CHAPTER XI THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN PASS OF AHUAN
- When fair mom orient in heaven appeared.'
— Milton, Paradise Lost, 6. 524.
The youthful sun, which had been tipping the mountain tops with silver, transmuted its molten stream into a flood of gold as we galloped out on to the plain in a northeasterly direction to- wards the mountain pass of Ahuan, seven farsakhs, or twenty- five miles, distant and two thousand five hundred feet higher than Semnan.i
The road was stony at first, and some of the cobble blocks were of a size that would have made difficult an advance with cavalry; but Alexander may have chosen a somewhat easier route by striking off eastward to avoid the hill-climb altogether, thus passing the village corresponding to the modern Ala on the way to what must have been in ancient times the site of
In character the first five miles of the stretch were level until the gradual ascent began. There were no streams to be crossed ; and the track, in the course of an hour, became so
1 This elevation above Semnan is gave '24 miles' (time occupied in transit
given by Houtum-Schindler, Bouten in not given) ; Curzon (Persia, 1. 256)
Chorassdn, p. 218. The distance to has ' 24 ' miles ; Kennedy (A Journey
Ahuan was calculated by Fraser in Khorassan, p. 16, London, 1891)
{Narrative, p. 309) as ' 26 or 28 miles,' gave the same distance and took 4 hrs.
and occupied eight hours, on Dec. 27, 10 min. My own estimate was nearer
1821 ; Ferrier (Caravan Journeys, p. 30 miles, the time in the transit on the
68) states ' six parasangs — nine hours three journeys being (1) four hours
and a half ' ; Eastwick {Journal, and ten minutes, (2) five hours and
2. 150) reckoned ' about 24 miles ' and fifty minutes, (3) seven hours (the
took nine and a half hours, on Aug. latter at night, and partly at a walk).
17, 1862 ; O'Donovan {Merv, 1. 381) 2 gee below. Chap. XIII.
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