Across Coveted Lands | Page 9

Baku to return to his
Country.]
The Amir's suite was very picturesque, some of the men wearing long
crimson velvet gowns embroidered in gold, others silk-checked
garments. All had white turbans. The snapshot reproduced in the
illustration shows the Amir accompanied by the Governor of Baku just
stepping on board.
There is a regular mail service twice a week in summer, from April to
the end of October, and once a week in winter, on the Caspian between
Baku and Enzeli in Persia, the Russian Government paying a subsidy to
the Kavkas and Mercury Steam Navigation Company for the purpose
of conveying passengers, mails (and, in the event of war, troops) into
Persia and back. There are also a number of coasting steamers
constantly plying between the various ports on the Caspian both on the
Russian and Persian coast.
The hurricane having abated there was a prospect of a fair voyage and
the probability of landing at Enzeli in Persia, so when the Tuesday
came I went on board the old rickety paddle-steamer (no less than
forty-five years old) which was to convey me to that port. She was one
of the Mercury-Caucasus Co. fleet, and very dirty she was, too.

It is perhaps right to mention that for the first time in Russia,
purposeless rudeness and insolence came to my notice on the part of
the ticket officials of the Mercury line. They behaved like stupid
children, and were absolutely incompetent to do the work which had
been entrusted to them. They were somewhat surprised when I took
them to task and made them "sit up." Having found that they had
played the fool with the wrong man they instantly became very meek
and obliging. It is nevertheless a great pity that the Mercury Company
should employ men of this kind who, for some aim of their own, annoy
passengers, both foreign and Russian, and are a disgrace to the
Company and their country.
On board ship the captain, officers and stewards were extremely civil.
Nearly all the captains of the Caspian steamers were Norwegian or
from Finland, and were jolly fellows. The cabins were very much
inhabited, so much so that it was difficult to sleep in them at all. Insects
so voracious and in such quantities and variety were in full possession
of the berths, that they gave one as lively a night as it is possible for
mortals to have. Fortunately the journey was not a long one, and having
duly departed at midnight from Baku I reached Lenkoran the next day,
with its picturesque background of mountains and thickly-wooded
country. This spot is renowned for tiger-shooting.
Our next halt was at Astara, where there were a number of wooden
sheds and drinking saloons,--a dreadful place, important only because
on the Perso-Russian boundary line formed by the river of the same
name. We landed here a number of police officers, who were met by a
deputation of some fifty Persian-looking men, who threw their arms
round their necks and in turn lustily kissed them on both cheeks. It was
a funny sight. When we got on board again after a couple of hours on
shore the wind rose and we tossed about considerably. Another
sleepless night on the "living" mattress in the bunk, and early in the
morning we reached the Persian port of Enzeli.
CHAPTER IV
The Port of Enzeli--Troublesome landing--Flat-bottomed boats--A

special permit--Civility of officials--Across the Murd-ap
lagoon--Piri-Bazaar--A self-imposed golden rule--Where our stock
came from--The drive to Resht--The bazaar--The native shops and
foreign goods--Ghilan's trade--The increase in trade--British and
Russian competitions--Sugar--Tobacco--Hotels--The British
Consulate--The Governor's palace--H.E. Salare Afkham--A Swiss
hotel--Banks.
One calls Enzeli a "port" pour façon de parler, for Persia has no
harbours at all on the Caspian sea. Enzeli, Meshed-i-Sher or Astrabad,
the three principal landing places on the Persian coast, have no shelter
for ships, which have to lie a good distance out at sea while passengers
and cargo are transhipped by the Company's steam launch or--in rough
weather--by rowing boats. In very rough weather it is impossible to
effect a landing at all, and--this is a most frequent occurrence on the
treacherous Caspian--after reaching one's journey's end one has to go
all the way back to the starting point and begin afresh. There are people
who have been compelled to take the journey four or five times before
they could land, until the violent storms which often rage along the
Persian coast had completely subsided and allowed the flimsy
steam-launch at Enzeli to come out to meet the steamers, lying about a
mile outside.
We had passengers on board who had been unable to land on the
previous journey, and were now on their second attempt to set foot in
Persia. We were rolling a good deal when we cast anchor, and after