1 16 ' IHTRODUCTnON.
2 On the 22d, we made a inarch of thirty miles to Moujgur ; the
3 heat of the aftefnoon was intenset while we halted as usual in the -
4 nsked plain, to give our people some water,.and to take some refresh-
5 ment ouisdves.' In the coarse of the day sevml hundred skins of
6 water came to us firom Moujgur, where BoJiawul Khaun had sent his
7 prindpal c^lcers to reoeiye.us. Towards evening many persons were
8 astonidied with the appearance of a long lak^ enclosing several little>
9 islands ; notwithstmiding the well known nature of the country, many
10 were positive that it was a lake } and one of the surveyors took the
11 bearings of it. It was, however, only one of those illusions which tlie
12 French call mirage^ and the Persians sirrnuh. I had ininirined this
13 phenomenon to be occasioned by a thin \a|)i ui (or soinetiung resem-
14 bling a vapour), which is seen over the ground in the hot weather in
15 India, but this appearance was etitirely different, and, on looking
16 along the ground, no vapour ^^i^alever could be perceived. The
17 groimd was quite level and smooth, composed ol' dried mud or day,
18 mixed with particles of sparkling sand : there were some tufls of
19 grass, and some little bushes nie» at this qpot, which were re-
20 flected as in water, and this .appearance continued at the ends, when
21 viewed ftom the middle. I shall not attempt to aocount.for tlus apr
22 pearanoe, but diaU merely remark, that it seems only to be fivund in .
23 Ipvel, smooth, and dry places. The ppsitioa of the sun with refer^
24 ence to the spetkator, iqppears. to be immaterial. I thou^ at first
25 tibat great heat always accompanied^ its appearance; but it was afteiw
26 wards seen in Damaun, wh«i, the westher was not.hotter than is
27 experienced in England,
28 About sun-set w(> descried the high wall and towers of Mouj^ir,
29 with u conspicuous mosque which stands over the gatewav, and a
30 tomb with a cupola, ornanu-nted with painted tiles, resembling, as I
31 was told, tlip tombs of Iniaumzjuldahs in Fersia. We arrived a little
32 after dark, and encamped near the fort, which is small and weak.
33 We winidned b«e two days, taking in water. Bahawul Kliaun's
34 Dewaiin, and another of his <^cer8, who joined ua here^ were Hin-
35 doos, the third was a MonUah of Monltaun, whose dress, language,
36 10
37 Digitized by Google