First Grain of Sand — Page 31
JOURNEY TO THE U. S. S. R. 15 ground. While I did not lie down myself, the absence of water created anxiety within me about our current predicament, but I kept marching forward. That is when I noticed someone up ahead who was quickly approaching on a camel, carrying a supply of water. When he neared, I asked him for water, which he provided me. I then pointed back at my companion, and he quickly went to Shahzadah Abdul Majidra and gave him water as well. He then placed us upon his camel and transported us to the watering sta- tion, where we were able to replenish our supply of clean water. And thus, by the grace of God Almighty, we were able to com- plete this arduous journey. Therefore, the three of us reached Mashhad—a major city in Iran-on 16 October 1924. Upon arrival, I came down with typhoid fever and was admitted into a local British run hospi- tal for treatment. After five days in this city, Shahzadah Abdul Majidra departed in order to make it to his final destination in the Iranian capital, Tehran, where he could begin his assignment. After 25 days, Maulawi Mohammad Amin Khan felt it appropriate to proceed alone towards our ultimate destination of Bukhara to discover the conditions of the Soviet city and keep me updated in Mashhad. For this reason, on 6 November 1924, he left Mashhad for Bukhara. In Mashhad, I was under the medical care of a doctor named Dimry, who was a follower of the Zoroastrian religion and took care of me with great kindness. Those days, I would make my own meals as a normal practice, but under the doctor's instructions, for fifteen days I was restricted to only a glass of milk in the morning and evening, along with water as needed.