ye Guide, & he gaue me Crosse language; Soe I shott a pistoll at him to scare him, but after drabd him wth my stick. Ye Padre desired me, for Gods sake, to let him alone, Now we are in ye wildernesse & know not whether to turn o'selves. I was vexed, being redy to Choak, Bound ye Gayds hands behind him, thretned him & cald him naimes, and said, if wee die, we will all die together. This was about 7 Leagues short of Hanna. Wthin 2 Leagues of y place yt I bound him he Cried, Aga [Agha, my Lord], water. Give me, Sa he, my life & I will show ya water. We had not rid a league & halfe, but he lights & S4, heeres water, y Well impossible to be found but by yo guide, for it was not a yard over, and Turft as if It had beene firme ground. These Guides Conseale ye water, they geting theite liveinge for Conducting travellers & releiveinge them with water in y Jurney throw the Wildernesse of Arrabia. The Guide drew out a line he brought for that purpose, and a sheeps skin, [and] tyd ye 4 Corners to gether [for] ye Buckett. The line was 60 fathom Longe & would but iust reach ye Water. I, Jealous [afraid] ye Rogue would ran away, I bound him againe. The Padrey & my slaue neere, both sick for want [of] water. But, refrest a little, we mounted, & psently I spied 7 horsemen, wah caime vp boldly within 500 paces of vs, On weh I fyred a pistoll. They then retreated back. The guide then addrest him to ye Padrey to make his peace with me for his liberty, Sweareing by his beard, his god & Mahommett, he would not run away. On yt I unbound him, & we weere 5 days in gettinge to Hanna [Anah]; y Padre & my Slane sick, wel was y cause.
By perswation of ye Guide we past abone Hanna a league and a halfe On purposs to saue or head money. We past the Towne and caime to a river 5 Engl miles beyond it, & theire sat downe & refresht or selves. Sa the Guide, heere are Rogues. S4 I, all Arrabs are Rogues. Before we could mount, caime 28 horsse and carried vs back to Hanna on foote, for that we had past ye Citty indeaving to sane of head money. It Cost me 144 Dollers & all ye excuses I could make to ye Gouerner. We staid at Hanna **days.
We had not left ye towne 2 Leagues but 7 horsemen caime ridinge after me. I 84 to y guide, who are these. He S, Haram [haramsada], Rogues & Robbers. Sd I, will y" stand to
48 49 Hiatus in the MS, here.
