Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-10
TOURIN IN PERSIA

A correspondent of the London Standard
gives an account of the great hardships of
party of cyclists in the Persian noun
tains. In their statement they say: "a
solitary chapar-khaneh stands at khan-i-
horeh. Our way to Dehbd lay through the
dread pass of Kohl Kush, literally the
Shoulder of DEATH and as we knew snow
: lay deep, and had drifted in many places,
and that 1t was region where Iiany lives
had been lost, we hired a ho,seman to show
US the way. 1t was then o'clock in the
afternoon. Dehbid was some twenty miles
distant. We expected to reach it by night
fall. Away we started, well muff1ed up, be-
cause it was bitterly cold. For the first few
miles it was all our guide could do to keep
up with US; but the moment we were in the
pass, where the snow lay foot deep. and
the track was narrow, skirting slippery
rugged lodges. cycling was out of the ques-
tion The great hills frowned wild and des-
perate; the gale swept the loose snow in
icy clouds down the ravinc; the horse slow
ily and cautiously climbed the rocks; we fol-
lowed silently.
'At last our guide dismounted. peered
strangely about, and then, trembling, and
In a fearful voice, said he haG lost the way
The darkness was pitchy: we were on a
bleak mountain side, 5000 feet above sea
level; our limbs ached with cold. We prep
ped the bicycles against post and went
on without them. We plunged to our
waists in snow, and we felt like succumb-
ing. We had to cheer one another. One of
us deserted a light far to the left-a pale
green light-like the reflection of lamp in
courtyard. Famished with hunger dead
weary with walking, We labored another
hour through the drifts. But there was no
house. only the snow for ever and ever.
The lights had been from the eyes of prowl-
ing beasts. We were on rocky slope,
blown free from snow, and about were
tufted, rank. cracking bushes. We set
about pulling a number up, and got them
ablaZe. The flames, as they leaped, sent a
strange glimmer over the snow. 1t was
then 2:15 o'clock. The fire burned quicker
than We could feed it. 1t went out. We
lay down on the frozen soil, very close
and putting our arms round each other for
mutual warmth, kept one another awake
by talking and occasional kicks. 1t was
uncomfortable, shivering with numbed
limbs, not knowing where we were, nor
what our fate would be before morning
came.
Every half hour we rose and stamped our
feet and ran about. Then we lay down
again. half daZed, at times even wishing
overpowering sleep would take possession
Of us and put an end to our trials. At y
O'clock in the morning there was a dim,
sickly dawn. We set off to find the line OF
telegraph poles that we had previously fol-
lowed. There was heavy mist. and an
hour and a half elapsed before we dis
covered them. Our clothes were covered
with mud and sodden with wet, our feat
ures drawn. and our eyes bloodsnot. The
haze rose. and we saw two horsemen ap-
preaching. They dashed ahead on spyirg
US. They had been sent out by Mr.. JEFF
feries who Is in charge of the telegraph
testing station at Dshbid, to look for our
bodies. In case we were alive. they brought
a flask of whisky. They lifted Us on TO the
horses. wrapped their great felt coats about
u.s. and led the way 20 Denb.d. whe-e every
body was relieved from anxiety We had
been on the mountains for eighteen hours
without having tasted a morsel of food