T R A V E L S

KOORD I STAN , ME SOP OTAMIA ,

8 m .

INC LUDING

AN ACCOUNT OF PARTS OF THOSE COUNTRIES

H ITHERTO UNV ISITED BY EUROPEANS .

W ITH

S K E T C H E S O F T H E C HARAC T E R AND MANN E RS

OF THE

KOORD ISH AND ARAB TR IBE S .

BY J . BAILLIE!FRASER, E SQ .

x

AUTHOR OF

THE KUZZILBASH ,

”A WINTER’

S JOURNEY TO PERSIA, ETC .

IN TWO VOLUME S .

VOL . I .

L O N D O N

R ICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET,in QBr

‘

ainary to fist Ma jwty .

1 8 40 .

LONDON

P lt l l 1) BY S AMUEL B ENTLEY,

Ba ngo r House, Shoe Lane .

C O NTE NT S

T H E F I R S T V O L U M E .

LETTER I.

Causes of protracted Stay.— Hea lthy Clim a te of Tabreez .

—It s

Environs and Aspect .—Gardens .

— Fruits.—Yeilaks .—Prosperity.

Causes ofi—Trade.—Mahom ed Meerza—his Court . -Causes of

its Dulness .—The Kaym ookfim—his Chara cter and Pow er.

Visit to his Excellency.—Changes in our socia l Circle.

—Visit tothe Prince Roya l. —Sum m ary Ca stigation . Page 1

LETTER II.

Travelling Reflections and Prepara tions . —Dinner W ith the Kaym ookéin .

—Details of a n E stablishm ent for Guest s .—Habits of a

Minister of Sta te.— Rocket Practice—Leave Tabreez .

—Deeza

Kha leel. -Tessouj e. 7

LETTER III.

Selm as .-Russian Policy.

—Kara-kishlac.—Sport ive Dam sels.

Kereem abad.— Pla in of Ooroom ia .

—Agricultura l Im provem ent .

Enter the City.—Nej eff Koolee Khan .

—Pa la ce and handsom e

Apartm ent - City of Ooroom ia .— Fortified Houses—Arm enian

Church. Nestorian Christians their Country. Hakkaree

Koords .—Other Tribes .—Meer of Rew andooz .

— Journey of Dr .

V CONTENTS .

Boss to that Chiefi—Contra st betw een Turkish and Koordish

Villages—Dum dum .—Rew andooz .

-Character of the People.

Dress .—Manners .—Blindness of the old Mew —Brothers of the

Meer.—Superstitions. -Inhospita lity.—Fierceness and Bravery.

Law s and Justice of the Meer.—Sum m ary Punishm ent .—Arm yin the Field.

—Capture of Accra .—Subm ission of Am adia .

—Dr.

Ross goes to the Meer’s Cam p—his Appearance and Conversat ion—his Cam p.

—Dr. Ross returns to Baghdad—Character of theMeer.

—Specula tions on the m odes of proceeding. Page 46

LETTER IV.

Leave Ooroom ia .—Koordish Costum e and Weapons .

—Dusht-e

Beel.— Ugly Custom ers.—Koordish Mounta ins—Pla in of Ooshnoo .

— Sum ud Khan and his Establishm ent - Antiquity of the

Koords— com pared w ith the highland Clan s — State of Country .

-A Disappointm ent . —Ooshnoo .—Depopul ation .

—Bufl'

a loes .

Koords on Horseback .—Fishing.—New Mode of Ca tching Q ua ils .

—Leave Ooshn oo .—Blood Feuds .

—Sugger§ m Seyeds .—Negotia

tions for a safe Conduct—Successful Fishing—Koords a t Prayer.-Kara Papfiks and Bilb

’

a s Koords—Threatening Appearances .Bustards .

—A churlish Reception .—Retreat to a Caravansera i.

A hospitable Koord.— A Disappointm ent .— Piscatory Adven

tures. 8 4

LETTER V.

The Khan’

s Arriva l—his Lineage—Changed Condition of the

Koords—Over Taxation .—A Ba ttle Roya l, and a choice Morsel .

—My Hosts—Dom estic Manners of the Koords—of the Grea tof the Ladies.—Discrepancy of Report s—Leave Souje Bulagh .

Beirfim .—Obstinacy of Guards.—Hussun Aga .

—Fa ce of the

Country . Pa s s of Soonas, and Descent .—Nistan . Villageevening Mea l and Custom .

—A spect of the Mounta in s and Rideto Seradusht . -Abdool-Sum ud Khan .

—Dearth of Gra in.—Magni

ficent Scenery.-A scent of Hoom eel.— Ford the Aksu.

—Akoorta .

CONTENTS .

Bivouac. Autum na l Tints . Bury ing Grounds . NezerKerdehs .

—Koordish Superstitions—Pla in of Suleim aniah.—Tow n .

—Our Lodging. Page 1 10

LETTER VI.

Fa te of Suleim aniah.—Condition of the Pa shah .

—His Conversation.— Fire-proof Seyeds .

—The City.—Burying Grounds —A

Widow .—Take Leave of the Pa shah .

—Another Disappointm ent .

—Sheherazoor.—The Serteep Khan .

—A Koordish Guide .— Cross

the Mounta ins .—Karadagh.

—Jew s .—Koords deficient in im agina

tive Superstition .—Explana tion ofNezer Kerdehs .

—Jaffs and Ha

m adaw und Tribes. -Derbend of the Sugram ah Pa ss—A Glim pse ofAssyria .

- Zhallah.—A Dw arfiw Me/zm a nddree.

—A stony Country .—A fine Oak—Selim Aga .

—Koordish Chief's—The A ssyrianEm pire.

—Rustum Aga .— Genera l Characteristics of the Koords .

Kufri.—Change ofManners a s Well a s of People. 1 47

LETTER VII.

Karateppeh.—An A larm .

—Ham rine H ills .—Adinakew y and

Joongeer Aga .—Arab Guides— and Camps .

-Anxiety.— Tra ces

of form er Prosperity .—Hup-hup .

— Desert Pa rtridges .—Pla in of

Baghdad.

“ N W

— Unplea sant Intelligence.—Ba

_

ghdad beleagueredStoppage at the Gate

M

—Rea ch the Residency.

LETTER VI I I .

Charm s of Rest . -First Im pressions of Baghdad.-Wa lls .

Streets .—Houses .

—River and it s Banks—Ba za ars and Ma rkets .

—Buckingham —Descriptive Extra ct from his Work—Mosquesand Minarets .

—Priva te Houses — Dom estic Scenes and Mann ers .

-Turkish Wom en .— Persona l Appearance —Custom of Ta ttooing

the Skin .-G

‘reorgian Fem a les—their Children difficult to rear.

Popula tion of Baghdad.—Costum e—ln the Tim e of Da ood Pa shah .

-Military.-Ba za ars .

— Cook Shops .—Apa thy of Turkish Mer

vi C ONTENTs

chant s . -Arabs their Costum e .— Loud Speaking .

— Noises of

Baghdad. Page 2 10

LETTER IX.

Causes of the present ruin of Baghdad—Plague appears in

the City—it s Progres s .—The Resident quit s Baghdad.

—Mr. Grovesdeclines a ccom panying him — Progress of the Pestilence .

—The

Wm ! through the Wa ll and inunda tes the City.—Seven

thousand Houses fa ll a t once, fifteen thousand Person s buried.

The Pa shah’

s Distres s .— Caravans overtaken by the Flood.

Inunda tion aba tes, and a lso the Disea se .—Mr. Groves

’

s Fam ilya tta cked—his Wife and Child carried off— Instances of sw eepingMorta li ty: andCauses thereofi— Ef’fect s of the Pestilence in otherPla ces — Baghdad after the Plague—Tw o m ore Plagues in a s

m any Years—Mort a lity a t Bussora . 233

LETTER X .

Politica l Consequences of the Plague.—Displea sure of the Porte

a t-D

‘

a

-ood Pa shah .

—Capidj ees and Firm auns .—Danish Efi’endi— is

m urdered by the Pa shah’

s Orders - The Pa shah’

s Terrors—Alleeappointed Pa shah of Baghdad — The City besieged—The Pa shahgives him self up .

—The City t rea cherously delivered up .—Da ood

sent to Constantinople .—Mea sures pursued by Allee— Murder

of the Georgian s— and of Sa leh Beg—Chara cter of Allee Pa

shah ’s Governm ent . 25 5

LETTER XI.

Appearance of the City w ithin and w ithout theWa lls—Politicsofthe Pa shah.

— The Jerboah Arabs— they invest the City— Retrea t .—The Aneiza Arabs called i i i— dism issed by the Pa shah— theyrefuse to retire— and invest the City - Engagem ent betw een thePa shah

’

s Troops a nd Allies w ith the Aneiza—the form er defea ted,

and the Jerboah Sheikh s la in .—All the neighbouring Popula tion

CO NTENTS . vfi

driven w ithin the Wa lls .-White A s ses and Black Slaves .

Fem a le Costum es and Apartm ents .— Jew els .

— Occupa tions .

Visits .— Voices .

—Genera l Conduct and Character . Page 26 8

LETTER XII .

Visit to the Pa shah— his Appearance.—Murderous Pa ssages .

The Kiayah a nd his officers — Glam our of Servant s for Present s .—The Pa shah

’

s Credul ity regarding the Tran sm uta tion of Meta ls .— An adr oit Adept and successful Experim en t — Dervi shestheir three Cla s ses—the Collegia te— the Endem ic— the Peripa tetic .

— Story of Ma am oon-ul-Mustapha .—Visit to the invulnerable

Dervishes— their Tricks and Im positions .—Visit to the Shrine

of Sheikh Abdul Kader. The “ Alsa tia of Baghdad.— The

Nuqeeb— and Shrine.

—The Rom an Ca tholic Church and Vicar.

28 9

LETTER XI I I .

The City invested by the Aneiza —All Travellers plundered.

Turbulent Sta te of the Shrines and Sanctuaries—Rea son s thereof.-Excesses of the Yerrim -m ases . -Dea th of the Shah of Persia .

—R0ads consequently Unsafe .— Report s .

— Quarrel w ith the Ageil .History of the Ageil their Sett lem ent in Baghdad re

quired by the Pa shah to qui t it .—They refuse to m o ire - The

Tribe m usters .-The Bridge is cut and firing begins a cross the

Riven—Various Reports — Continuedfight ing— Applica tion for theResident ’s Boa t— the Turks m uster and m an her— and thus drawa fire upon the Residency.

— The Boa t a t length taken a cross —The

troops land—A Rush m ade a cros s the Bridge .—Uproar and Pil

lage—Night fa lls — Rum ours and Report s . —Plunder.—The Ageil

quit the Tow n .—Loss of Troops—their A trocities . 3 1 7

LETTER XIV .

Arriva l of SheikhWaddee and Solym aun Gunnum .—Visit to the

scene of Com ba t .—Appea rances .

—Cam p of the Zobeid Arabs .

CONTENTS .

Appearance, Arm s,&c .—Stea ling Horses—and Consequences.

Cam p of the Ha itahs .—A Boa ster. -New s from Persia .-Three

Kings of Brentford.—Reports from Tabreez .

-The Aneiza de

cam p.—The Pa shah’

s Arrangem ents—Baghdad Police and Justice.

-More Reports from Persia—SheikhWaddee.—Kauzem ein.

Page 337

LETTER XV.

Arab Tribes of Mesopotam ia —Arab Chara cter and Ta stes .

Blood Feuds .—Arab Revenge.

—The Va le ofWom en .—Extra cts

from the Journa l of a Traveller.—Toorkom ans of the Euphrates .

Ben-i—Saeed Arabs .-Ham et-ul-Kha leel . -The Wom en ugly.

Ul-Fadhee Arabs of Racca . Loud Ta lkers . Jungle Arabs .

—Decam ping and Encam ping.— D ifference betw een Jungle or

Fellah, and Bedooeen Arabs —The Golden Days of Plunder.Pow er of the Sheikhs and their Fam ilies . 354

TRAVE L S

KOORDISTAN AND MESOPOTAMIA.

LETTE R I .

Causes of protra cted stay a t Tabreez ,—Hea lthy clim ate of that

pla ce—It s environ s and a spect .— Garden s .— Fruit .—Yeilaks .Prosperity.

— Causes of. Trade . Mahom ed Meerza . His

court .-Causes of it s dulnes s .

— The Kaym ookam .— H is cha

ra cter and pow er.—Visit to the Prince Roya l.—Sum m a ry

ca stiga tion .

Tabreez , 4th October 1 8 34.

DEAR

I NE ED sca rcely a po logize fo r the.c o m pa ra

t ive length of t ime tha t ha s e la psed betw een the

da tes of my la st a nd present letter , no r fo r the c on

c isenes s o f the former communica t ion . You wel l

know the la s s itude which succeeds a ny long sus

ta ined effort of body or mind ; a nd, in my ca se, bo th

were so j aded by the t ime I rea ched this pla ce, tha tfor m a ny days I could do li tt le but enjoy the repo sewhich i t a ffo rded m e, a nd the so cia l com forts to

VOL. I. B

2 SWEETS OI! REPOSE .

which the soul , like a long bent bow , flew ba ck with

double zest . I revelled in the full sense o f liberty

a nd secur ity, and rejo iced in the kindness and ho s

p i ta lity of the m any friends who w ere ga thered here

together . Our days n ow flow on in pea ce, undis

turbed by m any ca uses of excitement , a lthough some

such do o cca s io na l ly o ccur— a nd, like the seama n

fresh from a voyage of ha rdship a nd a da ngerous

shipwreck, I luxuria te in this quiet though pa s s ive

enjoym ent , a nd shr ink a l itt le from the a pproa ch

ing necess ity of o nce m ore getting into a ct ion . My

horses , poor brutes , I ha ve n o doubt do more than

pa rt icipa te in these sedenta ry t a stes , a s they a re , in

fa ct , the grea t cause of so long a n indulgence ; fo r

unti l they get into s ome thing like condition , their

ma ster canno t mo ve . No r a re my servan ts , worn

out with the Ghilanee fever, a bit mo re des irous to

disturb the repo se they enj oy , tha n the m a ster they

serve, o r the bea s ts they tend .

Were I to select a spo t the best ca lcula ted fo r this

renova t ing proces s— fo r the reco very o f hea lth , o r

for its preserva t ion ,— I know n o t tha t I could hi t

upon any more suited to the purpo se tha n T abreez a t

this sea son, o r, indeed, a t a ny sea so n , so fa r a s I a mawa re . A brighter sky a nd purer a ir tha n tho sewhich the inhabitants of this town a nd i ts envi

ron s brea the a nd l ive under, c an sca rcely be found .

T o m e i t seem s a s if there truly w a s hea lth in thebreeze ”

tha t blows a round m e . In fa ct , the occas iona l exces s o f this breeze is a bout the only drawba ck here to comfort , s o fa r a s a tmo spheric influenceis concerned , fo r the tempera ture is deligh tful . The

C L IMATE OF TABREEZ . 3

sun w ould be ho t during the middle pa rt o f the day ,

but tha t this breeze co o ls his a rdours effectua lly ;a nd w e mus t fo rgive the clo uds o f dus t which itra i ses , even though they blind a nd choke the un

fortuna tes whom bus ines s fo rces to go o ut duringthe preva lence o f the ga le .

During the months o f June, July, a nd Augus t , thehea t in the town i tse lf is no doubt cons iderable ; butSeptember relieves the inha bit ants in pa rt, a nd O ctober, a t t imes , is a ctua lly co ld . Bo th hea t a nd

co ld a re dry a nd who les ome, qui te un like the s t ifling

a lterna t ion s which render Tehra n and i ts environ sso unhea lthy in summer ; a nd the even ings a nd

m orn ings a re a t a ll t imes hea ven ly . Wha t skies !wha t pure, bri lliant e ther ! It is a delight to

escape from the confinement of the mud wa lls a nd

dusty lanes o f the city, even to the broken groundbeyond them but you ha ve no need to linger in themo s t d isgust ing pa rt of the environs of a ll orienta l

ci t ies , the immedia te vicin ity o f the wa lls , wherepits a nd ho llows , a nd irregula rit ies of every s o rt,

burying-grounds wi th their moulder ing t ombstones

a nd yawn ing gra ves , ruined wa lls a nd hea ps o f

rubbish , a nd ca rrion a nd a bomina t ions o f a ll de

s crip tions con spire to sicken the pa s senger, a nd

where the hurrying to and fro o f mules a nd a sses ,

y a boos , horses , and camels, lo aded a nd unloaded,with their rude riders a nd ruder dri vers, obs truct

and perplex the pa ths —no , get through a ll this a s

fa st a s you c an , a nd by the sho rtes t w ay , taking a ll

po ssible ca re tha t you fa ll int o no ho le , s lip fro m no

trea cherous bridge into the wa tercourse below , nor get

B 2

4 A V IEW OF TABREEZ .

lo st in the la byrinth o f broken enclosures into which

y ou plunge , with intent to extrica te yourse lffrom some

interminable s tring o f camels o r j a cka s ses , - lo aded

with weeds fo r fue l . If y ou succeed, y ou wil l pro

bably find yourse lf on a fine ha rd open pla in, where

y ou m ay give your ho rse the re in, a nd permit his

pent-up spirits , like your ow n , to ha ve free scope ,a nd expa t ia te in the m ighty spa ce a ro und y ou .

Then pa use a s y ou cro w n some gen t le a cclivi ty, and

ca st a ba ckwa rd gla nce on the busy scene y ou ha vequitted— o u the thronged city— the a bode o f so

m uch human pa ss io n a nd human w o e— with i tslit tle sprinkling o f ha ppines s , l ike the sea son ing of ata s tele ss o r bitter dish .

And a fa ir and plea sa n t s igh t , with a ll i ts fa ults ,

y ou will confes s T a breez to be , a s y ou ga ze upon i tfrom s ome l i ttle height to the ea s twa rd o r no rth ,j us t fa r enough remo ved to lo se the sense o f its

mea n m ud-built hou ses , a nd the imperfect ions o f

its i ll-kept wa lls , i ts o ld a rk , a nd one o r tw o mina rets towering a bo ve the mingled m a s s of buildingsa nd trees ; for there are severa l ga rden s within the

pla ce, a nd a perfect fo res t of o rcha rds enve lopei t on a ll s ides , s tretching fa r beyond i ts precinctsinto the pla in . Then the wel l-known red hi lls ,w ith the mo re dis tant peaks tha t tower a bovethem , a nd the blue m ounta ins tha t skirt LakeShahee on the no rth , a nd the lofty cres ts of Sahund,s t i ll spot ted with snow a nd gilt a nd empurpled bythe rays o f the setting sun ,

which a lso edge s wi thflame a m a ss o f low clouds res t ing o n the dis ta ntlake a ll this , mellowed a nd ha rmonized by the so ft

GARDENS AND FRU IT.

mysterious ha ze of the hour, fo rm s a pa noramic picture which , though deficien t in the rich luxuriantbea uty peculia r t o m o re wes tern climes , po s sesses ,I a s sure you, a sublimity a nd expa ns ive gra ndeur o fi ts ow n , which must s trike with admira t ion every

unprejudiced observer o f na ture .

The ga rdens o f T abreez a re a no ther plea santa nd ferti le resource fo r the indwellers o f the city, fo rtheir co llect i ve extent i s immen se, a nd there a re m anyo f la rge s ize, to which a cces s is ea s ily obta ined and

if one is fond of fruit he m ay indulge , for the meres tt rifle , to the fullest excess . Give the Baghwan , o rkeeper o f the ga rden , but a s ingle saheb kerdu

va lue o ne Engli sh shilling, and ha lf a do zen of y ou

m ay reve l i n the fines t pea ches , the j uicies t nectar ines , the

‘mo st luscious grapes , pea rs tha t vie with

if they do no t surpa s s in fla vour, the fines t Ja rgo

nelle o r Bon Chrétien , o r Gloux-mo rcea ux , or any

o ther o f the m o st celebra ted kinds of Euro pe ; a s

for melons of the r iches t sorts , they a re a drug.

Fruit in T abreez , a s genera lly throughout Per5 1a ,is , in fa ct , so plent iful a nd chea p, tha t i t form s a

grea t po rtio n o f the fo od o f the commo n people ,

w ho ea t it in qua nt it ies tha t would m ake a ny o f us

in les s pro lific coun tries s ta re : fo r ins tance , a Per

sian thinks no thing o f ea t ing tw o m a uns— tha t is ,fourteen pounds ’ weight o f either common o r wa ter

melon— a nd scra pe the ir skins clea n to o . Now ,

ca lcula t ing the seeds a nd offa l a t a third, the re

m a inder wi ll be a pre tty sufficien t a llowance fo r o ne

individua l . H ow the ir s toma chs c a n conta in a nd

retain so mons trous a burthen of crude vegeta ble

6 E FFECTS o r EXCESS .

m a tter, it i s difficult to comprehend but it i s often

no t with impun i ty . The insulted a nd o vertaxed

o rgan frequent ly gets sulky, and refus es to performi ts office, a nd the gormandizer is pun ished for hisexcess by a surfe it, which termina tes in a severefever . Exces s in food, pa rticula rly in fruit, i s , int ruth , a chief cause o f a ll the i l lnes s which preva i ls

here—for even this fa voured spo t is fa r from be ing

exempted from the commo n doom ; people do get il land die here, a s in a ll o ther pa rts of this terrestria l

globe, a nd perhaps there is no more pregn ant cau seo f such a ffl ict ions tha n over indulgence in ea t ing.

In Pers ia , I am'

sure it is so ; fo r though the Pers ians a re genera lly tempera te in their habits , theyone and a ll a re given to o cca s iona l exces s , and princea nd pea sa nt suffer a like in this w ay fro m

’

the mo stdi sgust ing debauches . It is no t ma ny months s incethe King nea rly m ade an end of him se lf, by pers isting in devouring qua n t i t ies of a pa rt icula r fa vouritesoup ; a nd on my w a y from Khora san , one o f my

gua rds, being furnished gra t is—tha t is , a!. my ex

pense, —w ith plenty of go od cheer, a te, tw o n ightsrunn ing, a quant ity of p illa w sufficient for five

hea rty m en ; the consequence w a s an i llness , fro mwhich I doubt if he ever reco vered . In l ike m a nner

tw o o f my ow n serva n ts bro ught on a fever a t

Resht , by immodera te gluttony a t a fea s t whichthey m ade wi th m oney I ha d given them . I couldgive m any o ther instances wi thin m y ow n kno wledge, but the deta i l would be disgus ting .

T o inva lids a cha nge o f a ir i s a s es sent ia l a s

medicine , more s o indeed, I should say , j udging

C HANGE OF AIR.

from persona l experience, even were i t from a fine

a tmo sphere to ano ther intrins ica l ly less good . The

inhabitants of T abreez a re blessed with the mean s

of such a s a luta ry change , perhaps beyond mos t

o thers , for i ts neighbo urho od a bounds in delightful

mounta in a bodes , where a ssuredly the a ir i s o f a n

unr iva lled freshnes s a nd purity . About seven fursucks , o r twenty-five miles , s outhwa rd, in the m o unta ins o f Sahund , there i s a village ca lled Leewan ,

w hich gives its name to a plea sa nt va l ley in which

run s a fine clea r moun ta in s tream . Perhaps no t

the lea s t recommenda tion of this retrea t is the finet rout with which this s trea m is tolera bly stored, a nd

which a ffo rd bo th plea s an t pa s t ime and fo od to

tho se w ho seek its ba nks a nd hither do the Englishpa rty often repa ir a nd pitch their ten ts in a clima tea s cool a nd bra cing a s tha t of the moun ta ins of Sco tland o r ofWa les . Then in another d irect ion there isthe Chum m un, o r na tura l pa sture of Ooj aun, wherethe roya l camp w a s wont t o be pitched, a nd wherethe brood m ares o f the pr ince a re n ow kept ; andthere is Serab, a n e leva ted tra ct on the road to

Ardebeel, with its fine t rout s tream ; a nd the noblehighla nd d is tricts of Kha lkha l a nd Miskeen , if y ou

wish to go further a -field. In short, I lo ok uponT abreez t o be the bes t s itua ted, a s i t is in point of

fa ct the firs t, of Pers ia n cit ies ; fo r though Ispa ha nundoubtedly co vers infini tely more ground , the princ ipa l pa rt of tha t a ncient ca pita l is a m a ze o f ruins,amongs t which the rem a in ing popula t ion is thinly

sca ttered , a nd there i s a bo ut it a n a ir o f decay a nd

fa l len s ta te w hich is exceedingly depressing. T a

8 PROSPER ITY OF TABREEZ.

breez, on the con tra ry , i s a city which is every dayimproving , a nd its popula t ion increa s ing ; there a re

few o r no ruins in it , but y ou consta nt ly see the

streets blocked up with the m a ter ia ls fo r building

o r repa iring houses , a nd there reigns in it a n a ir

o f hustle and pro sperity which , except in Tehra n,

you observe nowhere in Pers ia , a nd no t even there,to the same extent .

F a r be it fro m m e to ins inua te tha t this pro speri ty

ha s its o rigin in a ny uncommon a dva ntage der ived

from a bet ter sys tem o f government ; in tha t re

spect neither T abreez in pa rt icula r, no r Azerbij a un

in genera l , ha s much cause fo r rej o icing beyo nd the

rest o f the country . Abba s Meerza did indeed

m ake some progress in fixing the revenues o f the

province upon a sys tema t ic sca le, a nd , while he

res ided here, in enforcing their co llect io n, but a s

suredly the welfa re or pro sperity of the Ryo ts were

but seconda ry objects of his cons idera t ion , a nd

t hough , while he admin istered a ffa irs in person ,there might be les s o f a rbitra ry exa ct ion , everyv i llage w a s taxed t o the utmost it could wel l bea r.

Since the t ime he left the province, however, a nd

devo ted himself to the subjuga t ion o f Kho ra s a n , his

go vernmen t of Azerb ij aun , subjected to the tyra nnyo f his bro thers , w ho were left in cha rge , had, Hea venknows , litt le t o congra tula te it self o n , n o r had e ithercit izens o r villagers much cau se to rej o ice in the

tender me rcies o f these princes .

No, T abreez owes its compa ra t ive pro sperity totha t grea t engine o f civiliza t io n ,

impro vemen t ,a nd enrichment, commerce . It is the grea test

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 0 ATTRACTION S o r TABREEZ .

so fa r a s Grea t Brita in is concerned, i s yet in itsinfa ncy .

I fear I must ha ve wearied you wi th this de

sca nt” o n T a breez , but I ha ve done —y 0u need fea r

no elabora te a ccount o f its public bui ldings , fo r itha s none worth describing. The o ld a rk o r ci tadel ,perhaps the work o f Ca liph Ha ro on-ul-Ra sheed,frowns in ruins o ver the modern city, a nd the re

m a ins of a n ancien t m o sque or tw o a re a ll tha t a re

seen bes ides from the top of i ts ba ttlements , which

comma nd a mo s t extens i ve view . , Perhaps one of

the most va lua ble a ttra ct ion s of T abreez is , it s c om

pa ra t ively clo se vicin ity to Europe, a nd the fa cilityit a ffo rds o f getting ra pidly out of the land of

Payn imrie” into Chr ist ia n coun tries ; fo r a run of

four hundred miles , to T cflis , pla ces y ou in E u

ropean so ciety a nd ma nners ; a journey but littlelonger wil l ca rry you to Trebizond, from whence a

snug ves sel m ay wa ft y ou e ither to Con stant inopleo r to England ; a nd if you a ffect the speed a nd comforts o f a Ta ta r trip, the ro ad by E rzero on

g.through

A s ia M inor is open , a nd you m ay rea ch the fa irestcity o f Islam a t a rea sona ble expense of t ime, money,a nd bodily fa t igue . T o m e , I confess, tha t thesefa cilit ies were n o trifl ing recommenda t ion , a s I hopein n o long t ime to profit by them , o n my return toEngla nd . Engla nd ! home ! wha t a thri ll do thesetw o litt le words produce in every ve in ! wha t a sud

den impulse do they give the blo od whenever Ithink o n them ! Let the m a n w ho growls a t the

fa ncied evils a nd pet ty a nnoya nces tha t meet himthere, a nd to which , like every child o f Adam , he is

A PRINC E IN THE GOUT . 1 1

heir, uproot himself fro m his n a t ive s o il, quit the

comforts of his home, and ro am a bout fo r a whilein la nds like these, a nd if he does no t lea rn to ha tehis waywa rd petulance, a nd long enthusia s tica lly for

a restora tion to the bless ings he ha s so culpa bly

underva lued, he deserves t o be doomed to perpetua lwander ing a nd ban ishment .

You m ay wonder , perhaps , tha t in a ll this effus ion

a bou t T abreez , I ha ve omi tted saying a wo rd a bout

the young prince who se res idence i t is—the heir

a ppa rent of Pers ia , and his court . The fa ct i s, tha ta t this momen t there is l itt le to be sa id upon the

subject . Almo st ever s ince I cam e here , Ma homed

Meerz a ha s been confined w ith a fit of the gout, a nd

the a rmy is a bsent on the frontiers of Turkey, a nd

w ith i t most of the o fficers w ho would ha ve givenglitter a nd bust le to the court . Gout !” you willexcla im , a prince of Persia in the gout wha t ana bsurd idea , —wha t a n incongruity and so it is , I

gra n t ; for w ith a prince o f Pers ia , o r a ny Pers ian ,

o ne i s apt to a s socia te no t ions o f s lenderness and a c

t ivity , gra cefulnes s a nd capita l ho rsema nship .

‘

The

idea o f a fa t body a nd swo llen legs , seems a bso

lutely foreign to the crea ture. But Ma homed

Meerz a , a lthough only twenty-eight yea rs o f age,

is a ctua lly a very corpulent young m a n, a nd ha s ,

from his m o ther’s family, a heredita ry t a in t of gout ,wh ich ha s unha ppily been ea r ly excited in to a ct ionby the unl im ited indulgence o f an exce llen t a ppc

t ite, fo r the mos t difficult ta sk of hi s roya l high

nes s’

s medica l advisers, is to induce him to be

tempera te in ea ting. Bus iness, too , prevents him ,

1 2 CAUSES FOR DULNESS IN TH E C OURT .

while l iving in ci t ies , from taking tha t ex tent o f

exercise which his n a tura l d ispo s it ion to fulnes s

requires , a nd thus he i s reminded o f his exces ses ,a nd pun ished for them , by a n o cca s iona l sha rp fit of

gout .But there a re other causes which tend to curta i l

the bri llia n cy o f the prince’s court , and of these

poverty is one . He ha s returned from the Kho ra

s an campa igns to a n empty trea sury, and t o find the

resources o f the pro vince , from whence it should be

replenished , exha usted a nd fo resta lled by the a tro

cion s pecula t ion s o f his bro thers , and certa in o ther

individua ls in whom his fa ther had pla ced c o nfi

dence . O f the fo rmer, tw o , n amely, Jeha ngeer

Meerz a , a nd Kho sro o Meerz a , have been sent to

well-merited confinemen t in the fo rtress o f Arde

beel . These young m en a re bo th s o wo rthless tha ttheir ow n m o ther decla red it impos s ible to tel l whichw a s the wors t .

There is a yet mo re curious rea so n fo r the quietn es s o f his court . T he who le rea l power in Azerbij aun is a t this m omen t ves ted in the person o f the

prince’s prime mini ster, Meerz a Abo o l C auss im , to

whom I ha ve a lready introduced you under the

t i t le of Kaym ookam , a nd wi th whom you m ay re

member I had a n in terview a t Muz eenoon . Thismin is ter , a s he i s o ne o f the m o st prominent, is a lsoo ne o f the s tra nges t cha ra cters in a ll Pers ia , no r a re

his m anners a nd a ppea ra nce les s rema rka ble thanhis menta l qua l i ties . Co nce ive a m an o f somewh a tm o re than middle s ize, exceedingly hea vy a nd co r

pulent , wi th much rotundi ty o f paunch , co arse fea

THE KAYMOOKAM. 1 3

tures , sma ll but very prominent eyes , so shorts igh ted a s t o sugges t the idea o f purblindnes s , y et

keen a nd bright witha l ; a grea t ugly mouth ga r

n ished with lo ng, irregula r, prominent , yel low fangs ,which a n hideous habitua l a nd s tupid gape a lways expo ses to view— conce ive a ll these , a nd y ou will s aytha t they do no t compo se a very promi s ing exter io r ;a nd certa in ly the externa l a t tributes o f the Kay m o o

kam would be mo re suita ble to a s tupid village bo o r,tha n to the fi rst s ta tesman o f a n empire . It is truetha t a go od-humoured yet somewha t sa rca s t ic smilea t t imes brigh ten s up the lower pa rt o f his co un

tena nc e , while the upper fea tures a re i llumined by

a quick glance from his glimmering opt i cs ; but t omy a pprehensm n , there is unques t io na bly no thing

in the ou twa rd appea ra nce o f the Kay m o okém to

hera ld the ta lent and shrewdness which it is a s

serted he po s se s ses .

No r a re his dem ea rrour and persona l habits c a l

cula ted to impress strangers , Europea ns a t lea st ,with mo re fa voura ble idea s o f his cha ra cter and

endowmen ts . He ca n be civi l a nd even po lite‘

w hen

i t suits his purpo se, but he ca n be qui te a s impert inent and gro s s ; a nd i t requires a s trong a nd

s teady hand t o restra in him , when his devil temptshim to be inso lent o r a bus ive . Like m any of the

Pers ian grea t , he is a mon s trous ly foul feeder, a nd

his fea ts in devouring melon s a nd cucumbers , a s

commonly rela ted, seem ut terly incredible . I ha vehea rd , fo r ins tance, o f his gobbling up seven m auns ,o r fifty pounds o f melon s a t a s it t ing, and it i s cer

ta in tha t he indulges in this w ay t o such a n excess ,

1 4 THE KAYMOOKAM.

a s t o be for a t ime incapable o f moving. A gen t le

m a n once, in pa ss ing o ver the ground w here his

excel lency had been encamped w ith a milita ry fo rce,t owa rds the Turkish border, observed a tempora ry

tent formed of some spea rs s tuck in the ground a nd

co vered with a few horse—clo ths and grea t coa ts .

On r iding up to see who could be there , he dis

co vered tha t it w a s the minis ter, who, ha ving gorged

so much o f a fa vour ite sort of m elon tha t he could

n o t m o ve, had been pla ced by his a t tendan ts under

this tempora ry she lter, erected fo r the purpose, unt i l

his excellency should be a ble to pro ceed .

As a m an of bus ines s he s tands unequa lled in

public es t ima t ion fo r un iversa l ta lent . He is an

a ble financier ; understa nds , a nd it is a s serted can

regula te a nd comma nd , the reso urces o f the country—is wel l a cqua inted with the condit ion of every

province ; a nd none, they say , comes n ea r him in

knowledge Of fo reign rela t ion s a nd m a nagement o f

fo reign po l icy. But tha t fo r which he is mo s t cele

bra ted—I had a lmo st sa id no torl ous ,— is the a rt of

po lit ica l intrigue , s o much a dmired by Pers ia ns ,a nd , more shame to the age , no t less encouraged in

civi lized Europe ; the a rt , in o ther words , of chea t ing

o thers— Of making them believe wha t the intriguer

des ires , however wide of the truth , to serve his o w npurpo ses— o f deceiving a nd ly ing through thick a nd

thin to compa ss the ends he ha s in view .

No one w ho knows the Kay m o okam expects a wordo f truth from him , a nd thus i t happens , tha t evenw hen the honest gent lem a n m ay find i t his interes tto s t ick to fa cts , he seldom meets wi th credit . Yet

MONOPOLI ZATION OF BUS INESS . 5

it is s trange how ea s ily so wel l-known a dece iver

does manage to crea te the impress ion he des irest o make— m en a re s o ea s i ly gulled with fa ir wo rds .

It is a principle with the Kaym ookam never to

deny a ny one a request , s o tha t he contrives t o

send pet itioners fro m his presence so o thed a nd

con tented, if no t confident ; fo r if you a sk these

very persons how they came to give credit to his

fa ir words , they will reply, “We do n o t believe

them , w e do n ’

t give credit to a word he ha s sa id,”

a nd yet they lea ve him o bvious ly plea sed a nd ele

va ted with this ga seo us food .

Tha t so sys tema t ic a decei ver should expectdecept ion on the pa r t o f o thers i s but na tura l, a nd,a cco rdingly, w e find the Kaym o okam to be the

m o s t suspicious o f morta ls . He c an confide in no

one , and consequen t ly i s forced to perform , o r a t

lea s t to undertake, a ll m anner of bus ines s him self,bo th in gro ss and in deta il . In a ffa irs o f po lit ica l

co nsequence, he w i ll admit o f no pa rt icipa tion o r

a ss is ta nce ; fo r insta nce, no t a soul ha s been pri vy

to wha t ha s pa ssed in the course of certa in im

portan t nego t ia t ions which he ha s been ca rrying

on o f la te w ith the min is ter of Russ ia he rece i ves ,reads , a nd an swers a ll le tters connected wi th themhimse lf. The consequence of this a bsurd monopo ly

is obvious ; n ine-tenths o f a ll tha t should be donei s left una ccomplished, a nd tha t which is done, inspite o f his grea t ta lents a s a wr iter, is imperfect ly

executed . Of a ll his qua l ifica t ions , whether n a tura l

o r a cquired, there is n one, next perhaps to his ta len tsa s a sta tesman , - tha t is, poli tica l intriguer, —ou

1 6 MONOPOLIZATION OF BUS INESS .

which he va lues him self mo re than his skill a t the

pen , bo th in expres s ion a nd in h a ndwrit ing— a

grea t object o f ambit ion to lea rned Pers ia ns . He

cons iders himself the firs t scribe of his day , a nd

freely boa s ts of it : he confes ses him self a persona l

cowa rd .

“ I a m a cowa rd, I admit i t ,”he i s wont

t o say ;“ I ha te your swords a nd guns , a nd fight

ing ; but show m e the m an w ho will match m e a t

the pen : I will fight him a t tha t a s long a s he

plea ses ; a nd, i t is true, the min is ter is by c o n

s t itution ,phys ica lly and polit ica l ly, a cowa rd

never w a s so t imid a morta l , though a t the pen

he'

i s a s bo ld a s a l ion . He is , mo reover, na tura l ly

indo len t— i t is o nly necess i ty tha t s t imula tes him

to a ct ivity . Thu s , when he ha s contri ved to bus t le

through o ne a ffa ir, he is s o del igh ted wi th the

brea thing-t ime it gives him , tha t the applica t ionof some powerful impulse is required t o set him

to work aga in . The increa s ing pres s o f bus ines ss omet imes o verwhe lms him s o tha t he fl ies to his

underoon, o r to his ba th , fo r refuge , and thereendea vours to keep the enemy a t bay t i ll he can

dispo se of the most urgent m a tters . But even therethe ro a r of neglected suito rs will penetra te, a nd hesuddenly esca pes to

,a di s ta nt village to a vo id his

persecuto rs : in va in , they a re a t his heels ; heda shes o ff to a no ther— there i s no res t ; his ow n

people a re const ra ined to j o in the hue a nd c ry , a nd,

wea ried out a nd in despa ir, he a t length re turnsto his ow n qua rters , a nd a ba ndon s hi m self to the

badgering, which can no lo nger be shunned .

The con sequences o f this mi sera ble sys tem a re

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 8 A V i s IT TO THE M IN ISTER .

the ba th . Oh , very well, replied I , “then I

’

m

o ff. I can ’

t wa it here tw o ho urs on the mere

cha nce of see ing your m a ster .

”

But they entrea ted

m e to stay, a s their ma ster would never forgive

them if they permitted m e to go , 850 . a nd promised

tha t I should no t ha ve t o wa it a bove h a lf an hour .

So I followed them into a poor sma ll apa rtmen t ,h a ving a table , wi th s ix o r eight Engl ish cha irsra nged a round it . I had taken the preca ut ion o f

bringing some bus iness to o ccupy m e in ca se o f

detent ion , a nd a fter being thus employed for ha lf

a n hour , a servant brought m e a c a leeo on . I a sked

him when his m a ster w a s coming.

“ In about a n

hour he will come out of the ba th ,‘

replied he .

Then I will wa it no longer,”

sa id I , a nd ro se

to go .

“ No , no , no , excla imed he , ea rnes t ly,“ don ’

t go ; the Kay m o okam will be here in a

few minutes ; s o aga in I sa t down , a nd in a boutfifteen minutes , the bustle of serva nt s a nd shuffling

of s lippers ann ounced the grea t m a n ’

s a ppro a ch .

In the mean t ime , however, the court before

the windows ha d become full o f people Of a ll so rts

a nd degrees , Kha ns , Begs , Moollahs , Meerz a s, m er

cha n ts , so ldiers , pea san ts , mes sengers go ing, a nd

messengers return ing, &c . a ll o f whom had somepe tit ion to present , o r some request to prefer, and toa ll o f whom , with exempla ry pa t ience , d id his Excellency a ddress some compliment o r word of s a luta tion , while , with a pa t ience n o les s pra isewo rthy,did I s tand a t the window wa tching the progresso f this comet with the grea t ta il . At length, hiseye fel l o n m e, a nd incont inen tly did there issue

INTERRUPTIONS . 1 9

fro m his mouth a who le vo l ley o f compliments a nd

inquiries in the Pers ia n fa shion , with ma ny a ssura nces tha t “ my pla ce had lo ng been empty ;tha t “ I had brought light to his eyes , a nd tha t“ he had a thousa nd things to s ay to m e . He

then entered the ro om , sca ttering compliments l ikeflo w ers on a ll s ides , to o k a cha ir, o rdering a no therto be pla ced nea r his ow n fo r m e— ma de a ll the

wo rld s it dow n ; turned to m e, a nd, taking a ro l lo f pa per from a secreta ry, bega n ins ta nt ly to writeupon it fa st, fa st , lea ving m e with my mou th ha lfaga pe to ca tch the expected communica t ion , a nd

prepa re fo r my reply.

This fa rce w a s con t inued fo r a co ns idera ble t ime,when up s ta rted a fellow a t the bo ttom o f the

ro om wi th a long s to ry a bout some money he hadbeen sent to co llect , but which he swo re a dozenm en a nd more a long with him , would no t be ableto wrest from the people . JH iS clamour o r energy,tp give i t no stronger n ame , a roused the min is ter ’sa ttent ion ; up went the eye from the pa per a s if

awakened fro m a dream , a nd began to blink a t

the m an ; but he inst a nt ly entered on the bus iness ,hea rd the s ta tement , a nd d irected wha t w a s to be

done with infin ite minutenes s . The spel l thus bro

ken , papers a nd n o tes without number were thrus t

into the hands o f tw o a t tendant s , w ho pa s sed them

with ludicrous rapidity into the grea t man’

s hand .

