trousers of coarse worsted stuff; and he halted in his gait from a weakness, as it seemed, in one limb, which rendered the assistance of a long stout club needful to him in walking. There was little in fact remarkable in his appearance except his obvious ill-health, and that he seemed to be a stranger in the place; which in fact turned out to be the case, for he mentioned to those who accosted him that he had come from the borders of Kermanshah, where he had been engaged in a fray with some of the Gourans, and had received a severe blow on the eye, and another on the hip; but that being nearly recovered, and hearing that the Khan wanted followers, he had come to seek employment, and trusted that a day or two's rest would set him up, and make him fit for duty. This led to a conversation, in which the projects and arrangements of the Khan, so far as they were known, or surmised by the speakers, were freely discussed, and a great deal was said about the force he could himself command, and the quarters whence assistance was yet expected. Among others, it appeared that the Kelhêre tribe had not hitherto sent their looked-for contingent, and considerable anxiety was expressed regarding their intentions, seeing that nothing absolutely definitive had been heard from their chiefs. In fine, the stranger received a courteous invitation to become the guest of some of the party, who entertained him until the evening salaam, when it was proposed that he should be presented to the Khan. This honour, however, the stranger declined, observing that he desired to rest for a day or two after his journey, so as to be able to present himself to his future master under more favourable appearances. Nevertheless he went with the crowd, and made one of the circle which occupied the front of the open tent in which the Khan and his officers were seated. It so happened, however, that he took up a position the least likely to meet the chief's eye, and thus was enabled to see all that passed without attracting either observation or question.

Among the matters of business which were transacted that evening there was one which appeared to excite the stranger's particular attention. It was the despatch of a chupper, or courier, who, from the degree of interest which his departure obviously created among the principal officers, was probably proceeding on a mission of importance. He gathered that this man was to start before dawn on the following morning, and was to be mounted upon a particular horse, belonging to the Khan himself. On leaving the salaam he proposed to his entertainer and new friend that they should go to the stable, and look at the horses of the Khan. "By all means," replied his complaisant host, "we can easily do that. The Meerachor is a connexion of mine, and we shall have free access to everything; otherwise these Jeloudars and Mehters are coarse rascals, and might be rude to a stranger." So to the stable they went, and saw the Khan's stud. Many a noble steed was there of Arab and of Koordish blood, as well as of those bred in the plains of Alishtâr and Khawah; and many a look of admiration did the stranger bestow upon the goodly animals. At length, among a group of people gathered round a particular horse, he observed the very messenger who had received his despatches, and was to start on the morrow. In with the Meerachor he was examining a remarkably compact and well-shaped horse, short in the back, broad in the quarters, with a fine, deep shoulder, ample chest, small head, and limbs strong and clean as those of an antelope. The smith

company

was just driving the last nails into its shoes, and the sleek coat and glancing eye betokened the high condition and spirit of the animal.

"Ay, Mahomed Takee," said the Meerachor," this is the beast for work. He is as hardy as a mule, and would match the Gourkhur itself for speed and wind. If you are not at Kerrend within the fourand-twenty hours, it will be your own fault. But do the creature justice; don't spare the barley, and he will not spare his pace: but he must have food-he eats like a starved beggar."

"Be cheshm!" replied the courier, "be satisfied, he shall feed like a hungry Moollah; and I, Inshallah! shall see Kerrend before the sun rises over the Koh-e-Bessitoon: and rest assured I shall not forget your good offices in persuading the Khan to let me have the Arab Ogloo*."

"Good-good! so be it! and may the end be propitious! Hah! Seyed Allee, you here! How is it with you, man?-and whom have you got with you-eh?" "A stranger,

Khan."

from the north; come to take service with the

"Indeed! and what is he? what is his name?"

'By your head, I forgot to ask it! But he is my guest. Permit me to ask what is your fortunate name?"

The stranger gave his name, and the Meerachor inquired whether he had been presented to the Khan. On hearing the reason he gave for declining it, he cast a searching glance upon the man; then, shaking his head, said, " He take service? If he does, it should be with the cook, then; he seems fitter for the kitchen than the stable; —ay, and perhaps for the felleck than either. Look sharp after your friend, Seyed Allee!"

The last remark was made in a lower voice, but did not pass unnoticed by the stranger.

Seyed Allee smilingly replied, "Oh, it is all right! no fear of him; he is but a poor devil now, but a few days' rest may make a man of him."

Soon after they quitted the stable and returned home, when Seyed Allee, piqued probably by the Meerachor's remarks, questioned his guest pretty closely as to his history and business. His replies, however, were apparently satisfactory, for, when after a good meal they retired to rest, the kind-hearted fellow did his best for the stranger's comfort, and left him with hearty wishes that he might enjoy a refreshing sleep, and awake to renewed health. What were his astonishment and confusion, on looking in the morning into the place where his guest had lain, at finding the nest empty and the bird gone! Not an article, however, was missing; and, when his friend the Meerachor laughed at him for having been imposed upon by a knave, he retorted by asking if a man could fairly be called a knave, who, having it in his power to help himself to what he chose, had left his house indeed, but left every thing within it untouched.

