Page:From Constantinople to the home of Omar Khayyam.djvu/245

 to justify the joke made half a century ago by the diplomat Eastwick, whose experience and humor suggested turning Kaif or Kai into kaik^ the name for ' flea.' ^ To me the pestif- erous flies were equally annoying, and the blear-eyed, scabby- headed children were equally uninviting as they scampered about in the blazing sun that burned piteously throughout the day. Most travelers, in fact, speak in derogatory terms of this ' Palace of Pleasure ' ; ^ and my friend and I agreed with their uncomplimentary judgment. We made all haste to quit the place — if haste can be made at Aivan-i Kaif — and were glad in- deed when the 'lord of the post-house' condescendingly informed our servant that the horses were ready. The animals seemed to share in our eagerness to leave the little town, for they promptly ran away, dashing madly down into the river-bed, despite the efforts of the hostler, who rushed wildly in front of them and waved his jacket frantically in hopes of checking their headlong career. As a consequence the baggage wagon got stuck in the mud of the stream, and time was lost in extri- cating it and the balky steeds.

With slanting sun we made our way for about eight miles, or nearly an hour, across an uncultivated plain, dusty, though furrowed here and there by watercourses.^ At five o'clock* we reached the entrance of the Sar-Darrah Pass — Tang-i-Sar-i Darrah^ lit. * Pass of the Head of the Valley ' ^ — which is also called Gardan-i Sar-Darrah, 'Gorge of Sar-Darrah,' and is sometimes known as Sardar-i Kuh, 'Chief of the Mountains.'^

1 Eastwick, JowrnaZ, 2. 136. Iv. Aivan-i Kaif, 4.35 p.m.; arr. en-

2 An exception is found in Ouseley, trance to Pass, 5.20 p.m. On my re- Travels, 3. 200-209, who appears to turn trip the time was about an hour : have been favorably impressed by the Iv. Pass, 10.15 a.m.; arr. Aivan-i Kaif, town when he traversed the route a 12.20 p.m.

century ago, spending the first night ^ See Tomaschek, Zur hist. Topog.

at Kabud Gumbaz and the second at Pers. 108. 222, and Curzon, Persia.,

Aivan-i Kaif ; but that was in winter, 1. 294. Feb. 19-20, 1812. ^ Various other spellings of the

3 See also Curzon, Persia^ 1. 297 ; name are found in older books : e.g. Eastwick, Journal, 'i. 139. Sirdara, Ser Dereh, Sardari, and Gurd-


 * The time on my second trip was : unee Sirdara.

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