He t ook them mecha n ica lly, a s it seemed, and bega n

t o read them . His manner of perfo rming this

opera t ion is mo st curious . From extreme sho rt

s ightednes s , he canno t dist inguish a letter un les sC 2

20 A READY READER .

the wri t ing be within an inch of his eye ; so he

draw s the paper ba ckwa rds a nd fo rwa rds, o r up a nd

down the range of tha t o rgan , touching his very

no se ; but a s his s ight , when the object is within

proper range , is extremely quick , the sense o f

a piece of wr iting i s ga thered with a celerity tha t

seem s like intuit ion ; and the mecha nica l pa rt of

the bus iness i s performed s o ra pidly, tha t o ne would

swea r he w a s gra vely rubbing his no se with a piece

of paper, ins tea d of reading a letter .

Such w a s his o ccupa t ion for a go od ha lf hour,a ttending to no o ne except tho se w ho came into

the ro om , when , being informed by a n a t tenda n tof their name a nd rank, he a lw ays po l itely requested

them to be sea ted . As fo r m e, I sa t pa t ient ly and

much amused, wa tching the scene, unt i l a n Ita lian

phys ician , with whom I had s ome a cqua intance ,came in, a nd, observing how his Excellency w a s

o ccupied, ga ve m e a smile, a nd a sking, a s mucha s to s ay ,

“Ah , if this i s the ca se, no hope for us .

Of this I had become convinced, a nd a va iled myselfo f the li tt le bust le his en tra nce had occas ioned to

a sk my lea ve , o bserving tha t his Excellency hadobvious ly now no leisure to lis ten to my commun ica t ion s . But “ NO , no , no !

”

excla imed his Excellency , ra pidly, “

no t a t a ll y ou mus t no t gO'

I ha ve a grea t dea l to say ; a nd, see, l a m quiteready .

”

SO he drew my cha ir clo ser , jerking his

ow n , a t the same t ime, nea rer to mine, a nd there w e

s a t , poking our heads a t ea ch o ther in the mo s t c o nfident ia l-lo oking a t t itude, t i ll they a lmo st to uched .

But the fa tes were adverse ; sca rce ly ha d his pro e

AN OVERWHELMING ATTACK . 2 1

m ium commenced , when a fresh ha ndful of the

vile l it tle no tes were aga in thrus t fo rwa rd . H is

Exce llency rejected them .

“ Don’

t you see tha t Ia m engaged with the Saheb 7” sa id he to the

secreta ry, in a vo ice of remonstrance a nd entrea tyra ther than o f a nger. The secreta ry smiled, and

withdrew the notes . And wha t a m I to do then ,

your Excel lency ?” ro ared out some Gho laum o r Beg,

w ho , with shulw a rs o n , a nd a ll his riding geer, w a s

s tanding a t the bo ttom o f the ro om wa it ing to be

despa tched ; “ here a m I delayed a ll this t ime .

”

The lo ok which this appea l a ttra cted to the speaker

w a s a lm o s t ins ta nt ly d iverted t o a nother person,evidently the mes senger o f s ome grea t m a n, w ho ,

in more respectful guise , y et a lso a t the top o f

his vo ice demanded, And wha t reply t o the Kha n’

s

letter, my lo rd ? He fully expects an immedia tea n swer.

”And let m e represen t to your Ex

cellency , s a id a n a ttenda nt i n a low voice, “ tha t

this pet ition requires instant a ttent ion .

”The po o r

Kaym o okam looked infin ite ly dis tres sed, fidgeted

on his cha ir, ga zed va can t ly firs t a t the no te ,“

thena t the a t tendant , a s if to see whether he could s ti l leva de his fa te ; then , like the fa scina ted a n ima lwhich relucta nt ly but he lples sly throws itself intothe snake’s j aws , seized the pa per, a nd skimmedits contents . It Wa s but the s igna l fo r a genera l

a nd overpowering a tt a ck . E re a reply had beengiven to the first , a dozen of o ther papers werethrust fo rth , a nd mecha nica l ly gra sped a s before .

H is Excel lency ca s t a t m e a depreca tory look, towhich I repl ied with a bow , dissolving a t the same

22 A FAREWELL.

t ime the clo se un ion of our cha irs . The ba ttle w a s

pla inly lo st .

The ho rses a re ready, your Excellen cy , a nd the

ro ad is long ; the sun is get ting ho t , sa id an

a t tenda nt a ccoutred fo r riding, w ho now a ppea red

a t the door, a nd w ho doubtless had been from the

firs t ordered to come thus to the rescue . It w a s the

s igna l fo r breaking up .

“ I a m rea l ly very so rry,Sa heb Fra ser,

”sa id his Excellency to m e,

- “ I a m

quite a shamed o n your a ccoun t ; but fo rgive m e

tha t I a m forced to go— there a re some of the

Princes , &c . wa it ing fo r m e . I a m grea t ly a shamed

but , incha lla lz, on m y return I ha ve much to say

a nd to hea r . I uttered a few a s tafierullahs a nd

incka lla izs in their proper pla ces , in reply to theseself-condemna tory a nd civil express ions o f the grea tm a n, a nd m ade my bow with a

“May your fa vourn ever dimin ish !” Khodak hum ra ee shum a iz

Kkoda /z nig ahda rzt—May God be with you m ay

he wa tch o ver you !”responded he, a nd w e sepa

ra ted, a nd thus termina ted this s trange interview .

It w a s no d isa ppo intment to m e , fo r I had!

no thingt o a sk no r expect— I had to give and n o t rece iveinfo rm a t ion ; in fa ct , as to wo rming info rma t iono ut o f the Kaym o okam , n o o ne ever dream s o f it ;

if he did, he w ould be l ike him tha t went to ga therwo o l , but came ba ck sho rn—he would surely bewell pumped him self.But such is exa ctly his conduct with others on

o cca s ions o f s t ill m o re impo rta nce , however press ingm ay be the bus ines s . Even when he c a n be in

duced to m ake a lr/zelwut, o r priva te a udience, fo r

D IM INUTION OF OUR PARTY .

a specia l purpo se, his eunuchs , privileged perso ns ,co nsta ntly bring in vile l itt le notes , which he a s

cons ta ntly reads , a t t imes pulling out his pen-ca se

a nd a nswer ing them , t o the to ta l in terrupt ion o f the

bus iness on ha nd . T o such a n extent does this

go , tha t I ha ve known the gent lemen o f our mis s io nfo rced to brea k up their a ppo inted interviews , whenthus interrupted, in o rder t o test ify the ir sense o f

the impropr iety of such‘ conduct when p ra ct ised

towa rds them : such is the s tuff of which minis tersa re somet imes m ade in Pers ia ; thus a re her a ffa irsnow ma naged a nd her hopes of impro vement crushed— a nd thus is it like to cont inue, unless some powerful influence be exerted to put her a ffa irs to r ight s .

I ha ve n o t y et men t ioned tha t our pa r ty of Europea ns ha s been grea t ly reduced o f la te, by the

depa rture of the grea ter pa rt o f our deta chment of

officers fo r the Pers ia n camp, which , a s I ha ve sa id ,i s now on the Turkish front ier, in o rder to bring toa sett lement , by a demonstra t ion o f fo rce , certa indisputes connected with the respect ive cla im s o f

ea ch country, on certa in tribes of Koo rdish E elia uts

-wanderers in more senses tha n one , for, living o n

the border, upon a ny cause o f d iss a t i sfa ct ion , rea lo r Imagina ry , from e ither go ve rnmen t , o f they goa cro s s the front iers into the terr ito ries o f the ne igh

bouring s ta te , and set a t nought the cla im s o f tha tin which they m ay previous ly ha ve been living .

While these gent lemen w ere wi th us , our Br it ish

pa rty w a s s trong, muste ring, with sergean ts a nd a ll,

a bout fo rty persons ; a nd wha t with sport ing pa rt ies

and dinner pa rt ies , w e made it out very plea sa ntly.

24 A SUDDEN DEPARTURE .

But w e a re now sho rn of our beam s , a nd, as is often

the ea se, in such commun it ies , where a ll m en ha ve

some specific duty to a ttend to , a genera l brea k up

is in the course of o ccurrence . Thus Ma cnei l l ha s

left us a t a moment ’s wa rning . The comm andan t

of the deta chment next , a nd four of his officers a re

sent to camp ; then unfo rtuna te I a m just a bout to

get a no ther kick , which will set m e a -spinn ing like

a tee-to tum for severa l months , a nd so it fa res—freshfa ces come and go come like shadows , so depa rt !

”

Ma cneill’

s depa rture w a s to m e a pa inful a ffa ir,fo r with h im I lo s t the a id a nd counse l of my bes t

friend ; circum sta nces rendered it neces sa ry tha t a

mo s t confiden tia l pers on should, a t this t ime, proceed

to Engla nd with a ll speed ; a nd , a cco rdingly, to the

no sma ll surprise o f the Brit ish res iden ts here , from

whom , a s wel l a s from o thers , the mea sure had , forsufficien t rea sons , been kept secret , tha t gent leman

’

s

pla ce w a s one fine m orning, in Pers ia n phra se ,found empty . At e a rly dawn I ca lled on him ,

a nd found him cramming his baggage in to Ta ta rs ’

bags . In tw o hours I sho ok ha nds wi th hifn— saw

him moun ted o n one of my dea r o ld friends , the

c lzupp er ho rses— a nd o ff he went, fo llowed by thego od wi shes o f a ll the pa rty, when they knew o f his

intended j ourney . It w a s one o f tho se ra pid m o vemen ts which t akes us by surprise— one of tho sesudden even t s which somet ime s ch a nge the fa ce o f

the m o s t mo no to nous s ocie ties , a nd reuse tho sewi thin its ci rcle o f o pera t ion , o nly to plunge them

i nto deeper dulnes s than befo re ; no r were ma ttersimpro ved bv the desert ions tha t fo llowed .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

26 AN UNPLEASANT OPERATION .

effect d irectly Oppo s ite to tha t intended ; for his

Roya l Highnes s , get t ing into a fury, ordered the

Furo shes to t ie a rope a bout the chief ’s ow n neck , a nd

drag him for a while a bout the ya rd . This opera

t ion w a s performed t il l the m an became insensible ,when one of the officers in presence, unbuckling

his sword, pla ced it in the ha nds o f the execut ioners ,a s a pledge o f rewa rd , provided he would desist t i ll

his Roya l H ighness should be entrea ted to pa rdon

the culprit . The pa rdon w a s gra nted a t the o fficer’s

request, but the culprit’

s recovery from the rude

trea tment he had undergone w a s long doubtful .

I must close this rambling epistle, a s there is a

messenger which m ay poss ibly ca tch Ma cnei ll, and

I must now set about prepa ring for my journey toBaghdad, in right earnest . Adieu !

LETTER II .

Travelling reflections and prepara tion s—Dinner w ith the Kay

m ookam .—Deta ils of a guest establishm ent —Habits of a Minis

nister of Sta te .-Rocket pra ctice—Leave Tabreez .

—DeezaKha leel . -Tessouj e

1 2th October, Tessouj e, a villageDEAR on the Lake Shahee.

I REPLIED in a very hurried m anner to your

letters of They found m e, a s Itold you, in the bus tle o f depa rture, a nd somewha tdepressed a t the prospect of quitt ing my go od friends

here to commence a nother long a nd to i lsome j ourney.

I a m o ne o f tho se w ho think a go od thing i s a ll the

better of being enjoyed in company wi th a fr iend .

”

Wha t a fine thing , excla im s some French a utho r,is so litude ! if w e had but s ome one with us , to

whom w e might say , how bea ut iful is so l itude !and so In my opinion i s it with tra velling. Wi thouta compa n ion to intercha nge idea s with , to who m w e

c a n commun ica te our idea s with hope o f sympa thy,the finest coun try a nd the gra ndest scenery a t

length cea se t o interest . And when, in a ddit ionto the wa nt o f such compa ni on , there exist causesof ca re a nd a nxiety , tra velling, like solitude, becomes

but a so rry amusemen t .

I know tha t such a co nfes s io n will be hoo ted a t

2 8 TRAVELLING REFLECTIONS .

by the young a nd a rdent, who se fiery zea l bids defia nce a like to the chill of do ubt , a nd the depress ing

influence o f a nxiety a nd lonel iness and the day ha s

been when to roa m a bout , a lmost a t will, o ver coun

tries wild a nd wide , with just enough o f h a za rd and

uncerta inty to co rrect the tamenes s o f perfect se

curity , a nd with the chance, if no t the certa in ty, o f

a lm o st da ily a dventures , would ha ve been ecs ta cy '

the very height of roma ntic delight ;

Bound w here thou w ilt, m y barb ; or speed m y prow ;

Be but the star that guides m y w anderings

lo ve of adven ture, if you will - danger fo r da nger’

s

s ake . But the sad rea lt ies o f life ha ve a good dea l

tempered thi s quixo tic spirit . The hand o f t ime, inpa ss ing o ver the mind, s obers the imagina t ion a s i t

whitens the ha ir . In specula t ion , it is true , thesepictures o f the fancy s t i ll wea r a fa scina t ing hue , a sthe mo st rugged mounta in s , seen fro m a dista nce ,d isplay the mo s t bewitching effects— a s read ing of

dangers a nd adven tures cha rm s the ha ppy inma teso f the comfo rtable drawing-ro om round their bla zingfire . But let the ra pt admirer of the p idturesquea scend these same mounta ins o f purple a nd go ld, a ndhis gay vi s ions will va n ish ; let the fire-s ide t ra vellerlea ve his s l ippers o n the hea rth , put o n his boo ts andclo ak , a nd mount ing his ho rse , r ide a lo ne fo r daysa nd n igh ts in snow , a nd ra in , a nd sun rest ing, whenhe do es res t , in s tables a nd huts , o r t aking his briefnap wi th the sky a lone fo r his covering , a nd I willengage , be be y oung a nd a rdent a s he m ay , his ro

m a nce will no t la st s ix months .

It w a s wi th something o f these feelings , s till

AN INV ITATION . 29

Cha fed a nd raw from my disagreeable campa ign in

Ma zundera n a nd Ghilan, a nd no t impro ved by the

nea r a pproa ch o f a no ther rough journey with m en

a nd ca tt le but ha lf reco vered from their la te ha rd

service, tha t I replied to your letters , in a tone , Ifea r, no t the mo st cheerful or gra teful for the ir

content s But a ll these things a re pa st ,a nd here I a m , having fa irly quitted T a breez , sea ted

in a queer but n o t uncomfortable room in this fine

village. We ha ve no t, however, quite done with

tha t city, a nd I th ink, a t the ha za rd of worrying

y ou, I m ust g1ve you a no ther touch of the Kaym o o

kam , and tell you of a dinner-pa rty to which he didm e the honour to invite m e . I hope you a re no t

yet quite wea ry o f this personage , for the scene w a s

s o chara cterist ic, tha t I ca nno t refra in from bestowing upon you wha tever tediousnes s it m ay pos sess .

Being given to unders tand tha t it w a s his Excellency

’

s inten t io n to make sure of a n interview ,

a y d pro vide aga inst the frequen t interrupt ions whichhad hitherto t a ken pla ce , by giving m e a d inner inpriva te some even ing before I left the city, I deferred m y depa rture for a day a fter a ll ha d been a r

ranged, and a t the t ime a ppo inted, which w a s ha lfa n hour a fter sun set , rode t o the min is ter’s house .

I w a s shown into the same ro om a s befo re , which

w a s lighted up with w ax tapers for I found tha t hisExcellency is a s sens itive to the gro s s smell of m ut

ton fa t , a s a ny fine lady in Engla nd, a nd c an detectan expiring candle o r o ther vile grea sy sme ll, a t anydistance , a s Wel l a s Sister These t orches werel igh ted on my entra nce, and in n o long t ime a fter

30 COMMENCEMENT OF AN INTERV I EW .

wa rds his Excellency ma de his a ppea ra nce with hisusua l co rd ia l a nd familia r greet ing . In a minute o r

tw o w e were bo th sea ted , a nd a s he informed m e

tha t the present p r iva te meeting (khelwut) hadbeen contrived a s amends fo r fo rmer fa i lures , one

might ha ve imagined the t ime had come fo r co m

m enc ing , without lo s s o f t ime , the inquiries I knewhe had to make . But such w a s fa r from being theca se.

No s ooner had be sea ted him self and dismissed hisa ttendants , including tw o very pretty boys , a son

a nd gra ndson of his ow n , a nd given pa rticular o rders

tha t he should no t be interrupted , tha n , fixing hischin upon a go ld-headed cane, which he held in bo thhands , and poking out his feet fa r from below hispetti coa t s, he a ddres sed the on ly m a n rema ining,his Ndz ir , o r s tewa rd, a nd to ld h im to go to certa in

o f his guests who m he named, a nd bid them a

thousand welcomes, a nd make a s ma ny a po logies on

his pa rt , fo r n o t ha ving Yet been a ble to wa it o n themhim self. Tel l them ,

”sa id he tha t for the la s t

three days one o r o ther o f the Princes have a lw aysbeen with m e in the even ing, a nd t o-n ight I a m o c

cupied with this Feringee Sa heb ; but see tha t they

a re wel l a ttended to ; be sure they ha ve a ll they

wan t .

”

“ And w ho ha ve I a t present in the house 9 ”

con t inued he , inquiring of his serva nt ; wha t gues tsha ve I -w ho ha ve come to-day The Nazir re

plied by recit ing a long s tring of names which wouldin n o wise ed ify you to bea r, but to which his m a s

ter listened a ttent ively ; and where is such a one

HOSP ITABLE DETAILS . 31

lodged P” dema nded he ; and the quest ion being a lso

replied to , he went through the who le number, re

m a rking ou the propriety o f the loca t ion o f ea ch

respect ively, a nd des iring tha t this Khan should ha ve

such a suite o f room s , a nd this Beg such an outag lz,

o r chamber, and a nother such a def/(in , o r ba

lakhaneh ; and the tone in which the m a t ter w a s

discus sed , showed tha t it w a s a subject o f cus toma ryinquiry .

No r were the other wan ts of these numerous

guests less a ma tter of solicitude a nd a rra ngement .

O ne person , fo r insta nce , had been regula rly fur

n ished with fo od for him self and his serva nts, butprovis ion fo r his horses had no t been made : the

min is ter des ired the omiss ion to be rectified . An

o ther had his o w n cook , to whom the requis ite a r

t ic les were to be furni shed fo r his ma ster’s use , and

w ho w a s to prepa re them in a pla ce specia l ly po intedout by his Exce llency. Ano ther had been regula rlysupplied with tw o dow rees , o r trays of victua ls fromthe minister’s ow n kitchen ; but no breakfa st hadhitherto been sent , a nd tha t w a s to be rectified .

And wha t sherbet do you send with s o-a nd-so’

s

d inner ; is it sweet o r sour The Nazir replied,but no t, i t seem s, sa t isfa ctor ily, for the min is ter directed tha t henceforth the sweet Sherbet should ha vesouring, e ither lemon-juice or dbcooreh (juice of sourgrapes) a nd let his breakfa st cons ist of one bowl

of y eki mee (soup), one s tew, a nd a dish o f pillaw ,

with fruit a nd sw ea tm ea ts do you hea r P And add

a no ther d ish of pillaw to Khan ’

s dinner .

Where did you say be lodged In such a ba

32 HOSP ITABLE DETAILS .

la ir/ranch, replied the Nazir . Tha t won'

t do , sa id

his Excellency ; “ he mus t be a ccommoda ted in the

litt le suite nea r the grea t sherbet But so

a nd s o of your H ighnes s ’s family ha ve these ro om s ,”

s a id the Nazir . Tha t is n o m a tter, replied hism a s ter, “ let the Khan be put there ; w e must findro om fo r my people elsewhere : our gues ts mus t bemade comforta ble, a t a ll ra tes . Wha t ha s be fo r

dinner, did you s ay ?”The Nazir ment ioned the

d ishes Tha t won ’

t do ne ither,”

sa id the mi

n ister ; you must ge t lamb pillaw fo r him . There

is no lamb to ,be had ,

”sa id the Nazir . Wha t !

none ? ” None , sir, but a few pet-lambs , which

sell a t an eno rmous price .

” Never m ind the price ,

m a n he must ha ve lamb, I tel l you : a nd so-a nd-so

must have chicken s . Chickens a re sca rce , to o ,”

sa id the stewa rd ; I ha ve on ly go t seven fo r yo ur

H ighness’s self, from the village , and three o f them

a re too lean to be sent up . Then send the fa t

ones to the Khan , a nd keep the lea n ones fo r m e .

Where ha ve y ou put Kha n , w ho came the

day befo re yesterday p As yet , s ir, he'

Sleeps o n

the ro of o f the house , but a s the n ight s get co o l,w e sha l l lay his ma ttress o n the room below .

”

Wha t bed-clo thes ha ve you given him Ama t tress , with tw o down pi llows a nd a fine Chin tz

la bofi”

,Tha t ’

s right : a nd his people ?Allee Beg

—where does he s leep ?” They a ll

s leep out , I don’

t know where .

” Why , ha s

the Beg a wife here ?” No , s ir, but there

a re s o ma ny— five o r s ix o f them , a nd I thoughti t would ha rdly do fo r them to s leep a ll together

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

34 MAGN IFICENT ESTABLISHMENT.

forced to do the same . On tha t occa s ion the Kaymo okam inquired how m any were to dine with him

tha t day S ix, repl ied the Nazir, repea ting the

names . H is Excellency discussed the cla ims of

ea ch individua l sepa ra tely, and it appea red tha t, a c

co rding to s trict et iquette, o nly tw o o f the who le

could meet ea ch other a t his table , so the res t were

put Off t ill a nother day .

To m e the who le a ffa ir sounded very much like

os tenta t ion ; but tha t the min ister ha s an immensees tablishmen t for gues ts and a lways wel l filled, i scerta in . H is house is a sort of genera l rendezvousfor a ll s tra ngers of a certa in ra nk , a nd his m e/zm an

khaneh, (es tablishment for gues ts) is on a sca le to

correspond with such resort . I ha ve hea rd i t sa id

tha t no less than fifty-eight Kha ns a nd thei r suiteswere his guests s ome t ime ago , upon no extra or

dina ry o cca s ion . All this , o f course, en ta ils a n enormous out lay, a nd the expenses of his m eli m au-kfia neha lone , a re sta ted a t tomans a yea r , or

sterling. As one i tem , I w a s informed”

,

he had

tw o hundred a nd e ighty sets of spare bed-clothesfor guests , together with ca rpets a nd fur s izes (num uds and m a ttres ses) in proportion . Whether thePr ince a l lows him a nything in a id towa rds this immense expenditure I know no t , but the out lay is a llin ca sh , or wha t i s equiva lent, namely, corn and

s tra w , sheep, butter, rice, &c . the produce of his

villages .

At length these weighty m a tters were d ismi s sed ,a nd the Kay m o okzl m , d ismoun ting from his cha ir,but telling m e to keep mine, squa tted himself down

TRUTH IN REQUEST . 35

upon the ca rpet, a nd pulling out his penc a se and

severa l la rge rolls o f paper, took up his usua l s trong

pos i tion fo r writ ing , by throwing himself fo rw a rd

o n his brea st, and wrote severa l n o tes . Next camethe examina t ion o f a who le bundle of letters , a nd

then, a fter the lapse o f nea rly tw o hours from my

firs t a rriva l, he turned to m e, a nd to ld m e he had

long wished to speak to m e in priva te, though fro m

his numerous engagement s, he had no t h itherto been

a ble ; but tha t now there were severa l things rega rd

ing which he expected informa t ion, a nd tha t I mus t

tel l him the truth , and the whole truth .

Then came a long s tring o f quest ions , fo r which

I w a s quite prepa red, though I w a s sca rcely s o for

the posit i ve m anner in which he ins isted uponha ving, and clea rly des ired to ha ve, the full a nd

rea l sta te of ea ch ca se. H is quest ions rela ted chiefly

to the sta te of the provinces of Khora sa n, and my

opin ion s concern ing tha t, a nd the conduct of thepersons left in charge there by him a nd a s this w a sa theme on which I had lit t le agreeable to say , I

should ha ve been better plea sed to rema in s i lent .

But this would no t do with the Kaym o okam . H e

saw my embarra s sment , a nd frequent ly sa id, Now ,

Fra ser Sa heb, I want the truth ; remember, fro m

y ou I expect i t , a nd have no scruple in coming outwith the whole of it . Thus conj ured, I had n o thing

left but to give my true sent im ents, clothed in language a s inoffens ive a s I could find. The ta sk w a s

a pa inful one, but my duty w a s clea r , and a s there

w a s a hope o f some good result, I resolved to per:

form it a t a ll haza rd or sa crifice .

36 M ILITARY DETAILS .

O ur conversa t ion w a s long ; frequent ly the min is

ter would retire, a s it were, into him self, and c on

t inne a bso rbed in though t fo r ma ny m inutes . But

a fter a good whi le, the Adjuta nt-Genera l o f the

a rmy came in , a nd with h im he bega n d iscus sing

the clo thing of certa in regiments , a nd entered into

the mo st minute concei va ble deta i l o f the fa brica tion

o f a serbaz’

s co a t—how much clo th it would re

quire—how m any qua rters a nd ha lf qua rters , mo re

o r less , would he wa nted fo r a vest of some new

pa ttern whether chairoks , or la ced brogues , o r bo ots ,or Russia n sho es , would be cheapest and bes t for

the s o ldier in a w inter’

s c a m pa ign , a nd a thousand

s imila r pa rt icula rs , into which he went with the

grea tes t possible seeming gra vity and interest . I

could no t help suspect ing tha t these deta i ls were

entered into , befo re m e, in order to impres s m e with

a high n o tion o f his Excellency’s ca re for the co mfort of the tro ops .

All this t ime , too , his Excellency w a s ro a ring outfor dinner, which seemed to ha ve been a djourned“s ine die.

” Interrupt ions to o , bega n t o increa se .

As a bes ieged fortres s tha t ha s long withs to od thea s sault o f i ts foes a t length begins t o yield , o r a s a

ba t tered a nd long wa ve-tossed ves sel gives w ay a nd

admits the wa ter by a thousand chinks— or, takea ny o ther s imile you l ike better, pro vided i t be suf

fic ien tly ha ckneyed—s o did the do o rs o f the Kaym o okam

’

s kizelwut a t length give w ay to the crowdwhich , even a t this hour o f the n ight, bes iegedthem , a nd in rushed a crowd o f Meerz a s , o r secre

A HOME CHARGE . 7

t a ries a nd writers , with their girdles a lmost burs ting

with eno rmou s bundles of papers . The min ister

ca st a desponding glance a t the irrepressible inroad,a nd began mecha nica lly to ta ke a nd read, in his

s trange w ay , wha tever w a s set before him ; somerece ived their o rders a nd were bundled o ff, a nd

others were told to reserve the ir budgets t ill a la terhour. But there w a s one coo l, determined fel

low , w ho roundly taxed the grea t m a n with ha ving

mis la id a paper of consequence , o n a ccount o f the

a bsence of which Meerz a such-a -one w a s ready to god istra cted . In va in did his Excel lency deny a ll

knowledge of the do cument his a ccuser respectfully

but pertina ciously stuck to the cha rgeh w a s it no t

in his Excellency’s pockets ? or migh t it no t ha vebeen left in his ca st-o ff clo thes of tha t day No ,

no I tell y ou no !”decla red his Excellency, impa

t iently ; I ha ve none o f it—I know no thing o f it

I a m a s wild about it a s Meerz a such—a-one ca n

be ; a nd then , a s if in bra vado , be commenced in

an a ngry, huffy manner, to jerk out the content s

o f certa in recepta cles termed pockets , wh ich , fo r

dimens ions , would h a ve bea ten tho se of go od o ld

C a nd out came a ma ss of letters a nd papers

tha t would ha ve co vered a n a cre o f ground— they

would ha ve set up a petty grocer o r snuff-seller fo r

ever—when , beho ld ! to his Excellency’

s infinite dis

c o m fiture, la s t of a ll, j ust a s if it had s tuck there

o n purpose, like Hope in Pa ndo ra ’

s box, out came

the very paper tha t had ca used a ll the rumpus . It

w a s finding the needle in the haysta ck , with a w it

3 8 THE D INN ER .

nes s ; and foolish enough did his Excellency look,a s he handed it to the o ther, w ho , with very good

ta ct, permitted no emo t ion to be V isible, sa ve tha t of

joy, a t finding the document .

The d isgorged con ten ts of the sa ck-l ike pockets

then came necessa ri ly into play, a nd the arra nge

men t of them occupied ano ther twenty minutes .

During the clea ring of this cha os , dinner w a s pro

duced, a nd a very good o ne it proved , a lthough you

m ay scruple a l ittle a t the neces s ity I w a s under

o f ea t ing it with my fingers . And well did the

Kaym o okam do the honours d la m ode de P erse.

There w a s no o ther guest but the Adjutant-Genera l ,H o o ssein Khan , a nd plent ifully did his Excel lency

heap our pla tes—fo r pla tes , instead of flaps of bread,he ins is ted on sett ing befo re us— I suppose in c om

plim ent to m e. Observing m e tugging away, ra therineffectua l ly, with my fingers a t some orn itho logica lspecimen , e i ther chicken or pa rtridge— a tough

biped w ha tever its specific dist inct ion—he ca lled out

Tha t ’s no t go od here’

s a better one !”a nd

,se izing

by the st iff shank ano ther unhappy sufferer, from

the brea st of which ha lf the flesh had been torn byhis ow n ta lons, he conveyed it to my pla te a nd

depos ited it on the top o f the o ther.

“May yourfa vour never diminish !” s a id I , addres s ing myself totea r its ca rca s s in sunder Here ’

s pickled peppers— do you ea t them P” inquired his Excel lency, a nd

plunging his hand into the dish , clutched a quant itya nd sca ttered them over the wreck upon my pla te ,before I could reply . May your wea lth increa se !

”

sa id I, a nd bega n to munch the peppers . In l ike

THE DESSERT . 39

m anner did he pract ica lly recommend a ll the via nds ,t i ll a t length w e came to wha t you might ca l l thedes sert . This con s isted of a va st t ray of melons , hisExcellency’s fa vourites , a s I ha ve to ld you . They

were the bes t T abreez could produce , of course , a ndmany of them had a fla vour tha t would ha ve w ona meda l from the hort icultura l society . But the

Kay m o okam is a n ice judge, a nd so more than a

dozen were cut open for him to try . Don’

t be

shocked a t the extra vagance,—they sca rcely costthree ha lfpence a piece : a ll were ta sted, tw o or

three approved o f and gobbled up, and a few m ore

left to trifle o ver. This finished the dinner ; a nd if

his Excellency, l ike Sertorius , had dined in the

sca le of a ba lance, so a s to weigh his fo od, the

amoun t of increa se would ha ve been a la rm ing. In

deed the huge ves se l seemed to fee l the ca rgo it

had taken in, fo r in r is ing from the a t t itude o f feed

ing , it ro lled hea vily, like a deep-loaded ship in a

ga le of W ind .

Befo re w e had well fin ished, the room bega n to

fill aga in, and I thought bus iness w a s‘

a bout to

recommence, a s turn ing to one o f the by-s ta nders

he sa id, “ Well, wha t fo r to-mo rrow P” This must

be to-morrow’

s first j ob, no doubt, sa id I to m yself ;his Excel lency is go ing to res t, I presume, o r to his

ha rem—I m ust take leave . But no I think w e

should ha ve some lamb,”resumed his Excellency ;

“ ay , some lamb p illaw .

”The deuce ! thought I

wha t is he a t now -the m ehm a nkka neh aga in ?

No , the m an to whom he spoke w a s a p eish-khidm ut,

and the m igh ty affa ir w a s his Excellency’s next

40 A PRATING CHANGE .

day’s dinner.

“ Yes , went he on mu sing, “a nd

let us have some bda’

inj a’

ns (vegetable eggs) dressed

with m ail? (sour m ilk) a nd tw o cdreis lz’

s (stews);and mind the sour s auce is not spoiled— let so many

on ions be put in i t, and three—ay , three, o r even

four cups of vinega r— there will be no ha rm ; y es ,

tha t will do and so went he on naming the dishes

to be prepared, and even the sauces , to the minutest

pa r ticula r . I ow n I w a s no t only disgusted but

pro voked : so fa r, however, a s I w a s concerned the

a ffa ir w a s termina ted . The room w a s by this t ime

inunda ted with a crowd o f kha ns , begs , m eerz a s ,

eunuchs , St e . a ll wi th pa pers in hand o r bus iness in

m outh , and I took the first o pportun ity to a sk

fo r lea ve t o depa rt . “You a re go ing, then ,

”s a id

he ;“ have y ou nothing to a sk o f m e P

” No thing,replied I , but a cont inua t ion of your Excellency

’

s

fa vour, a nd your comma nds , i f you ha ve a ny , fo r

m e to execute in my new j ourney . I will gladly do

wha t I c a n t o promote your views a nd tho se o f his

Roya l H ighness , so fa r a s my humble po ry er ex

tends : Ma ny thanks ,”

sa id his Excel len cy,”

n o thing but to keep your eyes open a nd lo ok about

you, and br ing m e co rrect informa t ion o f a ll yousee a nd hear . You ha ve spoken litt le to m e, bu t

you ha ve s a id a grea t dea l , and I ha ve understoodi t and will a t tend to i t, fo r I a m sure it is true .

When you s a w m e s ilen t a nd though tful befo red inner, I w a s n o t ina ttent ive, —I w a s weighing wha t

y ou ha d s a id ; a nd no w do no t forget to send m e

a ll s o rt of info rm a t ion a nd wr ite m e , in E ng lish,

y ou unders ta nd As I ro se to bid him adieu tw o

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

42 A CHASE .

the who le ca va lcade, of full tw o thousa nd horsemen ,

rode fo rwa rd to look a t the pla ces where the ba l ls

had s truck the hil l s ide . On the w ay w e s ta rted a

po or ha re, a nd there being tw o greyhounds belong

ing to some of the pa rty which saw and ga ve cha se,o ff s ta rted every Fer ing ee a fter them , including tw ogra ve mis s iona r ies , w ho had come fo rth to see the nu

ha l lowed exper iments . Away , away scow ered every

o ne , like m adcaps, E lchee, o fficers a nd a ll, heedless

of Prince or Khan , a nd a very pretty cha se i t w a s,

especia lly a s the ha re to ok up a steep hill-fa ce j ust

Oppo s ite, on which the dogs turned her severa l

t imes . Up they a ll went , scrambling a nd sprawling

away, a ll but your humble serva nt , w ho , having a

long ride a nd journey close in V iew, did no t think it

quite prudent to blo w his horses , so I s topped a t the

fo o t , in spi te of my steed’

s eagernes s , a nd saw the

who le scramble . The s ight o f some dozen Franks

a nd their serva nts , s cow ering away like devils on

horseba ck up the hill-fa ce, fo rmed a cur ious c on

t ra st to the gra vity o f the Prince a nd his thousands ,w ho never a ltered their s ta id a nd s ta tely pa ce, a nd

Swept like a da rk cloud slowly a nd gradua lly up

the s teep a scent , devour ing i t, a s it were, in their

progres s .

On the other s ide the course had been short ;moving round the extremity o f the hill, I sa w the

l itt le kno t o f my coun trymen a t a standst il l s omefive hundred ya rds d is tant . Po or pus s had been

kil led , the exci tement w a s o ver, a nd w e a ll wended

s lowly ba ck to j o in his Roya l Highnes s , w ho , I da re

say , must ha ve been a good dea l amused , though

FAREWELL TO TABREEz . 43

no t a ston ished a t this burst of Frank enthus ia sm fo r

the cha se . \Ve then were enterta ined by the evo lu

t ions and exercise of some Ko ordish ho rsemen , w ho

pra cti sed with the spea r a nd skirmished before the

l ine a ll the w ay to the ga rdens tha t surround the

city . This , my la st even ing a t T a breez , termina ted

in a very plea san t dinner a t the Envoy’

s , when I

bade adieu to a s ociety of friends whom I sha l l ever

rega rd with a tta chment a nd interes t .

The amusemen ts of the even ing ha d deta ined m e

so la te tha t I willingly a ccepted the Envoy’s kind

offer of us ing his ho rses fo r the first s tage, a nd

sending on my ow n to awa it m e there ; s o , mounting by sunrise , I turned my ba ck on the spo t where

I had spent nea r a m onth of very welcome repo se,a nd rode s tra ight on to the village of Mayan , where

my people and the baggage had spent the preceding n ight . There, taking my ow n horses , I pushedfo rwa rd to Deeza -kha leel, a fine thriving village,where a bout three in the a fternoon I found my

people had procured m e qua rters . It w a s plea sa ntin riding through this village, with its orchardsand ga rden s , which o ccupied ha lf-an-hour, to re

m a rk the a pparent pro sperity of the pla ce, a nd the

r iches , no t to s ay comfort of i ts inhabita n ts . It

o ccupies the borders of a fine mounta in s trea m fromthe range on the north of Lake Sha hee, o r O oro o m ia ,a nd with its gardens covers a very extensive tra ct o fground .

Next morn ing a t sunrise w e were in the saddle ,and I kno w n o t how it w a s , but I never enjoyed thefirs t ea rly hours of a ma rch mo re . There i s nothing

44 EXH ILARATING FEELINGS .

mo re curious a nd una ccountable than the va ria t ions

o f spirits a nd feel ings to which w e a re subject a t

t imes , without a ny obvious ca use . Do they depend

o n interna l o r externa l agencies ? menta l o scilla t io ns

o r peculia r s ta tes o f the a tm o sphere ? The morn

ing o f this day w a s no t one bit more lovely, .no r

could the a ir be more ba lmy tha n those had been on

ma ny a previous one ; a nd yet, o n lea ving Deez a

kha leel, I w a s con scious of a menta l buoya ncy

w hich w a s in strong con tra s t to the depres s ion under

which I had laboured for the few preceding days ;perhaps , it w a s on ly rea ctio n a fter the exis tence of

a n unusua l sta te of mind . All seemed s m i ling a nd

de lightful ; the lights a nd shadows on the surro und

ing mounta ins , inexpress ibly s oft a nd bea utiful, a nd

the blue of the lake a s it ro se into View could no t

ha ve been surpa s sed by tha t o f a ny Ita lia n piece of

wa ter a ny more tha n the a zure o f the hea vens a bove

us could be exceeded by the t ints o f a n Ita l ia n sky .

There w a s a ha rmony in a ll the scene which suited

wel l w ith the pea ceful o ccupa t ions of the pea sa n try,w ho were pursuing their field labours in perfect

secur ity .

It is now the sea son o f prepa ra t io n fo r the grea twhea t sowing. This goes on during the who le o f

September a nd October, and multitudes of ploughswere a t wo rk breaking up the fa t s o il, while the

labourers were employed in turning s treams o f wa terinto the ground thus to rn up, a nd breaking down

the hea vy clods with their spades , so a s to fit it fo r

rece iving the seed . I mus t say , however, tha t thehusbandry everywhere i s mos t s lovenly , and tha t

BAD FARM ING. 45

with such a subject to work o n, a go od English‘

fa rmer would make a very differen t thing of i t a nd

produce very d ifferent results . You never see m a

nure a pplied except upon melon o r cucumber grounds

nea r a town ; a nd, in fa ct , the dung of a n ima ls ,though carefully c o llected, is no t a pplied to thispurpo se, but used fo r winter fuel . I this day oh

served severa l boys a nd women carefully collecting

ma nure where a flo ck o f sheep had la in a -n ighto r tw o before ; but it w a s to be formed w ith cow

dung into cakes fo r burning, no t to be thrown on

the neighbour ing field . The fa rmers ha ve n o t , s o

fa r a s I know, become a cqua inted even with the u seo f lime a s a s t imulant to land . Indeed, a s la nd 18

genera l ly more a bunda nt tha n the wa ter which i srequired to irriga te it , a nd much must thus rema in

uncult iva ted every yea r, fa llows come to supersedein grea t m ea sure the use of m anure, which in our

sys tem of fa rming is so indispensa ble . The who le

of: this d istr ict , from T abreez t o our presentMa nzil, T essouj e, is , o r m ight be, one sheet of cul

tiva tion : i t a bounds with fine vi llages , which~

a re

genera lly s itua ted on the gen t le declivity of the

m ounta ins , and termina tes in the fla t la nd tha t

surro unds the who le lake . I sha ll clo se here fo r

the presen t, a nd addres s my next from O o ro om ia

on its western side, through which m y road lies .

LETTER I I I .

Selm as . Russian policy. Kara-kishlac .—Sportive dam sels.

Kereem abad.— Pla in of Ooroom ia —Agricultura l im provem ents .

—Nej effKoolee Khan .— Pa la ces and fine apartm ent—City of

Ooroom ia .—Fortified houses .—Arm enian church .

—NestorianChristians— their country

— Hakkaree Koords .— Other fiercetribes . -Meer ofRew andooz .

—Dr. Ross ’s journey to tha t chief.—Contra st betw een Turkish and Koordish villages .—Dum dum .

—Rew andooz .-Chara cter of the people— their dress -m an

ners .—Blindness of the old Meer.

—Brothers of the Meer.

— Superstition s . Inhospita lity. Koordish fiercenes s and

bravery - Law s and justice of the Meer.— Sum m ary punish

m ents—Arm y in the field—Capture of A ccra —Subm ission of

Am adia .—Dr. Ross join s the Meer in cam p.

—Meer’s appear

ance and conversa tion—His cam p.—Chara cter.

—Specula tion sa s to proceeding.

Ooroom ia , 1 7th October.THREE days, dear ha ve ca rried m e from the

village whence my la st w a s da ted, to this a ncient

and bea ut iful pla ce, supposed to be the Theba rm a

of a nt iquity a nd the birth-pla ce of the celebra ted

Zoroa ster. From T es souj e our w ay lay through

the district a nd pla in o f Selmas , one o f the finest of

Azerbij an . But it ha s suffered grea t ly ; in the

firs t ins tance from the inro a ds of the Hakka ree

Ko ords , w ho inhabit the moun ta ins on the northwest ; a nd, secondly, from the a trocious conduct of

P a skevitch, the Rus s ia n genera l, w ho ca rried away

many thousands of Armenia n families from hence ,

SELMAS. 47

Bayazeed, E rzeroom , and o ther districts in this

neighbourhood, lea ving the who le town of Selmas

nea rly, a nd many of its villages quite depopula ted .

A third ca use of decay is to be found in the tyra nn ica l

conduct of Jehangeer Meerza , who lived much in

this qua rter during the s tay o f his fa ther, the la tePrince Roya l, in Khora san , and who se name i s

hea vily la den with curses in these pa rts . Never

theless , the dis trict of Selmas is st i ll r ich a nd pro

duc tive, and in pa ss ing through i t you see a number

of fine villages , pa rt icula rly towa rds the upper end

nea r the mounta in s . But I w as surprised to find

tha t the r iver Selm fis, instea d of being, a s I had

hea rd, a s trea m na vigable fo r boa t severa ls miles fro m

the lake, is a t this sea so n a misera ble ri vulet which

sca rcely wetted our ho rses’ feet while cro s sing i t .