The disappearance of this man and of the Dervish in so mysterious a manner afforded a perfect fund of speculation for the gossips of the camp on the succeeding morning; but next day the mystery was solved so far as the stranger was concerned, by the return of the courier, Mahomed Takee, sorely bruised, and stripped of clothes,

* Son of an Arab; a Turkish word often used as a horse's name.

arms, and riding-gear, upon a sorry yaboo, which he had borrowed at a neighbouring obah. His story was short and sad. At a solitary part of the road, where the path dipped into a hollow, he had overtaken a man who walked as if he were lame, and whom he afterwards recognised as a person he had observed on the preceding evening in the stables of the Khan; but to whom, being occupied in preparations for his journey, he had paid little regard. This man had accosted him, and, lame though he was, kept up with the pace-a smart walk-at which he was then riding, conversing about the country and various other subjects, and expressing a desire, that, as they were going the same road, they should keep together for mutual protection, the place having the reputation of being dangerous. To this, however, he, the courier, objected, as he could not delay on his journey, while the other from his lameness must be unable to keep up with his horse. The stranger, on the other hand, protested his ability to do so, and quickening his pace, advanced in a supplicating attitude close to the horse's side. At that moment he was riding kej (sitting on one thigh, and consequently somewhat off his balance), for the convenience of conversing, when the wretch, seizing hold of his foot as if in the earnestness of pleading suddenly threw it up with such violence that he was immediately unhorsed, and fell with all his weight, head and shoulders on the ground.

Half stunned as he was, the fellow secured his complete insensibility by a severe blow on the head; and when he recovered his senses he found himself lying on one side of the little path, stripped to his shirt and drawers, with the stranger's clothes lying beside him; but horse, arms, clothes, despatches, and all were gone, and seen no more.

What need is there to say that the stranger was no other than the cunning rogue, Allee, who, finding that his disguise as a Dervish was not likely to serve his purpose, got rid of it secretly in the night, and did actually creep like a cat through a hole in the ruin, which he managed to block up with earth and rubbish so as to lull suspicion ; and who, by picking up an old cast felt cap, and stealing a jacket, which he bedaubed with dust to prevent its being recognised, contrived with these, and some articles of apparel he had brought with him in case of need, to clothe himself as I have described? His cast Dervish's skin was afterwards found, and turned the laugh in favour of the Khan; but some of the Lourees to this day insist on the visit of Huzrut Abbas-Allee as a fact, in spite of all the evidence against it.

As for Allee, in spite of several narrow risks and adventures, he reached Khorrumabad in safety, where he was heartily applauded, and found great favour with the Wâli, to whom the chupper's despatches, no less than the intelligence from the Feilee camp, proved of great value.*

• From Mr. Fraser's new Persian romance, " Allee Neemroo," which will appear in a few days.-EDIT.

OUR aim may be amiss, and we may consequently shoot wide of the mark in attempting the exposition of the uses and abuses of fighting. We shall therefore take the field martial, and discuss the art offensive and defensive in general terms. Our illustrations, we hope, will be considered as not without a point, although simply cuts; and should the critics sneer, and assert our best are but "drawn " battles, we shall only set down their strictures to the account of sheer envy, as they neither conquer nor concur with us.

Should they, on the contrary, applaud our efforts, we shall be happy to tap their claret, and give them a little punch in return.

Relying, however, upon our skill in striking the eye of the public by some clever hit, before they enter the ring, we shall enjoy all the satisfaction and the consequent advantage of giving

"Oui, j'aime mieux, n'en déplaise à la gloire,

Vivre au monde deux jours que mille ans dans l'histoire."

FIGHTING is doubtless a very pleasant pastime; for millions spend -and end-their days in the pursuit of it.

For our own part, there is only one phase in which we can regard it with any degree of complacency and satisfaction, and that is when we feel a consciousness of being on the right side-i. e. of possessing an acknowledged superiority in point of weight and metal, and consequently a "dead certainty" of " thrashing" our adversary.

In any other case it appears the height of brainless folly to seek the bubble reputation in the cannon's mouth.

Ambition induces some men to "list"-to the persuasive eloquence of a recruiting sergeant, while poverty alone compels others; and the latter is the most reasonable excuse of the two; for the man who has "not a shot in the locker" is pretty sure of getting one in his chest.

In war, the despairing lover may "court danger" with better success than he courted his mistress; the rover may be "settled," and the truant scholar, who regrets neglected opportunities, will find a field of battle the best "finishing" school in the world.

The army is certainly a school of reform; its moral discipline is miraculous; for the most dishonest knaves, rogues, thieves, and vagabonds speedily become upright men! although, in truth, they are sometimes known to-steal a march.