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lashed at the ankle of the supervisor so hard that the whole bone broke
into fragments and his instep was joined to the ventral part of the knee. He then asked whether this sufficed or should he go on. The supervisor was taken within the presence of Khwarazmshah, who had, meanwhile, relented. He commanded that the supervisor be administered the momya'i presented by the Turkoman. The supervisor was cured. I saw him mounted on a horse a year later with a falcon in his hand. But he could not walk naturally and had to use a stick as a prop. It is said about the genuine-ness of moinya'i that it should be dissolved in sharp vinegar and applied as a poultice upon a liver torn (from
an animal). It should then be agitated by means of a knife. If it does not flow, it is genuine. Some people cut off the leg of a fowl and apply it upon the leg. Everything that is rare gains in respect and people perform experiments to test its power and potency. Among the rare articles is a simple drug from India-Shalajit. Some
have said it is shalajmah, which is a fish found in the Indian Ocean. It is very difficult to catch it. Its skin is kept in a jar and is used for joining bones which is amazing. When cleaned and kept in the sun, it becomes reddish like honey. There are many statements on its characteristics and properties. Some have said that when mountain goats climb mountains in a state of frenzy, they urinate in the holes that give off foul smell. Light blackens the urine and the viscous liquid becomes pitch-like and oily. This is shalajit. The same thing has been said with respect to onagers (gurkhars). This is the reason why in Persian (shalajit) is called gur kumiz. According to Ibn Durayd, sarin is the onager urine which contracts and is used in medicines. Some people believe it to be the "perspiration" of the mountains accumulating in orifices. The physicians of India prefer the Shalajit 110 that is blackish and has the smell of urine of the cow. Once Abu Nasr had reached the extremity of Nahrawala 111 in connection with some affair. He made attempts at gleaning information
about shalajit. He wrote in a letter: I was in a village in the south of Sind. I saw some people who had
brought shalajit in leather pouches. The (people of the village) thronged around them for purchasing this article. On enquiry from me, the people pointed to a mountain in the west which is searched in places which are difficult to Scale. They find it clinging to rocks in the manner of the gum which clings to the tree. Only God prospers and assists. SNAKE-SHELL
Kharaz al-hayat (the snake-shell) is called mar muhrah (also snake-
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