The pla in of Selmas itself, which I should think

extended thirty miles inland from the lake, and

which m ay in some part s be ten miles a cro ss, ha sa t

,one t ime obviously been co vered by the lake .

Indeed, the gra dua l reces s ion of the‘

w a ters of thisinland sea i s a phenomenon which a ffo rds curiousma tter o f specula t ion . L ike a ll o ther sa lt lakes inthis pa rt of As ia , a nd some fresh , i t ha s no out let,a lthough it is itself a recepta cle for the wa ters of

many and cons iderable streams which flow from the

mounta ins round it . Tha t these were once more

abundant sources o f supply than a t present , a ppea rsprobable, s ince, if report on the subject c a n a t a ll be

trusted, the lake, within the mem ory o f m a n , w a s

much larger and fuller than it now is . Its only

dra in a t present ca n be from evapora tion, unles s an

48 SORRY LODG ING .

increa sed demand o f wa ter for irriga tion were sup

posed ; but a s there is every rea son to believe tha tcultiva tio n ha s ra ther d iminished tha n increa sed,tha t cannot be the ca se . How ever the dim inution

o f wa ters m ay be ca used, there is no doubt tha t agradua l increa se o f land takes pla ce on the margin

o f the lake , a nd la nd o f grea t r ichnes s, a s is pro ved

both by the crops i t yie lds a nd by the n a tura l gra ss

it produces , the flocks a nd herds of the inhabitant sbeing unable t o consume the sto re of herbage in them eadows .

We purpo sed to ha ve made go od our w ay to

D ilm aun , a la rge village, d ignified, I bel ieve, wi th

the name o f tow n but , trust ing to my j elowda r’

s

guida nce, w e lo s t our w ay a nd came to a miserablevillage na m ed Kara -Kishlac , which I would recom

m end a ll future tra vellers to a vo id . My o w n lodging

w a s in a sort of co ck-loft o ver a mud building , sa id to

do duty a s a mo sque, but which appeared to ha ve a slittle just cla im to sanctity a s it had to comfort ; a nd

of the la s t there w a s but scrimp sha re, for it w a s

open to a ll the winds o f hea ven . Nor w as I better

o ff in rega rd to food, fo r though I fa in would ha ve

had a dinner, the keen a ir ha ving given m e a n exce l

lent a ppet ite, my rogue of a cook, una ccustomed towo rk wi th cakes of dried cow -dung, the only fuel to

be had here, spo iled the fowl des tined for m e, so

tha t a litt le dry r ice, w ith a n egg or tw o , w a s a ll

I had to s top my cra vings with . My ca tt le, how

ever, were better o ff, fo r they had bo th shelter a nd

fo od in a bundance, a nd they were my chief ca re .

Next morning, cross ing the pla in, w e a scended

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

5 0 THE ABODE OF K INDNESS .

more, a s if they should no t ca re how soon they

rea ched their ha lt ing-pla ce, w e di smounted a t a

miserable v i llage, the firs t tha t came in our w ay

a s w e opened the pla in of O oro om ia , n amed

Kereem abad, or the a bode of Mercy or Kindnes s .

Very litt le o f ei ther did w e find there, fo r n o t a

pla ce could they o r would they give u s to s tow

ourselves a nd ca tt le in yet , a fter s ome Consulta t io n ,

w e thought it better to rema in w here w e were,and where fo od fo r the a n ima ls m ight be had , a s w e

were info rmed, tha n to go further , a nd perhaps find

no t even tha t . So w e piqueted our bea s ts out s ide

the village , co llected the baggage into o ne hea p , set a

wa tch , a nd , a fter a very modera te dinner , I go t under

my 1171f upon the dry turf, a nd s lept very to lera bly

t il l near the hour o f lo ading in the morn ing .

Befo re sunrise w e were o n our w ay t o the city

o f O oro o m ia ; a nd n owhere , certa inly no t in the

E a st a t lea s t, do I remember pa s s ing through a

r icher country . All a round us , in wha tever direct io n w e ca s t our eyes , they fell o n sheets o f va ried

cult iva t ion , co tto n , rice , millet , ca s tor-o il pla nt,vineya rds , orcha rds , and grea t fields , from whencea lready the hea vy crops of whea t a nd ba rley hadbeen rea ped, pretti ly divided , a nd fringed here and

there wi th coppice or rows of trees , W i llow,popla r,

s inj eed (j aj ube), a nd o thers . Numbers o f la rgevi llages , ea ch encircled with i ts o w n ga rdens , laythickly sca ttered a bout , a nd the s ta te o f tho se w e

pa ssed through w a s conclus ive a s to the wea l tha nd comfo rt o f their inhabitants . Thus , fo r a t lea s ttwenty miles , did w e r ide through a perfect ly rich

a nd cul ti va ted coun t ry to the very wa lls o f the city,which were concea led by trees and ga rdens .

This day I observed tw o agricultura l improve

men ts which I ha ve seen n owhere e lse . One w a s

a plough , u sed to break up the deep soil, o f fa r

grea ter effica cy than the common miserable ins tru

men t. It w a s dragged by eight buffa loes a nd

bullocks, the draught being from an axle w ith

whee ls o f different s izes a t either end ; one a bou t

twen ty inches o r tw o feet in diameter, intended to

go in the la st-m ade furrow ; the o ther, n o t above

ha lf a s much , to run upon the yet unbroken so il ,s o tha t the a xle , by this contriva nce, w a s kept upon

the level . The o ther impro vemen t w a s the a dop

t ion of a tw o-wheeled ca rt , a lso drawn by buffa lo es— a hea vy clum sy m a chine , i t i s true, wi th s o l id

wheels like the o ld H ighland cart-wheels , which

went creaking and bumping a long on their mo st

irregular circumferences , but s t il l effecti ve enoughengines for ca rrying s tra w , a nd such l ike l ight bulkya rt icles . It is no t a lit t le rema rka ble tha t these

ca rts , o r a ra ba s , a s they a re ca l led, though“

u sed

in Turkey, Armen ia , a nd Geo rgia , a nd even , I

believe, a t Khoee , should no t ha ve been a dopted

even a t T abreez , a t Tehra n , o r the more ea stern

a nd southern pro vinces of Pers ia : the pa ce o f im

provement is mighty s low indeed here .

Enter ing the city, I went stra ight to the hou se of

the Beglerbeggee, o r governor, Nej eff Ko o lee Kha n ,a n Affshar n obleman o f very high ra nk , the King

ha ving m arried a s is ter of his - fa ther, so tha t some

o f the Pr inces a re his cous ins . I had sent fo rwa rd

E 2

2 A FEUDAL CH IEF.

my letters of introduct ion to this gentleman with

a reques t to be furn ished with lodgings ; but ,

whether by mistake o r intended a ttent ion , I w a s

ushered into his presence a t once . I found, both

a t the ga tes o f the Kha n’

s res idence in the courts

through which they led m e, and in his presence,a grea t dea l o f rea l s ta te a nd observance, mo re

indeed tha n a t the courts of many of the second

ra te Pr inces , a nd the respect a nd ceremony whichpreva i led had nothing in it forced o r got up fo r the

occa s ion it w a s the feuda l lord t ruly surrounded

by his va s sa ls . He rec eived m e with kindnes s a nd

a ffability, but did no t e ither r ise a t my en trance or

exit . In fa ct , he obvious ly a ssumed the s tyle of a

Prince, or nea rly so , fo r there were severa l Khans

presen t w ho did not s it a t a ll ; a nd the a ttendance,on the who le , w a s exc eed ingly impo s ing.

The Khan himsel f had on a shawl-cloak , which

y ou would ha ve a l lowed would m ake a beahtiful

dres s— i t must ha ve been worth mo re than one

hundred pounds s terling ; and a t his wa is t he wo rea mo st splendid dagger, w ith an aga te ha ndlemounted in go ld , a nd ha ving a t the t op o f the

h ilt a fine emera ld . After s itt ing a1

c onsiderable

t ime, I w a s to ld tha t my ro oms were ready, a nd

fo l lowed a serva nt o f the grea t m an ’

s to wha t hadbeen a superb dew a n !f la m e/2. It is pa rt of a veryextens ive pa la ce, built by his fa ther o r grandfa ther,w ho , I bel ieve , a t o ne t ime ma de the z

'

a'aw a -e

sulta na t— tha t is , a spired to the crown ; a nd,

a ssuredly, this ha s been quite a rega l es ta blish

ment . Like a ll others in this cha nging country,

A HANDSOME LODG ING . 3

where co nfl icting interests a re con tinua lly cla shing,a nd where he who w a s grea t to-day becomes lessthan the lea st to-morrow , it ha s gone much to

decay ; but severa l of the suites a re s ti ll in perfect

order, and rema rka bly ha ndsome . The apartment ,in which I a m now s itting, is thirty feet long by

fifteen in breadth, a bout twenty feet h igh, a nd

ha ndsomely vaulted . The wa lls a re fitted up withvery ta steful recesses , both a rched and squa re, andthe whole , wa lls and roof, ha ve been pa inted o f a

r ich white , picked out with blue, red, a nd go ld,except for a bout three feet from the flo or, whichi s sa lmon colour, ornamented with flowers in deeper

t ints , a ll done in oil-colours ; a nd there are some

very handsome coloured ornament s on the crestsof the a rches above . One whole end is o ccupied bya splendid window o f pa inted gla ss, termina t ing ina Gothic a rch : I wish I could convey to you thepa ttern.

‘

It is indescr ibably bea ut iful, a nd rem indso ne of the richest figures shown by the ka leidoscope .

In the other end, there a re tw o sma ller windows of

a s im ila r cons truct ion, betw een which is a fire-pla cethe floor is of t ile ; but , when suitably dressed up ,

is first covered with ma t s , and over them with richca rpets . The pa la ce con ta ins many sma ller ro oms

o f equa l bea uty, and, in fa ct, I know few things

l ike it in Pers ia , except a t Ispa han for, un l ike thebuildings of the present day , it is constructed of

so lid br ick and m orta r. So for once, a t lea st, I a m

well lodged.

October 1 9 .-I ha ve been m uch plea sed with

O oroom ia , which I am now about to quit . The

5 4 NEJEFF KOOLE E KHAN .

Beglerbeggee ha s been extremely k ind to m e, a nd

therefore I think him a very fine fellow . Therewere some rea son s fo r it, to be sure ; fo r, inde

penden t of the letters o f introduct ion I brought,I m ade him ra ther a ha ndsome present . But Some

fo lks do no t think it neces sa ry to a cknowledge such

a ttention s even wi th kindnes s . Nej eff Koo lee Khan

i s a n oblem an o f high ra nk , no t o nly by s ta t ion ,

but by birth . He i s the heredita ry Chief o f the

Ko s sim lo o Affshfirs , the principa l te'

erek, o r d i vis io n ,

a s he tells m e, o f the tribe, which is probably the

m ost numerous a nd extens ively sprea d in Pers ia .

Na der Sha h w a s , a s you know, a n Affshar ; but the

Kha n seem s to think very ligh tly of this, fo r, he says ,tha t Nader Sha h ’s divis ion were the serva nts o f the

Ko s sim lo o s . At a ll event s , his forefa thers for e ightgenera t ion s ha ve held the same office a s him self

tha t o f Beglerbeggee, o r governOr of the city a nd

d istr ict of O o roo m ia .

H is gra ndfa ther, Im aum Ko o lee Khan , w a s a chiefo f so much power a nd influence tha t , though o nlytwenty-four yea rs of age , in the troubles succeedingthe dea th o f Nader, a nd befo re the confirm a t ion o f

Kercem Khan upo n the throne, he became com

pet itor wi th o ther Kha n s a nd chiefs for the crown .

But their ambit ion co st them dea r ; for mo s t of themwere destroyed , a nd among them Ima um Ko o lee

Khan , w ho , ha ving m e t the governor o f Khoee

in a rm s , w a s defea ted, a nd fled ba ck to Oo room ia ,where, a rriving much o verhea ted , he ca lled fo r

w ine , and died in co nsequenc e of the fever i t produced. Nej eff Ko o lee Kha n ins inua tes t ha t he

KEEP ING AN OATH .

owed his end to poison , but there seem s to be no

sufficient pro of o f this .

H is son, Ho o ssein Ko o lee Khan , being then a

mere child, the la te Kha n ’

s bro ther, Ma homedKo o lee Khan , either se ized upon o r w a s pla cedin his brother’s ro om , where he cont inued duringthe reign of Aga Ma homed Kha n ; but on the

murder of tha t monarch , when Saduc Kha n Sheghaghee a nd Ja ffer Ko olee Khan o f Khoee a ro se

in oppos it ion to the present King, the sa id MahomedKo o lee Khan jo ined them and sha red in the ir defea t .The fa te o f the unfo rtuna te Saduc Khan i s wel l

known ; he w a s s ta rved to dea th by being bui ltup in a cel l, because , forsoo th , the King had takenan o a th tha t he would no t shed his blood a nd oa thsmus t be kept ! With Mahomed Ko o lee Khan he u sed

less ceremony ; fo r, pro ceeding to O oro om ia , he took

h im pr isoner, bea t him , tortured him by fire a nd by

prevent ing him fro m s leep ti ll he ga ve up his property a nd wea lth , a nd then sent him o ff to Sa ree in

Ma zunderan , where he died, o r w a s po is oned .

The King then put the s on o f the fo rmer Begler

beggee in his fa ther’

s pla ce , a nd there he rem a ined

a fa ithful servitor of the Cro w n unt il he died . The

King married his s ister, by whom he had Ma lek

C o s s im Meerz a , a nd some o ther sons . This lady

dying, a nd his m ajesty being, a s a ppea rs , very

gra cious ly disposed towa rds the family, be n exttook a daughter o f the Khan

’

s , consequent ly, a niece

o f his former wife, by whom he ha s a lso had mo re

than one son ; so tha t the present Khan, who

succeeded his fa ther some fourteen years ago , ha s

5 6 C ITY OF OOROOMIA.

Princes cousin-germans , a nd Princes a t once his

cous ins a nd nephews— a pre tty medley of kindred .

Thus , however, the Beglerbeggee becomes re

ga rded nea rly in the ligh t a nd ra nk o f a Shah

Za a’eh, a nd m a inta ins the sta te o f one . He Is

served with m uch the same ceremony, and ha s a

noka ra hha neh, o r ba nd of mus ic, which plays a bo ve

his ga teway a t certa in t imes , &c . In his a ddress ,be is a ffa ble and po lite ; modera te in capa city , Ishould judge ; a nd in fa ce a lmo st the exa ct imageo f o ur friend a nd ne ighbour L with the add i

t ion of a bea rd a nd mu s ta chio s ; a nd now , I da re

s ay , you ha ve enough of my friend the Khan .

Of the city and its environs , I must say a few

wo rds . It ha s a n a spect o f m o re com fort and

s o lidity than a ny other I remember in Pers ia .

The ga rdens , which embra ce it to the very wa lls ,un ite their fo liage with tha t of m a ny trees within

them to produce a rich a nd verdant a spect ; fo r

every ho use o f cons idera t ion ha s i ts ga rdens , with

rows o f chenars a nd popla rs towering abo ve the

inclosure . The s treets a re wider tha n in m os t o ther!

towns , a nd ha ve genera lly a stream of w a ter runn ing

in the mids t, so tha t ea ch house m ay enj oy a t will

this neces sa ry of life . Few ruins a re vi s ible ; fo r,w here a ny exist, they a re genera lly concea led by thewa ll, which inclo ses ea ch tenement , like a fort .This mode o f rendering ea ch house tha t i s , thosebelo nging to the grea t - a s o rt of s trongho ld is

rema rka ble , a nd very cha ra cteris t ic of the s ta te of

society which used to subs is t in O o ro o m ia . Situa ted

o n the bo rders o f Ko ordis tan, a nd in the mids t o f

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

8 AN ARMEN IAN CHURCH .

ground, and w e entered i t through a low do or ,

sca rcely la rge enough to admit a m a n into the

na rrow pa s sage beyo nd : this led us , s tooping, intoa da rk ho le, the form of which , even when the eye

became reconci led to the obscurity, w a s ha rdly tobe m ade out from the qua nt ity of stra nge ha ngingstha t encumbered ra ther than ado rned its wa llso ffer ings of the piety , o r supers t it ion, o r van ity o f

its frequen ters— suspicious-looking ga rments , likethe shifts of women and the trousers of m en, hungfrom the ro o f and cornices l ike the ta ttered banners

o f some a ncient ca s tle ha ll o r cha pe l , but quite wi th

out their dign ity. On o ne s ide o f wha t m ight bethe a lta r, lay a bla ck bonnet, worn by the pr ies t on

the oppos ite s ide, a ta ttered copy o f the Armen ian

Bible . Beyond w a s a room , into which none but

the pries t w a s permitted to enter, a nd in this the

woma n , w ho showed the church , s a id there w a s a

s tone with s ome writ ing in Armenian upon i t . The

priest w a s no t to be found , so I m ade no a ttempt toenter the sa nctua ry, a s , without his a id, I could ha vem ade nothing o ut had I succeeded— indeed, even

with his a id, I doubt if much could ha ve been done,fo r these leha leefahs , o r pries ts , a re very ignoran t .

Bo rdering a s O o roo m ia do es upon Armenia , itreckons among its popula t ion a grea t m a ny Armen ians ; a nd a s As syria , which m ay be s a id to be

co terminous on the o ther s ide , is the chief a bodeo f the Nes to rian o r Syria n Chris tia ns , usua lly ca lled

Na s serdnees (Na zerenes), the who le coun try a ffordsa mo st in terest ing fie ld fo r explo ra t ion , no t on ly ofa nt iquities , but o f m uch tha t rega rds the his tory

NESTORIAN CHRI STIAN S . 5 9

o f the Syria n Chu rch ; fo r there is l itt le doubt tha t ,in the rude recepta cles of the Nes to rian a nd Syria n

m ona s ter ies , in these wild m ounta ins , a re t o be

found, could w e but come a t them , ma ny ancien t ,a nd probably va luable m a nuscripts , in the Syriana nd Cha ldea n tongues , connected with the early

t imes of our religio n, a nd m a ny m onuments a nd

inscript ions on stone, which , if deciphered, m ightlead to very interest ing his torica l, if no t theo logica l,discoveries . The misfortune is , tha t the who le o f

this coun try is in the hands of ba rba ria ns , so rudea nd suspicious , tha t any sea rch a fter such litera ry

trea sures becomes next to impra ct ica ble ; fo r, whenever inquiries rega rding them a re m a de, the un ivers a l opin io n of the people i s , tha t the o bject i s no t to

disco ver litera ry o r religious wea lth , but hidden treasures of go ld a nd s i lver— the on ly ones they recogn izea s va lua ble indeed, to impres s them with the bel ieftha t e ither m a nuscripts o r inscript ions ca n be pr izedf o r

,any o ther purpo se tha n tha t o f us ing them fo r

such d isco veries would be impo s s ible .

No t mo re than three severe but short days ’

journey wes t o f O oro o m ia , among the lo fty a nd

a lmo st ina ccess ible m ounta ins of Jewar, there exis t sa popula t io n o f these Nesto rian Christ ians , w ho

ha ve l ived there fo r ages , a nd a re sa id to be the

descenda nts o f certa in Chris t ian s of Mesopotamia,

w ho fled to this difficult region for refuge fro m

the persecutions of Jo vian . They a m oun t to be tterthan fourteen thousand fam i lies , which co ns titu te a

s ort o f commonwea lth o f their o w n , sepa ra te from

the res t of the wo rld, a nd w ho yield neither obedi

60 NESTOR IANS o r MOUNT LEWAR .

ence nor tribute to any fo reign a utho rity, and ,

though profess ing, a s some s ay , a n omina l a dhe

rence to the head of the Ha kka ree Koords w ho

lives a t Jula m erick, a re, in rea lity, subject to none

but the ir ow n chief o r chiefs . The principa l o f

these chiefs , w ho a re pa tr ia rchs o r bishops , a nd a re

termed by them kha leefahs , or ca liph s, res ides gene

ra lly in the m ona s tery o f Koj a nnes , and m a in ta insgrea t sta te . He exercises a perfect au tho rity o ver

his subjects bo th in spiritua l a nd tempora l a ffa irs .

Ea ch village ha s a lso its kha leef ah, o r priest , w ho

a ct s a lso a s magistra te, a nd there were dubious

rumours of prela tes of intermedia te degrees res iding

a t o ther pla ces , and some o f my info rman ts decla red

tha t the country w a s no t ent irely occupied by Nesto ~

r ians , but partly inha bited by Ko ords a nd Zlfa ssul

m ans , mea ning Sheahs , o r Pers ia ns .

These people a re represented a s living in grea tcomfo rt, being rich , and their country a bounding

in a ll sorts of produce, vegeta ble a nd minera l, ha ving

m ines o f lead, ant imo ny, a rsen ic , a nd other meta ls .

They a re pa rt icula rly jea lous o f the ir freedom , and

very a ble to defend it , fo r they a re very bra ve and

reso lute, have twel ve thousand ca pita l tofiunchees (o rmusketeers), and a pa rt icula rly defens ible country,being a clus ter of lo fty moun ta ins , intersected by

deep ra vines a nd frightful cha sm s , the beds of rapid

to rren ts . These cha sm s a re spanned by a s ingletree , which ca n be removed o r le t down a t e itherend a t plea sure , thu s a bso lutely deba rring exit o r

entra nce . I ha ve pa rt ia lly described this country

in my Tra vels o n the Banks o f the Ca spian Sea ,

KARRAKER KOORDS. 61

a nd made it the scene o f a ta le ent it led “ Mourad

a nd E uxabeeth, which y ou m ay remember . Judge

then how interest ing a spo t this m ust be fo r the

resea rches of a n a n t iqua ry, a nd pa rticula rly a theo

logica l one and judge how unwillingly I turned my

s teps from this in teresting but da ngerous— a lmostimpra ctica ble— country .

Nor a re the immedia te neighbours of these Nes torian s ,—name ly, the Hakka ree Koords , -less da ngerous cus tomers fo r honest inquirers to dea l with .

The ir coun try , like tha t o f the Nes to rians, is a con

grega tio n of rugged ra vines , covered with jungle,but interspersed here a nd there with fertile pla ins ,which yie ld a n abundant return to the la bourer a nd

pa s ture fo r their numerous flocks . Like them , too ,

they suspect and d is like a ll s t rangers , whom they

con s ider a s spies a nd interlopers . They obey none

but their respective ch iefs ; but a re no t so exclus ivein the ir pra ct ice of robbery a nd plunder, fo r they

strip indiscr imina tely every one they ca tch . Eveno ther tribes o f Ko ords

,if no t to o powerful to be

touched, a re n o t a lways safe . This i s the country

which , it i s s a id, no power ha s ever succeeded inreducing to subjection ; a nd, certa in ly , the rulingpowers a round do no t seem likely to a chieve the

ta sk ; a lthough , I bel ieve, the Ameer-e-Nizam did

penetra te with a n a rmy to Jula m erick, a strong

pla ce in the mounta ins , where their chief Noo r

Q o ll a h Kha n res ides ; a nd the same chief ha s con

sented to a ccept a khelut, or dres s of honour , fromthe present heir appa ren t , a nd to obey his com

m ands— a s Koords a re wont to obey .

62 ASSASS INATION OF SCHULT Z .

Tha t they a re a s trea cherous a s inho spitable ha s

been fa ta lly demonstra ted in the ir conduct to the

unfo rtuna te tra veller Schultz , a German sga vant,

sent into this country by the French Inst itute, I

think, to examine its s tores of litera ry wo nders .

He had made some very interes t ing resea rches in

the vicini ty o f Lake Vei n, a nd the s ite o f the ancient

Artem ita , and had co l lected a grea t‘

dea l bea r ing

upon tha t importan t des idera tum of Orienta l inquiry—the deciphermen t o f the a rrow-headed cha ra cters

found o n a ncient monument s in these count ries , a s

we ll a s a t Ba bylon a nd Persepo l is , St e .

f H e had

even succeeded in making good his w ay in s a fety so

fa r through the coun try o f the Nes torian Christ ians ,a nd had been en terta ined wi th appa rent ho spi ta lity

by the ir Kha lerj ah Ma r Shim o on, a nd had obta inedfrom him severa l m anuscripts a nd pa pers , wi th

which he w a s pro ceeding towa rds T abreez , a t tended

by a gua rd o f the Jula m erick Kha n ’

s people,~ —tha tpersonage having, a s i t is a lso s a id, rece ived himwith the same show of hospi ta l ity, —when j ust nea rthe front iers , they en t iced him into a na rrow ra vine,o n pretext o f showing him some o ld ruin . The

w ay w a s a mere sheep-pa th , and he w a s , un

happily, induced to lea ve the cqfilah, or pa rty with

which it appea rs he w a s tra vel ling, to see this pla ce ;but he had go t to a very little d is ta nce when he

It m ust be gra tify ing to a ll w ho a re interested in this m ost

curious subject tha t this desidera tum ha s been in a grea t degreea tta ined by the industry and intelligence of Major Raw ingsen of

the Hon ourable Ea st India Com pany’

s Service, w ho ha s a lreadydeciphered severa l inscription s in the a rrow -headed cha ra cter.

SAVAGE TRIBES. 63

w a s sho t by o ne o f these very gua rds , w ho a lso

put to dea th e ither one o r tw o o f his serva nts .

Ano ther, how ever, be ing wel l mounted , contrived to

escape while they were dragging the bodies out of

the w ay ; a nd , ge tt ing to T abreez , to ld the t a le,which is a ll tha t is known of poor Schultz’s dea th .

This country is , indeed , o verrun with sa vagetribes , the on ly check on who m is their rela t iveweaknes s . The Belbas , a tr ibe once numerousa nd powerful, though n ow much broken , inhabitthe hills a nd pla ins o f Ba lig a nd La hij an, no t veryfa r from hence , a nd every now and then amuse theneighbour ing dis tricts of So o ldo oz , Serdusht , a nd

even Souje-Bulagh with a chapp ow , a s the high

la nders used to descend from the ir b ills on the low

la nds of Mo ray, “ where every gent leman had a

right to take his plea sure , a cco rding to the ir creed .

And there a re the Ra w ans and the Ha rkis , a nd

the Now cha is , and fifty o thers I da re say , w ho a ll

h a ve the wi ll , a nd s ome of them the power, thusto take the ir plea sure . H a ppily , a power ha s

a risen in the West , which , though of the roughes ts ort , ha s a t lea st had the go od effect of t aming

s ome of these fierce ma rau ders , a nd reducing them

to a who lesome a nd necessa ry, though tyra nn ica l ,subject io n , a nd thus render ing a pa rt o f the coun trypermea ble a nd s a fe on certa in condit io ns .

Mehem et Pa sha h , now better known a s the Meer

of Rew a ndo oz ,”w a s n o t m any yea rs ago , like mo s t

o ther Ko o rdish chiefs , lord o f a sma l l dis tric t, andlea der o f the wa rrio rs of his o w n tribe, which had

n o o ther designa t ion than tha t of Rew ando oz . He

64 THE MEER OF REWANDOOZ .

bega n his career by sett ing a s ide his ow n fa ther, a s

incapable o f conducting the a ffa irs of the tribe in

troublesome t imes . Some say tha t the o ld m an ,

be ing of a pea cea ble a nd devout d ispo s it ion , turned

Soofiee, o r sa int, renounced the wo rld a nd it s va

n ities , a nd pla ced his son in his ow n room ; I wishfo r the Meer

’

s credit tha t such m ay be the true vers ionof the s to ry, but it is a t best doubtful . In l ike m an

ner he dispo sed of severa l of his bro thers , I fea r, no t

merely in a n a rbi tra ry ma nner, a nd fixed himself

supreme a nd firmly a t length in his na t ive district o f

Rew a ndooz . H e then set to wo rk s trengthen ing his

power, a nd ra is ing fo llowers , so a s to prepa re for

future s truggles . But the commencemen t of his

true r ise da tes from the w a r between Pers ia a nd

Russ ia , w hen the Prince Roya l w ho had made some

dispo s it ions to crush the Meer, w a s forced to with

draw his troops in order to concentra te them aga ins t

mo re formidable foes . The Meer, taking adva ntage

o f this opportun ity, no t o nly retook a ll the territory

of which he had been depri ved by the Pr ince, but

extended his a rm s wes twa rd a nd northwa rd with

such success tha t he ha s now obta ined cont rol over

a grea t part of Upper Mesopotamia , bes ides the dis

tric ts extend ing from E rbile (Arbela) to Kerkook ,inclus ive, on the ea st o f the Tigris .

It i s a ffirmed tha t he ha s fifty thous and m en under

his o rders , o f whom the be tter ha lf a re regula rly

pa id a nd kept in co ns ta nt wo rk, fo r he is s ti ll a c

t ively employed in reducing such co terminous dis

tric t s a s a re unable t o o ppo se him , a nd thus ra pidly

increa ses his domin ions . But the mo s t s ingula r pa rt

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

66 STERN JUSTICE .

he would no t touch i t , but report the fa ct to the

hea d of the next vi llage , who se duty it would be to

send for i t and keep it, unt il properly cla imed ,m aking his report a t the same t ime to the Meer

h im self.

It is told of him , tha t being informed tha t one of

his brothers , ra ther a fa vourite to o , in r iding by a

poor ma n’

s garden put fo rth his hand‘

a nd plucked

a pomegrana te, without a sking the owner’s permis

s ion , he sent for him and cha rged him with the fa ct ,which w a s no t denied And which w a s the hand

you put fo rth to do the a ct ?”

The young m an held

it forth . And with which finger did’

you pluck

the fruit ? With this,”w a s the reply. Then

let tha t finger be immedia tely cut off, s a id ‘

the

Meer, a nd the sentence w a s ca rried into executiono n the spo t . There is a no ther story curren t whichreminds us of a s imi la r one rela ted o f Nader Shah ,to whom , in fierce remorseles snes s of cha ra cter, hea ppea rs to bea r no sma ll resemblance . The bodyof a m an , mu t ila ted by wo l ves and j a cka ls , w a s

found nea r the highway, no t fa r from certa in vii;

lages . Intelligence o f the fa ct reached the Meer,

w ho ca used a ll the usua l inquiries to be m ade, butwithout producing a ny discovery of the murderers .

The villagers , when ques tioned, la id the fault uponthe wo lves o f the neighbouring jungles, w ho had a l

ready devoured a grea t pa rt o f the ca rca ss . Thenbring tho se wo lves to m e,

”w a s the o rder given in

reply to this excuse a nd the whole village , knowingthe consequence o f fa ilure , w a s in a bus tle to ca tchthe wolves . Som e were taken , a nd brought to the

AN INVITATION FROM THE MEER . 67

grea t m an , who put them one a fter a nother to a lin

gering dea th w ith terrible tortures , the s igh t of

which , i t is a ffirmed , so terrified the villagers , tha tthey exerted themse lves to discover a nd give up toj ustice the rea l murderers , in o rder to s a ve themselves from the terr ible fa te which tha t of the po orwo lves seemed to po int out a s likely to become the irs .

The ta le is no t very pro ba ble, but shows the light inwhich the dea lings of this chief a re regarded .

T o a id in describing a chief w ho seems fa tedto exercise an importa nt influence o ver a la rge po rt ion of this very interes ting country, I a m temptedto make use of some extra ct s from a journa l kept

by Dr. Ros s , the m edica l gent leman in a t tenda nceo n the Bri t ish res iden t a t Baghdad, w ho had the

s ingula r go od fortune to make a j ourney throughthis da ngerous country, by invita t ion o f the Meer

him self. It a ppea rs th a t Meer Mus ta pha , the fa therof the chief, is blind , a nd tha t in the hope o f res tor inghim to s ight , he had sen t to request Co lone l Taylor

tha t a n English doctor m ight be sen t to try his

skill . The opportun ity of cult iva t ing re la t ions Withthis s ingula r m a n w a s readi ly seized on by Co lone lTaylor, and Dr . Ro s s be ing cha rged w ith this in

teres ting duty, depa rted for the country o f the Meer

under convoy of his uncle Baya zeed Beg , w ho had

been sent to Baghdad on this mis s ion to the Br it ish

resident .

It is neces sary first , however, to tell you tha t in

a ddit ion to a ll his conquests , both in Mesopotamia

and in the lower pa rts o f As syria , the Meer had a t

tha t t ime turned his arms aga inst the la rge a nd fer

F 2

68 A POPULOUS D I STRICT.

t ile, though mounta inous and difficult , country ofAm adia , which lies to the north-west of Rew a ndo oz

and to the no rth of Monsul . This s ta te, or ra ther

Pa sha l ic, fo r its chief w a s a Pa sha h , is spoken o f by

a ll in the highes t term s of commenda tion , for its

product ivenes s , beauty, a nd density of popula t ion .

Severa l persons o f high respectability agreed in d e

cla ring to m e tha t it con ta ined twelve thousand vi l

lages , no t petty hamle ts , but cons is ting of from tw o

to three hundred families (o r houses)ea ch . A sta te

ment which m us t be enormously beyond the truth ,a s , taking ea ch village a t only o ne hundred and fifty

houses , a nd giving but five perso ns to ea ch house ,the aggrega te would be n ine millions— a popula t ion

grea tly exceeding tha t o f the who le o f Pers ia : itmust therefo re be taken only to mean tha t Amadiais very populous .

It w a s ruled by a Pa shah , the descenda nt of a

Koo rdish family, w ho received his inves ture fromthe Porte ; but misrule, a nd jea lousy, a nd domes t icbrawls, led to his overthrow . The country becamespli t into numerous petty chiefships , the heads ofwhich pa id no rega rd to the reign ing Pa sha h, a

weak a nd fo o lish m an , who had lo st a ll a uthority ,and w ho shut himself up in his ca st le o f Ama dia ,secure in i ts supposed impregnability, while the

Meer w a s overrunn ing the country, a nd one by onereducing a ll these petty a nd Self-const ituted chiefs .

At la st he la id s iege to Am adia itself ; a nd by a va i ling him self o f family feuds a nd trea son ,

bribed hisw ay into tha t importa nt fo rtress , from whence he

d irected his effo rts with s t il l grea ter vigour to re

DR . Ro ss’s JOURN EY . 69

duce the rema in ing s trongho lds o f the country . At

the period of Dr. Ros s’

s journey, however, Am ad ia

had no t fa llen, a nd the Meer w a s bes ieging Akra

o r Accra , a very strong fortress upon the Za’

ib,about fourteen hours from N.N.W. to N. of E r

bileIt

‘

w a s towa rds the m iddle ofMay , 1 8 33, when

Dr . Ro ss left Baghda d ; a nd among the first rema rks

he m ade , w a s the grea t contra s t which w a s oh

serva ble in poin t of cult iva t ion and popula t ion, be

tween the Turkish and Koordish territor ies . In the

fo rmer, a ll the v i llages were deserted, the inha bita nt s

ha ving taken fl ight t o a vo id the go vernment im

posts . Every crea ture tha t rem a ined w a s open

mouthed in compla int aga inst Allee Pa sha h o f

Baghdad, and the moment a m a n belonging to the

government a ppea red, away they ra n to hide them

selves . On the o ther hand, no sooner did the pa rty

rea ch Altoun-Kupree, tha n a ll the people flo cked out

to meet Baya zeed Beg , wea r ing flowers o n the ir

heads a s on ho lidays , a nd pressed fo rwa rd to kiss

his ha nd, a nd shouted a nd cheered a s he pa ssed

a long.

F rom .Altoun-Kupree to E rbile the pla in w a s co

vered with flowers interspersed amongst the r ichestverdure, and the country w a s very populous . The

recept io n of Baya zeed Beg , a t the la t ter pla ce , is

described by Dr . Ross a s be ing in the highest de

gree picturesque a nd beaut iful, both fro m the r ich

cos tum es and from the a ffect iona te anima t ion tha t

ga ve spirit to the scene.

O n the 19th of May , Dr. Ross left E rbile fo r

70 DUMDUM .

Rew andooz , nea r which p la ce res ided old Mustapha

Beg, the object of the profess iona l pa rt of his

journey ; a nd tra vers ing a moun ta inous but very

fertile country, much covered with low o ak, a nd

wild a lmond, a nd surmount ing severa l s teep pa sses ,they rea ched Dumdum , the res idence o f the old

m an, from whence they could see the va l ley a nd

fortress of Rew a ndooz , the la tter no t m ore tha n a n

hour’s ride distant . Dumdum i s a sma ll fo rt builtupon a precipitous promontory o f rock one hundred

feet high , insula ted by a wa l l bui lt a cros s the neck ,a nd overlooking a sma l l town o f one hundred poor

houses , in a perfect j ungle of ga rdens filled with

every sort of fruit tree . From this pla ce the town

of Rew a ndo oz a ppeared to con s ist of a bout tw o

thousand po or houses with a sort o f fo rt s itua ted in

a ho llow of the mounta ins , on the south bank of thegrea ter Zei b, over which t here w a s a bridge o f trees ,

res t ing on tw o stone piers , a nd covered with bra nches

and ea rth . The r iver w a s na rrow , ra pid, rough ,a nd deep, but e ight hours further down , kellecks (o r

rafts of skins) c a n go a cross . The Doctor w a s notpermitted to vis it Rew a ndooz , no r to go much aboutthe country, but among o ther objects o f interestwhich he hea rd o f, he ment ions one in pa rt icula r ; apil la r of m a rble standing upon a quadra ngula r ba se,in a ll a bout three spea rs (thirty t o thirty-five fee t)high , a nd co vered with inscript ions .

f S evera l Europeans , a t d ifferent t imes , had expres sed a wish tovis it it , but permiss ion w a s a lways refused . It w a s

It w ill be found, hereafter, tha t I a lso heard of this

pilla

CO STUME . 71

s a id to be tw o days j ourney from Dumdum , a nd ha s

been suppo sed to be a pilla r set up by Semiramis .

Of Dumdum and i ts inhabita nts , Dr . Ros s doesnot speak with much applause . Of the la tter, hesays , the people appea r to know litt le o f the good

things of this wo r ld . The grea t folks a re m iserably

dressed, a nd their houses mere pig-styes . They a re

sulky sa vages ; they will not give even a dra ught o fmilk without growling, and everything further ha sa lmo st to be fo rced from them . When I ga ve themmed icine they grumbled tha t I did no t furnish bo tt les to put it in .

”The dress of the r icher m en is

the s ame a s tha t of the Baghdadees . The poorerwea r a short ja cket , w ith wide camlet trousers , a nd

a felt jerkin without s leeves , co tton shoes a nd

woo llen s tockings ; a nd o n their head, the peculia rKoordish turba n . The women wea r a blue shirtwith wide trousers , t ied a t the a nkles , a nd a squa rem a nt le fa s tened by tw o corners hanging down the

ba ck . On the ir hea d they wea r a round pla te o f

s i lver, fro m which ha ng down la rge drops wi th a

co in fa stened to ea ch , round the head a nd neck o r

the who le a ffa ir i s m ade of s ilver co ins . The mode

o f s a luta t ion is curious ; ea ch t akes the o ther by ther ight wrist , and kis ses the fo rea rm . Every even ing

s ix o r e ight o f the villagers dined below the sa lt ,a t the Meer

’

s house, a nd severa l old wa rriors, the

friends o f his yo uth. Ophtha lmia the Doctor oh

served to be frequent here .

H is pa t ient , the old Meer (Mus tapha ,) turned out

to be irreco verably blind . The ca use , by his ow n

a ccount , ophtha lmia , brought on by pu tt ing snow

72 FAM ILY OF THE MEER.

upon his head, one day when much hea ted by

a scending a moun ta in, on the t op of which he

found a bed o f it . Report bad a s serted tha t he

had been blinded by order o f his s on, by the m ccl

(red ho t iron penci l), or the ho t iron cup, but this

Dr . Ro ss decla res to be a s suredly fa lse . The cause

o f his resigna tion in fa vour of tha t son is les s c er

t a in . Some a ssert tha t his depos it ion w a s c o m pul

sory o thers , tha t, being convinced his son w a s c a l

cula ted to become a grea ter m a n tha n him self, he

had voluntarily res igned in his fa vour .

The Meer, or ra ther Pa shah , Ma homed ha s fourbro thers living . T w o of them , T im oor Khan and

Sule ima n Beg , a re kept in iron s in a fort five

hours distant from Rew a ndoo z . Ano ther, Ahmed

Beg, w a s governor of E rbile, a nd the fourth , Ra sool

Beg , w a s with the a rmy . The Meer ha s threew i ves but no family, no r, a s he i s fo rty-five , is hel ikely to ha ve a ny , in which ca se Ra sool Beg is regarded a s his succes sor .

The Docto r appea rs to have been but sha bbilytrea ted a t Dumdum , from whence he returned to

E rbile to awa it the o rders o f the Meer. On his

w ay he sa w the people of a village bringing theirchi ldren to a very old woma n w ho happened to

pa s s , and who blew or grunted a prayer over them ,

a nd ga ve them pieces o f old rags and co ins , whicha lso she blessed , a nd which were fixed to the capso f the little ones a s charm s aga ins t evi l. The Do c

tor found the Koo rds, like a ll mounta ineers , very su

perstitious ; every hill a nd every ra vine ha s its

goblin , and nea r Rew andooz there is a cavern full

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

74 KOORD ISH FIGHTS .

ceived in recent fights . I unders ta nd the ir ba ttles

a re very sanguina ry. They begin with their r ifles ,but so on come to use the dagger a ll in ea rnest . NoAra b blus tering— a ll right hard fight ing ; a nd the

return o f killed a nd wounded is genera lly very

grea t . They ho ld the Baghdad go vernment a nd

its troops in the m os t thorough contempt, and

say , if the city w a s like ly to be o f a ny use to them ,

the Turks would n o t s tand in the ir w ay a day .

E rbile and Kupree they found o cca s ion fo r, a nd took

a cco rdingly ; the fo rmer in one hour . They dependo n no country but their ow n fo r the supply of a ll

their wa nt s . E very thing they require i s produceda t home, a nd while their mounta in s form impregna ble defences aga inst fo reign invaders , their ruggeds ides and va lleys , with lit tle effort, produce a bunda n tly everything they desire to cult iva te, a nd a f

fo rd a never-fa i ling supply o f wood, wa ter, a nd

pa s ture .

The country a round E rbile i s let out by the

Pa sha h to the Sheikhs , in dis tricts , a fter the m a n

ner of the feuda l sys tem . The T’

hye, o r Ta ceAra bs , a re subject to the Pa shah , a nd send a la rgecont ingen t to his a rmy, w hich w a s then a t Accra .

