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This magnificent address did not fail of its effect; indeed, it might almost have been spared, so deeply were our friends already impressed with our powers. The old man made a deep obeisance, and murmured the words, "Koom Koom," which I afterwards discovered was their royal salute, corresponding to the Bayéte of the Zulus, and turning, addressed his followers.
"Ay, my lord the king!" "How was she then young, like thee?" "Not so, my lord the king! She was even as she is now and as she was in the days of my great grandfather before me; old and dried, very ugly, and full of wickedness." "She is no more; she is dead." "So, O king! then is an ancient curse taken from the land." "Go!" "Koom! I go, Black Puppy, who tore out the old dog's throat. Koom!"
"Koom! Koom!" he ejaculated; "it is my brother's son; it is the king." "Did I not tell thee so, my uncle? Rise; I am not yet the king, but with thy help, and with the help of these brave white men, who are my friends, I shall be.
Presently the man, whom we rightly guessed to be the king, raised the great javelin in his hand. Instantly eight thousand spears were lifted in answer, and from eight thousand throats rang out the royal salute of "Koom." Three times this was repeated, and each time the earth shook with the noise, that can only be compared to the deepest notes of thunder.
It came from one of the squareheads, from Lindquist, a sober, bearded, middle-aged man, the one man among them who could manage a few words of English conversation. "Koom vrom mine town," he said, indicating the tossing form in the bunk. His blue eyes had a worried, puzzled expression, and his voice bespoke puzzled wrath.
Koom is said to cover nearly twice as much ground as Shiráz, but more than half the city is in ruins, the Afghans having destroyed it in 1722. The mosque containing the Tomb of Fatima is the finest, its dome being covered with plates of silver-gilt the natives say of pure gold. The tradition is that Fatima was on her way to the city of Tus, whither she was going to visit her brother, Imám Riza.
The apartment or cell allotted to us was, however, so filthy that we decided to push on at once to Pasingán, the next stage, four farsakhs distant. Koom is noted for the size and venom of its scorpions; and the dim recesses of the dark, cobwebby chamber, with its greasy walls and smoke-blackened ceiling, looked just the place for these undesirable bedfellows.
The stage from Koom to Pasingán was accomplished in an incredibly short time; and I may here mention that this was the only occasion upon which, in Persia, I was ever given a fairly good horse.
This is obviously the city of Kom or Koom, above 400 miles to the north-west of Yezd, and much nearer Sultanie. Our traveller, therefore, must either have strangely forgotten his route or he came back again from Yezd, instead of journeying forwards. Khus or Khosistan, the south-western province of Persia. Of the Manners of the Chaldeans, and concerning India.
Oscar was still too frightened to muster his scant English, but Lindquist talked for him. "He say like dis, sir, Nils ban at da wheel when he koom aft, oond den he yump vrom der wheel oond run for'ard yust like da time da captain thoomp him." "Rot!" says Lynch. "My man, have you permitted a ghost stand your trick at the wheel?" This last to Newman. "Hardly a ghost, sir," answered Newman.
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