all its delights.  By these means Aloadin used to procure the murder of other lords who were his enemies, by these his assassins, who despised all dangers, and contemned their lives when employed in his service.  By this procedure he was esteemed a tyrant, and greatly dreaded by all around; and he had two vicars or deputies, one in the neighbourhood of Damascus, and another in Curdistan, who had similarly instructed young men under their orders.  Besides this, he used to rob all passengers who went past his borders.  At length, in the year 1262, Ulau, or Houlagu-khan, sent an armed force against him, which besieged his castle for three years, and at length made themselves masters of it, partly by famine, and partly by undermining the walls[2].

Departing from thence[3], you come to a pleasant enough country, diversified by hills and plains with excellent pasture, and abundance of fruits, the soil being very fertile[4].  This continues for six days journey, and then you enter a desert of forty or fifty miles without water; after which you come to the city of Sassurgan[5], where there are plenty of provisions, and particularly the best melons in the world, which are as sweet as honey.  Passing from thence, we come to a certain city named Batach, Balach, or Balk, which was formerly large and famous, having sumptuous marble palaces, but is now overthrown by the Tartars.  In this city it is reported that Alexander married the daughter of Darius.  The eastern and north-eastern frontiers of Persia reach to this city; but in proceeding between the east and north-east from this place, We found no habitations for two days journey, the inhabitants having endured so many grievances from thieves, that they were compelled to fly to the mountains for safety.  There are many rivers in this country, and much game, and lions are also to be met with.  As travellers can find no food in this part of their journey, they must carry enough with them for two days.  At the end of two days journey, we came to a castle called Thaican, Thalkan, or Thakan, where we saw pleasant fields and abundance of corn.  The mountains to the south of this place are high, some of which contain white salt, so extremely hard that it has to be dug out and broken with iron tools; and the inhabitants, from thirty days journey all around, come here to procure salt, which is of most excellent quality, and is in such amazing quantities, that the whole world might be supplied from these mines.  The other mountains produce abundance of almonds and pistachio nuts.

Going between the east and north-east from hence, the country is fruitful, but the inhabitants are perfidious Mahometans, murderers, thieves, and drunkards.  Their wine is boiled, and truly excellent.  They go bareheaded, except that the men bind a string or fillet, ten handbreadths long, about their heads.  They make breeches and shoes of the skins of wild beasts, and use no other garments.  After three days journey is the town of Scasom[6], seated in a plain, through