The Pa sha h a ppea red to be wel l liked, or ra therfea red ; perhaps on a ccount of his s trict mode o f

go vernment . Theft a nd robbery a re scarcely everhea rd o f, a nd no do or is ever clo sed a t n ight ; yetpunishmen t by dea th is seldom infl icted : for, theft,a ha nd is Chopped o ff fo r desert io n , a foot ; and fo ro ther crimes , the lo ss o f one o r bo th eyes is heldsufficient . Occa s iona lly , however , a severe a nd

SUMMARY EXECUTION . 75

s triking example i s made. A Sheikh of the T a eet ribe of Arabs , a ll noto rious plunderers , ha ving been

driven a cross the Tigris by the more powerful tribeof Jerhab , took refuge in the Meer

’

s country, wherefor s ome t ime he lived in pea ce and quietness , a cco rding to the rules a nd r egula t ions la id down by

tha t chief. But t ired out with ina ct ion , the pa ssageof a sma l l ca ra van close to his camp a fforded a

tempta t ion to o s trong to be res isted ; he plunderedit and po ssessed himself of the go ods it conta ined .

But ere the even ing of the second day—ere a lmosthe ha d t ime to reckon up his il l-gotten ga in , ha lf adozen of Koords made their appea rance, a nd r iding

up to his tent , without e ither cerem ony‘

o r explanat ion , s truck off his hea d a t the doo r, a fter whichthey a s quiet ly depa rted .

While a t E rbile, where he w a s civilly received by

Ahmed Beg, the Meer’

s bro ther, and governor of the

pla ce, a nd w a s vis ited by Sultanu Beg , a chief from

the camp . The Doctor lea rned tha t the a rmy con

s isted of from fifteen to twen ty thousa nd m en, w ho

were idle in camp, Accra ha ving been ta ken some t ime

befo re . This stronghold, i t a ppea rs , is s itua ted on

the top o f a n a lmo s t perpendicula r ro ck , a ppro a ch

able o nly by o ne pa th , s o na rrow tha t tw o m en c an

sca rcely mount abrea s t . The na t ives be lieved tha t

no power on ea rth Could take i t, no r did the Pa sha h

him self expect i t to fa l l so s o on ; but it so happened

tha t ha ving been a tta cked in person during a re

conno itering pa rty, by an ambush , a nd a lmos t taken

pr iso ner, his people were so furio us tha t he led

them next morning aga inst the pla ce , which w a s

76 DR . Ro ss ORDERED To CAMP.

a ctua lly ca rried in three hours, with the lo ss of on ly

one hundred a nd fifty m en on his s ide . T he Ko ords

of Amadia were so a ppa lled by this coup-de-m a in,

tha t it w a s supposed they would give up the pla ce

without any m ore fighting.

On the 30th ofMay , a letter w a s received from

the Pa shah, conveying to the go verno r his c o m

m ands tha t Dr . Ro s s should rema in a t E rbile t ill

sent fo r, but should be a ttended to with the utmo s t

respect ; a n inj unction which had a powerful effect

in improving the comfo rts of his s itua t io n . On the

6th o f June informa t ion w a s received tha t the a ffa irs

o f Amadia were set tled , the form er Pa shah , Seyed ,ha ving decamped, a nd Moo ssa Pa sha h being no w

pla ced in his stead ; Se l im Pa sha h w a s pla ced in

Accra , a nd a ll the country, ha ving submitted to

the Rew a ndo oz go vernment , w a s in perfect quiet .

Yet it w a s no t t i ll the 3rd of July, a fter ma ny re

mon stra nces , a nd frequent detent ion s , upon fa lse

a ssura nces o f the Pa shah’

s speedy a rriva l a t E rbile ,tha t a n o rder a rrived from his H ighnes s to fo rwa rd

the Do cto r to the camp . Tha t personage , it a ppea rs ,keeps his mo vements in the pro foundest mystery ;n o o ne is ever a ble to gues s when o r whither a

m a rch m ay take pla ce, nor, unt i l m ounted , even thedirect ion the tro ops a re to take .

Dr. Ross cro ssed the ZRb on a kelleck, o r ra ft

o f infla ted skins co vered wi th brushwo od , whichhe describes a s resembling the representa t ion o f

Neptune’

s c a r, a nd it w a s towed a cro s s by tw o

horses , which , being first dr iven into the wa ter,were urged a cros s by the people on the ra ft, w ho

CONVERSATIONS WITH THE MEER . 77

held fa st by their ta ils . The pa rty rea ched Accraby a route of fourteen hours , or fifty-six miles

N .N .W. to N. ; and Dr. Ro ss cons iders bothE rbile a nd Accra a s pretty nearly due—north ofBaghdad .

The Pa sha h received hi m well, but sent priva te lyto beg his excuse fo r no t r is ing up to receive hima complimen t due , he w a s a w a re , to the King of

England’s servant , but which , being surrounded by

newly conquered people, he w a s des irous to a void

paying, a s implying an a cknowledgment o f equa lity

which it might no t be po litic for him publicly

to admit . He found the Pa sha h , a benevo lent

plea s ing-looking m a n of a bout forty-five yea rs of

age ; fa ir, ma rked with the sma ll-pox, a nd blind o f

a n eye, which w a s depressed a nd opake . -H is bea rdw a s a bout twelve inches long, o f a light brown

co lour, the low er ha lf being uncombed and quite

felted together : in other respects, he w a s ra thertidy in dres s . He w a s lame of o ne leg from the

kick of a horse, a nd spoke with a weak vo ice . He

en tered into long conversa t ions , mo re than Once ,with Dr . Ro s s, a nd chiefly o n genera l subjects ;inquired rega rding the m ode of educa t io n in E ng

land ; the religion of India and China— the la tter

country he though t w a s ours , a s wel l a s the former.

He a lso des ired to know wha t terms w e were on

with Pers ia , a nd with Russ ia . On another occa sion,he m ade many inquiries a s to the uses a nd effects

of medicine ; the s ta te of the pulse in i llnes s ; of

the plague, cho lera , &e. ; then he would pa ss to

more warlike subjects , and speak of guns and

78 STATE OF THE M EER’S ARMY .

pistols, producing an old English double-barrelled

gun a nd a r ifle, which , w ith a swo rd, a telescope ,and a n umbrella , a wooden bed, and a few ca rpets ,compo sed the grea ter part of his tent furn iture .

C lo se to his ow n ten t , there w a s a la rge double-po led

one, in which he holds durba r in the forenoon ,

a nd a t n ight . He never went. to bed t ill a fter

dawn , a nd s lept t il l n ine o r ten in the forenoon .

A qua rter o f a n hour before the la st prayer, a

n oisy band struck up ; and a t prayer-t ime , a gun

w a s fired.

The force, in camp, Dr . Ros s unders tood to be

on ly a bout ten thousand m en , no t ha lf the o rigina l

a rmy, the rest ha ving been sent home for the

ha rvest . The camp itself had no pretens ions to

m i lita ry order ; the on ly thing regula r w a s a r ing

of sma l l tents round tha t of the Pa shah , conta in inghis ow n guard, in number three thousa nd . Thesea lso a ct a s his servants . The infa n try ha ve r iflesa nd daggers ; the ca va lry, la nces a nd daggers .

Every chief of a n a shay er , or clan , ha d his ow n

tribe encamped about him , sepa ra te from the res t,

which spoiled the lo ok of the camp, so tha t i t w a ssprea d out to an extent which , a ccording to the

rules of European ca st rameta t ion , would cont a infifty thousand m en ; yet , notwithstanding a ll thisw ant o f discipline, o r order, n o t a sound w a s hea rd ,a nd every m an could be in one spo t in five minutes .

The m en w ere o f the ir ow n a ccord constant ly firinga t m a rks ; a nd every even ing from one to tw o

hundred of the soldiers d ined in the P a shah’

s tent ,

coming by turns from the d ifferent t ribes . A

A CONTRAST . 79

num ber of pr isoners were remarked in the camp

hea vi ly ironed on the neck a nd legs . The Do ctor

ment ions , tha t it is the Pa shah’

s custom to pur

cha se from the captors every so rt of property taken

in w a r, and in genera l a t a price twice a s la rge a s

a ny o ther buyer would give .

On the 8 th of July, Dr . Ros s left the P a shah’

s

camp a nd took the road t o Mo sul . O n the o ther

s ide of the zsb he found one hundred Ara bs of

the Bo o-Selman t ribe, ready mounted t o e scort him

through the rema inder of the Rew a ndoo z chieft a in’

s

territo ry . He remon stra ted aga ins t the a ttendance

of such a ho st ; but the leader of the band info rmed

him tha t his orders were precise, a nd tha t he couldno t a ba te him one m an a nd the Docto r t akes occas ion here to point out the contra st between the

customs of officia ls in the —Pa shah’

s a nd in the

Turkish territory. The m oment he entered the

la tter, he w a s s tunned by demands for ba ksheesh

(presents), a nd, a fter fleecing him o f wha t he mightha ve about him , the s turdy begga rs fo l low ed to hishome fo r more . In the terr itories of Rew a ndo oz

the word w a s never men t ioned . In a ll pa rts co m

pa risons were drawn between the go vernment ofAllee Pa shah o f Baghdad a nd o f the Meer, to the

grea test poss ible d isadva ntage o f the former, aga instwhom trea son w a s open ly spoken, while the Meer of

Rew ando oz w a s a s open ly exto lled .

So fa r the notes of Dr. Ross . The a ccount givenby mo st of the persons whom I m et with , bestqua lified to a fford informa t ion on the subject ,coincided in most particula rs with tha t given in

8 0 CHARACTER OF THE MEER .

these notes . The cha racter of the Meer is shown

fo rth in his a cts . He is inordina tely ambit iou s ,a nd quite un scrupulous in rega rd to the mea ns

of a tta ining his ends ; prudent and fa r-s ighted, but

jea lous a nd suspICIOus In the extreme s trongly i m

bued with not ions o f a stern j ust ice, but practis ing

i ts dicta tes ra ther a s a mea ns o f further aggra ndize

m en t tha n for its ow n sake . He is ca reles s o f

spilling blood, but no t prone to kill in wantonnes s ,or without a ca use ; yet never spa ring when a cause,however s light, exis ts . I w a s informed tha t a

certa in tr ibe of Koords, ha ving opposed him wi th

vigour during the s iege o f Amadia , and pers is tedin holding out aga in st him even a fter the fa ll o ftha t pla ce, he turned t he force of his a rm s aga ins tthem a nd, ha ving with considerable trouble subduedthem , he put to dea th a ll tha t fel l into his hands ,to the amount o f severa l thousands , a s a wa rning

to others .

The jea lousy of the Meer extends only to s trangers

tra velling in the country without a ppa rent businessm erchants , muleteers , or the inhabitants of circum

ja cen t countr ies , require no pa ssport , and a re free

to come a nd go ; but persons coming from a dista nce ,

particula rly if from s ta tes which ha ve evinced host ility a t a ny t ime, would run the r isk of being s toppeda nd imprisoned a s spies . I inquired wha t mightl ikely be my o w n ca se, were I to enter his country

withou t previous ly securing perm iss ion so to do ;the reply from a ll w a s to the same purpose, tha t i twould be the height of imprudence to a ttempt sucha s tep tha t he w a s a m an o f butb

’ikr , evil thoughts,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

8 2 A D I SAPPO INTMENT.

view,I had received from the envoy a letter, to

gether with certa in presents , which i t w a s my object

to convey to him in person, a s the commencement

of a friendly intercourse, which herea fter might

prove useful and conven ient . My plan w a s , on

m y a rriva l a t O o shnoo , a pla ce tw o days ’ journeyhence, to which I mea n to go, a nd which is but

s ixty miles from Rew a ndo oz , to send a“

letter m en

t io ning the na ture of my credent ia ls , a nd propos ing

tha t, if his H ighness s aw fit to rece ive them from

m y ow n ha nds, he should send m e a guide a nd safe

conduct under his ow n hand ; but if otherwise, and

tha t he should object to receive m e, he might depute

some one to receive the presents . You m ay j udge

o f my disappointment a t lea rn ing here tha t the

Meer, instea d o f being a t Rew a ndo oz , a s I hoped,w a s full ten day s

’ j ourney off, in Mes opo tamia ,where he w a s prosecut ing his co nquests . Thus ,were I to send to him , a t lea st twenty days muste la pse before the a nswer could a rr ive, a nd twenty

m o re would be required for m e to vis it him a nd to

(colours) of the Sultan a rrayed aga inst them . Lingering re

m a ins of veneration for the successor of the Prophet and the

head of their religion, forbade the Koords to oppose in arm s the

troops of the Sultan . The Meer felt this ; and, after losing one

after another his best strongholds, about the end of August 1 8 36,he a ctua lly surrendered him self into the hands of Allee Pa shah ofBaghdad. He w a s sent in iron s to Constantinople, w here he w a skept in a sort of ha lf-honourable confinem ent for som e tim e, but

after a few m onths w a s pardoned, and appointed to the governm ent of his ow n country, on prom ise of good behaviour. But he

never reached it—w hy , or how , I know not : he w a s put to

dea th upon the road, no doubt, by orders of his sublim e m a ster

and conqueror.

A SACRI FICE . 8 3

return ; a delay which , a s my t ime ha s a lrea dy run

shor t, i t is impo ss ible to incur . On the o ther hand ,however des irous I might be to undertake so very

interes ting a n enterprise , there were sufficien t rea sons

exis t ing to deter m e from putt ing life o r liberty

in jeopa rdy, so pa lpably a s mus t be done by en

tering the country o f the Meer wi thout his o w n per

mis s ion . So once mo re’

, With extreme re luctance,I s a crificed inclina t ion to duty ; a nd, content ing

m yself with the bes t info rma t ion I could pick up

In the co terminous countries a bout this rema rka ble

chief, to take my w ay to Baghdad by So o lim an iah.

Even this will ca rry m e through a route compara tively l itt le known, a nd Show m e a go od s tretch

of Ko ordis ta n, though nothing in compa rison of the

o ther route . But y ou know not the full extent of

m y self-den ia l . H ad I gone by Rew a ndo o z , a nd

po s s ibly by Ama dia , I should ha ve come down upon

Mo sul, a nd V is ited the s ite o f a ncient Nineveh a nd

the tomb o f the Prophet Jona s . But this, to o , I

must give up, a nd I hope , dea r y ou will give

m e credit fo r s ome cons idera t ion a nd self-contro lwhen y ou hea r this ; fo r how ea s ily might I ha vefound a n excuse for a nother m o nth

’

s delay P but no ,—hono ur bright— a sense o f duty, a nd the “ linger

ing cha in of Go ldsmi th , keep m e right in spite o f

a ll tempt a tions , a nd w ill no t suffer m e to pro tra ctmy absence one day beyond wha t necess ity re

quires .

LETTER IV.

Leave Ooroom ia —Koordish Costum e and Weapons .—Dusht-e

Beel .— Ugly Custom ers —Koordish Mounta ins—Pla in of Ooshnoo .

— Sum ud Khan and his E stablishm ent . —Antiquity of theKoords— com pared w ith the Highland Clans — S ta te of the

Country. A Disappointm ent . Ooshnoo—Depopula tion of.

Buffa loes—their Usefulness —Koords on Horseba ck— Fishing.—Singul a r Mode of catching Qua ils .

-Leave Ooshnoo .—Blood

Feuds . Suggeran Seyeds .—Negotiations for safe Conduct .

Success -in Fishing—Koords a t Prayer.—Kara Papaks and

Bilbas Koords—Threatening Appea rances—Bustards .—Churlish Repulse .

—Retrea t to a Caravansera i.—A hospitable Koord.

—A Disappointm ent .—Pisca tory Adventures.

Ooshnoo, 2 1 st October, 1 8 34.

IF y ou seek, dea r to find the pla ce of my

present abode in a ny m ap you a re l ikely to ha ve

within rea ch , you will seek it in va in . But if this“

find y ou in London , a nd you should ha ve the meanso f gett ing s ight o f Mo nteith’s m ap o f Azerb ij ei n ,

&c . y ou m ay see it la id down a bout thirty-fivemiles S .S .W. of O o roo m ia , a nd to the wes t of LakeSha hee , tha t is in the very hea rt o fKo o rdista n .

O n the l gth I took lea ve o f Oo ro o m ia a nd its

very interes t ing neighbourhood , a s wel l a s of itskind a nd po l ite chief ; but tha t day w e on ly ma rchedtwelve miles , taking up our a bode a t a sma l l villageo f the Khan ’

s , where w e were s ti ll enterta ined a s

DREAMS . 5

his guests . We were lodged in“

a la rge building ofm ud , used a s a mosque, and were wel l enterta inedby the chief people of the vi llage, so fa r a s ea tableswere concerned ; but I never pa s sed a more s leeplessnight . Some how o r other I awoke a fter a couple of

hours’

nap , a nd go t int o a tra in o f thought tha t keptm e wakeful . Then came a concert of dogs , hay ingthe m oon , which la sted tw o full hours . Then the

la bourers o f the village, w ho a t tend t o the irriga t ionof the rice grounds , a ssembled behind the mosquejust a t m y hea d, a nd s truck up a cla ttering a nd

laughing tha t might ha ve wakened the seven s leepers .

By the t ime they went off, it w a s a bout t ime to

think of go ing to o ; but I did fa ll into tha t sort o f

doze in which our dream s a re the m o s t vivid , a ndI had a dream— a dream of home . I had returned

-I s aw you a ll, and fa in would ha ve mingled wi thy ou ; but there w a s a n obsta cle— I could no t tell

wha t—and there were remonstra t ing withm e, a nd I w a s s t i ll s triving to a ppro a ch with a

fo rce a nd Vividness of feel ing, tha t w a s lit tle shortof rea l ity, when in came the people to tel l m e theywere loading

, and a ll va n ished, leaving m e in the

co ld dim mo sque, to r ise fo r a co ld r ide, fo r the

wind blew fiercely from some hills on the righ t,which s t ill were flecked with la rge pa tches of snow .

Our pa th , this day , led up a n a rrow but cul

t iva ted country, plunging into the very hea rt of‘

the

Ko o rdish mounta ins , amongst which w e soon found

ourselves , and every mo m ent were m et a nd pa ssed

by pa rties of wild-looking Koords, with their fine

flowing garment s and long s lender spea rs . The

8 6 KOORDISH COSTUME

dress o f these people is by fa r the most picturesque I

ha ve seen , wi th the except ion of s ome few among

the Turkish co s tumes : indeed, the word pic

turesque , a pplies better to it than to a ny Turkish

dres s I know. On their head they wea r a la rge

shawl o f s triped s i lk, red, w hite, a nd blue, wi th

fringed ends , which is wound in the most gra ceful

m a nner round their red skull-cap . Its ample fo lds a re

confined with s ome s ort of ba nd, a nd the long fringeshang down with a rich fa nta st ic wildness ; the ir trueSa ra cen ic fea tures , a nd bright bla ck eyes , gleam

wi th peculia r lustre from under this head-t ire . Their

body ga rment s con s ist of a s ort o f ample vest a nd

gown , with m agnificent wide Turkish s leeves , o verwhich is worn a j a cket , often richly embroidered

a nd furred , a ccord ing to the owner’s rank . Theirlower m a n is enveloped in ample sha lw a rs , n o t un

like tho se o f the Ma m luc s , in to which , in r id ing,they s tuff the skirts o f thei r mo re flowing ga rmen ts .

Around their wa i st , ins tea d of a shawl, they wea ra girdle fa s tened with m ons trou s s i lver cla sps , which

m ay be o rnamented a cco rding to the owner’s ta s tewi th jewels , a nd in which they s t ick, no t o n ly the irKo ordish dagger, but a pa ir o f grea t bra s s o r s i lverknobbed pisto ls . From this , to o , ha ng sundry

powder-ho rns a nd sho t-ca ses , ca rtridge-boxes , &c .

a nd o ver a ll they ca s t a s o rt o f clo ak, o r a bba , o f

camel’s ha ir, whi te , or bla ck, o r s triped, white, brown ,

a nd bla ck , cla sped on the brea s t, a nd flo a ting pic

turesquely behind . When riding they ca rry a sma ll

round shield depending from the left shoulder, a nd

gra sp in their hand a long s lender spea r . If in

AND ARMOUR .

w ar-t ime, and they a re go ing on a n expedit ion , inaddition to these a rm s they ca rry a gun , a nd o c

ca siona lly three s lender ja velins in a ca se, whichthey c a n throw with grea t precis ion to the distanceo f thirty ya rds . Then they ca se them selves in a r

m our, like kn ights of o ld, either in a shirt of linked

m a il, such a s those in the ha ll a t with helmeta nd a rm lets , or with a suit of pla te-a rmour, ca l led

Cha r-E ineh, cons ist ing of four pla tes of in la id and

Dama sked s teel , m ade to fit ba ck, breas t, and s ides ,a nd which a re a defence aga ins t anything but a

ba l l striking them direct ly. From this sketch of

Ko ordish costume , you will comprehend tha t it isworth seeing, and tha t the groups tha t pa ssed us, evera nd anon , were in good ha rmony with the s cenery,a nd wel l ca lcula ted to awaken interes t a nd fix a t

tent ion ; but a s for the costume , I hope you will

be enabled to j udge fo r yourself, a s I m ea n to pro

cure a complete dres s, which m ay serve some dayfor a fancy ba l l a t home .

After breakfa st ing beside the s tream , which w e

were fo llowing up to i ts head , w e cont inued on t il l

w e rea ched a wide level, o r ta ble-la nd ca l led the

D a sht-e-Beel, where the wa ters sepa ra ted a nd ra n

to e ither s ide the r idge ; and, lea ving the regula rro ad, w e s truck o ver this high fla t , which w a s inhabited, w e unders to od, by E eliaut Koords of a very

fierce a nd lawless chara cter . The pa th w e fo llowed,it seem s, w a s both shorter and better than the regularone wehad quitted, but is seldom preferred on a o

count of these same E eliauts, w ho make no ceremony

about s tripping a nd plundering a ll whom they a re

8 8 QUESTIONABLE RENCONTRE .

a ble to o verpower. Whi le w e were l isten ing to this

a ccount from our guide, w ho bade us fea r no thing

under his pro tecti on , I observed six s tout fellows

in the Ko ordish dress , but on fo o t , appear on the

brow o f a little height, and reconnoitre us with a

very suspicious a ir. Our guide immedia tely rode

forwa rds to them a nd, a fter a few words had pa ssed ,

they a ll came forw a rds a nd made their gra ceful

sa lute, while their leader, a n old m a n , la id his hands

upon his eyes , a s much a s to say , you ha ve brought

light to these, and a re a s dea r to m e a s them ,

”a nd

proffered a ll m anner of services a nd welcomes . The

o ld villa in ! but for the presence of our guide a nd

our ow n o bvious strength, he would ha ve scrupled a s

little a t pos sessing himself of our effects and kno ck

ing us on the head, a s if w e had been so ma nyj a cka ls ; but a s ingle guide , no t to speak of our

fire-a rm s , m ade them a ll our humble s la ves . On

w e fa red a nd, descending a very rugged a nd s teep

ra vine, in which ra n a fine clea r s tream , w e sa w

benea th us the fine va lley o r ba s in o f Oo shno o ,

s tretching from fourteen to fifteen miles or mo reea ch w ay , in length and breadth , s tudded with vil

lages and ba cked by the ma gn ificent cha in of MountZagro s , the ba ckbone of Koordistan, a nd indeed o f

this pa rt of As ia , which s tretches from the kno to f m ounta ins in Armenia where the Tigris a nd

Euphra tes take their r ise, to the Bukhtia ree mounta ins tha t run pa st Ispa ha n , a nd pa s sing through

Fa rs , un ite with tho se of Kerman a nd Mekran. It

w a s a fine lo fty ridge , spo tted plentifully with snow,

and, I should conjecture very roughly, no t less tha n

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

90 KOORDS .

a nt iquity ha s cla ims to rega rd, they ha ve good t itleto cons idera t ion ; for they a re probably the deseenda nts of tho se w ho flourished in the days o f Cyrusa nd Xenophon , of Julia n and Hera cl ius, a nd j ust a sproud, independent , and thievish a s they. In fa ct ,the s imila rity between these Koords, a s they a re,

a nd the highland clans a s they were, no t m a ny

centuries ago , is wonderfully s trong. They are a s

devotedly a tta ched to their mounta ins a s a ny Scotch

o r Swiss h ighlanders for the ir lives c a n be . L ike

the first , they a re divided into cla ns and sep ts, a ckn owledging the suprema cy o f chiefs , w ho a re re

ga rded with a s much devo t ion a nd followed wi th

the s ame blind zea l, and a ll on the same grounds ,pro tect ion and k indness in return for fea l ty a nd ser

vice. They a re proud, haughty, a nd o verbea ring,exa ctly in propo rt ion to their igno ra nce , a nd, l ike

our highla nders of o ld, despi se more o r les s a ll

a rts but tho se o f w a r a nd plunder— a ll profess ions

but tha t of a rm s . They ha ve their feuds with the ir

neighbours , and m ake r a ids on the poor indus tr io uslowla nder ; and w oe be tides him w ho should a t

tempt to a scend the pa ss of Ba llybrugh, o r en ter

the coun try ” o f a ny Ko ordish Dona ld BeanLea n, without guide a nd sa fe conduct . The samelove o f enterprise a nd plunder ha s been inherent inbo th , ea ch n a t ion ha s been sta ined by like a tro cities

a nd fea rful ins ta nces of revenge, a nd ha s been famed

fo r the profes s ion , a nd genera lly for the pra ct ice ofhospita lity,—the same pro fessed rega rd fo r word oncepledged— for the s a nct ity o f the prom ise o f pro

tec tion . But the pa ra lle l s tops here, for certa inly

ANOTHER D I SAPPO INTMENT . 91

the cha ra cter of highland hospita lity IS deservedly

fa r h igher tha n the p ra ctice of it, a t this day, among

the Ko o rds ; a nd I ca nno t a ssuredly recol lect inhighla nd s to ry a ny such infamou s instances of

trea chery, of vio la tion of the sa cred cha ra cter of hosttowa rds his guest , o n the mos t frivo lous pretexts ,such brea ches of the sp ir it of a promise while the

letter w a s kept , a s ha ve occurred in Ko ordistan .

With rega rd to myself, however, on this occa s ionI had n o ca use to com pla in . A short t ime saw m e

fa irly lodged in a comfor ta ble chamber, no t so su

perb a s my qua rters a t Ooroom ia , but clea n and

wa rm , in which I w a s so o n in conference with Sum ud Kha n , regarding the s ta te of the coun try genera lly , but especia lly a s rela ting to the a ffa irs of

Rew andooz . The result of this conversa t ion w a s

conclus ive on the subject of my projected vis it to

the chief of tha t pla ce . T o proceed in it wo uld befo lly ; I found tha t the condit ion of the country w a s

such a s even to compel m e to relinquish a lesserproject, of the success of which I had hitherto eu

terta ined no doubts . I had been info rmed that a tthe t op of a pa s s on the ro ad to Rew ando oz , s omes ixteen o r twenty m i les from O o shnoo , there w a s

t o be seen a s tone pillar inscr ibed wi th wri ting i n

s ome la nguage unknown to a ny of the people of

the country ; a nd the des ire o f see ing wha t m ightha ve proved a very interes t ing monument, would

ha ve induced m e to bra ve a ny rea sona ble risk to

be incurred in gett ing a t i t . But the Khan a ssuredm e tha t it would be the he ight o f madness to a t

tempt it ; tha t but a few days before, a ca ra van

92 DEPOPULATION OF OOSHNOO .

pro ceeding to Rew ando oz , had been plundered by

the Bilbas, a nd tha t no thing sho rt of a very povVer

ful pa rty could venture on tha t road , a nd such a

pa rty he could not supply m e w ith . By w ay o f

a llevia t ing m y disappo intment, I suppose, he in

formed m e tha t a gentleman , whom I take to be

the unfortuna te Schultz, had some time ago a ctua l ly

gone to see the stone, a nd on his return had de

c la red the inscript ions to be i llegible from age a nd

defa cement, but tha t they rela ted o n ly to m a tters

of boundary between the tw o countries , and bad

nothing to do w ith concea led trea sure. Whether o r

no t this incon s istent ta le were ent irely a fabrica t io n

of the Khan ’

s to prevent m e from further pres s ing

the point , I cannot determine ; but it w a s ea sy to

see how his ow n idea s po inted, and therefo re , a s

it would ha ve been dangerous , if no t impo ss ible to

a ch ieve the adventure w ithout his go od will, I ga ve

it up with a good gra ce, hoping tha t some o ther

tra veller mo re fo rtuna te , and with mo re t ime a t his

command tha n my self, m ay soon decide wha t thismonumen t of a nt iquity rea lly is .

Next m orn ing I to ok a stro ll about the town, o r

ra ther on the heights a bo ve it , a nd a pretty placeit looked, surrounded with a la rge exten t o f o rcha rds

just t inged with red and yellow by the a utumna lt ints . Oo shno o some yea rs ago conta ined, they say ,five thousand families but “

the plague ” and “the

Kaj a rs ,”these tw o deso la ters o f Iran ,

ha ve sadlyreduced its numbers . Four thousand individua ls

were swept o ff by the former, a nd the la tter ha veo cca s ioned a n a lmos t genera l emigra t ion from the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

94 USE o r BUFFALO ES .

employed on this s ide o f Lake Sha hee ; a nd herethey a ppea r to supersede the use of a ll o ther a nima lsfo r purpo ses of agriculture . They plough , they drag

ca rts , they ca rry loads , they give milk, they a re

killed a nd ea ten and, I must say , tha t where wa teris no t sca rce, they a ppea r to m e the mos t useful

domes t ic a nima l po ssible.

'

They a re fa r s tro nger

than bullo cks , a nd no t less do cile, a nd they ca rry

full a s grea t a lo ad a s a go od camel, while theirkeep i s no t mo re expens ive than , a nd the ir milk isnea rly if no t qu ite a s go od a s , tha t o f the c o w . It i s

true tha t they ca nno t do without wa ter, a nd tha t,like the wa ter-spa n iel, whenever they come to a

po o l they a re apt to lie down in it, to the grea tdetriment of lo ads a nd discomfo rt o f drivers o r

r iders . The o ther day I sa w a pa ir of them coming

a long, ridden ea ch by a Ko ord a po o l of bla ck mud

lay in the ir pa th , and down they bo th lay , a s i f

by mutua l co nsent , nea rly smo thering their tw o gayr iders before they could d isengage them selves . But

on the previous day I witnes sed a wonderful proof

o f the strength a nd saga city o f the crea tures . Four

of them were dragging a hea vy-loaded ca rt through

a perfect s lough the fo remos t pa ir had rea ched the

firm earth of i ts ma rgin, but , ins t inct i vely awa re

tha t if they clambered up to the eleva ted ba nk they

would lo se the ir power of draught , they a ctua lly

knelt upon it , and cont inued dragging on their knees

unt i l the la t ter pa ir, o r wheelers , had a lso go t to term

firm a . They then ro se ; a nd, both un it ing their

forces , tugged the ca rt out of the mire . The price

KOORD ISH HORSEMEN. 95

of these useful crea tures runs here from thirty shil

lings to tw o pounds ea ch .

Bo th yesterday and tod ay I rode out in the fore

n oon with the Khan ’

s s on, a fine youth, pro fes sedly

to fish the r iver, w hich winds through the O o shno o

va lley ; but, in rea l ity, to ha ve an oppo rtun ity o f oh

serving something more of my Ko ordish friends , a ndinquiring into their ma nners a nd customs . It w a s a n

a n ima t ing s ight to see the young fellows , w ho a ecom

p anied us , ca reering along the pla in a t speed, a s free,it seemed, a s the bea st s they cha sed, winding and

turn ing their wel l-tra ined horses a s they went through

their spea r-exercise t o amuse m e . Truly yon mounted

Ko ord, a s he fl ies a long a s steady a s a rock upon the

spirited litt le a n ima l he bestrides , i s a ga l la nt ob

j ec t ; his splendid turban gleaming in the sun , his

wide mant le floa t ing away behind him , and the long

s lender spea r quivering like a reed a s he shakes hisba re a rm , the loose s leeves of his tun ic a nd j a cketwa ving like s treamers in the wind . I a s sure you

that a s a dozen of these wildly picturesque figures

w ere ca reering a round us , I felt mys elf a nd m y

three o r four Kuzz ilba shes , in our sober ga rbs , cut

but a sorry figure . O n they would come up to yourvery brea st , their keen s teel spea r-po ints glitter ing

like spa rks of lightn ing, when a sw erve of their

a rm , or their body, imperceptible to you, would

send them just clea r of you, to wheel round with

the Speed of thought upon the o ther fla nk. It

w a s a delightful representa t ion of the a dmirably

described comba t between the Scottish knight a nd

96 F I SH ING .

the Sa ra cen wa rrior a t the Diamond of the Desert,which opens tha t delightful t a le “ The Ta lisman ,a nd s trange enough i t seemed, to find one’s self

amids t the very people there described .

We had li ttle spo rt in fishing, but a grea t dea l

of fun and laughing ; fo r the Koords were too im

pa t ient to endure the s low and quiescent process o f

luring the fish with the ba it . The Khan’

s son ,so

soon a s he saw a shoa l o f them da rt ing a bout in

the st ill wa ter, spurred his horse a t them , spea r in

hand, a s he would ha ve done a t a Bilbas or a Kuzz il

ba sh, if his foe, shout ing out Ah-ah ah-ah look

a t them ! look a t them !” and cha s ing them hither

a nd thither a s if he could ha ve caught them by

speed of foot . Then a ll the party da shed into thewa ter girth-deep , spla shing, and poking, and shouting out to m e to look a t the fish—to come here or

there—here w a s the pla ce to ca tch them—here werethe la rge ones . It w a s in va in to a ttempt expla ining tha t a ll my a rt lay in quietly en ticing the fish

to feed— tha t success depended ent irely on perfectst illness, and keeping out o f s ight of the wa ter .

There they would a ll s tand o r ride a long the banks ,or s it upon them , striking with their spea rs a t the

fish a s they da rted by, t i ll a hand-net tha t had been

sent fo r w a s brought , when I gladly put up my rod

a nd ta ckle and looked on, laughing a t the childish

delight with w hich the Kha nzade/z (Kha n’

s son)sa w ea ch fish tha t w a s enta ngled in the net taken

out o f the wa ter . No r w a s his delight les s on the

second day , when , the net ha ving fa i led o f succes s ,I found a pool in which they could no t ride, a nd

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

98 LEAVE OOSHNOO .

self, expla in ing the rea son of my no t propo s ing to

present them in person , a nd expres s ing my grea t

regret a t the wan t o f t ime which deprived m e of

the o pportun ity of paying my respects t o a chief

o f his celebrity. This piece of duty being per

fo rmed, a nd ha ving breakfa sted , I took lea ve of

our good host , and quitted the pla ce with fee lings

of grea t kindness to a ll of its inhabitants withwhom I had come in conta ct, and plea sed with

the coun try, a s wel l a s with our enterta inmen t . I

ha ve some rea son to hope and believe these feelings

were recipro ca l— perhaps they were a l itt le a ided

on the pa rt o f my friends by some trifling remem

bra ncers , in the shape o f presents , which i t seemed

good to m e to bestow .

Our firs t stage w a s a short one . The good folks

o f these countr ies , w ho them se lves set no va lue upont ime , and cons ider ea se and enjoyment a s the onlytrue ends o f l ife, if you lea ve them to fix the s tages

of your journey, will , a s suredly, no t dis tress you by

their length ; a nd the firs t is a lways pa rticula rlysho rt . But there w a s ano ther rea son, a s it a p

pea red, for the Khan’

s fixing my first day’s m unz il,

on this occa s ion , a t a village only n ine o r ten milesfrom O oshnoo : it w a s the la st in his country, and

sepa ra ted from the neighbouring district of Sooldoozo n ly by a lit tle r is ing ground . A portion of the

Bilbas tribe o ccupied tha t pa rt of the Sooldo oz

d istr ict, a nd with them his clan had a blood-feud .

When, therefore, the guide he ga ve m e rea chedthe village in ques t ion— Humza Hus san , I think ,w a s its name, —he s ign ified to m e that e ither I

SUGGERKN SEYEDS . 99

must rema in there a ll n ight, a nd get fresh gu idesfor the m orrow , o r wa it unt i l he should procurefrom a certa in Seyed , w ho w a s Lord o f the Vil lage ,a pledge o f sa fety fo r himself, t o insure him free

ingress a nd regres s from the in imica l coun try .

You a re to understand tha t a ll individua ls o f tha t

order of Seyeds , ca l led Sugg erdn, tha t i s , who can

boa st of a n indisputable descent from the daughterof the prophet in the m a le l ine, unta inted by less

holy blood, a re held by the Koords, a s wel l a s theT o orkom a ns, in especia l reverence . No t o nly a re

their ow n persons exempt from vio lence , but the

pro tect ion they extend to o thers i s respected . Nay ,

should a ny one, whose l ife is forfeit a s a murderer,either in his ow n person or tha t o f his kindred,be on the eve of execut ion , he must be relea sed

a t the request of such a ho ly person . They grant

effectua l sa fe-conducts , a nd frequent ly become the

m eans of intercourse between hos t i le tr ibes when a ll

o ther i s interdicted . The chief of the village, whereI w a s this n ight to lodge , w a s o ne of these Seyeds ,a nd it w a s therefore understo od to be in his power

to grant the needful s afe-conduct , i f he cho se ; but

it appea red tha t he made d ifficult ies . Perha ps he

knew tha t the feud w a s a fierce one, a nd did no t

choose to risk compromis ing a power, which, like

a ll conventiona l author ity , i s liable t o break down

i f put to to o rude a tes t , o r perha ps he des ired

to secure for himself the profit s of guida nce ; for

a fter some thoughts and looks, in which I knew no t

whether a nnoya nce o r self-suffic iency predomina ted,he told m e ,

“ I must go with you myself— theseH 2

1 00 MORE F I SH ING .

people a re no t to be trusted ; and if anything were to

befa l l you , I should ha ve to answer fo r it .

”I re

plied, “ O f co urse, wha tever you say is righ t ; but

I wo uld no t wish to put you to so much t rouble ;a nd, ra ther a la rm ed a t a proof of a ttent io n which

progno st ica ted a ser ious a tta ck upon the purse , I

contrived to get the office o f guide deputed to his

bro ther, w ho , t ho ugh no sma l l m an in his ow n

esteem , w a s no t likely to refuse the offer of moneyin however modera te a fo rm it m ight be made .

These kno tty po ints being sett led, a nd the day a s

yet l ittle spen t, I reso lved to try my luck a t the

r iver in a quieter a nd mo re pr iva te fa shion tha no n the tw o la st days , a s I w a s persuaded tha t sportw a s to be had if sought a fter in a proper w ay .

Pr iva cy, however, w a s una tta inable . The m omentmy intent ions were comprehended, every m a n a nd

child in the village , young boys a nd grey bea rds ,high and low , flocked out to see the fun but I cont rived, by mea ns o f my o ld guide , to keep s omeo rder, and, to the grea t deligh t o f a ll, succeeded

in land ing some very fine fish, among which w a s

one of a t lea st four pounds weight : I do no t knowthe ir kind ; but, though to o full o f bo nes , they wereby no mea ns despica ble fo od . Fo r the benefit of

m y sporting friends , be it known , tha t they weretaken with worm , a nd the bes t of them in the ba ckwa ter o f a sma rt s tream .

Our lodging, a s usua l, w a s in the mosque o f

the pla ce , which seem s to do duty, in these pa rts ,fo r a m ehm an or gues t-chamber ; and i t w a s

intere s t ing in the evening to see these rude Ko ords

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 02 STRICT POL ICE .

disc o m fiture w a s completed by the Meer of Rewan

do oz, w ho , exa spera ted a t their fickle and trea cher

ous ha bits , somet imes pillaging his terr itor ies, a nd

s omet imes pro fes s ing obedience in order to obta in

his protect ion , a t la st a tta cked and carried off

the grea ter pa rt of the Ma m m ish divis ion of the

tribe , a s pr isoners , to Rew andoo z . No t less thanforty o f the heads of the principa l families werein cha ins there when the plague broke ou t ; and, a s

a lmo st every o ne fled fro m the pla ce except the irkeepers , they conceived i t a go od oppo rtun ity t o

m ake their esca pe . Accord ingly, whether by the

conn iva nce of these keepers o r no t, they did escapefrom prison ; but so strict i s the Meer

’

s po lice, tha tnone of the villagers would venture to give themprotect ion , a nd the most of them were a rrested a ndsen t to the grea t m an , w ho put every o ne of them to

dea th , without except ion or ceremony, including inthe execut ion tho se w ho had had the cha rge of thema t Rew a ndo oz , a nd a ll who were bel ieved to ha vea ss isted in the esca pe of such a s go t o ff. The poorrema ins of the Ma m m ish a re now principa lly sett ledin Soo ldo oz— a few a re sa id to live in Ba lek , a mounta inous district belonging to the Meer, a nd in La h i

j an , a fine la rge pla in lying westwa rd o f SoujeBulagh . The who le t ribe, including i ts three divis ions , Ma m m ish, Menkoor , a nd P eera un, a re re

duced , it is sa id, to les s than tw o thousandfamilies , the grea ter port ion o f whom a cknowledgethe Meer

’

s a utho rity ; but a con siderable numbers t il l exist , unappro a chable in their wild haun ts , andintangible from the fa cility with which they c an

PLEASANT WELCOME . 1 03

remo ve from the bounds o f one j urisdict ion t o

a nother— a terror to a ll their more pea cea ble neighbours .

The first village o f So oldo oz , through which w e

pa ssed, w a s tena nted by a certa in number of families

o f these s ame Ma m m ish, and, certa inly, a s they

issued forth a t our approa ch , from the crypt s of

their underground cells , congrega t ing on the t0ps

o f some of the houses which comma nded the ro ad,

their a spect w a s anything but pa cific or agreeable .

Big a nd litt le, la ird and loon , fo rward they c ame ,their swords girt on , their ready spears in hand,the red bea rds of the elders vying with the ir ga l la nt

turbans , a nd the bla ck eyes of the younkers gleam

ing like tho se of snakes a t the though t, or the hopes ,of mischief. Even the beldame fem a les loured a

threa t upon us, which reminded m e of the fa rewell

of the crones of “ Aberfoil ” to the English pa rty

when quitt ing the “ cla cha n ”to proceed up the

glen , a s rela ted in “ Rob Roy . And no doubt thecloud would ha ve emitted s ome o f its thunder a s

w e pa s sed but fo r the presence of our Seyed ; a t

his wo rd the ir fierce lo oks and quest ion s high ”

were turned into “Klzoosk-dm edeeds ”a nd “B a la

ckesh’

m s ,”

y ou a re very we lcome upon our

eyes be your safety,”a nd such like s a luta t ions and

o n w e fa red ha rmles s in the midst o f evi l .

