A´I´N 63.
THE HARNESS OF CAMELS.

The following articles are allowed for kháçah camels:—an Afsár (head stall); a Dum-afsár, (crupper); a Mahár kát' (furniture resembling a horse-saddle, but rather longer,—an invention of His Majesty); a kúchí (which serves as a saddle-cloth); a Qaṭárchí; a Sarbchí;* a Tang (a girth); a Sartang a (head-strap); a Shebband (a loin-strap); a Jalájil (a breast rope adorned with shells or bells); a Gardanband (a neckstrap); three Chádars (or coverings) made of broadcloth, or variegated canvass, or waxcloth. The value of the jewels, inlaid work, trimmings, and silk, used for adorning the above articles, goes beyond description.

Five qaṭárs of camels, properly caparisoned, are always kept ready for riding, together with two for carrying a Mihaffah, which is a sort of wooden turret, very comfortable, with two poles, by which it is suspended, at the time of travelling, between two camels.

A camel's furniture is either coloured or plain. For every ten qaṭárs, they allow three qaṭárs coloured articles.

For Bughdís, the cost of the [coloured] furniture is 225¾ d., viz., a head­stall studded with shells, 20½ d.; a brass ring, 1½ d.; an iron chain, 4½ d.; a kallagí (an ornament in shape of a rosette, generally made of peacock's feathers, with a stone in the centre), 5 d.; a pushtpozí (ornaments for the strap which passes along the back), 8 d.; a dum-afsár (a crupper), 1½ d.; for a takaltú (saddle quilt) and a sarbchí, both of which require 5 sers of cotton, 20 d.; a jul (saddle-cloth), 68 d.; a jaház i gajkárí,* which serves as a mahárkát' (vide above), 40 d.: a tang, shebband, gulúband (throat-strap), 24 d.; a ṭanáb (long rope) for securing the burden—camel-drivers call this rope ṭáqah ṭanáb, or kharwár—38 d.; a báláposh, or covering, 15 d.*

For Jammázahs, two additional articles are allowed, viz., a gardanband, 2 d.; and a sínah band (chest-strap), 16 d.

The cost of a set of plain furniture for Bughdís and Jammázahs amounts to 168½ d., viz., an afsár, studded with shells, 10 d.; a dum-afsár, ½ d.; a jaház, 16½ d.; a jul, 52½ d.; a tang, a shebband, and gulúband, 24 d.; a ṭáqah ṭanáb, 37½ d.; a báláposh, 28 d.*

For Loks, the allowance for furniture is 143 d., viz., an afsár, jaház, kharwár, according to the former rates; a jul, 37½ d.; a tang, shebband, gulúband, 14½ d.; a báláposh, 28 d.*

The coloured and plain furniture is renewed once in three years, but not so the iron bands and the wood work. In consideration of the old coloured furniture of every qaṭár, sixteen dáms, and of plain furniture, fourteen dáms, are deducted by the Government. At the end of every three years, they draw out an estimate, from which one-fourth is deducted; then after taking away one-tenth of the remainder, an assignment is given for the rest.*

'Alafí camels (used for foraging) have their furniture renewed annually, at the cost of 52½ d. for countrybred camels and loks, viz., [for countrybred camels] an afsár, 5 d.; a jul, 36½ d; a sardoz, ½ d.; a tang, and a shebband, 10¾ d.;* and [for loks], an afsár, a tang, and a shebband, as before; a jul, 45¾ d.; a sardoz, ¾ d.

From the annual estimate one-fourth is deducted, and an assignment is given for the remainder.

Shalítah ṭáṭs, or canvass sacks, for giving camels their grain, are allowed one for every qaṭár, at a price of 30¾ d. for bughdís and jammázahs, and 24½ d. for loks.

Hitherto the cost of these articles had been uniformly computed and fixed by contract with the camel-drivers. But when in the forty-second year of the divine era [1598 A. D.], it was brought to the notice of His Majesty that these people were, to a certain extent, losers, this regulation was abolished, and the current market price allowed for all articles. The price is therefore no longer fixed.

On every New Year's day, the head camel-drivers receive permission for shearing the camels, anointing them with oil, injecting oil into the noses of the animals, and indenting for the furniture allowed to 'Alafí camels.