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2 to Bokhara. They availed themselves of the opportunity, and
3 accused him of the crime of being a heretic, who had visited
4 all the sacred places of devout musselmans; they asserted also
5 that he was in possession of a diploma obtained from the Ulemas
6 (learned, literary men) in Bokhara, for converting the musselmans
7 living in Russia. Hoshbegi examined the diploma in my pre-
8 sence, and stated that it contained nothing more than the
9 assertion that D had undergone a severe examination in the
10 Arabic language, to the satisfaction of his examiners : thus he
11 was acquitted ; but his accusers caused him to be brought before
12 the Emir, when he and his diploma were again examined, with,
13 however, the same result.
14 A short time before my departure, Hoshbegi requested me, by
15 the bread and salt which I had eaten in his house, to write to
16 him from Russia, informing him whether this eldjee (ambassador)
17 was a Christian or a musselman. I was of opinion that it could
18 be easily ascertained, even at Bokhara, by examining his body ;
19 besides that, his light hair indicated that he was not an Arab.
20 The minister probably did not like to urge the matter any further,
21 because Monsieur D. had brought him some valuable presents.
22 When I entered Bokhara, I was forbidden to write ; and I did
23 not transgress that prohibition. It is probable that the English-
24 men who came shortly after my departure to Bokhara (Colonel
25 Stoddart and Captain Conolly) acted otherwise, which led to the
26 discovery of their being spies, on account of which they were
27 beheaded. Dr. Wolff*, whose acquaintance I made at Lahore,
28 and whom I saw last year in England (at the Isle Brewery, near
29 Taunton), told me that these two Englishmen had been taken as
30 spies and convicted, and that it was Ubd-ool-Sumet Khan, a
31 Persian rogue, who informed against them, and afterwards caused
32 Hoshbegi to be beheaded ; and who, eventually, was himself
33 decapitated.
34 In consideration of my attendance on the various patients,
35 I obtained, by order of the minister, permission to pass on horse-
36 back through all the bazaars of the holy city, accompanied by a
37 servant of his. Nevertheless, I observed many fanatic students
38 plotting against me, on whom I had my revenge, although not