It would ha ve vexed the hea rt o f a duller sportsm a n tha n I fla tter myself I c an yet be esteemed, tosee the flocks of noble busta rds tha t frequent thesefine pla ins ri s ing a round u s , a ctua lly in hundreds ,from the dry pa sture of the meadows , like crows

1 04 A F LY ING sno r .

from o ff a piece of fresh-ploughed land, and sa il ing

ha rmles sly away , without our ha ving the power of

fo rcing a ny of them to stop ; but ne ither t ime no r

pla ce w a s suited to delay . We could no t linger ina pla ce where even our guide show ed symptoms of

unea s iness , a nd w e had thirty long miles between us

a nd our n igh t’s lodging ; but I did make one effortto get a sho t a t the crea tures . As I had no t imeto s ta lk them seca na

’

um a r tem , I wa tched tw o o r

three tha t had ligh ted on a bit o f s tubble,— rode

s lowly towa rds them a s fa r a s I da red, then pushed

my horse a t them full speed, go t pretty clo se befo re

they could ge t their hea vy bodies o n the w ing, and

fired, but w a s not so fortuna te a s to bring any of

them down .

It w a s nea r sunset ere w e descended into the deep

va l ley , nea r the top o f which , on a fine s tream , l ies

the n ice town of Souje Bulagh . I had sent forwa rda m an to deliver m y let ters o f in troduct ion , a nd to

secure m e lodgings ; but there awa ited m e, on

a rr iving , a specimen o f the m a nner in which thesema tters a re ma naged in Pers ia , which I w a s no t

prepa red to expect— I say in Pers ia , for I mus t do

Ko o rdistan the jus tice to say , tha t in no o ther pla cewithin its bounds ha ve I m et with the l ike . A

mounted Gho laum w a s sent by Mo o ssa Kha n, theNa ib, o r lieutenan t-go vernor of the pla ce, in a bsenceof Abdoo lla Khan , its governor, to we lcome and takem e to a lodging ; and, a ccord ingly, he did ta ke m e

to the house o f one Abba s Aga , a rich m an o f the

pla ce, it seem s , where gues ts a re o ften lodged . The

room s were lighted up in an invi t ing ma nner, a s w e

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 06 C HANGE OF LODG ING .

increa sed fo rce, and a still stronger order to pro videus a n a bode in the same house of Abba s Aga , from

whence they had been j ust expe lled . We sti ll sto odnea r the ga te, a nd I saw a ba tt le roya l commencing ;on the one hand the Khan’

s m en, on the other theAga ’s serva nts, and some stout blows were given

a nd taken ; but I would no t stay to witness theresult , a nd ca lling to my ow n peo ple , bade them

find out the nea res t cara vansera i . Thither w e went ,lea ving the comba tants to sett le the a ffa ir a s they

plea sed .

At the ca ra vansera i, admittance w a s , a s I a nt i

c ipa ted, refused ; but I a lso knew the pow er of

m oney ; a nd the promise of a rewa rd, jo ined to a

knowledge o f w ho w e were, ga ined m e , first en

trance, and then a sort of chamber, in which w e

were bestowing ourselves a nd our goods , when a

bus tle w a s hea rd a t the ga te , a nd tw o go od-lo oking

Koords , fo llowed by a ho s t o f others , en ter ing, came

up to m e, a nd s a id .

“Wha t a re y ou thinking o f

doing here ? -you a re my gues ts — m y house is

prepa red for you .

” “Wha t !” s a id I , “the ho use

from which I w a s so unceremon iously thrus t ? no ,

thank you, I’l l none o f it ; I find myself m a rve l

lonely well here .

” “ No , no , replied they, no t

tha t house—no thing t o do with i t , —this (po int ing

to the pr incipa l person) is the D a rog ba (magis tra te)of the town , he ha s just hea rd o f your a rriva l , a nd

ha s come t o pay you his respects .

“ Very much

o bliged to the Da rogha ,”

sa id I, bowing to him ,

but I a m quite well where I a m ; I wa nt no

better lodging.

” “NO, sa id the Da rogha , “tha t

KOORD ISH HOSP ITAL ITY . 1 07

can’

t be. Listen to m e, I did not know of youra rriva l , or I should ha ve been here sooner . Now ,

either cut my head off, (suit ing the a ct ion to the

wo rd by point ing to his throa t ,) o r go with m e to

my house . Do no t dishonour m e by a refusa l.” I

s til l hes ita ted , a nd indeed w a s exceedingly s orry tobe disturbed , a s it would be necessa ry to relo ad a ll

our baggage ; but my friend, the Da rogha , in s isted

so vehement ly, tha t I saw persisting in refusa l would

give grea t offence, so I consen ted, a nd t aking up mytra ps , wa lked off with my friends , w ho , i t being now

quite dark, ins isted on holding m e up on e ither s ide ,

les t I should s tumble, a s w e wa lked through a suc

cess ion of crooked and winding a lleys, to the apa rt

ments prepared for m e .

This turned out to be in the Darogha ’s ow n

dew an-Ithanelz, o r tha t of Azeez Beg his brother,a nd which , a s such, w a s open -to a ll the Koordish

brothers o f the pla ce : and even this very n ight , la te a sit w a s , befo re a ll had been a rranged, a number camein to sta re a t and a sk quest ions a bout the s tra nger

guest . These quest ions , however . being chiefly inKo ordish, which I could no t understand, the t imepa s sed wea r ily enough unt i l the desultory confabu

la t ion w a s put a stop to by the entrance of a dinnertray , with a good pillaw and sundry sa voury ad

j unc ts , to which I w a s disposed to do a ll po s s iblej ustice. This ha ving been termina ted, m y ho sts ,concluding I might be ready for repose, left m e to

enjoy a s much o f it a s w a s to be obta ined on the

well-peopled floor of this public sa loon .

Next morning I w a s prevented from sa llying

108 A D ISAPPO INTMENT .

fo rth to view the l ions of the pla ce, by a n expec

ta tion, which w a s genera lly enterta ined, o f the a r

r iva l of Abdo o llah Khan , go vernor o f the town ,

la tely appo inted by the Prince Roya l , a nd chief o f

the Mookree tribe of Ko o rds , of whom this town is

the head qua rters . A gra nd peshw fiz o r pro ces

s ion w a s prepa red to m eet him ; a ll had mounted

t o go forth from the town, a nd a s the en try of a

Ko ordish chief into his government pro m ised to be

int eres t ing, I resolved to see it . But w e were

do omed to disa ppo intment , for the Kha n sent to

say he w a s una vo ida bly deta ined, a nd should no t

enter before the mo rrow . The day ,thus broken,

a nd ha ving amused my new friends with a ll I had

to show them ; detona t ing fire-a rm s , lucifers , P rom ethea ns , a nd a ll, I went out in the a fternoon to

lo ok a t the ga rdens a bo ve the town, a nd to ok withm e my rod, to try the r i ver , which w a s full o f fish.

Tha t such a n exhibit ion could interest my gra vea nd respectable ho s ts , I never dreamed ; but to my

surprise, w ho should pro po s e to be my guide to thebes t po o ls but the long-bea rded Azeez Beg himse lf,w ho , a s w e pa s sed through the town, picked up a

very ga llant t a il of wo rthy Seigno rs , a nd grea t w a s

the a nxiety tha t sa t o n ea ch ma n’

s brow a s my pre

pa ra tions went on . Their delight w a s no t lessma rked when , a fter a few throws , I brought up a

fine fish which fla pped its ta i l a lmo st in the fa ce o f

a mo st vinega r-mouthed o ne-eyed Mo o llah. The

Mo o llah grow led a nd wi thdrew ; but the res t clo sed

in a round m e , a nd dinned m e with their va riousopinions , of which were the bes t po o ls , a nd where

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

LETTER V.

The Khan ’

s Arriva l. -His Lineage.—Condition of the Koords .

Over Taxa tion .-A Ba ttle Roya l, and a chom e Morsel . -My

Hosts —Dom estic Manners of the Koords—of the Great—Of the

Ladies — DiscrepancyofReport s—Leave SoujeBulagh .— Beiram .

—Obstina cy of Guards .—Hussun Aga .

-Fa ce of the Country.

Pa ss of Soonas and Descent .-Nistan .

—Village eveningMea l.Aspect of Mounta ins and Ride to Seradusht .~ -Abdool-Sum ud

Khan .—Scarcity of Grain .

—Magnificent Scenery.—A scent of

Hoom eel . —Ford the Aksu .—Akoorta .

—Bivoua c.—Autum na lTints — Burying Grounds .—Nezer-Kerdehs .—Koordish Superstitions—Pla in of Suleim ania .

OCTOBER 26 .—Yes terday, a fter a world of wa it

ing , the Khan came in . It w a s , on the w ho le ,an interes ting sight, though no t so brilliant a s I

had anticipa ted . About a thousand horsemen en

tered with the Khan, a ccompanying him from a

dista nce of severa l miles . As the ca va lcade ap

pro a ched the city, the horsemen began to Show o ff

their horses a nd skill, and you con stantly saw c a

va liers is suing forth full t i lt “ like lightn ing from

the thunder-cloud ” from the ve i l of dus t which

wra pped the m a in body, shaking their spea rs , a nd

wheeling a nd turning with a rapidity which w a s im

pos ing a t lea st if no t a bso lutely a ston ishing. It w a s

w hen the wind o cca s iona lly blew a s ide the cloud o f

dust, tha t you could dist inguish the ga lla nt appo int

KOORDISH CAVALCADE . 1 1 1

m ents and the fine horses of those w ho fo rmed the

pith o f the ca va lcade . The Kha n himse lf, clothed in

the dress of honour bestowed on him by the Pr ince,a nd which formed his invest iture of the governmento f Souje Bulagh , sa t erect upon a fine Ara b charger .

This dress of honour, a shawl-clo ak em bro idered

with s ilver, cost the chief, some say three, others s ix,

thousand tomans , or ha lf a s many pounds s terl ing ;from whence it m ay be inferred tha t to be go vernorof such a province is no bad thing . On the who le,it w a s a sight worth see ing, a nd a ssuredly super iorto a nything seen a t the inferior or provincia l courts ,m ore glittering perhaps than the cor teg e of the Shahhim se lf, on a ny but grea t occa s ions ; for be i t re

membered tha t the who le m a le popula t ion of SoujeBulagh went forth, clad in their bes t, to meet this

corte’

g e, a nd the women mus tered in force, uponthe house-tops , to see it pa s s by .

Abdoo lla Khan , present governor of Souje E ulagh , is the hea d of the Koordish tribe ofMookree,

one of the m ost powerful a s well a s a ncient of tha t

aborigina l people . He i s son to the w ell-known

Boodha Khan , w ho w a s trea cherous ly blinded byMa homed Ko o lee Kha n o f O oro o m ia , a s you m ay

read in one o f the vo lumes of Bla ckwood, (for the

yea r ’

25 o r’

26 I think,) in our friend ’

s Vis its

to the Harem . Boodha Khan used , when need w a s ,

to r ide to the trys t ing-pla ce,” with his thousand

horse a rmed in proof.” But these days a re pa ssed ;the Ko ordish tribes nearest the sea t of government ,ha ve by fo rce, or trea chery, or domestic disputes ,been constra ined to yield an unwilling Obedience to

1 1 2 CHANGE o r TIMES .

the ruling power, and the Mookrees now pay t ax

and tribute for the lands where the ir fa thers ro amed

free , unheeding of Sha h o r Shahzadeh . This cha nge

of cond ition s its ill on a ll o f them , a nd ma ny a nd

bi tter were the compla in t s which I hea rd o f the

misery to which the present hea vy ra te of taxa t ion

ha s reduced the people . In the days o f Aga Ma

homed Khan , s a id Ba ba Khan Beg to m e , SoujeBulagh w a s a sses sed a t 1 000 tom énsf Now , wi th

the district of Seradusht, it pays to the King,and w e (mea n ing the chief and his family) a re

forced to ext ra ct mo re fo r ourselves , in order

to keep up the necessa ry a ppea ra nce ; no wonder

the people a re po or a nd disconten ted . The plagueha s swept away more than ha lf, a nd the rema ining

ha lf a re fo rced to do the work of a ll, a nd pay the

who le a s ses sment . Nay , S ince this coming,

a nd

go ing of the a rm y to a nd from Suleim a nia w e pay

more in Sours aut and Mehm anda ree, (supplies of pro vis ions and m a intenance o f gues ts ,)howa re w e to s tand it ?”

I ha ppened to commend the a bba , or Ara b cloak ,commonly wo rn here, a s a dres s conven ien t ly suited

e ither to wa rm o r cool wea thers . Ay replied

Azeez Khan ; but the a bba is no t our regula rdres s , it is a n a dopt ion of recent days . We get

them from Baghdad, or make them here now .

They a re chea p, and w e a re po or . Former ly no one

ever da red to appea r in the presence of a grea t m an

without a handsome cloak of broad C loth but now ,

go to the Khan ’

s dew a n-khaneh, a nd nothing butabba s wi ll you see .

There is no doubt tha t much of this grumbling

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 1 4 A CHO IC E MORSEL .

the process ion ; but the townsfo lk, cons idering th isa s ra ther a n infringement o n their right , a rose a nd

went forth to do ba ttle fo r the cho ice morsel . They

a t ta cked the dervishes , w ho manfully defended the irprize , a nd there w a s a ba tt le-roya l . Victo ry, for

some t ime doubtful, a t length decla red fo r the right .

The dervishes , a rmed with their hea vy iron-shod

s t icks , la id a bout them so va liant ly tha t the o thersga ve in, a nd, seeing no hope fo r themselves, en

deavoured to destroy the subject of their content ionin o rder tha t their a dversa ries might ha ve no benefitfrom their conquest, - SO they threw dus t a nd dirt

o f a ll sorts on the ca rca ss , a lready mo re resembling

ca rrion than mea t . But the dervishes , l ike the

heroes o f the Greeks a nd Romans contending o verbodies o f the s la in, a t length rescued the ir prey ;a nd in this w ay did I see the disgust ing ma ssdragged a long the filthy s treet .

Wha t c a n they do w ith it now they ha ve go tit ?

”s a id I to the Da rogha , a s w e s tood lo oking a t

the s trange scene . Surely they can ’

t ea t it 9

No t ea t i t sa id Baba Kha n B eg they would

ea t i ts fa ther. You don’

t know the Koords— they

a re bea sts these dervishes a re a ll Koords, a nd in tw o

hours there won’

t be a m orsel of tha t o ld c ow leftundevoured .

”

However s tra nge o r untowa rd the origin of m ya cqua intance with my ho sts , or however compulsoryo r otherwise the ir ho spita lity to m e a t i ts commencement , it is certa in tha t the one became more pleasant a nd the other more cordia l every hour of m y

KOORD ISH CLAN SH IP . 1 1 5

s tay. The s tiffness o f firs t intercourse with a s tra n

ger changed speedily into a comfortable ea se a nd

c onfiding openness , a nd I go t from them a grea tdea l o f info rma t ion rega rding the histo ry of the

tr ibe and the m a nners a nd custom s o f the Ko o rds .

Azeez Beg and Ba ba Khan B eg were nea r rela t ionso f Abdo olla Khan their chief, in fa ct , cous ins, sonso f a bro ther o f Bo odha Kha n, a nd o f course heldhigh ra nk in the place . They therefore had no t

only much influence in the tribe, . but a n extens ivea cqua inta nce ; and their house, tha t is , the dew a nkhaneh where I lodged , w a s a rendezvous fo r a ll, bo tho f country a nd city. This did no t a dd much to pri

va cy o r comfo rt , but it brough t before my eyes a sort

o f peristreptic panorama of the country, which made

m e more familiar than I could otherwise ha ve been

with its inha bitants .In a comm unity so closely resembling tha t of the

highland clans , it w a s interest ing to Observe the

demeanour observed towa rds rela tives a nd friends ,a nd to tra ce the respect ive degrees of es t ima t ion

a ss igned to va rious grades o f kindred o r connexions .

The mode of recept ion to ea ch w a s va ried and a ccura tely defined, but the ma nner w a s kind and po l i te

t o a ll. The ma sters of the house yielded pla ce to

a ll vis itors of equa l or superior ra nk, but the arra nge

ment of giving a nd taking pla ces a ppeared t o m e to

be conducted upon a kinder principle than reigns

in the same ceremon ia l in P ers ia . It w a s obvious

tha t precedence w a s no t yielded to r iches a lone,fo r I observed severa l persons o f mean figure a nd

I 2

1 1 6 DOMESTIC MANNERS

sha bby a ppare l admi tted to a high pla ce in the a s

s em bly .

When a friend o r rela t ive a rrived from the coun

try , the heads of the family wen t to the do o r, o r be

yo nd it , to embra ce him— the s ons o r nephews had

probably given the first welcome when he d ismoun t

ed : if no t , they came in a nd sa luted him ea ch in

turn a nd there w a s in the welcome a n em p ressem ent,

a sort of plea s ing eagerne s s , which put m e quite inmind of o ld highland t imes a nd, rea l ly, the mo re I

s a w of the Ko o rds , the more did the resemblance theybore to the o ld highlanders s trike m e The respecto f the young fo r the Old w a s pa rt icularly rema rka blethe s on never s a t down in the fa ther’s presence , nor

the nephew in tha t of the uncle, except by specia l

des ire , a nd then in a dis ta nt pa rt of the ro om . Yet

there a ppea red no wa nt of tendernes s on the pa rtof the elders no r of willing and ready obedience, o r

filia l a ffect ion , on the pa rt of the young. At mea ls ,though trays o f victua ls were brought in by serva ntsw ho perfo rmed the m o re men ia l offices , the sons Of the

ho s t wa ited on the gues ts a nd a ttended to their wa ntsha nded wa ter to drink, a ss is ted them to such thingsa s were out of their rea ch , t rimmed the lights and

exerted them selves to increa se the comfor t of a ll.

The serva nt s , to o , were trea ted wi th grea t cons idera ~

t io n a nd even familia rity, insomuch tha t it w a s somet ime befo re I could d ist inguish between the rela t iveso f the family a nd its upper domest ics .

The grea t , i t is t rue , (tha t is the higher chiefs ,)a ffect more sta te . The Khans ha ve the ir “ lords inwa it ing,

”their Na zi r s , or s tewa rds , their head P et

'

s/z

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 1 8 V IS ITS AND ASSEMBL IES .

I used o cca siona lly to amuse them by telling them

tha t I w a s myself a na t ive of a coun try no t un like

Ko ordista n ; m oun ta inous and divided into tribes,o ften a t w a r a nd feud with one another in t imes of

old , a nd a s fond a s Koords could be of a chapp ow

upon their lowland n eighbours ; a nd they listenedwith interes t a nd plea sure to my descriptions of the

a tta chm ent o f the clan smen to their ch ief, a nd the

ha bit s o f the h ighla nders of Old ; and the compa

r ison s I drew , o r tried to draw, between the h igh

landers a nd Ko ords ga ve m e the mean s of e licit ing

m ore from them than I could otherwise ha ve ma nag

ed to draw without o ffen s ive inquis it iveness , and

brought t o light some tra its o f m anners tha t might

o therwise ha ve escaped m e .

In the course of my s tay a t Souje Bulagh , I saw

the Khan in the sta te of his a udience-ha ll surrounded

by his turba ned cla n , dea l ing out law , if no t jus tice,to tho se who came for it , a nd served with a sta te

which princes on ly a ssume . I vis ited and w a s vis it

ed by Moo ssa Khan his uncle , the ex-go vernor , and

became convinced tha t in Ko ordistan, a s elsewhere ,there is a va st dea l o f d ifference between the Ins andOa ts of pla ce . Twice, in pa rticula r, w e had gra ndn j elises , o r a s semblies o f the tribe , a t my lodgings,a nd very mo rt ifying it w a s to m e tha t I did not um

ders ta nd the conversa t ion which w a s ca rried on en

t irely in Ko ordish. I could somet imes just t ra ce thesubject s, fo r there is much Pers ian in Koordish, butit w a s o nly enough to ta nta lize w ithout sa t isfyingo r in structing m e .

To this s ligh t Sketch o f wha t I saw the Koords

D IFFERENCES O F O P IN IO N . 1 1 9

a t Souje Bulagh , I wish I could a dd a nything sa t isfa cto ry about the lad ies ; but this, I am so rry to say ,

is out of m y power . In cit ies the women o f the bet

ter cla s s expo se themselves to V iew a lmo st a s littlea s tho se Of Pers ia . Occa s iona lly, I m ight see pret tyfea tures o r fine da rk eyes beaming fo rth from a n un

vei led fa ce ; but in genera l, a lthough I saw mult itudeso f fem a les, pa rt icula rly o n the day o f the Khan’

s eu

try , when they covered the tops o f the houses , they

presented litt le more than a host of blue a nd checkedclzaders , or wrappers , —o r figures in the ordina ry co stume o f Pers ian pea sa nts .

O n the la st n ight of my stay, the gues ts of Azeez

B eg were increa sed by tw o Koords fro m Suliman iah , but of Mo okree blood, a nd rela t ives o f our

hos t , w ho had come in the suite o f one of the

Pa shah of Sul im aniah’

s fam i ly pro ceeding on bus i

nes s to T a breez . I m ade inquiries of them rega rd

ing the s ta te of the country they had left , a nd the

Meer of Rew ando o z . It w a s curious to Observe thewide difference betw een the report o f these people

a nd tha t of the Zerz aw Ko o rds of O o shno o , o r theMookrees a t this pla ce . These, Koo rds them selves ,a re no t ill-plea sed to see a power o f their o w n na

t ion a ris ing in a qua rter which will a c t a s a counterpo ise with the go vernmen t o f Azerbij an, a nd

induce i t to trea t them with more cons idera t ion ,

o r give them a support to fa ll ba ck upon , in ca seo f cont inued and ext re m e severity from the ir Pers ia nrulers . Wi th them , therefo re, the Meer i s describeda s a noble cha ra cter, j us t, though s trict, se izing

every means of increa s ing his ow n power a nd the

1 20 REVERSE OF . A P ICTURE .

pro sper ity o f his country ; and rapidly succeeding,a s leader o f fifty thousand go od so ldiers , a nd lo rd o f

a rich and extens ive country, completely obedient to

his will . O n the other hand, the reta iners o f Suli

m a niah represent him a s a n unprincipled tyran t , w ho ,m o re by dint o f go od fortune tha n j udgment , ha s succeeded in wres ting from others , when weakened byin tes t ine dis turba nces , po ssess ion s which he is a ccum ula ting into a n extens ive but ill-o rga nized s ta te .

Fo rmer ly , they say , he w a s the Ry o t, —tha t is ,a subject, o f Sulim a niah, - from which Pa sha lic,during the la te disputes between the presen t Pa sha ha nd his bro ther, he revo lted a nd to ok Khoee , with

s evera l o ther district s . Amadia they admi t to be

a rich a nd populous but distra cted coun try ; i tsPa sha h , a wea k fo ol ; ea ch do zen o f vi llages being

go verned by d ifferent lords , a t va ria nce with their

neighbours , a ll of whom , from wa nt of concert , thusfel l a n ea sy prey : yet the country, they decla re ,i s fa r from a cknowledging the a utho rity o f the ir

co nquero r . They deny the truth o f his successes in

Me sopo tamia , o r o f his ha ving even ma rched aga ins t

Sinjar ; a nd a ver tha t he ha s n o t mo re than from

twelve to fourteen thousa nd so ldiers , ins tead o f fifty

thou sa nd , and these a re a ll igno ra nt , undisc iplin

ed m en ,pres sed from villages , nei ther pa id no r

clo thed ; o ne thous a nd , whom he ca lls his Gho

laum s , a lone rece ive pay . Instead o f being a mild

tax-m a s ter, a ccord ing to them he seizes every

thing he c an lay ho ld of, from a ll ra nks , permitt ing

no o ne bes ides himself to a ccumula te riches ; a nd,in pla ce o f encouraging fidel ity in his serva nt s , and

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 22 A K IND PARTING .

the Khan, and a bout noon bade a dieu to my kind

ho s ts, w ho spoke o f the plea sure they ha d rece i ved

from m y visit , a nd the ir regret a t my quit t ing them

so soon, in terms of grea ter s incerity, I hope a nd

think, than usua l ly brea thes in such expres s ions . I

a m sure tha t , for my pa rt, their courteous ho spi

t a lity had crea ted in m e a fee ling of wa rm goodwill, which I should be mortified to suppo se no t

recipro ca l . In j us tice t o myself, how ever, I mustobserve tha t , knowing the expense to which my

enterta iners were put on my a ccount mus t be

cons iderable , a nd perhaps to t hem inconven ient ,I a lw ays , o n such occa s ions , contrived to leavebeh ind m e an equiva lent compensa t ion . I m ay

further say , tha t the expense o f such remunera t ionrenders tra velling, on this system , by fa r mo re co stly

tha n when you intrude on no one, and merely pur

cha se wha t you require ; but , in tha t w ay , you

ca nnot purcha se kindnes s , which , a ccording t o the

French express ion, is im p ay a ble a nd he w ho would

no t consent to some extra cost to s ecure such a

jewel, mus t lo ve money more than I do.

Our lodging fo r the firs t night w a s in the mo sque

of a poor village, Be iram , not more th an twelvemiles from Souje Bulagh , to rea ch which w e tra versed

a sha rp highla nd country, the hills o f which , modera te in height , were co vered with dry herbage,cres ted with bla ck ro cks , a nd d ivided by na rrowva lleys . The village i tse lf w a s wedged into the

bo tto m Of a very deep cleft , through which ran a

s trea m o f clea r wa ter ; a bove a nd below were ga rdens , but the houses were mere ho ve ls . It w a s

A SEVERE MARCH . 1 23

ra ther provoking to lose a whole fine afterno on

a t so miserable a pla ce, when w e had a very long

journey befo re us for the next day ; but such had

been the Khan ’

s dispo s ition of things, a nd there w a s

no a ltering it ; a nd the les s s o a s my m a t ter-offa ct gua rds understood no la nguage but their ow n ;

and could no t , o r would no t, comprehend my wishes

to go on a nd ha lt a t a more a dvanced point of our

course .

We rued their obst ina cy, horse and m an , on the

m o rrow ; for the ma rch w a s a severe one . On it

a lso, a s w e d iscovered, w e had to come in conta ct

with the Bilbas Koords , who h a ve a spot of ground

in our w ay ; and our gua rd, which had been cha nged,would no t venture to proceed w ithout a Bilbas

guide ; so w e stopped a t a collect ion o f huts ,dignified by the name of Hussa n Aga ’s vil lage, and

changed them fo r m en of the pla ce . Hus san Aga

himself came out to meet us , and with hospitablea lertnes s to offer a ll he had a l itt le bread and sour

milk, and such sma ll gear, and to wonder a t the

outfit of the s trangers . He seized upon the lit tle

double-ba rrelled pistol I wo re a t my wa ist , a s if

it ha d been a n unhea rd-of trea sure, and grea t w a s

his a ston ishmen t a t its de tona t ing looks ; but there

w a s no hin t expressed o f des ire to reta in tha t or

a ny thing e lse : on the contra ry, every dispo sit ionw a s evinced to

Welcom e the com ing—speed the going guest,

a nd w e pa rted o n the best of term s . H itherto , tha t

i s fo r a bout twenty miles or more, w e had tra versed

24 SHARP ASCENT.

a country like tha t of the preceding day , tha t is ,

ea rthy hills covered with dry herbage, with bla ck

ro cky ridges issuing from their s ides , a nd crown ing

the ir tops . We had pa ssed through a pret ty va lley

with a village a nd fort ified hillo ck , n amed Ya lte

meer, a nd had tra ced up the bed of a fine s tream ,

ca lled, I think , the T etaw ah, which finds its w ay

to w a rds Ma ragha . We now a ppro a ched a bo lder

a nd lo ft ier ra nge of mounta ins which rose in front ,o ppo s ing them selves to our progres s ; a nd these

were to be cro ssed befo re n ightfa l l ; a n enterprise, I

a s sure you, o f no unfo rmida ble a spect“

, especia lly a s

the a fterno on w a s fa r adva nced . We did, how

ever, a s w e had o ften done befo re, set a s touthea rt to a s ta e bra e ,

”a nd plunging into the ra vine

which s t i l l intervened between u s a nd them , soonrea ched the project ion which fo rmed our ladder o f

a scent .It w a s a despera te pull ; a nd our labour w a s no t

les sened by the frequent a dmon ition o f our guides toma ke the bes t o f our speed, a s the pla ce w a s veryunsa fe , bands of plunderers , from the neighbouring

Bilbas d i s tricts , being much in the habit of coming

hither to pick up s tray ca ra va ns . Up, therefo re,w e puffed, a nd blew , a nd scrambled . I make a

po int of spa ring my ho rses in such pinches , a nd

therefo re ins is ted on my people dismount ing, showing them the example myse lf ; so y ou m ay figurethe effect o f a tw o hours ’ a nd a ha lf pull, upon us

a ll, your humble serva nt included, up such a per

pendicula r ladder a s this proved, a t the ta il o f a longho t day

’

s wo rk . We rea ched the top jus t a t five in

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 26 A GOODLY ASSEMBLAGE .

pick our w ay among the pa ssages o f this s a id village ,a s , the houses being bui lt o n terra ces o n the hill

s ide , their ro ofs were on a leve l with the pa th a bo ve

them , a nd it required a sharp eye to keep the horses

from the r isk of paying the inma tes a n unexpected

vis it from a bove . A t la s t w e m ade good our w ay

to our m unz il, which , a s usua l, w a s the mosque of

the pla ce—a t aberna cle of clay l ike the rest, but

la rge a nd spa cious ; a nd w e were kindly rece ived

by the Na ib of Furro okh Khan , w ho had a fine

bla zing fire rea dy fo r us by the t ime w e a lighted .

On entering the outwa rd a isle, or veranda h , of

the mosque , a s ight presented itself which , fo r a

while , a rres ted m y s teps by i ts S ingula rity . The

who le verandah , which w a s of grea t length , w a s

o ccupied by a double row of m en , s itt ing fa ce tofa ce, with a spa ce of seven o r eight feet betweenthem . I though t, a t firs t, they were praying , and

l is tened for the intona t ions o f the Allah-hu-Alrber .

’

but it soon a ppea red tha t they were engaged in

more worldly occupa t io n— they were ea t ing theirdinner, in fa ct ; a nd a go odly a s sembly of themthere w a s . O ld a nd young were equa lly busy

bea rds bla ck, red, and grey, were in tha t amus ing

mo t ion which is so well described in the words ofthe song,

T is m erry in ba ll, w hen beards w ag a ll,

which you m ay bel ieve recurred to my memory a t

the s igh t . It w a s j us t like the primi t ive ha l l ofsome rude chief o f the Olden t ime, and you m igh tha ve fa ncied the d ifferent ra nks of his reta iners in

SOC IAL CUSTOMS . 1 27

the various grades of compa ny vis ible, from the

lower end to the top of the room , where s a t four

o r five grand-looking grey-bea rded Ko ords , o ccupy

ing the pla ces of honour. There they were— a ll

fists in the dish , a nd ha nds to the mouth , fa s t dis

cus sing wha t w a s befo re them . I supposed it m ight

be some fete da village given by its lo rd o n a p a r

t icula r o cca s ion ; but on inquiry I found it w a s the

cus tom no t only of this , but of the Ko ordish villages

in genera l, tha t a fter the labours of the day the m en

a ssemble together in the mo sque, or s ome o ther public

building, say their prayers t ogether, a nd ea ch bring

ing wha t he m ay ha ve of fa re, they ea t their dinnerin compa ny . They then go s si p together t i ll i t is

t ime to sepa ra te, when a ll retire to the ir ow n homes ,where their wives a nd chi ldren ha ve had the ir separa te mea l . If they ha ve guests , they bring ea ch

his ow n a long with him , a nd these ha ve genera l ly

ma ts Spread for their a ccommoda t ion in the mo sque,where they s leep .

I know no t wha t you m ay be disposed to think

of this cus tom ; it m a y certa in ly a ppea r to t rench al ittle upon domest ic so cie ty, but there is so litt le dispo s it ion to tha t in the Ea s t, tha t I w a s plea sed to Ob

serve this kindly a ppea ra nce of socia lity e ven among

the ma les of the village . Had the fema les been ad

m itted to the coter ie, I ow n , wha tever the Ko ordish

lords of the crea t ion m ay think, it would, in my opin ion , ha ve been a n improvement . I w a s glad, to o , tofind, tha t wha tever m ay be the ca se in other pla ces ,here a t lea st the people seemed to ha ve good foodto ea t . There w a s neither wa nt of good Whea ten

1 28 AN INTRUSION .

bread no r mea t , no r even , I unders tand , o f a go od

r ice p illa w . I fea r, however, !this is no t genera l :

a t the previous n ight’s lodging, though I w a s the

Kha n’

s guest , there w a s no t a gra in o f rice to be

found ; I w a s obliged to furn ish my ow n d inner,a nd the serva nts go t nothing but a brea d compo sed

o f ba rley a nd a rzun, —a sma ll gra in, I believe of the

millet species .

My lo dging, th is n ight , w a s very comfo rta ble,no r w a s I dis turbed by the inoppo rtune piety of the

inhabita nt s o r serva nts of the pla ce, a s on the fo rmer

n ight , when a Mo o llah very unceremon ious ly came

in , a nd throwing his cloa k down ' upon my ca rpet ,without with your lea ve , or by your lea ve ,

”co m

m enced his na m ds in a Stentoria n vo ice . My serva nt s remons tra ted, but i t w a s no t without some

d ifficulty tha t he w a s convinced o f ha ving c o m

m itted a n unjus t ifi able intrus ion , a nd induced to

seek a no ther ora to ry . In truth , however, he might

be sa id to ha ve mo s t r igh t o n hi s s ide .

Mo rn ing show ed us our res t ing-pla ce, a nd a cu

r ions one i t w a s , dropped , a s it were, in the bo tto m

o f a deep cha sm , in an amphithea tre of mighty

moun ta ins which ri se, sprinkled with o ak bushes ,fo r s ome thous a nds of feet a bo ve it, a nd termina tein the da rk crags wh ich form the crests o f a ll in

these pa rts , and which here a re rema rka bly loftya nd precipitous . The immed ia te banks o f the lowerdell were sprinkled with fine trees , a nd bushes o f

o ak , ba rba ry, a nd tho rn , among which the grapevines , no w turn ing t o a v ivid crim son , a nd the

fruit-trees , j us t commencing to shed their yello w

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 30 SBRADUSHT .

of Seradusht, a nd nea r the bed of a cons iderable

r iver, named , I think , the Aksu, which rises in the

d is trict o f Lahij a n , a nd, a s do a ll s tream s in this

qua rter, ha s tens to jo in the Tigris . The va lley i t

self is Of n o grea t brea dth, no t un like a Sco tch stra th ,va ried by heigh t a nd ho l low , a nd kno l l and fa l l , a nd

a ppea rs o nce to ha ve had a grea t dea l o f cult iva

t ion , n ow a ba ndoned and grown o ver w ith the yel low

gra ss tha t co vers a ll the co untry . Before us rose

the huge mounta in of Hoo m eel, with which w e were

to wrest le o n the mo rrow ; a nd a t i ts feet , on a n

inferior r is ing ground , s tood the fo rt o f Seradusht,

our lodging fo r the n ight ; on the r ight, fa r away,m ight be seen the snow-spo tted moun ta in s ofO o shno o .

We fo rded the river by a sharp a nd difficult fo rd,in preference to trus ting ourselves upo n a bridge of

wo od a nd wickerw o rk , erected by the inha bi ta n ts

o f the neighbouring vi llage in the spring, and now

a lmost use les s . The res t of our w ay , which ex

tended to five or s ix miles , led us up a curioussuccess ion o f broken country, in which w e had to

round the forks o f s ome very deep ro cky ra vines .

In these w e fo und sma ll villages , cons ist ing of tw o

o r three houses , perched l ike ra vens’ nes ts amo ngthe cliffs , a nd a lmo st hid in the fo liage o f theirvines a nd frui t trees . O n ga in ing the heigh t o f oura scen t from one o f these clefts , w e found ourselvesunexpectedly a t the ga te of Seradusht , a fter a rideof no t m o re tha n s ixteen miles .

Abdo o l Sumud Khan , the governor of this distric t, received us with perfect co rdia lity, a nd w el

comed us in a ll due form . He w a s a jolly, good

AN IMPOVERI SHED COUNTRY . 1 3 1

humoured, ra ther ignora nt m a n, w ho a sked a num

ber Of strange ques t ions , a nd w ho w a s a s muchsurprised a nd delighted wi th the few things I hadto Show him , a s any wild Ko o rd of his suite . He

furn ished us with sufficient fo od fo r ourselves , butswore tha t there w a s no t a s much ba rley in the

pla ce a s would feed our ho rses— tha t his o w n ,

which w a s wo rth a hundred tomans , go t nothingbut a rzun, and ours must fa re like his . In the

end, however, he did procure ba rley ; but when I

wa nted to get a supply fo r the next day’s m a rch ,in the co urse of which I understo od there w a s no

popula t io n, my j elo oda r had grea t difficulty in finding s ix o r seven m auns , a bout ha lf our day’s c on

sumpt ion ; and fo r him self a nd the people, n o t a

cake o f brea d w a s to be had . I found the peoplethem se lves a te a mixture o f ba rley a nd a rzun , a nd

this it w a s which m ade the fo rmer so sca rce .

The people compla ined, indeed, of grea t dis tres s ,a nd o ne m an , the Kha n

’

s ! Shea/f Ag ha ssee, o r cham

berla in, decla red tha t the Azerbij an go vernmen t

w ould depopula te the coun try a ltogether, if they

Con tinued to exa ct fro m it a s much a s they do a t

present .

“Wha t do you think ? ” sa id he : they

t ake from five to s ix tho usa nd tomans a yea r from

these ruins y ou see here , a nd there a re no t one hun

dred families in the village ; bes ides , w e a re jus t on

the highway, a nd w e pay a lmost ha lf a s much in

s oors a ut, bes ides wha t the serbéz rob and plunder

from our Vi llagers ! and a ll this fro m a misera ble

set o f Ko ords , w ho , a t best , ha ve sca rcely enough

to ea t, and the grea ter part of whom the plagueK 2

1 32 MOUNTAIN SC EN ERY .

ca rried off three yea rs ago ! Tha t this m an spoke

much tha t w a s t ruth , I fea r is certa in ; tha t the

s t a tement m a y be exaggera ted grea tly, is no t on lypo s s ible but pro bable ; but much will, a fter a ll, re

ma in to m o ve compa ss ion— fo r the misera ble a ppea r

ance of the villagers , a s we ll a s fo r their fewness , I

c a n a nswer.

October 29 .—A delicious morn ing : j ust a s the

sun sho t fo rth i ts firs t rays above the ea stern moun

ta ins , did w e is sue from the ga te of Sera dusht to

cro ss the pa ss of Ho o m eel. I would th a t I could

convey to you a vivid idea of the scenery w e pa s s

ed through this day , it w a s so grand a nd impres

s ive . But descript ions , in such ca ses , seldom suc

ceed in sugges t ing a ny d ist inct no t ion of the truth ;and fo r this pla in rea son , tha t a ll m ounta inous

scenery wea rs a s trong fam i ly likenes s , and the

shades o f difference between the fea tures o f va

rious mounta in ra nge s , o r coup s d’

ec il, a re just thevery n icet ies tha t esca pe , in a ttempting to embody

them in a descript ion . Fo r insta nce , wha t idea do

you ga ther from be ing to ld tha t w e a scended gradua lly amo ng hills co vered with o ak , lo oking downon e i ther ha nd into de lls o f grea t depth and bea utyo r , tha t a fter such a n a scent , w e found oursel ves o n

the brink o f a da rk cha sm o f immense depth , ca rvedin the so lid ro ck , among the fragmen ts o f which ,a t the bo t tom , fo a m ed a nd twisted a bo i ling to rrent .These a re a ll very go od set phra ses , a nd, so fa r a s

they go , t ell the t ruth ; but I defy a ny o ne, in

po etry o r pro se , to convey to a third person the

sense o f gra ndeur wi th which this peep in to the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 34 ASCENT OF HOOMEEL.

firs t a scent a nd descent w e pa ssed over whole hills

o f qua rtz in blocks and ma sses o f o rigina l ro ck ; and

though the da rk white-veined limes tone o f the low

er country a bounded bo th in the ra vine a nd on

the s ides Of the moun ta in a s w e a s cended, it w a s

m ingled with s t i ll more of s iliceous a nd schis to se

ro cks , which form the grea ter portion of the H oom eel

mounta in .

From the r iver , which flowed th rough the deep

cha sm w e had cro ssed, w e entered a t ributa ry glen

which led us , by a winding route, first, a s it seemed,into the very bowels o f the mounta in ; and then by

a sudden sha rp pull up the ho llow in which it

term ina ted, w e a tta ined the summit of the gorge .

Our firs t a scent and descen t , which , a fter a ll, were

the mos t rugged a nd labor ious, occupied three hours-tha t of Ho o m eel itself w a s completed in ha lf tha t

t ime . The V iew from the go rge w a s such a s m ight

be expected from our eleva ted posit ion a nd the

n a ture o f the country it comma nds , —gra nd a nd im

pos ing. The Aksu, which , a fter t ra vers ing the dis trict

o f Seradusht, ta kes a sha rp turn a nd burs ts rightthrough the cha in by a very na rrow bla ck cha sm ,

w a s seen winding fa r below us l ike a Si lver threa da nd the who le scene ca rried m e s trongly ba ck toa view I once enjoyed in the India n moun ta ins fro ma po int nea r the village of Co m ha rsein ,

below whichro lls the Sutledge, j ust such a thread a s the Aksuseem s from Hoo m eel ; but then there w a s wa nt ingtha t unique , tha t inexpress ibly majes t ic finishing

,to

the picture , the H imala, capped by their eterna lsnows .

DEPOPULATED COUNTRY . 1 35

Our descent from these a ltitudes w a s exceedinglytedious and pa inful , and t o the lo aded ca ttle in somepla ces sufficien tly da ngerous . As fo r ourselves , w e

went o n fo o t nea rly the whole w ay , which , a s it

occupied three hours and a ha lf, w a s pretty fa tiguing.

