Its imperial master occasionally joins in the outdoor amusements of his harem; indeed, he himself invented a game a few years since, which sounds more original than amusing.

A slide of smooth alabaster about twenty feet long, on an inclined plane, was constructed in one of his bath-houses.

Down this the Shah would gravely slide into the water, followed by his seraglio.

The sight must have been a strange one, the costumes on these occasions being, to say the least of it, scanty! [Illustration: PERSIAN DANCING-GIRL] The Shah's greatest failing is, perhaps, vacillation.

He is constantly changing his mind, on trifling matters chiefly, for his northern neighbours take care that he is more consistent in affairs of state.
Two or three times, between his visits to Europe in 1871 and 1889, he has started with great pomp and a large retinue for the land of the "Farangi," but, on arrival at Resht, has returned to Teheran, without a word of warning to his ministers, or apparent reason for his sudden change of plans.