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 362 A HISTORY OF PERSIA. decipher the character, and to divine the secret inten- tions, of those with whom he has to deal; and ac- cordingly he is ever ready, in spite of his previous experience, to believe in the promises, protestations and oaths of his countrymen. The governor of Yezd renewed his overtures to the townspeople, and as his arguments continued to be seconded by the fire of his artillery, he found a ready disposition on the part of the citizens to yield to his wish of being allowed to retire unmolested. But at this point of the negotiation some troops arrived to his succour, and enabled him to leave the citadel and appear openly in the town. A few of the rebels were then secured, but it was not until after the lapse of some time that their leader was captured and put to death. The condition of the highways in the province of Yezd was now such as to cause the greatest embarrass- ment to the trading community. In the space of about two months no less than fifteen hundred beasts of burden, with their loads, were carried off, or detained on their way to or from the provincial capital. It was no wonder that the merchants began to lose courage, and to talk loudly of deserting a country where their property was so slightly protected. The city of Kasveen had been for fourteen years the prison of Syf-el-Mulk Meerza, a son of that Zil-es-Sultan who had disputed the throne with Mahomed Shah. The Ameerzadeh now suddenly appeared at the distance of thirty-six miles from Tehran, at the head of a body of horsemen. He addressed a circular to the chiefs of the wandering tribes in that vicinity, requesting them to join his standard, and to aid him in preventing the ac-