O n the w ay w e m et a la rge ca ra van of bullocks a nd

cows , gua rded by, I da re say , fifty a rmed Koords ,coming from the hills a bout Suleim an iah, lo aded wi th

ga llnuts, butter, a rzun &c . a nd bound for SoujeBulagh . They were most fierce t ruculent-lo okingfellows, a nd a ppea red quite a s l ikely to rifle a s to

gua rd a ca ra van ; a nd though m y people blus tered

a nd swaggered a litt le when they had pa s sed by,a bout the dogs of Ko ords,

” I a m of Opinion tha t,had w e no t had a Ko ordish guide, w e Should ha ve

fared very ill .

At the fo o t of the descent w e found ourselves o n

the ba nks of the Aksu , through the brigh t green l im

pid wa ters ofwhich w e pa ssed w ithout d ifficulty, a nd

a mile’s a scent o f the oppo s ite bank ca rr ied us to wha t

had o nce been the cult iva ted grounds of the village

Ako ortah. During the who le day w e had no t seen

one peopled village, a lthough w e had pa s sed by the

ruins o f ma ny tha t were deserted . The o nly one

which s t ill could bo a s t of s ome ha lf do zen inha

bita nts , bes ides being to o dista nt fro m our pa th ,w a s higher up among the mounta ins , a nd on ly to

be rea ched by wha t seemed no better nor sa fer

than a goa t-tra ck . At Ako ortah w e hoped to pro

cure bo th brea d a nd corn ; but n ot intend ing to

rema in there, I merely sent a servan t to get wha t

w e wanted, wa iting oursel ves the while, and pa stur

1 36 B IVOUAC .

ing the horses on the gra s s which abounded a round

u s . Our disappo in tment w a s n o t sma ll a t finding from

the m an ’

s report , w ho re turned a fter a n a bsence of

nea r three hours , th a t the vil lage w a s o ccupied only

by three families , w ho had run awa y from Rewa n

dooz, a nd w ho had no thing fo r them selves but a

little a rzun a nd ba rley m ea l ; and of thi s they

baked a few cakes to s top the cra ving a ppet ites of

my servant s . On the man ’

s rej o in ing us , I reso lved

t o move fo rwa rd a s far a s I could while daylight

la s ted ; a nd then coming t o fo r the n ight in s ome

spo t where a bundance o f gra ss might be found to

m ake up to the ca tt le for short commons in co rn .

Acco rdingly, finding such a Spo t a bou t four miles

further on , a t the s ite of a deserted vi llage where

wood a nd wa ter a s wel l a s gra ss a bounded, I there

spread my ca rpet fo r the n ight ; and giving my ow n

r ice t o the people fo r a pilla w , co ntented myself with

a dish of tea and a crumb o f bla ck brea d befo re turn

ing in, which I did very so on . The pla ce w a s ra ther

open , a nd w e were forced to keep wa tch a nd wa tch

but the n ight pa s sed without a la rm , though in the

m orn ing w e Observed tw o fellows sneaking o ff, who

had evident ly been prowling a bout in hopes of some

oppo rtun ity t o ca rry Off stray trifles .

Our qua rters were no t so snug a s to tempt us to

exceed the hours of ea rly r is ing. We were on fo o t

by the first of dawn , a nd had m ade severa l m i les o fro ad befo re the light w a s s trong enough to showu s where w e were . We cl imbed up the shouldero f a lofty hi ll upon our left , a nd descended in to a

sweet pa stora l a nd woodla nd va lley lying s trangely

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 3 8 AUTUMNAL TINTS .

a ll w e ha ve lost, yet gives a surly promise of brighter

days to come .

Here , however, au tumn glowed lord o f the a scen

da nt in his m o s t brillia nt ga rb, a nd aga in I long

fo r a poet ic fit to describe his splendours ; but a s I

should certa inly brea k down in the a ttempt , I must

go on in unado rned pro se, to decla re to y ou tha t the

lemon and sca rlet of the num erou s pear-trees ; thevivid green a nd gold a nd crim son of the bea utiful

sum a ch bushes , which here have been pla nted likevineya rds ; the bright pink , the pa le amber, a nd

blo od-red purple of the grape vines, which growwild in abundance, a s wel l a s in cult iva ted pa tches ,a nd which clothed the lips o f the ra vines , a nd in

m any pla ces the who le m ounta in s ides , showing

where once a ga rden smiled,” —these, I say , fo rm

ed a n Iris o f brilliant colours which I ha ve seldom

seen equa lled , a nd never surpa s sed and which em

bro idered, a s i t were, with inimitable m agnificencethe les s go rgeous , but sca rcely les s rich clo thing o f

o ak tha t covered the b ills a s with a robe Of browna nd yellow, mingled wi th deep green .

Ano ther fea ture in the landsca pe of yesterday a nd

to-day , which peculia rly a ttra cted my a tten t io n , w a sthe number o f a ncien t bury ing-grounds which o c

curred in the course of our m a rch , fa r from any

present h abi ta t ion o f m a n, but po int ing out , doubtles s , the s ites o f villages who se people had long s incecea sed to be . We had rem a rked them ,

indeed, everSince quitt ing O o ro o m ia ; but here these m onumentsof fo rgo tten genera t ions a re fa r more s trikingly dist inguished by the groves of o ak trees wi th which

BURY ING GROUNDS. 1 39

they a re surrounded, a nd o ften clo sely covered . The

Ko o rds , fierce a nd rude a s they a re, appea r to ha vepa id a s ingula r a nd a ffectn a tten t io n to these re

cepta c les o f the dus t Of their kindred : even the

s i tua t ion a ppea rs to ha ve been the object of ca refulselection ; fo r they a re genera lly plea san t ly pla ced onlitt le heights o r kno l ls , o verlo oking the fields a nd

pla ins in which the decea sed m ay ha ve delighted ;a s if the spirit s could be so othed with the o bject s

thus lo ved while a n ima t ing their fleshy taberna cles .

These gro ves a re s t i l l evidently the Objects of rega rd

if no t of venera t ion , fo r you never see them touched .

I observed a pa rty o f m en engaged in o ne of thesecemeteries in digging a gra ve— i t w a s tha t of a childwhich had d ied in a n eighbouring village this , they

s a id, w a s the pla ce were its fa thers had been in terred,a nd it w a s meet tha t its litt le dus t should moulder with

theirs . I rema rked, too , in these bury ing-grounds ,ves tiges of peculia r care . Gra ves surrounded by litt lewa l ls o f s tone, a s if they were the property o f s omepa rt icula r family, o r perha ps the tomb of some e lder

o f high es t ima t io n a nd sa nctity . Some were grey a ndmo ss-grown , a nd to ld o f a long lapse of yea rs ; but

in o ther ca ses , heaps o f tho rns a nd brushwo od piled

in the enclo sure, deno ted the ca re of the l iving togua rd the reliques o f their la tely decea sed rela t ives

from the a tta ck s o f wo lves , hyena s, or j a cka ls, theon ly resurrect ionists known in these - pa rts . But I

a m gett ing pro sy, so w e sha ll wa ive the rema inder

of the subject for the presen t, and descend from the

plea sant va l ley which pa rt ly suggested the a bo ve ln

cubra t ions , to a fine rapid s trea m tha t here cuts one

NEZ ER-GAHS .

o f the giga nt ic s tra ta I ha ve ment ioned , r ight in tw o ;

a nd a fter running fo r s ome miles in a deep da rk chan

nel, re turns t o intersect the s ame s tra tum a nd rega in ,

a s it were, its fo rmer cou rse, which termina tes in jo in

ing theAksu nea r the pla ce o f our la st n ight ’s bivoua c .

These cap r ic ios o f mo unta in s tream s a re o ften, a s in

this ins tance , a s rema rka ble a s una ccounta ble.

O n our descent , my a t tent ion w a s a t tra cted to

a no ther set o f Object s , which in va rious pa rts o f thecoun try had o ften engaged it , a nd to which I m ay fo r

a momen t d irect yours . They were la rge hea ps of

s tones , piled on either s ide the w ay , mingled with

sma ller pyramids of pebbles a nd ta ll s ingle s tones ,

w ith a sma ller one on i ts top—a ll, o f course, pla ced

there by the hand of m a n . This w a s wha t the Per

s ians ca l l a Nezer -Iterdelz, o r Nezer-g a it tha t i s ,some spo t which ha s been rendered ho ly, o r a t lea st

venera ble , by the a t tent ion of some sa int o r s age w ho

m ay ha ve s topped here a nd perfo rmed a mira cle , o rea ten his breakfa s t perhaps ; o r, a s I suspect , it ha sfully a s o ften o rigina ted in a murder o r a n a ccident ,—a pla ce where blo od ha s been shed, a nd the dea d

been buried . It w a s pro voking tha t I co uld never

come a t a ny o f the his tor ies o r t rad it ions Of these

Nezer-ga bs . In genera l , the guides , when ques t ioned, could on ly tell m e tha t it w a s a highly rega rdedSpo t— a very o ld a ffa ir, they knew no t how a ncient ,a nd th a t a ll people a s they pa s s st ill throw a s tone tothe hea p, o r t ie a bit o f rag t o a ny bush tha t growsn igh , a s a propit ia tio n to the spirit o f the s a int o r o fthe pla ce .

I ha ve been sadly disappo inted, how ever, by these

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 42 KOORD ISH BR IDGES .

the public spirit to erect another ; but d istrus ting

the a ncient founda t io n, he cho se one some twenty

o r thirty ya rds higher up, j ust where the wa ter

spreads befo re plunging in between the rocks . This

s i te o f co urse demanded a fa r grea ter span , and a c

c ordingly there were built four ta l l piers , tw o be ing

in the course of the s tream . O f these , fro m twenty

to twenty-five feet in height a re s ti ll exta nt, but

the fabric they suppo rted, which I take to ha ve

been only o f wo od, ha s , like its neighbour below ,

been long s ince ca rr ied Off, a nd pa s sengers a re now

left to find the ir w ay , like us , a s best they m ay .

Perha ps these piers m ay ha ve been on ly intended to

suppo rt a tempora ry fa bric o f bra nches a nd wicker

work , such a s is used in o ther pa rts o f the coun try,and which seldo m la s t a bo ve a sea son a nd i t often

ha ppens tha t from their dis repa ir a nd the s ta te of

the ro ads in spring, these routes become impa ssa ble ;in winter they a re who lly s o , from the quant ity o f

snow tha t l ies on the mounta ins . T o cro ss Ho o m eel,

fo r insta nce, is never a ttempted ; and the pa sses o f

C o o rteck a nd So onés , by the la t ter o f which w e

came, a re fa ta l to many m en and ca t tle every

sea son . La st yea r, I think it w a s , nea rly tw o

hundred serbaz , who were proceeding from the

village of Nis tan by Soonas , together with upwa rdso f tw o hundred y abo o s a nd a sses , were los t in o ne

day . The sun shone clea r in the hea vens , and the

w ea ther below w a s fine, s o tha t the m en weretempted to proceed o n the ir w ay . But in theselofty hills the wind often blows ha rd while a ca lmreigns below, a nd it seem s a ga le w a s blowing in

SNOW-STORMS . 1 43

the pa ss , which ra ised the dry snow in clouds ; thisw a s Observed from severa l po ints below , but no o ne

knew of the unhappy ca ra van , a nd even had the

truth been known, wha t mo rta l a id could ha vea va i led P The who le were buried by the snow-clouds ,a nd fro zen to dea th by fo rce of the wind a lo ne . I

w a s to ld tha t nea rly a thous and l iving crea tures , m en

and ca t tle , had per ished tha t sea son a t Seradusht .

Nay , so severe i s the winter there, tha t the Khan’

s

s tewa rd to ld m e he had frequent ly been s torm -s tayed

in the Khan’

s house, s o tha t he could no t get to his

o w n for days ; a nd tha t commun ica t io n between thevi llagers w a s frequen tly cut o ff, s o tha t a ll genera l

intercourse cea sed for mon ths . Wha t a sea son m us twinter be in such an e leva ted region ! no wonder

the wa ters swel l when the snow m elts , and tha tbridges a re ca rried Off. At this t ime, however, w eexperienced no d ifficulty, fo r the wa ter w a s ea s ily

fordable j ust a bove the la st-built bridge .

From hence w e a scended by a zigzag pa th to

a nother va l ley, w here were the ruins o f severa l

la rge villages , and who le sheets o f vines and suma ch

bushes left to u tter neglect . It w a s truly a bea u

t iful spot but a fter pa s s ing through i t, w e descended

once m ore into the bed o f the river, the wa ter of

which w a s a s clea r a s crysta l, a nd fuller of fish than

a ny stream I ever s aw before . The sha l lows were

a bsolutely co vered with grea t mons ters ba sking, m a ny

o f them a t lea st thirty to thirty-six inches long, a nd

they sw a rmed a ls o in the stream s . I w a s so ex

cited a t seeing them , tha t about ten o’clock, when w e

came to a ha lt for breakfa st , I put up my rod to

1 44 VALLEY OF SULEIMANIAH .

try if they wo uld r ise to the fly, the on ly ba it a t

hand ; but they would no t lo ok a t it—a t lea s t the

big ones would no t s tir, so tha t they certa inly were

no t trout . I think they were o f the s ame sort tha t

I had seen a lso in sho a ls a t Souje Bulagh, _

and o f

w hich I ca ught a few very handsome fish, but full

o f bones , o f the species of which I a m igno rant .

A long winding ra vine full of a ba ndo ned villages ,which termina ted in a ho llow a nd sha rp a scent

among the mounta ins , brought us to the g eddook

o r pa s s Of Kaw ian, from whence w e o verlo oked the

pla in, o r ra ther bro ad va lley o f Suleim aniah ; fo r i t

is a nything but a pla in , be ing exceedingly furrowed

by ra vines a nd hillo cks o f ea rth . O n the right

hand w e looked up a long ho llow to a very wild

m a s s o f moun ta ins which were in the Rew a ndo oz

P a shah’

s count ry . In front w e overlo oked a r idge

o f low hills , beyond which were E rbile a nd Kerko ok ,

a nd m any o ther celebra ted pla ces of ancient As syria .

Further to the left lay our route to Baghdad ; and

under us, a t the dis tan ce o f a bout ten miles , lay the

town of Suleim aniah, sca rcely vis ible from its s itua

t ion in a ho llow .

The descent w a s gradua l, down the ba re s ide Of

a hill ; and w e rea ched the pla ce a bout ha lf an hour

before sunset , without ha ving pa ssed through a

s ingle inhabited pla ce from the t ime w e left Seradusht . If the depopula t ion on the road w a s de

pres s ing , there w a s l itt le to cheer us on approaching o r on entering the town . I never beheld a

mo re misera ble co llect ion o f hovels a nd ruins . We

rode through m a s ses o f rubbish , up to wha t had been

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 46 DESOLATION .

It w a s pa inful to see tha t a ll w a s Si lent and de

s o la te, a nd m ore s o to see tha t i t w a s from no

n a tura l decay ; it w a s like ga zing o n the fa ce o f

the dea d, w ho ha ve been wa sted by suffering a nd

disea se . No th ing w a s there of the mingled ten

dernes s a nd melancho ly with which w e lo ok on

the pla cid fea tures o f tho se who se ends ha s been

pea ceful,Before decay’s effa cing fingersHa ve sw ept the lines w here beauty lingers.

’

Here there i s no“ra pture o f repose —it is veri ly

the “a bomina t ion o f desola tion ; a nd though per

m itted by the Almighty for his o w n wise purpo ses ,his a gents ha ve been chiefly the vio lence a nd ra

pa c ity of m an . T o a ll my inquiries a s to ho w

this un iversa l depopula t ion a ro se, the s ame an swer

w a s a lw ays returned The plague came three

yea rs ago a nd swept the co untry, a nd i t w a s fol

lowed by the Pers ia n a rmy, which ha s consumed

wha t the plague had left , a nd ha s ra vaged every

village o n the ro ad, so tha t none now rema in .

Fa rewell, fo r the present : my next sha l l tel l wha t

rema ins to be sa id of Suleim aniah.

LETTER VI .

Fa te of Suleim aniah.—Condition of the Pa shah - His Conversa

t ion .-Fire-proof SeyedS.

— The City.— Burying-grounds .

-A

Mourner.—Take Leave of the Pa shah—Another Disappoint

m ent . —Sheherazoor.— The Serteep Khan .

-A Koordish Guide.

-Cros s the Mounta ins .— Karadagh.—Jew s .

—Koords deficientin Im agina tive Superstition .

— Explana tion of Nezer-Kerdehs .—Ja if and Ham adaw ind Tribes — Derbend of the Sugram ah

Pa ss .—A Glim pse of A s syria .—Zha llah.

—A Dw arf—Mehm an

daree.—A stony L and.

—A fine Oak.—Selim Aga .

—KoordishChiefs— Reflections regarding the A s syrian Em pire.

—RustumAga .

—Genera l Cha ra cteristics of the Koords .—Kufri.—Change

of Manners a s w ell a s of People .

Suleim aniah, 1 st Novem ber.

DEARTwo days ago I closed a let ter for you,

which,

however, I must t ake on with m e to Baghdad, a s

there i s no Londo n po st here . Yesterday, a fter

breakfa s t, some of the Pers ia n officers w ho comm and

the Azerbij an troops here, came to vis it m e. They

ga ve a wretched a ccount of the s ta te of thingshere, but no t more so tha n a ppea ra nces wa rra nted

and confirmed . I a fterw a rds went to wa i t on the

Pa shah , who m I found in his tent , surrounded by

a number of good-looking Koords , but w i th no

great Show o r sta te—poor m an ! he ca n’

t a fford i t .

The sma l l sta te, o r Pa sha lic, o f Suleim a niah, never

e ither very r ich o r powerful, ha s of la te been the

L 2

1 48 CAU SES OF RU IN .

prey o f an a ccumula t ion o f m isfo rtunes , which ha ve

reduced it to ext reme misery . F irs t came family

di sputes , civi l w a r— t w o bro thers s tr iving fo r the

suprem a cy . This brought in fo reign in tervention,

a s a ma t ter of course ; and the Pa sha lic, which beforehad been dependen t on tha t o f Baghdad, fe ll into

the ha nds o f the Pers ia n Pr ince o f Kerm a nsha h ,Mahomed Allee Meerz a . Intest ine s truggles and

commo t ion s , however, s till con t inued, a nd weakened

bo th pa rties so much tha t , a fter the dea th Of Ma

homed Allee Meerz a , the ir neighbour, the Meer o f

Rew a ndo oz , thought fit to o verrun , a nd a ppro

pria te a cons idera ble port ion of the territo ry to

him self. This brought on his head a w a r with

the Az erbij an go vernment , which had a s sumed au

thority o ver these pa rts , a nd o n unfortuna te Suleim a n iah the ma intenance of a Pers ia n a rmy,in a ddition to the payment of a Pers ia n tribute .

Then came the plague, which ca rried o ff mo re tha n

ha l f the people of to w n a nd country ; a nd, of the

rema ining ha lf, a ll tha t could, seeing there w a s nei

ther rel ief from its infliction s nor a ny remis s ion of

impo s ts on the pa rt of government , emigra ted to

pla ces where the burthens a re lighter—to Rewando oz, to Kerkook , E rbile , a nd o ther dis tricts in

the low coun try . Thus does impro vident Pers ias trengthen the ha nds o f her enemies while weakening her o w n . But the Pa sha h , po or m a n ! is o f a ll

the people the m a n w ho ha s it lea s t in his power to

esca pe the s to rm ; a nd there he s its in the wreck offo rmer grea tnes s , puzzled a nd perplexed in the ex

treme to comply w ith a ll the dema nds made upon

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

I 5 0 F IRE-PROOF SEYED S.

tha n others , a s being possessed of certa in a ttributes

derived, a s is believed, from their venera ted o rigin .

Of these , o ne which is only a rroga ted by s ome few

families , is the power o f enduring the a ct ion o f fire

unha rmed . A t Souje Bulagh i t w a s s a id ~ tha t a

family thus endowed res ided a t a village no t fa r off

but unfo rtuna tely, when a des ire to witnes s this

m ira cle w a s expressed , no one could be produced to

perform i t . It is a sser ted, tha t these gifted personswill go into a sort o f oven ca lled a tendour , a round

which fire is heaped unt i l it i s red ho t , a nd tha t they

will hea p fire upon their heads , and yet s t i ll ca l l outI a m co ld l” -and wa lk out unhurt . They will t ake

a piece of redhot iron out of the fire without injuryto their hands ; a nd in sho rt , if w e bel ieve wha t issa id o f them , they a re fire-pro o f.T o laugh a t this a bsurd fa ble would ha ve been

equa l ly useles s a nd offen s ive fo r, a s a ll such s tor ies ,wha tever t he ir o rigin , ha ve been confirmed by the

traditiona ry belief o f ages, there i s no confut ing themexcept by the test Of experiment— a tes t tha t i s a l

ways shunned by the pa rtie s pro fes sing, where detec

t ion is likely to ensue . When, therefo re, a ssura nces

o f the truth o f these mira culous powers were pressedo n m e from a ll s ides , I merely replied tha t, suchm ight be the ca se ; but tha t to bel ieve it im plic itly w a s out o f my power, unt i l I should ha ve seen

with my ow n eyes some irrefragible pro of of the fa ct ;—such a s one o f the gifted persons taking from a

furna ce , wi th his ba re a rm , a piece of redho t iro n ,a nd ho lding it fo r some t ime in his fingers

— thiswould sa t isfy m e o f his be ing endowed wi th some

ARGUMENTS. 1 5 1

mira culous pow er. But, replied the whole a s sem

bly, with o ne vo ice, “ there c an be no doubt of the

fa ct w e a ll know i t fo r a truth . Well,”ins i sted

I, when I see the redho t iron in the Sey ed’

s hand,I, to o , sha l l bel ieve , a nd a dmit tha t such a power

mus t ha ve come from God, be the purpo se for whichi t is given wha t i t m ay .

”You will sa id a Per

s ia n Meerz a , w ho had been bus ily, but va inly, endeavouring to entra p m e in to a religiou s d iscuss iona nd will you then agree to a ny thing he sha l l say ?

”

Suppo se ,”

sa id I, he Sho uld decla re to m e tha t.

there is no God, would y ou ha ve m e agree t o him in

such a do ctr ine ?” No ,”replied he ; but tha t is

a n impo s s ibility . No t a t a ll,”replied I ; fo r y ou

ha ve ha d amo ng yourse lves ins ta nces of m en dec la r

ing them selves to be God a nd y et pretending to m i

ra culous powers , a nd o f o thers w ho deny the exis tence of such a being a ltogether therefo re you mustsee tha t n o one c a n sa fe ly promise to bel ieve a ll tha ta no ther m ay say befo re he hea rs i t, a nd know s w hether it be fit to a cquiesce in .

” Right ,”s a id the

Pa sha h “ i t is contra ry to rea son to do so . So theMeerz a s a id no mo re .

And n ow , Pa shah , s a id I, permit m e to‘

a sk if

your Highness ha s ever seen one o f these Seyeds perfo rm the extra o rdina ry fea ts a scribed to them . The

reply w a s in the nega t ive . And ha ve y ou, then ?”

s a id I, turning to a n o ld m a n w ho had been veryeager in the discus s ion .

“No,”replied he ; “ but I

ha ve seen one t ake fire into his m outh . Tha t ,sa id I, “ is wha t any Ho oqu

-baz (j uggler) with us

will do it proves nothing but tha t the whole is pro

1 5 2 CANDOUR OF THE PASHAH .

ba bly a trick . He says the truth , o bserved the

Pa shah aga in I ha ve seen such t ricks perfo rmed

by these fellows myself.” I then turned to ea ch

a nd a ll of the a s sembly w ho had j o ined in the c o n

versa t ion , but no t one o f them could say he had

ever persona lly witnessed anything o f the sort ; so ,

with a n a ir of indifference , I rema rked to the

Meerza , tha t , a s nothing further than hea rs ay had

been brought to pro ve the a sserted m ira cles , hecould no t expect m e to surrender m y j udgment o r

belief, which , a ccord ingly, I should reta in unt i l he

w a s ready with better evidence .

O n the fo l lowing morning, (Nov. l st ,) l strolled

out to see the town , and a cquire a bet ter idea o f

its condition , than my first curso ry gla nce o f it en

a bled m e to do . Certa inly the impress ion s excited

by tha t s l ight View , were in n o degree wea kened

by further observa t ion . All w a s misery, and fi lth ,a nd wreck , a nd abomina t ion . No t a decent habita tion w a s to be seen . None o f the people, high

o r low , ha ve had hea rt , o r mea ns proba bly , to re

pa ir the ir ruined houses , so tha t the huts tha t ha vea r isen upon the rubbish o f the Old ones , a re o f a

m ea ner descript io n tha n usua l. The ea rth , to o ,

o f Suleim a niah, which form s the houses , is of so

friable a na ture , a s to offer but litt le res ista nce to

the a ct ion o f the wea ther, mouldering down a s soona s it is left to it self ; s o tha t by the opera t ion of

va rious causes , the town ha s a lmo st d isappea red .

The ba za a rs presented a bet ter Show tha n I ex

pec ted, from the s ta te o f the rest ; fo r though mos to f the shops were occupied by hucks ters a nd reta i lers

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 5 4 A REAL MOURNER.

enough , on o rdina ry o cca s ions fo r it w a s Obviously

n o go t-up scene— no so rrow for the public eye

‘

there She sa t, po o r soul ! a ll a lone in her misery, fa r

fro m the s ight o r hea ring o f a ny mo rta l, except

such ca sua l pa ssers by a s ourselves , pouring out her

s o rrow in the ea r o f H im a lone, w ho had seen fit to

send the a ffl iction tha t cau sed it to flo w .

“ Now tha t poor crea ture ha s lo s t a husband o r

a s o n , w ho w a s her on ly support ,”

sa id one o f the

serva nts fo r you see, s ir, none but such a s haveno o ther help

,give w ay to grief l ike tha t ; tho se w ho

ha ve families s it s t ill a nd c ry in the house .

” “ It

i s true ,”rema rked a no ther ; a nd you see she minds

n o thing. It is on ly them , Sir, who se hea rts a re

fi lled wi th one thought tha t lament thus ; She c an

think of nothing, po o r soul ! but of wha t she ha s

lo st .

I sent one of them to lea rn wha t lo s s it w a s tha thad o cca s ioned s o bitter a grief : it w a s her s on

her o n ly son— a ll she had in this wo rld to lo ok to

fo r comfo rt o r support , fo r she w a s a widow !

a nd her ago ny w a s increa sed by the quest ion . She

w a s Obvious ly po or ; s o I ga ve her s ome money ,which she to ok, a nd bles sed m e : but it w a s oh

viously for the sympa thy ra ther tha n the rel ief,th a t she w a s gra teful ; fo r the money lay neglected

o n the gra ve , while , wi th upra ised ha nds , she blessed

m e, a nd prayed tha t God might be wi th m e where

ever I went .

This day I took lea ve of the Pa shah , ha ving no

m o t ive to co nt inue my s tay in his capi ta l , a nd he,

poor m a n ! being too much o ccupied with his ow n

D ISAPPO INTMENTS . 1 5 5

a ffa irs , to have much a ttent ion to bestow upon

gues ts . He had taken o cca s ion , however, to hint to

my servant , th a t i f I had a ny gun s o r pi sto ls to

d ispo se of, in excha nge for go od ho rses , he should

be glad to see them ; a nd a s I Should ha ve had n o

Object ion t o increa se my number o f ho rses , by the

a ddi t ion of one o f go od Ko o rdish blo od, I sent fo r

his H ighness ’s inspect ion a spa re r ifle a nd a dou

ble-ba rrel led pisto l . Perhaps the hint had been

dropped in the hope tha t some of these a rt icles

m ight find the ir w ay to him in the Shape o f a gift,certa in it is tha t he did no t a ppro ve Of them in the

w ay of excha nge , o r perha ps o f the ra te a t which

they were va lued, fo r they were returned to m e ;

upon which I sent a few sm a l ler a rti cles , such , a s

I believed, might prove a ccepta ble a s a present .

They were rece ived with a gra cious speech ; but a

s light diminut ion of co rdia lity in my recept ion thisday , led m e to suspect tha t his H ighnes s’s expec

ta tions had no t been quite s a t isfied, a nd deterred m e

from a repe t it ion of the vis it .

I w a s fo rced, a lso , this day , to submit to a no ther

of the se m o rt ifying dis appo in tments wh ich fa l l to

the lo t o f tra ve llers in di s turbed coun tries such a s

this . There is an extens ive pla in a bout twenty to

twenty-five miles from Sule im an iah, in which the

long va lley tha t ta kes the n ame of the town ter

m ina tes, a nd which i s sa id to conta in certa in a ut i

quities , hitherto litt le, o r no t a t a ll, explored by

European s . Among o ther conjectures which giveinteres t to this pla in , is tha t o f i ts being the s i teo f a ci ty ca lled Sia zurus by the a ncients , the ruins

1 5 6 SHEHERAZOOR.

o f which , to this day , a re know n to the na t ivesby the name o f Shehera zo o r. You will a t o nce see

wha t a delicious field o f specula tio n so clo se a resem

bla nce o f name a ffo rds to the etym o logist . H ad

no t my friend Ma cniell been ca rried o ff to Englandby duty, it w a s my hope to ha ve ent iced him thus

fa r, a nd to ha ve explored with him the a nt iqui

t ies o f Shehera z o or . But when tha t project w a s

kno cked on the head, I promised to him and to

myse lf, tha t I should go there if po ss ible, and lea rnwha t w a s to be seen . O n a rr iving here , I ma de a p

plica t ion to the Pa sha h fo r permis sion a nd a guide

to v is it this pa rt of his territo ries . At firs t he m a de

no object io n, beyo nd o bserving tha t there w a s no

thing to be seen except some tuppehs (mounds),with bit s o f brick a nd po t tery ; n ei ther build ings

no r sculptured rocks : but he a dmitted tha t the

mounds were very la rge , a nd tha t there were severa l

groups Of them a t cons idera ble distances from ea ch

other. This w a s no t ca lcula ted to decrea se my de

s ire to see the pla ce ; judge , therefore, of my m o rtifi

ca tion when , on sending my serva nt to a sk fo r a guide

to this pla ce, the Pa sha h sa id, if I w a s determined

to go a nd see Shehera z o or, he would n o t forbid

i t ; but tha t it would be quite contra ry to his a dvice

and wish , i f I should ma ke the a ttempt . Tha t it

w a s a grea t rendezvous o f E eliauts from a ll pa rts ,a nd if, which God forbid, a ny a ccident were to befa l l

one of m y horses , he would be dishonoured by a c ir

cum stance which i t would be out o f his power to

remedy o r preven t . They were Ko ords , he sa id,—bea sts ,— and who co uld a nswer for wha t they

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 5 8 ANTIQUITI ES .

fo rced to a ba ndon my project . The Pa sha h in s isted

tha t the r isk w a s so grea t , tha t he could no t give hiscountenance t o the a ttempt ; a nd I w a s con s tra ined

to lea ve the a dventure of Shehera zo or to be a chieved

by some more fo rtuna te champion . I a fterwa rds

hea rd tha t the Pa sha h w a s so fa r in the right tha t ,a t this pa rt icula r sea son , the pla ce is full of thieves ,w ho flo ck to it from the m ounta ino us pa rts o f Ker

m ansha h , a nd Ham adan , a nd Ardelan ; s o tha t when

robber ies a re committed, i t is d ifficult to disco ver,a nd s t ill more so t o pun ish , the offenders .

In the course o f convers a t io n I hea rd but few mo repa rt icula rs respect ing Shehera z oor, which briefly

ra n a s fo l low —The pla in is bounded o n the ea s t

a nd so uth by lofty and very rugged mounta ins , a nd

i t co nta ins the Sites , o r rem a ins , o f five o r s ix o ld

t owns o r cit ies . O ne o f these is ca l led the Ka llah, o r

fo rtress, a nd is a la rge lofty mound ; then there a re

Ya s seen tuppeh, Goolunzher , Arhut, Kha r a beh, a nd

some o thers . The la st a ppel la t ion mean s mere ly

r a ins . I w a s info rmed by o ne o r tw o pers ons , tha ts tones of la rge Size, bea ring inscript ions in wha t they

bel ieve to be European (quaere, Greek) let ters , a re

o cca s iona lly dug up in these pla ins ; and they say

tha t a B a leoos (o r high funct iona ry) from T abreez ,

o n his w ay to Baghdad, s aw one of the s tones a t

Arbut . I hea rd, to o , tha t a no ther s tone of this s orthad been unea rthed a t B urda /fer , a village a t the footo f the south-wes tern hills o f this va lley a nd a Shiekh

to ld m e o f a B oot/cha nch, o r image temple , be ing

found somewhere e lse in the pla in, with a s tone in i t

co vered with cha ra cters which no one in the coun try

A PERSIAN GEN ERAL . 1 5 9

could decipher ; thus it would a ppea r, tha t this dis

tric t m ay probably turn out a mine of unexplored an

t iqui ties . The who le pla in below is sa id to be co ver

ed w ith vest iges of o ld buildings ; but there seldo m

i s a nyth ing found in them excep t br icks , po t tery, &c .

This day a lso I had a n in terview with Ma homed

Kha n,Ser teep , or genera l, o f the Pers ia n fo rces in

Suleim aniah, this fo rce con s is ting o f s omething under

four hundred m en a nd eighty a rt illery-m en, with fivegun s a nd tw o sma ll mo rt a rs . It is a sma ll comm a nd ;but quite sufficient fo r the duty o f devouring the co untry , a nd plundering when they canno t get enough

o therwise . The fa ct is ,‘

tha t no pa rt o f Pers ia , o r

the neighbouring coun t ries , is a ble , in i ts presen ts ta te, to support the ea t ing ulcer of a s ta nding a rmy .

The pr ince endea vours to m a inta in this provinceaga ins t the Pa sha h of Baghdad, to who se go vern

ment it properly belongs ; a nd in a ttempt ing t o do so

with lea st expense to his ow n go vernment , he ruinshis a cquis it ion . Mahomed Khan , however, were hisow n a ccount to be taken , is a hero fit to ma inta inhis ma s ter’s power in a rms aga ins t the wo rld . Givehim but mea ns a nd permis s ion , and he will extirpa te

the Meer o f Rew a ndo o z , a nd shut up the Pa sha h o f

Baghdad within his bounds o f Mesopo tamia . With

o nly three hundred serbaz and ha lf tha t number of

ho rse , be swept the Ger m ain, o r low country, if youwill believe h im , from Mosul to Khanakeen , fro mKerman sha h a lmo s t to the ga tes ofBaghda d ; a nd w a so nly s topped from effect ing s ome thing very tremeu

dous indeed, by the Pa sha h sending him ha ndsomepresents a nd many conci lia tory remonstrances . The

1 60 A PLEASANT GASCONADER .

Ser teep Kha n , in t ruth , belongs to a very numerous

cla s s o f Pers ia ns , so we l l descr ibed by Mo rier, w ho

a re the mo s t a rra nt bo a s ters in na ture, a nd w ho a re

yet fa r from being deficient in courage , l ike the

bo a s ters o f mo s t o ther co untries . They a re di

vert ing enough , if o ne ha s pa t ience to get through

the qua nt ity of fro th tha t floa ts on the go od liquor

below : a nd while I li stened to the Kha n ’

s a ccounto f his ow n explo it s— to the pra ises he ha d received

from the King of Kings , with a khelut from his ow n

majes tic person— to the gra nd speeches of the PrinceRoya l, a nd his Roya l Highnes s

’

s p rom ise of a go ld

m ounted swo rd, a ll from the same indubita ble s ourceo f a u tho rity— to his bit ter compla ints o f unrewa rded

mer it— Of ha ving nei ther pay no r a llowances , nor

lea ve of a bsence to vis it his family, (from which hehad been sepa ra ted five yea rs ,) but on the con tra ry,be ing a bout t o be pa cked o ff upon some o ther ex

pedition , because none could do the wo rk s o wel l a sMahomed Kha n ; in short , to the obvious truth tha tthe government knew they had a go od serva nt inthe honest Serteep , but did no t know how to use him

while I lis tened to a ll this,I picked up in the course

o f it much tha t w a s interes ting, much tha t I wishedt o lea rn , a bout the country a nd its enemy the Rew ando o z Pa shah , a nd w a s a lso grea t ly amusedbes ides w hich , I think I plea sed the hones t Kha n ,

w ho is rea lly a hea rty Old co ck, a nd takes his gla sslike a ny o ne o f us .

November l .

— Zha llah, a misera ble Ko ordish vil

lage o f s ix’

o r e ight houses . I write , dea r a t

this wretched hole , beca use I ha ve a spa re hour

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 62 A R ICH AND VAR IED C OUNTRY .

governo rs of pla ces in their line of route , or of in

s truc tions to the guides who take them thither .

Thus Abdoo llah Kha n , in writing by m e to his bro

ther Sum m ud Kha n , a t Seradusht, and other heads

of villages , des ired tha t I might be sent through the

bounds o f their respect ive j urisdict ions in sa fety a nd

in honour ; a nd tha t Should a drop of blood be drawn

from one of my horses , the forfeit should be five

thousa nd tomans .

November 3 .—Under the guida nce of Ul-Khider

Aga , a bout eleven o’clo ck , w e quitted Suleim an iah ;

a nd , cross ing the pla in , a scended the western hil ls

which inclose the long va lley of its ow n name, and

which , including the pla in of the Sheherazo or, m ay

be seventy to e ighty miles in length . From the

summit of the pa ss , the eye ranged over a s ingu

la rly rich country, inclosed between the range on

which w e s tood, a nd a pa rt icula rly craggy r idge a t

a cons idera ble dista nce, which fo rm s , in fa ct , the

bounda ry between the high and low country. I

should ha ve ca lled the interven ing spa ce a va lley,because i t w a s lower tha n the bounding hills but it

w a s, in truth , a m a ss of the mo s t rugged hills a ndda les , spotted with o ak bushes here a nd there , a nd

with wa lnuts a nd fruit trees in pla ces where villageshad once been and the vine, the pomegrana te, a nd

the suma ch were s ti ll growing wild a nd luxuriant .Acros s this rugged and d ifficult coun try w e m ade

our w ay to a vi llage , Ka radah, wh ich w a s to be o ur

lodging-pla ce fo r the n igh t, a nd the dwellings of

which were a s s ingula rly sca ttered among cliffs ofsa nd-stone a nd gra vel, a nd clefts a nd ridges , a s a ny

KOORDISH IMAG INATIONS DEFECTIVE . 1 63

huma n a bodes I ever saw . We were ho spita bly received, however, on the s trength o f the Pa sha

’

s order ;

but recommended to be s trict ly on our gua rd aga instthieves , w ho were represen ted a s pa rt icula rly numerous a nd a ct ive . This v i llage ha s one other peculia ri ty ,

- out o f from one hundred and fifty to tw o

hundred houses of which it cons ists , no les s than tw othirds a re Jews . I find the Koords and Jews co a lescetogether wonderfully well.

I ha ve a lready told y ou of my des ire to rescue myfr iends the Ko ords from the imputa t ion of deficiencyin the imagin a t ive fa culties , and in tho se men ta l vagaries which give so much interest to the supers ti

t ions of other highlanders a nd I never omitted a ny

fa ir oppo rtun ity of making myself a cqua inted withtheir n o t ion s rega rding ghost s , e lves , a nd witches ;but I ha ve in a ll ca ses been wofully disa ppointed .

In fa ct, were I to give implicit credit to tho se who m

I ha ve ques t ioned on the subject , I should ha ve toreport the Ko o rds a s utterly vo id of a nything in thesha pe of fa er ie, or even g ohliner ie— a s ad blo t intheir n a t iona l cha ra cter Finding my gu ide Ul-Khi

der Aga a n inte lligent a nd commun ica t ive fel low

a nd a ble to spea k to lerable Pers ian , I tr ied him o n

the subject , a nd put a number of quest ions to him in

va rious Shapes . But the result w a s a ltogether un

s a t isfa cto ry . Wha t ! sa id I a t length , ha ve y ou

Koords no fa ith e ither in G ins o r Peries , o r ghdls or

spiri ts ? ” Ahi, s ir ! wha t would you ha ve ?

”w a s

the reply , a ccompan ied with a so rt o f a po loget ic

shrug worthy of a French ma rques s of the a nc ien ne’

g im e. The Ko ords are a sses , s ir -they ha ve no

M 2

1 64 N EW CAUSE O F SU PERSTITION .

lea rning—they ha ve never rea d a ny books to tea ch

them a nd wha t Should they know of such m a tters

The Mo o llahs a nd Aho ns , indeed , m ay know some

thing rega rding them but wha t a re you to lo ok fo r

from the res t —in fine , they a re Ko o rds .

”

This w a s a s suredly putt ing the subject in a new

a nd amus ing light— among us , ignora nce is suppo sed

to be o ne principa l cause o f superst i tion but here i t

w a s a ttributed t o knowledge a nd lea rn ing, w hile the

wan t o f i t w a s imputed, a s a defect , to the s tupify ing

power o f igno rance . It w a s a curious pervers ion o f

rece ived principles . We ll ,” ins isted I , “ but ha ve

they no fea r of evil spir it s —no belief in such

things No thing , the bea s t s !”replied he , in a

tone of con tempt ; no t o ne word did they ever hea r

about such ma tters .

” “ Suppo se , s a id I, des iroust o a lter the fo rm Of interroga t ion so a s to ca tch a ny

s tray idea s o n the subject suppo se o ne o f these

Ko ords had o cca s io n t o pa ss through a burying

ground a t midn ight , would he ha ve no reluct a nce todo s o—no fea rs ?

”NO none a t a ll. Why should

he ?”w a s the Aga ’s reply .

“ I do n’

t mea n o f the

l iving,” ins isted I, but o f the dead . Would he no t

fea r tha t tho se w ho lay buried there migh t a ppea r

a nd do him ha rm ? The gr in o f a bs o lute inco m

prehens ion which this ques t ion e licited from the

muscle s o f the hones t Aga ’

s fa ce, fo rmed the mos tsa t isfa ctory reply po ss ible to my ques t io ns ; s o Ia ba ndoned the inquiry in despa ir. Beho ld the effectOf educa t ion , o r ra ther the wa n t of i t , in the presentca se ! a decided dread o f gho s ts a nd evi l spirits is ,I apprehend, by o ne mea ns or o ther, m ade a pa rt Of

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 66 NEZZER-GAHS .

d isport themselves fea rles s ly. The Rus s ian soldiers

sent hither from Azerbij an ha ve, however, thinned

their numbers , in spite Of the denuncia tion Of dea th

which w a s pronounced by the people aga inst the s a cri

legion s Offence . They a s sert , however, tha t some o f

tho se who a te of them died in con sequence .

I a tta cked our guide to-day on the subject of the

Nezzer-gahs ; his explana t ion o f them w a s Simple

enough .

