[177] Taks are small recesses in the walls of apartments in Asia, for holding flower-pots, phials of wine, fruits, &c.

[178] In the original it is a proverb, “When evil comes, the dog will bite even the man that is mounted on a camel,” said of a person who is extremely unfortunate.

[179] The term barah-dari is applied either to a temporary pavilion, or a permanent summer-house; it is so called from the circumstance of its having “twelve doors,” in honour of the twelve Imams.—­Vide note, page 4.

[180] The various kinds of fire-works here enumerated admit not of translation.—­Vide vocabulary.

[181] A proverb meaning that people or things are well matched; as the soul, at the hour of death, is committed to the charge of good or evil angels, according to its dessert.

[182] A proverb applied to those who act in a manner utterly at variance with their condition.

[183] The patka is a long and narrow piece of cloth or silk, which is wrapped round the waist; among the rich a shawl is the general patka.  The act of throwing one’s patka round the neck and prostrating one’s self at another’s feet, is a most abject mark of submission.

[184] Literally, “a collar or yoke, round my neck.”

[185] The Mughal princes in the days of their splendour had guards of Kalmuc, or Kilmak, women for their seraglios; they were chosen for their size and courage, and were armed; other Tartar women were likewise taken, but they all went by the general name of Kilmakini.

[186] Here the first Darwesh resumes his address to his three companions.

[187] In a note to my edition of Mr. F. Smith’s translation of the Baghobahar, 1851, I inserted the following “petition.”  “May I request some friend in India, for auld lang syne, to ask any intelligent munshi the exact meaning of panchon hathiyar bandhna, showing him at the same time the original where the expression occurs.”  To this request I received, a few months ago, a very kind and satisfactory reply from Lieut.  J.C.  Bayley, 36th Regt., M.N.I., which I have the pleasure here to insert; and at the same time, I beg to return my best thanks to that gentleman.  “The five weapons are, 1st, the talwar or sword; 2nd, the pesh-kabz or dagger; 3rd, the tabar or battle-axe; 4th, the barchhi or lance; 5th, the tir o kaman or the bow and arrows.  The phrase, panchon hathiyar bandhna is very nearly equivalent to our expression, ‘to be armed cap a pie.’” I may add to Lieut.  B.’s obliging account that in more recent times, the “bow and arrows” are very naturally superseded by “a pair of pistols.”  Still the meaning of the phrase is the same in either case.

[188] The word chikmak or chikmak, is wrongly called “a flint” in the dictionaries.  It merely denotes the piece of steel used in striking a fire.  The flint is called chikmak ka pathar.