Note 18 — Chapter XIX · MY JOURNEY HOME AND MARCH TO SHIRAZ.
Reading edition
On March 30th I left Erzeroum at nine A.M., reached Hassan Kaleh, twenty-four miles, at three P.M.; started again at four P.M. (all snow), reached Balakoohi, where a storm compelled us to halt at seven P.M. Slept there.
March 31st.—Started at five A.M. for Kharassan, twenty-five miles; arrived at half-past nine; made a detour of ten miles on account of water. Started at half-past eleven on same horses; stopped at a village twenty-four miles off, name unknown; horses dead beat; road—water, mud, and thawing snow—twenty-four miles.
April 1st.—Started at five A.M.; arrived at Moollah Suleiman, eighteen miles (same sort of road), at ten A.M.; left at half-past eleven for Kadikeesa, twenty miles; arrived at five P.M.; went on through snow till nine P.M. to a village, twelve miles only; halted. Slept in a sheep-shed full of tics.
April 2nd.—Started at six A.M.; arrived at three P.M. at Desardūn, thirty-six miles. Here I saw Mount Ararat. Road very bad, from melting snow. Arrived at Kizzil Deeza, twenty-four miles (a wretched hole), at eight P.M.
April 3rd.—Five A.M. Road pretty fair over a long snow-pass, twenty miles to Abajik, in Persia. Arrived at ten A.M. Quite a pleasure to get among the Persians again, and to be able to make myself understood. Then an easy twenty miles to Keranee—half-past four P.M. Started at once; reached Zarabad, twenty-two miles over a good road with capital horses, at half-past eight P.M.
April 4th.—Left at half-past six A.M. for Khoi, a long twenty-four miles; got in at eleven A.M. Khoi is a very large place, apparently prosperous. Good dinner of bazaar kabobs. Arrived at Turseh, twenty-four miles, ten P.M.; road good, but shocking horses, down a tremendous pass, then along the shores of Lake Ooroomeyeh—a kind of Dead Sea—it is very salt. Many bituminous fires lighted it up at night, huge sheets of flame suddenly appearing.
April 5th.— Half-past two A.M., left Turseh for a place the name of which has escaped me, arriving at half-past ten A.M. Arrived at Sufian at half-past twelve noon. Left at once, reaching Tabriz, twenty-four miles off, in four hours. Erzeroum to Tabriz, six days and seven hours, three hundred and thirty-five miles.
I stopped with Colonel J⸺, V.C., our Consul-General, April 6th, 7th, and 8th. At three P.M. of April 9th I started for Teheran.
Stages between Tabriz and Teheran.
Miles.
Saoudabad 20
Hadji Aga 20
Darathiar 16
56
Slept.
April 10th.— Turcomanchai 24
Meana 16
Jemalabad 12
Tercham 16
Aga Mezar 12
Nikibeg 20
100
Slept four hours.
April 11th.— Zinjan (met one of our staff; breakfasted, and lost three hours) 26
Sultaneah 24
Khya 30
80
Slept four hours.
April 12th.— Khirve 18
Zeedaen 24
Kasvin 16
Abdulabad 18
76
Slept four hours.
April 13th.— Sufferkhoja 24
Shunkerabad 22
Meanjūb 20
Teheran 20
86