“When a s ick person, s a id he, “ in a

dream , sees a ny o f the sa ints o r Imaum s a ppea r

ing a s in a pa rt icula r spot , he repa irs thither ; a nd

i f he rece i ves the relief he expected he ma rks the

pla ce with such heaps o f s tones a s you see, in

t oken of his gra t itude, and a s a mea ns o f po int ing

out the ho ly spo t to o thers . This ha s the effect

o f bringing other inva l ids , and even tho se w ho only

pa ss by add their stone to the heaps , in token of

respect ; so tha t in t ime these become numerous

a nd la rge . Tho se who ha ve been benefited, to o ,frequently tea r shreds from their sh irts o r trousers ,and t ie them , a s y ou Observe, to the bushes a round .

”

The gra ves o f grea t m en , or Of pers ons murdered

by robbers o r by trea chery, a re no t thus ma rked, he

says , n or do they meet wi th this species o f reverence ;but a po le with a flag upon it, i s o cca s iona lly ra ised,or some other Signa l is pla ced nea r, to po in t out to

go od Mus sulman s the pla ce where they Should uttera prayer fo r the dea d .

O n the m orrow, a bout seven, w e s tarted ; and in

our w ay pa ssed the s ites of severa l deser ted villages ,which had once given life a nd bea uty to the ir ow n

litt le nooks and va les but popula t ion ha s fled from

HAMADAVUNDS AND JAPES . 1 67

this ill-fa ted country with prosperity a nd pea ce,lea ving it a prey to tyra nts a nd robbers . Of vio

lence a nd feuds w e had pro of enough in our

pa th this day : for in the course o f twelve miles ’

dista nce w e twice cha nged gua rds a nd guides ; theinhabita nts o f o ne village n o t da ring to enter the

bounda r ies Of the next ; a nd our guide Ul-Khider

Aga m ent ioned, a s a curious circum s tance, tha t the

tribe of H a m ada vund, which occupies some ground

in this neighbourho od, a nd which he a ssured m e did

no t number more tha n five o r s ix hundred fami

lies , had rendered them selves s o formida ble to a n

o ther tribe ca lled the J afls , w ho c a n muster from

ten to tw e lve thousand houses o r tent s, tha t n o t

a J a ff da red to a ppro a ch their prec in ts— if he d id,he w a s infa llibly put to dea th ; while the Hama

da vunds , r id ing in pa rt ies o f twent ies a nd thi rt ies ,would go a nd plunder the Ja ffs in their ow n houses .

I think there m us t be some exaggera t ion in this

s ta tement , s ince the Ja ffs c an give the Pa sha h o ne

thousand go od horsemen in t ime of need . They

inhabit chiefly a bout Shehera zo or, but a re sca ttered

a ll a long the border line one o f these unhappy Ja ffs

took a dvantage o f our Convoy t o ca rry his nobility

sa fe out of the dangerous tra ct s .

Our la st change o f gua rds took pla ce a t Jefferan ,

clo se t o the fo o t of the Suggra m ah pa ss , one of the

principa l ga tes o f Ko ordis tan in this qua rter ; a nd

a s tw o s to ut robber-l ike loans a ccompa n ied us fro m

thence, our guide Observed tha t they were wo rth a

s core of horsemen .

“ The thieves a re a fra id o f

them , and will no t da re to a tt ack us ; but w e mus t

1 68 SUGGRAMAH PASS .

be on our gua rd nevertheless : let the baggage a ll

keep clo se , a nd w e will send one of these fellows on

in fron t .

” Thus admon ished, my fel lows , w ho ha ve

a v ile trick o f lagging, but w ho a lso enterta in a

mo st reverend ca re fo r their ow n person s, clo sed up ,

a nd w e soon rea ched the jaws o f the pa ss .

These a re very striking. The m ounta ins of

which I ha ve spoken , a s forming the bounda ry be

tween the highla nds Of Ko ordistan a nd the pla in s

o f Assyria , which extends to the banks of the Tigris ,here fo rm a l ine which run s a bout SE . a nd N .W .

'

and a re compo sed of m a ny stra ta o f limest one a nd

ca lca reous conglomera te , with beds of gra vel a nd ihdura ted sand interven ing . Of these s tra ta , one o f

enormous s ize a nd grea t height rises o n their n o rthea stern fa ce ; and runn ing a s s tra ight a s a l ine fromfo rty to fifty miles , o r more perhaps , separa tes themfrom the irregula r va l ley (of which I ha ve beforespoken) a t their feet . Its crest rises thin a nd Sha rp,broken into a va riety of the most fa nta st ic fo rm s ;and the angle of its dip (to use the techn ica l phra se)is so nea r a right a ngle, and its fa ce is s o free

from s o i l tha t , a t a l itt le dis ta nce, you would takei t for a n unbroken precipice of sheer ha rd ro ck .

But cont inuous though i t a ppea rs , the ledge is

n o t unbroken . There a re ga ps in severa l pla ces ,m ade by the stream s which a rise in the ra nge, a nd

which ha ve fo rced a n o ut let fo r their wa ters . Be

fo re one Of these w e now s to od, co l lecting our forces ,wa tering our ho rses , a nd t igh ten ing the bandsof our lo ads , prepa ra to ry to gra ppling wi th the

a scent which awa i ted us . The ledge o r s tra tum

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 70 ASSYR IA.

celebra ted capita l o f the Ca liphs : lower , I say , no t

level ; fo r the country which n ow presented i tself

to our eyes , w a s a nything but leve l, a lthough inrela t ive a lt itude fa r inferior to tha t which w e had

left . L ow ridges o f da rk craggy hills ro se in a

success ion, the termina t ion o f which the thickness

o f the a tmosphere prevented us from disco vering ;a nd the spa ce between them appea red, in l ike m an

ner, to be in tersected by sm a ller hi llocks a nd ra

vines . It w a s a bla ck a nd drea ry pro spect ; yetthis w a s the la nd of Assyria Proper, the cradle o f

mighty empires , a nd the birth-pla ce of grea t m on

a rch s in the o lden t ime . Certa in ly n o one, re

ga rd ing i t a s w e now did, could ha ve imagined

this s co rched a nd rocky desert t o be the proper

country Of the grea t Semiramis , or the luxuriousSa rdanapa lu s , however i t m ight be the fit a bode a nd

doma in o f Nim rod the m ighty hun ter yet such

a s w e saw , is, I bel ieve, the grea ter pa rt o f the

country on the left bank’

o f the Tig ris nea r the

hills , from Mo sul, o r N ineveh , the ancien t As sy

r ia n capita l, down to Khanekeh a nd Menda li , the

southern bounda ry of the province so named .

Around Mosul itself, a s round E rb ile, Kerko ok, a nd

severa l o ther con s idera ble pla ces , there is a circuit

of much r icher country ; but a la rge proport ion o f

the who le is desert, and sca rcely fi tted by n a ture to

be o therwise .

A despera tely rocky and s tony descent, and a

course of a few m i les a lo ng the lower coun try

I ha ve described, to ok us to this pla ce Zha llah ; a

m ost miserable pla ce, a s l ha ve sa id ; indeed a poorer

A DWARF. 1 71

lodging pla ce I h a ve seldom seen . The first person

w ho came fo rth to receive us , w a s a crea ture who se

extra ordinary appeara nce fixed the a ttent ion of us

a ll, impressing us with tha t indefinable sensa tionwhich unna tura l defo rmity, in a ny sha pe, a lmo stinst inct ively produces a t firs t Sight . It w a s a humanbe ing of the s ize o f a s tout boy o f twelve or fourteen

yea rs of age , perfectly wel l made in a ll respects ,except the head . This member, on a second glance ,w a s o bserved t o be preterna tura lly sma ll, a nd the

moment the crea ture turned its fa ce to us, w e dis

covered a t once tha t s ense, if no t s oul, w a s wa nting there . It w a s the exa ct fa ce o f a n a pe o r

m o nkey ; the compres sed no se, the pro truding mouth ,the fla t retrea t ing brow , and project ing eyes — the

sma l l con ica l skull, with “ woful la ck of bra ins ,”

a ll bore the stamp of the bea st which m o‘cketh theform of m a n . Fo rwa rd i t came the m oment w e

a pproa ched ; and se izing the b ridle o f one o f the

horses s tood ga zing, firs t a t us , a nd then a t the

an ima l, with sundry gr ima ces, j ust a s a m onkey

would ha ve done, but uttering no intel ligible sound

a nd the who le a ppea rance a nd bea ring o f the poor

idio t , w ho w a s a lmost ent irely n aked , sugges tedthe idea of a brute, ra ther than tha t of a human

be ing it w a s a n extremely pa inful s igh t .We lea rned tha t, though so young in a spect, he

w a s a ctua lly thirty yea rs o f age , a nd therefore of

course come to his full s ize : there he rema ined unprogres sive ; a s tunted fruitless being, a lone in the

wo rld, for fa ther or mo ther he had none : left tothe compa ss ion of his more fortuna te fel low mortals ,

1 72 MEHMANDAREE

a nd a ffo rding cau se of tha nkfulnes s to tho se w ho

enjoy a n ampler sha re o f the bles s ings which P rov idence had seen fit to deny him .

At this pla ce, a s a t the m unz il o f the la s t n ight ,w e ha ve been a nnoyed and d isgusted by a d isputebetween our mehma nda r a nd the villagers rega rd ing

a supply o f corn and s traw fo r our ho rses , a nd fo od

fo r ourselves . I ha ve mo re than once a lluded to thecustom of the country, by which fo re igners of a ny dis

t inct ion , o r persons introduced by letters from friends

o r from the ruling a uthorit ies , a re co ns idered a s

public, not priva te guest s , a nd a re supplied with fo od

a nd lodgings , nomina l ly a t the expense o f go vern~

men t , o r o f the Kha ns a nd go vernors of the pla ces

in the ir line Of route . This is a dis t inction which ha s

fa r mo re inconven ience tha n a dvantage . Without

it, i t is true , a tra vel ler would come l itt le into con

t a ct with the better o r upper cla sses o f society, a nd

migh t go through the country without ha ving an

Opportun ity o f seeing a nything Of their ma nnersa nd cus toms : but then it o ften proves a n inco n

venient sha ckle upon a m a n’

s progres s a nd a rra ngements ; fo r he ca nnot m ake those which m ay be

n ecessa ry, e ither fo r pro ceeding, o r for rema in ing

a t a pla ce , without the a cquiescence a nd a ss is ta nce

o f his ho s t, who se views differ ing, perhaps , fro mtho se o f the tra veller, m ay , with the bes t intent ions in the wo rld, be ca lcula ted to thwa rt o r in

terfere wi th the tra veller’s mo st ea rnes t wishes .

Aga in , i t is n o t over plea sa nt to find oneself thrus tno lcns volens in to the house o r o n the cha rges of

a s tranger, wha tever be his means o r cha ra cter . It

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 74 LAMENTATIONS .

from them on his return and if you give i t secretlyto a ny person of the pla ce , it is mo re than probabletha t the Kellrhodah, o r Za bit, o r head m an ,

wh a tever he be, will keep it a ll to him self, so tha t thetrue sufferers get no thing .

In the present ca se, I w a s the Pa sha h of Suleiman iah

’

s gues t . E t iquet te required tha t I Shouldcont inue SO while within his terri to ries but a s thi swould ha ve been m ore onerous tha n agreea ble, hisvillages were m ade to bea r the expense ; o r evenif tha t were cha rged to his H ighness by his servant s ,the poo r villagers would be none the better , a s theseserva nts would them selves , in tha t ca se, po cket theamount a llowed by their m a ster in a ccount with hisRyo ts . La st n ight , a fter a ll tha t could be done by

Ul-Khider Aga , the villagers would no t produce gra inenough fo r m y horses , SO I to ld my ow n serva nts topurcha se i t . Whether they did SO o r n o t I knowno t , but the m oney fo r it w a s pa id by m e . Thiseven ing there went through the village a n a bso lutewa i l a nd lamenta tion— a ll the po or Old wives Of

the five o r s ix families i t conta ined were depri ved

of their l ittle bo a rds of gra in and one o f them cameto my la ir, ro a ring a nd crying to recla im a fowl,her on ly chucky , which had been forcibly a bstra cted

to en ter into the compo s it ion o f my p illaw , a nd j ustsa ved it a s the kn ife w a s a t its throa t . A few pence

procured a no ther, but the mehma nda r stepped in ;his honour w a s a t sta ke to see m e fed free of a ll

co st , sa ve wha t he him self might expect . So he

fo rced the mo ney from the un lucky owner o f the

old cock, a nd returned it to m e . I ma de severa l

REMU N ERATION. 1 75

a t tempts to settle a ll difficult ies by purcha se o f wha t

w a s required ; but , though money w a s secret ly

o ffered, the people were to o much a fra id of the

m ehm a nder to take it . At length , when a ll tha t

could be squeezed out had been extra cted, the on ly

m ode I had to a vert the curses of the pillaged

commun ity, w a s to send a serva n t secret ly and a t

n ight, to the houses o f the sufferers , a nd to p ay

them for wha t had been taken , and a l ittle mo re .

This w a s trus t ing to the hones ty of my o w n m en

— a fra i l reed no doubt ; but there w a s n o a lter

na t ive , and, I believe , he must ha ve executed histrust in part, a t a ll events, a s most o f the people

next mo rn ing, when I w a s mount ing, came fo rwa rd

w ith kind wishes a nd fa rewells .

Kufri , No vember 4 .—From Zha llah, the pla ce

o f my la st da te, a ma rch of fro m twenty-tw o to

twenty-four miles , took us to Ibra him Khanchee,

the village of a Koordish chief, where w e were to

pa ss the n ight . The first five o r s ix miles of our

course led us over one o f the mo s t s ingula rly stony

tra cts I ever sa w ; but the quan tity o f herbage tha thad nevertheless sprung up in spring a nd summer

w a s a s ton ishing. Pa rt o f this s t i ll rem a ined, while

the grea ter pa rt ha ving been burned, had left a widebla ck surfa ce thickly speckled with grey s tones

a mo st un lo vely pro spect .

We next a scended a very rocky hill of considera ble height , the la s t of any consequence between us

and the Tigr is . It w a s ba re of every thing excep tgra ss , but on its summit grew one magn ificen tspreading o ak , the la s t o f a fo rest which no doubt

1 76 SEL IM AGA .

o nce covered a ll this country . It owes its preserva t ion to s ome tradition , which I could no t exa ctly

m ake out — i t had proba bly been lo s t in the la pseo f t ime ; for now , a ll tha t could be ga thered w a s ,

tha t t ra vellers rest ing under its Sha de a fter the

a scen t a re speedily relieved from their wea rines s ,a nd s trengthened to proceed— no extra ordina ryeffect o f res t a nd shade a nd free a ir a fter a tough

pull up bi ll . It w a s surrounded by a wa l l o f s tones ,and w a s ca l led Da ur-ul-Mandeh .

A few miles beyond the ro cky descent of this bill,w e s topped to brea kfa st a t the misera ble Ko o rdish

village o f Janreze, the dwe ll ing of Selim Aga , chief

o f the Da loo Ko o rds , a bra nch of the Bebahs o f

Suleim a niah. O n a ppro a ching the village, w e ob

served spea rs and saddled ho rses ; a nd o n a rr iving

there found the Beg j us t prepa ring to go fo rth on

a hunting-pa rty, fo r he w a s surrounded by a ttend

a nts equipped fo r the sadd le, ho ld ing greyhounds in

the lea sh , a nd ho oded hawkes on the fis t .

A wo rd from the guide , w ho preceded us a few

ya rds , pro cured us a co urteous recept ion from thischief, w ho w a s a plea s ing-lo oking person , j ust pa s t

the middle age, wi th a gr izzled bea rd and mild,though firm fea tures . He discla imed the a pology

I had tendered fo r our intrus ion, which had oh

vio usly interrupted his projected expedit ion ; a nd

swo re by the head of the Pa sha h a nd his ow n eyes ,

(to w hich he sa id w e had brought light and delight ,)tha t w e were we lcome a thousa nd t imes . H e on ly

regretted tha t his a ccommoda t ion w a s s o po or, a nd

his fa re so bad, tha t he w a s a shamed of rece iving

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 78 A WOLF IN SHEEP’

S CLOTH ING .

rega rding bo th w a s very grea t , and I left him , a s I

hope, wel l plea sed with my vis it ; fo r, a fter gra t ify

ing him with a display of the power o f my fire-a rm s ,pa rt icula rly of my sm a l l pistols , which , t i ll he w it

m essed their effects , he had despised, I m ade him

a present o f some a rt icles of Engli sh ma nufa cture

which to ok his fancy m ight i ly, a nd w e pa r ted the

best o f friends .

“Now , this very mild and civi l gent lem a n, s a id

I to U l-Khider Aga , our guide , a s w e rode away,this Aga w ho ha s given us so kind a reception ,

a nd made us so we lcome ,— suppo se nei ther y ou n o r

a ny other guide from Suleim a niah had been wi th us ,

aud w e had m et with him a nd his tra in in the

Sahrah (open pla in), I suppo se he would ha ve madeno scruple o f a tta cking us , a nd robbing us , if he

could ?” By the hea d of Suleim a n Pa shah ,”re

plied the guide , laughing hea rt ily, by your ow n

life , s ir, y ou seem to know the m a n a s well a s I

do m yself— you h a ve hit it exa ctly . Selim Aga

is j ust the m a n fo r such a j ob . He would ea t

bread w i th you a s your ho st, and a fter the Khoosh

Anzedeed, a nd Khodah Hafiz (the welcome a nd fa re

well), he would t ie up his bea rd, a lter his turba n ,

a nd disguise him self a nd his people so tha t youshould no t know them , a nd ga llop Off a hea d a nd

w aylay a nd s trip y ou a ll naked, a nd lea ve y ou there .

He is the completest nap cilr (scoundrel) in a ll Koord is ta n— the m o st remorseless ruffian . Why , s ir,

tha t fellow ha s s tripped women a nd left them nakedin the desert he would take from them their shift ,if it w ere worth threepence, even if they had no t

a no ther rag .

”

KOORDISH ROBBERS . 1 79

And is no t this he ld infa m ous even in Ko o rdis

tan a sked I . “ So infamous ,”replied the guide,

tha t I ha ve no t wo rds to tel l you how bad it is in

our es t ima t ion . But this Selim Aga is a bea st, tha tha s ne ither shame no r feel ing. He ha s some fo rty

to fifty horsemen , a nd with these he s to ps the road,so tha t neither ca ra van nor pilgrim to Kerbelah c an

pa ss ; a nd a ll who m he ca tches he s t rips .

”But

wha t says the Pa sha h to a ll this demanded I . Is

no t the Aga his H ighnes s’

s Servant T o be surehe is , replied Ul-Khider, a nd the Pa sha h burns hisfa ther ’ when he does such things but wha t sha l l I

say , s ir ? the Pa sha h ha s enough to do a t home

w e never keep a governor long enough in his pla ce

to get so firm and s trong a s to keep the coun try per

fec tly quiet ; so w e c an but do our best -but a s fo r

this Selim Aga , he is the mo st unprincipled ra sca l

he show ed you his a rm , sir (it w a s covered with a

herpet ic eruption, which he wished m e to cure) w e

say here, s ir, tha t this w a s sent by God a s a punish

ment for his misdeeds ; a nd I believe it is the ca se .

May his fa ther’

s tomb be defiled

Well,”sa id I , but this Ro o stum Aga , to who se

house w e a re go ing this n ight , insha llah wha t

sort of a fel low m ay he be ? Would he no t do much

the same a s Sel im Aga— would no t he a lso st rip us if

he could?” There i s a li tt le o f tha t sort , indeed, s ir,replied he . Roo stum Aga is a powerful m an he

is chief of the Zengeneh tribe ; but a lhum dulillah

pra ise be to God ! he is Suleiman P a shah’

s servant ,

nevertheless , a nd, insha llah he sha ll send y ou sa fe to

Kufri .” Insha lla h , insha l lah replied I but

1 8 0 CON SEQUENCE OF C IV IL BRO ILS.

from wha t I see, i t seem s pla in tha t every one o f

these chiefs of Teer ehs (d ivis io ns Of tribes) in this

country would play the s ame game — tha t is , they

would s top, rob, and s trip us , o r any one they meet

with in the sa h ra h without a guide o r means o f

res istance .— “Ahah Ba r ihillah .

’ bra vo , s ir ! y ou

ha ve sa id the truth— no t o ne o f them is to be

trus ted . After a ll, they a re but Ko ords , and w e a re

a ll o f us brutes . B ut it w a s n o t a lw ays so , s ir in the

days o f Abdul Ra hma n Pa shah , the fa ther of Sule im a n a nd Ma hmo od Pa shahs , there w a s no thing o f

a ll this you m igh t ha ve wa lked with jewels on your

head ’

a nd go ld in your ha nd from one end o f the

Pa sha lic to the o ther . From Seradusht to Kufr ifrom Koee to Ba una , a nd no one would ha ve a sked

you where y ou were go ing —it w a s Sela a m -ul—A lee

hoom a nd Aleekoom -is-s a la a m but it is the qua rre ls between the bro thers tha t ha ve brought o n our

misfo rtunes a nd ruined the country . Somet imes i t is

Ma hmo od a nd s omet imes i t is Sule ima n— never the

s ame ma s ter three yea rs together. And then in

come the Aj cm ees (Pers ian s) t o set tle the d isputes ,a nd they take the coun try to them selves a nd ea t i t

up w ith'

their a rmy, living a t free qua rters . Nextcomes the plague, a nd then the famine , which to

ge ther sweep a w ay the peo ple , but lea ve us our

enemies . Then , when a robbery o ccurs , ea chpa rty cha rges i t on the other, its o pponent . The

s erva nts o f Suleima n impute the o utrage to tho seo f Ma hmo od , while tho se o f Mahmo od fl ing ba ck

the cha rge on the people o f Sule iman ; a nd truthto say , the Pa sha h ha s no t power to pun ish a ll

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 8 2 MISTAKEN NOTION S .

a nd the empires of Babylon, o fN ineveh , and of Per

s ia , s t ill reta in the names o f their respect ive dyna s t ies

o r o f the pa rent s ta te , while the ir grea tness , the ir

r iches, a nd their splendour were der ived, no t from

the pet ty provinces from whence their founders

issued , but from those rich and va st countries which

were subdued by tho se founders o r their successors .

It w a s no t Ma cedonia a lone , nor Ghiznee , no r Me

s opo t a m ia— fert ile a nd pro lific though i t w a s , nor

ro cky As syria , nor barren Pers ia , w hich furn ished

tha t wea lth and supported tha t splendour ; but the

wide rea lm s ofAs ia , which fel l a prey in turn to ea ch

compa ra t ively ephemera l so vereign of the period .

Thus no one c a n conceive , tha t the rugged a rid

t ra ct s on w hich w e were treading could ever in

them selves ha ve been e ither product i ve or populous ;but bo th these a nd the Ko ordish mounta in s tha t

frown o ver them did fo rmerly, no doubt, a s now

they m ight , a ffo rd supplies o f hardy so ldiers , w ho

under a bo ld leader, such a s the mighty hunter,were a dmira bly qua lified to overrun and pos sessthem selves o f the mo re fert ile pla ins and provincesa dj oin ing them , a nd thus a cquire the means of con

s o l ida t ing those fabr ics o f power which a re the

wonder o f la ter t imes . Wha t ma ttered it to Nineveh— surrounded by her multitude o f ga rdens , wa tered by the Tigris , the Gha zer-su, a nd the Zéb, withthe fa t pla ins o f Mesopo tamia , the ferti le va lleys ofSyria , the rich a nd va r ied rea lms o f Armen ia and

Asia M ino r to s a t ia te the luxury o f even a Sa rdanapa lus ,

—whether a bla ck and howling wildernesss tretched on one s ide a lmos t up to the very envi

ROOSTUM AGA . 1 8 3

rons o f the capita l ? but surely this same wilder

nes s ha s l itt le to do , except in name, with the

m igh ty em p ire of As syr ia

Wha tever m ay ha ve been the virtues o r endowments o f these o ld As syria n wa rrio rs , their succes sors ,like the dw ell ings they inhabi t, w e found to be rudeeno ugh in a ll conscience . Ibra him Khanchee , the

a bode of Ro o stum Aga , w a s a collect ion of a bout ahundred huts con structed of mud and gra ss ; and thedew an khaneh, a s it w a s ca lled, of the chief, into which

w e were introduced, w a s in s o fra i l a sta te tha t I

a lmo st expected, should a breeze of wind or showerof ra in come on in the night , tha t w e should be buried

in it s ruins . We were rece ived by his son, a fine

yo ung lad, but inquis i t ive and fa r from over ba shful ,a nd, like them a ll, w ith fingers like fish-ho oks , lay ing

ho ld of every thing they come nea r . Ro o stum Aga

him self came in the even ing, a jo lly, good-humoured,da rk-lo oking m a n, wi th a round fa ce and a ha rdy

sort o f devil m ay ca re” laugh , w ho rece ived us with

bo isterous civility . H e w a s one of tha t kind of

Sa vages w ho a re wonderfully go od when they a re no t

“countered,

”a s the Sco tt ish nurse sa id o f her spoiled

child— a ll smiles when he ha d his ow n w ay ; but

the sudden drawing up, a nd the cloud on his fa cethe moment he w a s contradicted, seemed intended tohint, “ I ca n be a devil if I plea se, a nd a tyra nt whenI will.

We were a litt le reserved a t firs t but a s I m akeit a point on a ll occa s ions to concilia te a s m uch a s

I c a n, w e so on came to a n unders ta nding, and fel l

into a familia r cha t but he commenced a fter a

1 8 4 FREE AND EASY

curio us fa shion . Almo st a s soon a s compliments

w ere o ver, he ca lled t o my serva nt , w ho w a s s ta nd

Ing in the ro om , a nd a sked, Wha t is your name—where a re y ou from —how long ha ve you been

w ith the Sa heb ? Do y ou recei ve wages , o r did

any one send you wi th him —a re you plea sed with

his service ? ” a nd, a fter rece iving replies to a ll

these impo rta nt queries , he a dded, in a good

humoured but blun t w ay , which showed him to be

una ccus tomed to den ia l, “Wha t pisto ls ha s your

ma s ter ? ~—br ing them to m e .

” I m a de him a S ign

t o bring the pis to ls , which were ins ta nt ly in the

chief’s ha nds . When he sa w tha t the ho lster pis to ls

had percuss ion lo cks , he threw them a s ide wi th c on

tempt , s aying, “ I know these things ; tw o o f your

ta ifeh (tribe) came here some t ime ago a nd had

such . They o ffered m e a pa ir, but I would no t

ha ve them : of wha t use would they be to m e ?

These a re wha t I like a nd he produced a good

but much—wo rn pa ir o f Mo rt imer’s duelling-pis to ls .

If y ou ha d had a ny Of this kind,”

s a id he, “ I

should ha ve go t them from y ou ; but these o f yours

a re pooch (tra sh). Now , wha t else ha ve you ?

— the things I a m fond o f a re pis to ls , shawls , a nd

co a ts , such a s this a nd he po inted to his ow n

clo ak , which w a s o f sca rlet clo th . Ha ve y o u a ny

ca shmere shawls ? like this— see !” po int ing to a n

Old o ne , fringed wi th s ilver, o n his head . I t o ld

h im tha t , be ing tra ve llers a s w e w ere , go ing po s tto Baghdad, it w a s no t l ikely w e should ha ve such

things wi th us , no r had I in fa c t, I had no thing but

my o w n bed a nd body C lothes . t a t ! no thing ? ”

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 8 6 F ISH ING OBSERVATIONS .

Ah, s a id be, la ughing, “ I see ; you a re a fra id

tha t i f I give it to you, you will ha ve to give m e

something ; but n o , you a re mistaken : I want

no thing .

” “ Nay , Aga , you yourself a re wrong

there,”s a id I . “Wha t I ha ve to give, I g iVe with

plea sure ; but a tra veller is seldom well provided

with spa re a rt icles , a nd it is con tra ry t o my custom

and wishes to receive va luable presents withoutreturn .

”

A go od dea l in the same s tra in pa s sed between us ,

from which I ga thered clea rly enough tha t the Begw a s fishing. He a lluded s evera l t imes to the ha nd

some presents he had rece ived from other tra vellers,and took occa s ion to ment ion the a rticles w hich

would be most a cceptable ; a nd a s I w a s des irous

to m ake a s m any friends a s I could fo r the benefit

o f future pa s sers by, a t a modera te expense, I took

the opportunity of his abus ing a blunt pa ir o f Pers ia n

scis so rs with which he w a s in va in a ttempt ing to

cut a piece o f paper, to present him a n excel lent

pa ir o f English ones . This increa sed the sa t isfa ct ion

he seemed to rece ive from my previous gift o f the

kn ife, and drew fo rth a long eulogium upon the

English a nd their exce llent com m odities ; but I heard

no m o re of the ca rpet .

T he next subject he a tta cked m e about w a s ea ting

the flesh o f swine.

“ I s aw ,s a id he, “

a who le

herd of them a s I returned j ust now ; but the sun

w a s low , o therwi se I should ha ve killed one o r tw o .

”

Why Should y ou ha ve done so a sked l y ou

do no t ea t them , do you ?” “As tafierullah l

God forbid !” excla imed be ;“they a re nej es (un

C LEAN AND UNCLEAN AN IMALS . 1 8 7

clean). True , replied I ; but you ea t ha res ,don

’

t you ? “ By a ll mea ns , replied he ; “a nd

capita l th ings they are for a s tew .

” “ And foxes

too ?”sa id I, interroga tive ly . NO, no , replied he ;

“ i t is on ly a few poor devi ls w ho ea t them .

” Well ;but both a re ea ten here,

” ins is ted I , and bo th a re

forbidden by your law .

”The Beg could n o t deny

either point . Wel l now ,

”s a id I, w e won

’

t ta lk

abo ut the lawfulnes s o f the thing ; they are a ll a likeforbidden mea ts , a nd there ’

s a n end of it . But let

us come to the rea son of the thing. Wha t do wild

hogs live on , Aga Why, on gra ss , a corns , a nd

root s ,”

replied he . Good ; there is nothing un

clea n o r d isgust ing in tha t .

”No ; by n o mea ns .

”

Well ; wha t do foxes feed upon , a nd herons ,a nd the other la rge wa terfowl you ea t Why ,the foxes ea t birds a nd sma ll bea s ts , a nd the o thers

ea t fish and wo rms .

” Well, then ,

”

sa id I, which

i s the cleanest a n ima l ?” He says the truth ,Observed the Beg , turning to s ome of those a bouthim . Wullah if I had known y ou were coming

here , I Should certa in ly ha ve killed o ne of these wild

hogs and brought it to you . No , no , Aga ,”said

I , tha t would never do . When I a m with Mus sul

m auns , I ne i ther ea t hogs nor drink wine . Why

Should I do wha t would be disagreea ble to m y hosts .

No t a t a ll, no t a t a ll,”sa id he somewha t ha s ti ly

your ow n people should ha ve cooked it ; a nd a s

for wine , will you ha ve any I ca n give you bo th

w ine a nd brandy . I excused myself from either,a go od dea l to the ho nest Beg’s disa ppointment, I

suspect , though he sw ore tha t he had given up

1 8 8 JOKES .

drinking ent irely he ha d m ade the tovah, o r vow

o f repenta nce, a nd renuncia t ion fo r the s in ; but

the j oke a bout the hog’s flesh w a s kept up a ll the

n igh t . When the pillaw came in , my po rtion w a s ,

a s usua l, in a sepa ra te d ish , and he swo re he had

ordered his cook to put po rk in it fo r m e , a nd tha t

po rk i t w a s ; a nd a fterwa rds , when w e dra nk tea

out o f my cups , be a ffected to wa sh the o ne he used

befo re drinking out o f i t . “ Ah ! s a id I in reply,“this is a ll very fine, Aga , in m y presence ; but

I ha ve strong doubts upon the subject . I would

no t be a piece of one of these same fine fa t hogs

y ou s aw to -day , and in your w ay , jus t a rriving

a t your m unz il a fter a long m a rch . NO, no ;

by your head,”

replied be, la ughing, I a ssure y ou

w e don’

t ea t such things . We ll, you say s o but

if y ou do no t , Aga , m any do . There no w , tha tfierce-lo oking o ld fe llow o ppo s ite m e,

” po in t ing to

a m o s t truculen t-lo oking , whi te -bea rded, Old Ko o rd ;“ I would t ake m y o a th tha t there a re three thingshe i s a capi ta l ha nd a t- fighting , drinking wine ,a nd ea t ing po rk .

”He ! the o ld fo o l, s a id the

Beg, la ughing s t i l l mo re hea rtily, he fight ! I

don’

t believe he ha s a bi t of l iver a t a ll— if he ha s ,it ha s no t a drop of red blo od in i t : he would no t

fight a child . D o you know tha t I canno t depend

upon tha t o ld Resoul Aga even to o bey orders ;when I te l l h im to push his ho rse o ne w ay , he

a lways spurs him a no ther, a nd tha t is a lways a w ay

from the enemy : i s it n o t, Resoul ? F o r the wine ,he on ly drinks i t whenever he c a n get it ; a nd a s fo r

the pork, Wa llah Bil/ah I believe he would ea t

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 90 RU FFIAN SCRU PLES .

mount his horse to go on a party o f robbery and

murder wi thout ej a cula t ing “ B ism illah irruhm a n

irruheem In the name of the most merciful a nd

mo st compa ss io na te God !” Thus the Wahabee cuts

the thro a t o f the prisoner w ho ha s submit ted, t o the

prayer o r ej a cula tio n o f “Allah-hu-A/rber “ God

is grea t !” a nd thus the ho ly robber, with his blo ody

hands filled with the booty of his la st prey, kneels

before the image o f the Virgin, a nd Offers pa rt o f

the unclean spoil, together with his prayers , to

The Mo ther o f God !”

Assuredly the day o f repen ta nce, in the m a tter

of blo odshed and plunder , does no t appea r a s yet

to ha ve come to Ro os tum Beg . He dwelt upon

the m a ny frays he ha d been in, a nd the plunder

he had ta ken , with a zes t and eagernes s which

showed how s trong the devil w a s yet in him . H e

t o ld m e he had been wounded a t lea st a do zen

t imes, in spite o f the best of a rmour . I ha ve a r

mour of every s ort , sa id he , and I used to wear

i t a lways ; but I ha ve lea rned t o put very litt le trus t

in it—Ih y t rus t is in Hea ven sa id he, with a s firm

and s a t isfied a tone a s if his cause w a s the m o st

righteous upon ea rth . He j o ined with others in

lament ing the evi l days o n which the present ra ce

o f Ko o rds had fa llen . The go lden t imes o f Ko o rd is tan a re gone , he sa id ; “

ride o ver the country,a nd wha t bri llia nce, wha t spiri t will you find ? a ll

the goo d horsemen a nd s tou t s o ld iers a re dead, o r

ha ve fled the la nd, or ha ve taken to the plough

per fo rce, to m ake as much money a s will paythe Pa sha h and feed the ir wives a nd children ;

A PLEDGE FOR SAFETY . 1 91

a nd wha t is a so ldier go od fo r w hen once he ha s

touched a plough I agreed with him in thinking

tha t the coun try had lo s t a ll appea ran ce o f pro

sperity, a nd the people a ll spirit and br i lliancy : butit did n o t appea r tha t a ll had taken to pea ceful

occupa t io ns ; the da ngers o f the road sufficientlyproved tha t .

“ Ah !” s a id he, “tha t i s a ll a trifle ;

a few looties here and there , —n o ga l la nt bands o f

horsemen now ; but res t contented, I , Ro o stum Beg ,

a m pledge for your sa fety ; nothing sha ll touch youbetween this

'

a nd Kufri—you a re a good fellow

a n excel len t fellow— I l ike y ou—by your head I

do —you a re no t like some o f your countrymen I

have seen , w ho could do no thing but ea t a nd s leep ;your eyes a re open and y ou ha ve sense be sa t isfied ,to-mo rro w you Sha ll see Kufri in sa fety .

I da re say you ha ve now enough a nd to Spa re

of Ro o stum Aga ; but a s a n excellent specimen of

the wild Ko ordish chief, I h a ve been t empted t o

describe him a t full length . In the mo rn ing hega ve us a guide a nd a letter to Kufri , swea r ing o nce

m o re by his hea d a nd eyes , and by the l ife o f his

gues t, tha t tha t life w a s a s the ligh t of his s oul, a nd

tha t n o t a ha ir of his head should be touched s o

fa r a s his wo rd w as obeyed . Here , to o , fo r the pre

sen t , w e t ake lea ve o f our rough friends the Ko o rds ,o f w hom likewise y ou m ay , perhaps , be nea rly tired .

Like o ther m en a nd na t ions , they a re crea tures o f

circum s tan ce a nd educa t ion , but po sses sed of na

tura l qua l it ies tha t might be turned to go od a c

count . Bo ld they a re, a nd ho spitable a fter a

fa shion ; but this la st v irtue ha s been sadly d immed

h U U l i U I b I‘

I L H A R A L I h i t .

o f la te yea rs by po verty and oppres s ion . Like mos t

pa s tora l a nd pa tria rcha l people, they a re dist in

guished by a s t rong lo ve of kindred a nd tribe, which

renders them fierce a nd v io lent in the ir qua rrels ,ea ch a dopt ing the feud which ha s a r isen fro m Offence

to a cla nsma n, a nd perpetua t ing i t by a series o f

remorseles s murders . F a r from cruel by n a ture ,these feuds , a nd the ir fo ndness fo r w a r a nd wa rlike

o ccupa t ions , tend to m ake them reckless o f spilling

blo od , a nd cause them to ho ld hum an life a t les s

a ccoun t tha n it is ra ted a t in m o re pea ceful coun

t ries ; yet their wa rs a re n o t dea dly, a nd the very

co nsciousness o f the intermina ble consequences of

Shedd ing blo od, opera tes a s a who lesome res tra intupon their pa s s ions , when mere feelings o f pity o r

a m o ra l sense of crime , would be to o wea k t o pre

vent murder . Such , in fa ct , is ever the ca se among

semi-ba rba ro us t ribes , when no superio r a nd c o m

petent power is presen t to exercise a proper contro l

a nd, a s I ha ve a lrea dy hinted , if a n y o ne would

fo rm a pret ty clo se idea o f the Ko o rds , the T o o rk

m an s , o r even the Ara bs , so fa r a s so cia l in tercourse

a nd s trife a re concerned , le t him turn to the cond i

t io n o f our ow n Sco t ti sh highlands s ome couple o f

cen turies ago .

In person the Ko ords a re we l l made a nd a ctive ;differ ing perhaps but l i ttle essen t ia lly fro m the ir

ne ighbours the Pers ia ns . But the n a tiona l fea turesa re s trikingly peculia r . T he ca s t Of countenanceis sha rp, the fo rm o f the fa ce o va l, the profi le

rema rka ble from the prominence o f the bo nes o f

the no se, a nd the compa ra t ive retroces sion o f the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

194 KUFRL

closely those o f the tribes of Pers ia . T he women o f

the r icher cla sses , living in town s , rem a in in the

harem s o f their husbands or fa thers , and vei l when

they go a bro ad . The poorer and even’

tho se o f

the higher o rders , l iving in Villages o r tents , per

form the s ame dut ies a s I ha ve described tho se o f

the T o o rko m a ns a nd E eliauts to do .

Beho ld us then a t Kufri , ha ving pa s sed o ver

about tw enty-five miles o f drea ry un intere st ing

coun try, resembling much the fo rmer s tage , on ly

tha t the pla in s became m o re extens ive in propo r

t io n to the height s ; but the genera l c onflagra t ion

to which they a ppea r to h a ve been subjected, im

pa rted a pecu lia rly fo rbidding a spect to the who le

surfa ce , nor did w e see a s ingle V illage the who le

w ay . Huma n beings w e were by no mea ns de

s iron s o f see ing, a s none l ikely to be m et wi th in

these wilds could be des irable compan ion s .

Kufri lies a t the en tra nce o f a go rge in a range

of hills , which a re low , but a s n aked a nd ba rren

a s sheer ro ck and s tones c an m ake them . They

cons is t of the crests of very rem a rka ble s tra ta ,

which r ise abo ve the pla in , sca thed , a s it were ,by primeva l fire ; but the town itself, which is

wa lled a round , presented a plea sant a nd invitinga spect , a s seen through the open ing by which w e

a ppro a ched it . The da te-trees r is ing a bo ve the

wa l ls , the first w e had seen , pro cla imed our en tryinto Ara bes tan ; a nd the ch a nge in the co s tumeand a spect o f the people, confirmed the fa ct tha t w ewere now within the Turkish dominions .

We m ade our w ay to a house, which w e under

TURK ISH WELCOM E. 1 95

s to od to be our m unz il, outs ide o f which , upo n

s ome ca rpets , s a t severa l gra ve-lo oking O s m a nlees ,

w ho welco m ed us with courteous gestures , but withfew words . The serva nts were Turks , a nd every

thing a round us anno unced a cha nge of count ry a s

well a s o f people . This even ing, fo r the firs t t ime ,there w a s no dispute a bout the corn a nd s tra w fo r

the horses , o r pro vis ion fo r o urselves . E verything

w a s furni shed, fully a nd freely, without either word

o r quest ion . There is on ly one custo m d isgus t ing :

instead o f wa iting for wha t your courtesy m ay

Offer, the serva nt s , one a nd a ll, rush fo rw a rd a t

your depa rture, to demand, ra ther tha n beg fo r,

huhhsheesh (presents) : on this o cca s ion even the

very keeper o f the prison , I know no t on wha t

pretence, w a s among the a pplica nts . I found the

o nly w ay w a s to give a t once wha t I cons idered

sufficient , a nd then to disrega rd a ll further pet it ioners o r pet it ions .

LETTER VII .

Karateppeh.—An Alarm .

— Ham rine Hills .—Adinakew y and

Joongeer Aga .— Arab Guides— and Ca m ps .

— Anxiety.—Tra ces

of form er Prosperity - H I’

Ip—hfip.

—Desert Partridges .—Pla in of

Baghdad . Unplea sant Intelligence.—Baghdad beleaguered.

Stoppage a t the Ga te.— Rea ch the Residency.

Baghdad, 1 3th Novem ber.

HERE w e a re , dea r a t length in the grea t

city o f Baghdad, the capita l o f the Ca liph s— the

sea t o f Ha ro o n-uLRa sheed a nd his beaut iful Zobeede— o f Ja ffer the Berm ec ide , a nd Mesrour the chief

Eunuch , a nd a ll the Abul Ha s sa ns , and Ali Kho

j ia’

s , and ladies , and po rters , a nd encha nters , a nd

encha n tresses o f the Ara bia n Nights”En terta in

ments a la s ! how fa llen ; but let us no t a nt icipa te .

Our ho s t , Sel im Aga o f Kufri , furn ished us with

a guide to the next s tage, but d issuaded us so

s trongly from commencing our j ourney befo re mo rn

ing , tha t w e did no t set out t ill the dawn had broken .

It w a s , in t ruth , a ra ther awkwa rd stage ; fo r,lying just upon the border between Koord a nd

Ara b, the ro a d w a s l ia ble to pillage from both pa r

t ies , while to detect the culprits might be very diffi

cult ; a nd I ha lf expected a renco ntre with our o ld

friends , Selim Beg o r Ro o stum Aga , w ho , no w w e

were clea r of their respect ive dominions , might take

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 98 EXPECTED AMBU SCADE .

the village when , mis sing a n a rt icle o f baggage , w e

despa tched a horseman ba ck for it . On m aking

inquiry a t our lodging, the owner den ied a ll know

ledge o f i t but , a dded be, “ there were ten ho rsem en pa s sed this do o r jus t a fter you left it , a nd per

haps they m ay ha ve t aken it .”

T en ho rsemen !”

s a id our mes senger in a la rm ; from whence did -theyc ome , a nd where were they go ing ?

” Tha t I don’

t

know,

”replied the m an ;

“ but they appea red to be

fo llowing you .

This w a s fa r from plea sa nt t idings , a nd they had

a n obviou s ly seda t ive effect upon our guide, w ho

immedia tely s truck out of the regula r ro ad, a nd led

us fo r more than a n hour through the open pla in,which, however , w a s SO free from obsta cles tha t w e

pro ceeded without difficulty. At length , however,be ha lted a nd sa id “ You mu st be awa re tha t I ha ve

been lead ing you a long by-pa th s hitherto ; a nd I

mus t now tel l y ou tha t I a m by no means sa tisfieda bout these ho rsemen w ho were seen a t the vi llagefo llowing us . If they a re enemies , there is a pla ce a

l itt le w ay on by which w e mus t pa s s , a nd where they

will wa it fo r us— w e must ha ve daylight to do i tby ; so I think w e should rema in quiet ly here t il ldawn d ismount , a nd lie down—don

’

t spea k a word,a nd , God is grea t ! w e m ay escape them .

” Here m yserva nts broke in , a nd to ok up the discourse in the

u sua l bo a st ing tone o f Pers ia ns . Why should w e

ha lt and lo se time —wha t ca red they fo r Ko ords or

Ara bs , wi th burned fa thers ” -dogs ! bea s tsw ho were they, tha t they should s top us —let them

BAMBINE H ILLS . 1 99

try , a nd they should be taugh t tha t there were Ira unees there—m en w ho on ly va lued the ir l ives a s they

could pro tect their ma s ter. Wha t were ten— wha twere fifty Ara bs —Goo r-e—p idur ish a nd so fo rth .

But, a s I observed tha t the guide w a s rea l ly a la rmed ,I o verruled this burs t of hero ism , a nd w e a cco rdingly rema ined p erdue for a full hour, and very co ld

a nd d isagreea ble it w a s .

About tha t t ime the guide , e ither s truck with a

fresh view of the subject , o r taking hea rt o f gra ce ,agreed to pro ceed ; a nd w e did so , keeping the s ide of

a sma l l deep r iver, which to ok a very winding course .

We pa s sed an Ara b encampment , luckily fo r us on

the o ther s ide o f the s tream ; the dogs o f which ,roused, set up a furious cho rus of ba rking ; but w ewere no t o therwise disturbed. A wea ry while itw a s t ill daylight broke, when , cro ssing the s tream ,

w e held our w ay on to a low tra ct o f mounds , o rris ing grounds , which in this pla ce skirted the pla in .

These were the H a m rine hills , which a re a bra nch o f

those tha t stretch down from Koordista n, a nd j o in

the grea ter Go rdian ra nge . A long and drea ry ride

through the intr ica te and a rid ra vines which furrow

these bills , w a s termina ted by an equa lly fa tiguing

progres s o ver a wide unva r ied pla in, which stretchesfrom the ir feet to the Tigris , a nd a long i ts ba nks to

the Pers ian Gulf ; fo r w e had now clea red the la s t

ro cky bounda ry, a nd were in the grea t unbroken

a lluvium , fo rmed by the Tigr is a nd Euphra te s . The

Ca ra vansera i o f Dellee Abba s , a nd the da te-trees o f

severa l villages were now descried in the fa r horizon,

200 JONGE ER AGA .

a nd towards the mo st northerly of these w e now

bent our w ay .

It pro ved to be Adinakew y a fine village , and ourm unz il fo r the nigh t , where w e w ere extremely wel lrece i ved by the o ld Za bit (chief), Jo ongeer Khan , a

right hones t a nd ho spita ble o ld Turk . There w a sno s t int of food here fo r ho rse o r m a n . Our serva ntshad full permiss ion to take wha t they required bo thfor them selves and the ca ttle a nd the Za bit him selfto ok ca re I should ha ve a capita l pilla w to my ow n

sha re o f the spo il . This Jo ongeer Aga w a s by birth aGeo rgian , w ho , when a boy , in the days o fAga Ma

homed Khan , had been taken prisoner, a nd had r isenin the service of severa l ma sters , t ill a t length he had

become renter of this village, for which he pays to

go vernmen t some tw o o r three hundred tomans .

Like o thers , he compla ins o f the ha rdship of thet imes , a nd of the tyra nny a nd extort ion o f the

go vernment ; but rea l ly there seemed in his house tobe no wa nt o f comfo rt , a nd wha t he had he a ppea red

hea rt ily wel l dispo sed to sha re with o thers . T o such

a m an it w a s a plea san t duty to pro ve tha t English

tra vellers were no t inclined to be ungra teful fo ra ttent ion , a nd the presen t which I m ade him a ccord

ingly ra ther exceeded than fe ll short, I a m inclined

to be lieve , of his expecta t ions . I must say tha t theTurks hitherto ha ve fa r out shone the Pers ia ns , o r

even the Ko ords , in the ir cha ra cter of hosts, bo th inpo int of courtesy and l ibera l i ty . There i s but o nepo int which , in some ca ses , I could ha ve wished

amended — they cons ider i t a pa rt of their hospita ble

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

202 ARAB GU IDES .

w hich to pro ceed in a country intersected by ca na ls ,and without a ny regula r ro a ds , would be impo ss ible,w e had but to a cquiesce , s t ipula t ing only fo r a n

ea rly hour o f s ta rt ing .

T o furn ish proper guides , however, a ppea red tobe a ma tter mo re ea s ily ta lked of tha n perfo rmed .

The importa nt personage who w a s to conduct us

did no t m ake his a ppea ra nce t ill ha lf-pa st Six, a nd

there w a s a s tra nge shufll ing a bout w ho w a s to go

a nd w ho w a s no t to go , which I did no t unders tand

but a t la s t w e go t into mo t ion , and, a bout a milefro m the village, rea ched a n Ara b encampment ,where our guide came to a ha lt , to pro cure the

esco rt o f tw o horsemen a s he told us , without

who se presence he could no t a dvance a s tep— such

were his o rders . It now a ppea red tha t our hosthad deemed the esco rt o f Ara bs sa fer than tha to f O sm a nlees , pa rt icula rly a s there w a s grea t a la rmca used in the count ry by the a rr iva l of a la rgebody o f Ara bs , w ho had encamped o n the low

grounds between us a nd the Tigr is . S o away went

our guide with o ne of my servant s to nego tia te thisma tter with the Arabs , who se tents w e had rea ched,lea ving us s i tt ing on horseba ck on the bank of a

cana l . They were a ll s it t ing in quorum befo retheir tents , smoking the ir pipes and drinking their

co ffee, a nd a t every tent-do or s tood a fine ma re,rea dy saddled, w ith the owner’s spea r s tuck in the

ground bes ide her . I w a s to ld tha t this camp

could turn out fo rty o r fifty go od and well-mountedh o rsemen ; but whether from unwillingnes s to en

gage ih the service, o r fro m ha bi tua l indo lence , it

ARAB GU IDES . 203

w a s a full hour befo re w e could obta in one ; a lo sso f t ime which w a s sufficient ly pro voking.

The a m oun t o f delay , however , w a s , I presume ,m ade commen sura te to the d ign ity o f the resultthe servant returned a ccompa n ied by tw o sheikhs

o r e lders Of the camp ; no thing less , they decla red,would s a t isfy them of the security o f so prec iOIIs a

cha rge, a nd one o f them , ga lloping up to m e, shakinghis Spea r, a s might ha ve been thought by a s tra nger,with very threa ten ing a ct ion , swo re by his hea d, tha twhoever o r wha tever m ight be in the w ay , he wouldsee m e sa fe to my m unz il. All this sounded verywell, though I ow n I had my suspicion s tha t i t w a s

ra ther the expected present , seen in dim perspect ive,tha n a nxiety on our a ccount , tha t had m o ved thetw o sheikhs t o moun t the ir s teeds .

O n , then , w e fa red but I w a s somewha t s ta rt led

a t finding tha t our village guide did no t intend to

a ccompa ny us further . B ut to my remon s tra nces hereplied, tha t his presence w a s ut terly useles s—tha tthe Arabs were n o t on ly sufficien t , but the only

guides w ho co uld t ake us through the coun try .

The wo rs t w a s , tha t thes e guides unders tood‘

n o

thing but Arabic, of w hich w e were quite igno ra nt ;but there w a s no help fo r i t , So w e rode on through

the village cult iva t ion , among dry a nd w et wa ter

courses , unt i l coming upon a deep, though na rrow

stream o f wa ter, which I a fterwa rds discovered tobe the Khal is cana l, w e cont inued upon it s winding

ba nk fo r many miles .

A fursuck from the village w e pa s sed the s ta tio n

o f Dellec Abba s , with a bridge o ver the Khalis ,

204 GU IDES IN ALARM .

which , to m v surprise , our guides left upon our left ,keeping the no rthern bank . I w a s no t awa re t i ll

a fterwa rds of the ca use of this seeming devia t ionfrom the direct rou te . We then pa s sed severa l

vi llages wa tered by the Khalis , but , a s it appea red

t o m e, inha bited by Ara bs , a nd, a ll but one , on the

s outhern ba nk . Nea r one o f these there w a s a very

la rge Ara b encampment , between which a nd our

selves I w a s r ight well plea sed to see the r iver intervening . There were o ther camps sca ttered fa r a nd

nea r to a grea t dista nce , a nd it w a s o bvious ly toa void these tha t our guides had so long held the

nor thern bank .

Just befo re rea ching this village one of m y ser

vants ca lled m e ba ck from the fro nt of our line of

m a rch to wa tch , a s he s a id, the tw o guides , whoseconduct had become strange, if no t a bso lute ly sus

p ic ious . They had been jo ined by a n other Ara b,

m ounted on a fine spa nking ma re, and it ha d beenint ima ted to us tha t this w a s a nother Sheikh , who sea nxiety fo r our s a fety wo uld n o t permi t him to s tay

behind : but now he wen t o ff, a s w a s s a id , beca use hefound the coun t ry disturbed , a nd could no t perm it

the camp to be left without one o f its three elders tolo ok a fter i ts in teres ts in ca se o f a ccidents — the

hes i ta t ion and hanging ba ck of the rema in ing tw oguides w a s wha t had a la rmed m y serva nt . On

remons tra t ing with them fo r the ir ina ttent ion , they

expla ined, with considera ble t repida tion , tha t therewere ma ny Arabs, their enemies , a bro a d ; a nd m adesundry s trong dema nds fo r huh'hsheesh, o r presents .

Unable to remo ns tra te , o r expla in my mea n ing effec

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

206 A V ILLAGE ON THE TIGRI S.

tha t had once been a ll well cult i va ted, no w utterlywa s te Wha t numbers of ca na ls a nd wa ter-cours es

d id w e o bserve—the tra ces of fo rmer irriga t ion

Wha t ca pa city for agri cultura l r iches and dense

popula t io n utterly neglected ! It w a s rea lly a m e

lancho ly pro spect , a nd it w a s no sm a l l rel ief to turn

the wea ry eye from scenes o f depa rted industry a nd

wea lth to the comfo rta ble a bode of exist ing popula

t ion where w e were to pa ss the n ight . We entered

Hup-hfi p , o ne of a cluster of villages upon the Tigr is

bank, a bout an hour befo re sun set ; a nd a fter some

explana t ion , were very civi lly rece ived by the Na ib

o r deputy of the Zabit , Ism a e l Aga , a Seyed , w hopro vided abunda nt ly fo r a ll our wants . The village

itself is s itua ted among exten s ive gro ves of da te-trees—ea ch house ha s m any o f them

.

in i ts co urt : the

scenery reminded m e o f s ome pa rts Of Bombay .

During our r ide o f to -day w e put up a grea t qua n

t ity of game— bla ck a nd grey pa rtridges , in pa rticula r ; a nd sa w plen ty o f an telopes a t a dis tance : butthe mult itudes of desert pa rtridges , which pa ssed us

in flo cks , w a s among the mo s t a s tonishing things o f

the kind I ever saw . They came in clouds , likelocusts ; a nd one, in pa rticula r, which w a s severa l

m inutes in pa ss ing , fo rmed a n a rch o verhead , theends Of which rea ched on e ither hand beyo nd our

s ight— there mus t ha ve been myr iads in this flo cka lone . There a re tw o kinds o f this bird commo n to

the pla ins o f cen tra l As ia— a la rger a nd a sma llersort, a nd these were o f the la tter ; but I never befo re sa w them congrega ted in such multitudes , o r, a sthey a ppa rent ly were , in a s ta te of migra t ion .

F IRST S IGHT OF BAGHDAD . 207

I reso lved , if pos s ible , to make up for lo s t t ime ;a nd being info rmed tha t there w a s no cause fo r rea

s ona ble apprehens ion o n the ro ad from hence to

Baghdad , w e secured tw o Ara b guides o n fo o t , a nd

s ta rt ing from Hfip-bhp a t ha lf-pa st one in the m o rn

ing , made the bes t o f our w ay to the grea t city .

O ur course led u s o ver ground entirely level, a ndw e pa s sed through severa l villages befo re mo rning,the firs t beam s of which showed us the domes a nd

mina ret s o f Baghda d r is ing a fa r off j ust a bove the

ho rizon . The pla in o f Baghdad throughout itsextent , appea rs to be the perfect ion o f fert i lity but

the a pplica tion o f wa ter is required to render i t produc tive . In former t imes the m agnificen t sys tem o f

irriga t ion, of which the tra ces so a bunda nt ly exist ,rendered it a ga rden ; but now , except the bittera pple, which tempts the eye with i ts r ich o ra ngehue, and the s oda-yielding pla nt s which a re fit o nly

fo r the food of camels , n o thing w a s to be seen grow

ing on it s va st surfa ce . Although w e rode a t a

go od pa ce , i t w a s a wea ry w hile ere the wa l ls of

the city ro se to s ight — a nd with them once morecame a nxiety a nd doubt : fo r w e lea rned tha t a

tr ibe of ho s t i le Ara bs had en camped in the ir vici

nity , and tha t the P a shah’

s tro ops were s ta t ionedoppo s ite the enemy , tha t severa l skirmishes ha da lready taken pla ce, a nd tha t plundering pa rtieswere out a ll o ver the coun try, so tha t i t w a s b yno m ea ns certa in w e should be perm itted to ap

pro a ch the wa lls unmoles ted, even though“

so nea r

in View .

Though this is a sta te o f things to o common in

208 ARR IVAL THERE.

these parts to o cca s ion much surprise to the inhabi

ta nts , I ow n I w a s s ta rt led by the intelligence , which

seemed to be co nfirmed by the discha rge o f severa l

ca nno n a nd a dro pping fire of musketry from the very

po int indica ted a s the po s it ion o f the ho s t ile-

camps

but there be ing no thing for it except to get a s s o on

under shelter of the wa lls a s po s s ible , w e pushed o n

s t il l fa ster ; a nd, a lthough m et o r pa ssed by severa l

sma ll pa rt ies o f a rmed Ara bs , a rrived a t the Kirko ok

ga te unmoles ted, to the n o sma l l j oy o f the who le

pa rty . A s to ppage , sufficien tly pro voking, o ccurred

a t the ga te , whence a ca ra va n w a s i s suing fo rth , and

the Pa shah’

s o fficers were co llect ing the duty . The

a ssura nce tha t w e were English , a nd then o n our

w ay to the dwelling o f the B a leoos , o r Res iden t ,w a s sufficien t to l ibera te us from the impo rtun it ies

Of the Officers ; but to extrica te o urselves fro m the

thro ng o f mules a nd y a bo o s w a s a les s ea sy ma tter,a nd o ccupied m o re t ime tha n my impa t ience w a s

plea sed with . At length , however, the pa ss w a s

w on ; a guide w a s pro cured to Show us the Res i

deney ; and, a fter a journey through s treets a nd

ba za ars , tha t w a s tedious enough under the circum

s ta nces , w e rea ched the go a l . I recognized with a

thrill of plea sure the India n Sepoys a t the ga te

they were a s o ld friends in a stra nge land— a nd

in five minutes more I w a s sea ted a t the breakfa s t

table of Co lone l Taylo r, with the comfo rts o f a

wa rm welcome a nd a go od mea l to greet a nd re

vive m e . I need no t s ay tha t the rema inder of the

day w a s pa ssed in mo s t interes ting conversa t ion wi th

the friends I had now j o ined, for much w a s to be

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

LETTER VIII .

Charm s of Rest . First Im pressions of Baghdad—its Wa llsStreets—Houses .

—River Tigris and its Banks—Ba za ars and

Market—pla ces . Mr. Buckingham ’

s Description of the City.Mosques and Minarets .

—Priva te Houses . Dom estic Scenes a ndManners— Turkish Wom en — Persona l Appearance .

— Custom of

Ta ttooing the Skin —Georgian Fem a les —Their Children difficult t o m an —Popula tion of Baghdad—Costum e .

—Brilliancy inthe Tim e of Da ood Pa shahu—Military.

—Ba za ars .—Cook Shops .

Apa thy of Turkish Merchants . Arabs— their Costum e.

Loud Speaking— Noises of Baghdad.

DEAR

T HE first tw o o r three days a fter a journey o f

cons iderable length , a nd o n a rr iving a t a st rangepla ce, a re a pt to pa s s in a sort o f feverish and

dreaming whirl , which i s a ny thing but fa vourableto the a cquis it ion o f correct info rma t ion o r justnot ion s o f wha t surrounds us . Inquiries a nd re

plies a re rapidly intercha nged ; but s ome know

ledge o f the lo ca lit ies is necessary befo re the mindc a n righ tly comprehend the informa t ion commun ic a ted. Rest , too , -s imple rest a nd quiet— is so

delightful, a fter fight ing our w ay through a difficultcountry a nd a long a wea ry road, tha t w e c an ha rdlyconsent fo r some t ime to rouse ourselves to the

effo rt required fo r seeking a fter wonders and see

ing sights . Every one in such c ircumsta nces m ust ,

OBJECTS OF INTEREST. 2 1 1

I think— I hope—ha ve fe lt this — felt the delicioussensa t ion of such “ idlesse, a nd experienced the

s ame strong relucta nce tha t I did to break the spel l .

My s itua t ion, it is true, w a s o ne which a dmi ttedno t of long indulgence . Much w a s yet to be tra

versed, and l ittle t ime could be spa red for s ightseeing o r l inger ing o ver Obj ects of mere curio s ity .

Yet here w a s the cla ss ic Tigris flowing under our

window , en livened with boa ts a nd ra fts , a nd spa nned

by the well-known bridge of boa ts tha t unites itsbank s . Around us ro se the domes a nd mina rets

of mo sques , a nd the m auso leums o f sa ints , telling

of days long pa s t, when Baghda d w a s the cen tre

a nd the m ight of Is lam ; Ba by lon , and Seleucia , a nd

Ctes iphon, were clo se within our rea ch ; and the

who le country a round teemed wi th objects of in

terest tha t cla imed bo th a ttent ion a nd explo ra t ion .

SO rous ing ourselves to m ake the best of our sho rtt ime, w e commenced our rounds ; a nd here goes

fo r first impress ions .

T o tho se who come from Pers ia , a nd especia llywho ha ve been s ickened with such a success ion of

ruin a nd deso la t ion a s tha t which had w’

ea ried our

eyes , the first s ight of Baghdad is certa inly c a l

cula ted to convey a fa voura ble impres s ion ; n o r

does it immedia tely wea r off . The wa lls , in the

first pla ce, present a mo re impo s ing a spect— c on

s tructed a s they a re of furna ce-burned bricks , a nd

s trengthened with round towers, pierced fo r guns ,a t ea ch angle, ins tea d of the mea n-looking, m ud

bui lt , crenela ted, a nd a lmo st a lways ruinous in

closures which surround the cities o f Pers ia . No t

P 2

2 1 2 F IRST IMPRESSIONS OF BAGHDAD .

tha t the wa l l o f Baghdad is perfect—fa r from it .

I speak only o f its externa l appea rance — a nd the

ga tes a lso , though in a very di lapida ted condi tion ,

a re certa inly super io r to tho se o f their neighbours .

On entering the town, the traveller from Pers iais mo reo ver gra t ified by the a spect Of the houses ,which, like the wa lls , a re a ll built of fire-burned

bricks , a nd r ise to the height o f severa l sto ries

a nd though the number o f windows they presen tto the s treet is fa r from grea t ; yet the eye i s no t

cons tantly offended by tha t a bomina ble succes s ion

Of mean , low , crumbling, irregula r, zigzag m a s seso f m ud, d ivided by dirty dus ty clefts, undeserving

even o f the t itle of a lley s , tha t make up the aggre

ga te o f a Pers ia n city .

It is true tha t the s treets , even here , a re fo r them os t pa rt mere a lleys , a nd a bunda ntly na rrow

, un

pa ved , a nd, I ha ve no doubt , in w et wea ther, deep

and dirty enough ; but in r iding a long them , pa r

t icula rly in dry wea ther, o ne is impres sed with the

idea tha t the substa nt ia l wa lls to the r ight a nd leftmust conta in go od, wea ther-t ight , comfortable do

m ic i les ; while the s tout , compa ra t ively well-s ized,iro n-clenched do o rs with which the en trances a re

defended, adds t o this not ion of so l idity and security.

In Pers ia , on the contra ry, the entra nces to m o s thouses , even tho se o f pers o ns of high ra nk, i s mo relike the ho le o f s ome den than of a dwelling fo rhuman beings , and the r ickety, open-seamed,

‘miserably

-fit ted va lve wi th which i t is clo sed , does

a ssuredly il l meri t the appella t ion o f a door .

No r a re the s treets of Baghdad by a ny means

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 14: BANKS OF THE TIGR I S .

banks a re occupied by a long range of impos ing,if no t a bso lutely handsome buildings , Shaded bypa lm-groves a nd en livened by hundreds of bo a t s

a nd the hum of thousa nds of m en , a nd it s s tream

spanned by a bridge o f bo a ts , a cro s s which there

is a co ns ta nt t ransit of m en and horses and camels

and ca ra vans , a nd a grea t traffic o f a ll sorts, the

coup d’

ec il formed by such a combina t ion c an ha rdly

fa i l of producing a very a n ima ted picture : a nd

such , undoubtedly, is the V iew of the Tigris from

a ny one of ma ny points upon its banks , fro m whence

you c a n command the whole rea ch occupied by the

present city .

The first s ight of the Tigris w a s no t certa inly

wha t I expected : I ca nnot j ust say I w a s disap

pointed, but I had expected a broader r iver. I

bel ieve , however, it is better a s it i s, for now the

eye comm ands bo th banks with ea se. With the

river f agade of the town , I w a s agreeably sur

prised . We s aw few bla nk wa lls , a s most of the

houses ha ve numerous la ttices and oriels, o r pro

j ec ting windows , lo oking out upon the s tream .

There is a ha ndsome m o sque, with it s domes and

minarets , close to the bridge , it self a plea s ing oh

j ec t ; and a ltogether there is a n agreeable irregula rity , a nd a respecta ble lo ft iness in the line of build

ings tha t overha ng the s trea m upon it s left bank ,which impa rt s a n interes t ing va r iety to the View .

The right , o r wes tern s ide is by no mea ns so picturesque in its a rchi tecture ; but i ts la rge groves of

da te-trees , m ingled wi th bui ldings , render it a lsoa plea s ing object from the more populous s ide .

BAZAARS OF BAGHDAD . 2 1 5

With the ba za a rs Of Baghdad , however, I mustconfess myself d isappo inted . It is no t their wa ntof exten t, for they a re extens ive enough ; no r is

there a lack of tra ffic, fo r they a re Often sufficiently

crowded, a nd exhibi t a fa r more gay a nd va ried

co stume than is .usua l ly seen in Pers ia n ma rketpla ces ; but there is , in their construct ion , a po

verty o f design a nd mea nness of execut io n , a nd an

a ppea rance of dilapida t ion , which doubtles s is parta ttributable to recent misfo rtunes , but much o f

ly which i s m atter o f origina l defect . Some, and

amongst them a very extens ive triple or quadruple

range , the work of the la te Da ood Pa sha h , a re well

built of fire-baked brick a nd morta r, a nd shaded

from the sun by lofty a rca ded ro ofs of the s amema teria ls but o thers a re very ruinous , and their ro ofsa re formed merely of bea m s of wood irregula rly

a nd tempora rily pla ced, and covered with da te-treebranches , or t ha tch o f reeds . The shops themselvesa re poor, and frequent ly in disrepa ir ; many a re nu

occupied ; a nd there is in mo st pla ces to be seen

tha t a ir o f neglect a nd reckles s squa lidity, which so

s trongly indica tes a tendency to genera l decay.

There a re , in va rious pa rts o f the town , severa l

o pen spa ces where part icula r sorts of go ods a re

so ld, a nd which ha ve taken their respect ive a ppe l

la tions therefro m ; a s the “ Thread Ma rket,”the

“ Mus lin Ma rket ,”the “ Corn Ma rket ,

”850 . Of

these the la rgest and the gayest is tha t close to

the no rthwest, or Mousul, ga te ; but none o f them

ha ve any pretens ions to splendour, o r even t o

clea nl iness . The la st-mentioned is , in fa ct, the

2 16 GRAND PLACE .

”

grea t place o f the city. Ho rses a re here ex

po sed fo r sa le ; it is surrounded by coffee-houses ,w hich a re cons ta nt ly filled with a n a ssemblage of

a ll s o rt s of people, smoking , drinking coffee , &c

a nd i t is the genera l pla ce o f exhibition , and of

execut io n to o , fo r here crimina ls a re punished with

decapita t ion , ha nging, or m ut ila tion ; a nd s ome

t imes pa ssengers a re greeted by the s ight of a head

les s trunk o r tw o , expo sed for the day , a s a wa rn

ing to evil-doers . The gra ve Turk , however, in

sen s ible to the horror o f the specta cle, smokes his

pipe quiet ly, o r passes by with ind ifference, o r on ly

a muttered “ Alla h-il-Ulla h !” E ven this pla ce of

a ll u ses , conta in s , a s I should think , no t mo re tha n

an a cre a nd a ha lf of ground .

Baghdad, bo th from a ncient fame a nd presentimpo rta nce, deserves a fa r m ore a ccura te and de

ta i led description , tha n I a m prepared to give y oua nd a s I think you might pos sibly be d isappo inted

were I to lea ve you quite in the lurch in this m a t

ter , I a m tempted t o borrow a l itt le a ss istance from

o ther sources , in o rder to give you a bet ter ideao f wha t this celebra ted city is , o r ra ther w a s very

la tely , before i ts la te awful vis ita tion s . The de

s cription given by Buckingham in his “ Tra vels in

Mesopo tamia ,”

a ppea rs to m e s o good tha t , a s

y ou m ay no t ha ve a cces s to the book, I sha ll m aken o scruple of u s ing i t where conven ient . I wishI could say the same o f his views Of the pla ce givenin the same wo rk ; but rea lly they a re so perfect lyfa nciful, tha t I ca nnot recommend them a s a ffo rd

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 1 8 MO SQUES .

public thoroughfa re, while the doors of entrance ,leading to the dwel lings from thence, a re sm a lland mean . These streets a re more intrica te a nd

w inding tha n in m a ny of the grea t towns o f

Turkey, and with the exception of some tolera bly

regula r l ines of baza a rs, a nd a few open squa res ,the interior of Baghda d is a labyr inth of a lleys and

pa ssages .

”

The mo sques, which a re a lways the prom i

nent objects in Ma hometan cities , a re here builtin a different style from tho se I ha ve seen in mo s tother pa rts of Turkey . The mos t ancient is thoughtto be tha t ca lled Jameh-ul-Sookh-e-Ga zel , o r the

m osque of the cotton-threa d ma rket ; but little re

m a ins of this beyond a thick hea vy mina ret , and

part o f the outer wa l ls .

”

The mina ret ha s but one ga l lery ; the project ionfor which , a s Mr. Buckingha m says , springs from

below the centre of the co lumn , go ing up in a seriesof po inted a rched n iches , and dropping o rnamentsl ike sta la ctites , which gradua lly swe ll outwa rds , a nd

termina te in the ga llery a t a bout tw o thirds o f theheight of the sha ft . The termina tion is round a nd

inelegant, a nd the whole ha s a clumsy a spect .

This ga l lery a ffo rds the highest a t ta ina ble po intfrom whence the city can be viewed ; and, in fa ct,it overlooks most of the terra ced roofs a nd courtsfor a long spa ce a round . I w a s surprised, in truth ,to find tha t they a dmi tted infidels like ourselves toa height which gave us so unfa ir a n adva ntageover the

“ fa ithful .” Our a scent w a s rendered

somewha t difficult by darknes s , a nd the a ccu

DOMES AND MINARETS. 2 19

m ula ted dung o f ba ts and pigeons , to which la t ter

bird the fret-work of the n iches , a nd the crevicesmade by t ime or violence, a fford shelter in thousands ;tha t part of the minaret , when viewed from below ,

a ppea red a ctua lly tes sella ted with them . This minare t a nd its ruined mo sque a re sa id to be a bo ve s ix

hundred years Old ; but a s I a m doubtful w he

ther a minute descript ion of the mo sques o f

Baghda d would very much amuse you , I sha ll con

tent myself fo r the present with observing tha t thenumber o f these sa cred edifices Is believed to exceed ,o r once to ha ve exceeded, a hundred, though no t

a bove twenty o r thirty a re in any degree deserving

Of not ice ; of domes I do no t think you see a bovea dozen o f cons iderable size , a nd I a m certa in tha tthe number of mina rets a re under fo ur-a nd-twenty .

Severa l, bo th of domes and mina rets , a re co veredwith la ckered t iles , chiefly green, white, yellow,

a nd bla ck, d ispo sed in mo sa ic, to represent flowers ,figures, and letters , w hich , a s Mr. Buckingha m

rema rks , ha ve a gay ra ther tha n a grand o r m ag

n ificent effect . On the who le , the mo sques a nd

shrines of Baghda d a re a s infer ior to tho se of the

pr incipa l Maho m edan cit ies of India , a s its bui ld

ings in genera l a re s uperio r to tho se of the cit ies

of Persia . Of the ba za a rs , I have a lready spoken,a nd quite agree with Mr . Buckingham in rega rd totheir compa ra t ive mea nness . Of the Khans a nd

ba ths , I c an a s yet say litt le ; but tho se of the former,which I did see, a ppea red po o r enough .

“ Of the priva te houses o f Baghdad , says the

a uthor a lready quoted , “ I saw but litt le excepting

220 A B IRD ’

S-EYE PEEP .

their exterior wa lls a nd terra ces . It struck m e a s

s ingula r, tha t throughout the whole of this la rgecity, I had no t seen even one po inted a rch in the

do orway t o a ny pr iva te dwe lling. They were a ll

round o r fla t, ha ving a fa ncy-work of sma l l bricka bo ve them ; a nd even in tho se pa rts o f the old

ba za a rs and ruined mo sques in which the po in ted

a rch is seen , its fo rm i s nea rer to the Go thic tha n

to the common Sa ra cenic shape , which I had a lso

observed to be the ca se a t Mousul ; s o tha t Baghdad

could no t ha ve been the o rigina l sea t of Sa ra cen ic

a rchitecture , which probably too k i ts r ise much

fa rther in the West .

The houses cons ist of ra nges o f a pa rtments open

ing into a squa re, o r inner court ; and while sub

terra neous ro om s, ca l led serddhs , a re o ccupied during

the day , for the s ake o f shelter from the intense

hea t , the open terra ces a re used for the even ing

m ea l, a nd fo r s leeping on a t n ight . From the

terra ce o f Mr . Rich’s res idence , which w a s d ivided

into m any compa rtments , ea ch ha ving i ts sepa ra te

pa ssage of a scen t and descent, a nd fo rInIng indeed

s o ma ny unroofed chambers , w e co uld comma nd, a t

the firs t open ing o f m o rn ing, j ust such a View of

Baghdad a s is given o f Madrid in L e Diable

Bo i teux ,’

showing us a ll the families of the houses

round with their s leeping a pa rtments unro o fed, o ften

in sufficient ly interes ting Situa t ions . From this lofty

s ta t ion, a t lea s t eigh t o r ten bedrooms in different

qua rters were expo sed a round us ; where, a s the

families s lept in the open a ir, domes t ic scenes were

exposed to o ur view, without our o nce being per

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

222 FAM ILY WORSH IP .

his devot ions , w hile the s la ve w a s prepa ring a pipe

and coffee and on his sea t ing himself on his carpet ,when these were ready, the wife served him with

her o w n hands, ret iring a t a proper d is ta nce t o

wa it for the cup, a nd a lw ays s tanding before him,

s omet im es i ndeed with the hands crossed, a nd even

kiss ing his ha nd on receiving the cup from it ,

a s is done by the lowes t a t tendant s o f a househo ld . While the husba nd lounged on his cushions ,o r s a t on his ca rpet in an a tti tude o f ea se and

indolence to enj oy his morning pipe , the women o f

the family genera lly prayed . In the grea ter numberof instances they did so sepa ra tely , and exa ct ly a fterthe manner of the m en ; but on o ne o r tw o o ccas ions the m istress and

'

som e other fema les , perhapsa s ister, or a rela tive, prayed together, fo llowing

ea ch o ther’s mo t ions s ide by s ide, a s is done whena pa rty of m en a re headed in their devo tions by a nImaum . None o f the fema les , w hether wife, serva nt ,o r s la ve , omitted this morn ing duty ; but among thechildren under twelve yea rs of age, I did no t o bservea ny instance of their jo in ing in i t .

Notwithstanding the appa rent seclus ion in which

women live here, a nd indeed through the who leTurkish empire, there is no wa n t of rea l liberty,which , sometimes , a s in other pla ces , is sufficientlya bused ; nor c an it be den ied tha t the fa cility o f

clandest ine meetings i s much grea ter in Turkishcit ies between persons o f the country, tha n in a ny

European metropo l is . The disguise of a Turkisho r Ara b fema le in her wa lking dres s is so complete,tha t her husband himself could no t recognize her

TATTOO ING . 223

benea th it ; and consequent ly, let a lady go where

she will, no suspicion of the truth can a tta ch to a ny

individua l .“ Among the women o f Baghdad, the Georgian s

a nd Circa ss ians a re decidedly the handsomest by

na ture, a nd the lea st d isfigured by a rt . The highbo rn na tives of the pla ce a re of les s fresh and clea rcomplexion, while the middling a nd infer ior o rders ,ha ving brow n skins and no thing agreeable in theircount '

enances except a da rk and express ive eye, a re

somet imes SO ba rba rously ta ttooed a s to ha ve the mo s tforbidding a ppea ra nce . With a ll ranks and C la s sesthe ha ir is sta ined with henna , a nd the pa lms of thehands a re SO deeply dyed with it a s to resemblethose of a sa i lor covered with ta r . Those only, w hoby blood o r habits of long in tercourse a re a llied tothe Ara b ra ce, use the blue s ta ins so common among

the Bedooeens of the desert . The pa ss ion for thismethod of a dorn ing the body 15 ca rried in some ins ta nces a s fa r a s among the a ncient Brito ns ; for,bes ides the sta ining of the lips with tha t deadly hue,a nklets a re marked round the legs, with lines ex.

tending upwa rds from the a nkle, a t equa l distances ,to the ca lf of the legs ; a wrea th of blue flowersis made to encircle ea ch brea st, w ith a cha in of

the same pa ttern hanging perpendicula rly between

them a nd among some of the most determined belles ,a zone, or girdle of the same compos it ion , is made

to encircle the sma llest part of the wa ist , imprinted

inde libly upon the skin . There a re a rt ist s in Bagh

dad whose profession it is to decora te the ladies with

wrea ths , &c . of the newest fa shions .

”

224 GEORG IAN LAD I ES .

So fa r Mr . Buckingha m ; a nd a s I do no t know

any bet ter a ccoun t of the ladies o f this qua rter, I

ha ve given it nea rly en t ire . It is certa in tha t thewomen o f Geo rgia a nd Circa ss ia a re the be st lo ok

ing and mo st es teemed here, but they a re much

m ore ra re tha n formerly . Turkey c an n o longer

encourage the Sla ve tra de of these oppressed a nd

misera ble la nds : they a re no w wr ithing under thegra sp of a s t il l mo re ruthles s tyra nt , namely, the

Autocra t of a ll the Rus s ia s ; a nd depopula t ion proceeds with quite sufficient ra pidity— no t, however ,ra pidly enough to sa t isfy the usurper ; fo r, whenI w a s a t T a breez , i t w a s understo od tha t a n ex

pedit ion w a s about to be sen t from T cflis aga inst

the Abba ss ia ns with the profes sed intent ion of ex

t irm ina tion .

Nor is the Geo rgia n ra ce like ly t o be perpetua ted

here ; for it is a s ingula r fa ct tha t few o f the fema les

o f tha t co un try can rea r a child here. They gene

ra lly die befo re they a re three years o ld , a nd s ome

a t tribute much of this mo rta lity t o the inj ud icious

indulgence of the m o thers them se lves , w ho s tuff the

l itt le crea tures with sweetmea ts a nd o ther improper

sort s o f food .

The popula t io n of Baghda d w a s est ima ted by Mr.

Buckingham when there, a t fro m fifty to o ne hun

dred thousand souls . He cons iders i t a s les s tha n

tha t o f Aleppo, ye t grea ter tha n tha t o f Dama scus ,so tha t he fixes o n e ighty thousand a s being pro ba blynea r the ma rk . As suredly, ho w ever, in the t imeo f Daood Pa sha h, i t experienced a grea t increa se,a nd previous to the plague of 1 8 30, could no t ha ve

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

226 M ILITARY D I SPLAY .

At present, no thing o f a ll this exists . The wre tched

handful of milita ry now here is confined to a few

H a itahs , o r Alba n ia n ho rsemen , mingled with o thers

o f the country, m o st shabbily dressed and equipped ,a nd a deta chmen t o f the Nizam , o r new regula r

tro ops , a s exqui s i tely ir-regula r a co rps a s imaginat ion c an figure , who se semi-European ised dres s ha srobbed them o f the po rt ly look o f Turk s withoutbes towing on them the sma rtnes s or bus ines s-like

a ppea rance o f the European s o ldier . There a re but

a few hundred of these a noma lous heroes , who ses lo ven ly outfit , w ith the red fez (the head-dres sworn by a ll w ho ow n the Sulta n

’

s a uthor ity), re

minded m e mo re o f the French pr isoners o f o ld, wi th

the ir red n ightca ps and rusty co a ts , tha n a nything

else I c an reco l lect . About the Sera i, o r Pa shah’

s

pa la ce , there is no bus t le n or Show, a nd the mea nand co rrupt Officia ls of the wretched being w ho do esdu ty here a s Pa sha h , fo llow the example of the ir

m a s ter in shabbiness and poverty Of a t tendance a s

well a s in a ll o ther respects .

St i ll, in the ba za a rs there is s omething of a glit

tering s t ir ; for bo th T urks a nd Ara bs a re fond Of

red in a ll its sha des , a nd o f o ther gay co lours , a nd

their furs and embro idery, a nd shawled turban s , a ndflowing ga rmen ts , with the s i lver-hilted daggers a nd

pisto ls a t their wa ist s , m ake up a l i ve ly a nd plea s ingpicture .

Riding through the ba za a rs is , however, a serviceof s ome danger . Though fo rming the commo n thoroughfa res , they a re so na rrow tha t you a re con

stantly s topped by tra ins of loaded camels o r mules ,

C ROWDED BAZAARS. 227

the pa ckages On who se ba cks a re apt to breake ither your head o r your knees , a ccording to the

height of the pa ss ing quadruped ; and you ha veenough to do in s teering your course between thema nd the crowd of ruffian-like Ara bs tha t beset everys treet a nd pa s sage . The tra ins of a sses , lo aded with

wo od, reminded m e o f the lady in the “ ArabianNight s ’ En terta inmen t s , w ho , by fa lse ly a ttr ibut ingthe wound in her cheek to a blow from the pan

n ier o f one o f these a n ima ls , enda ngered the livesof the who le respecta ble commun ity ofwo od-drivers ;a nd sundry rents in my tro users , m o re than o nce

vind ica ted the plaus ibi lity o f the lady’s ta le . Iwish I could s ay tha t the co oks

’

shops , in l ike m an

ner, reca l led the image o f tha t o f Sim m oustapha

a nd his delicious cream -t a rts but , in fa ct , the sme llo f rancid but ter, a nd Of the frying fa t of sheep’sta ils , w a s the very reverse of a t tra ct i ve no r a re the

confect ioners ’ shops by a ny means so tempting a s

tho se o f Co ns ta nt inople .

-Among the things which s tr ike a s tra nger, is

the im perturbable st il lnes s a nd a pa thy, a s i t seem s ,with which the Turkish mercha nt s i t s o n the ra ised

pla tfo rm a t his do o r, smoking his pipe in the mid s t

o f the bus t le a round him , a s if he hea rd it no t , o r

had no thing o f a t ra der’

s intere s t in the sa le of his

wa res . Does a customer a ppro a ch , he Slowly a nd

s i lent ly displays the go ods required, a nd serves himif they suit - if no t, he smokes on . A Pers ian

would ha ve a sked you a do zen t imes wha t y ou

wa nted ; showed you fifty things succes s ively , th a t

y ou d id no t wa nt ; a nd jumped from his sea t , a nd sa t

Q 2

228 BEDOUEEN ARABS .

down upon it aga in , a s m a ny times , w h ile the gra veindifferent Turk i s t aking his chibouk from his

m outh to spea k to y ou . It must be owned, ho w

ever, tha t the Jew a nd Armen ian dea lers co m pen

sa te ,by the ir quicknes s a nd vo lubility, for the t o r

po r o f the Turk s they a re a ct ive enough , in a ll c o n

s cience , in a scerta ining a nd supplying the wants o f

the ir cus tomers .

Ano ther rema rkable fea ture to a s tranger, in the

s treets a nd ba za a rs o f Baghdad, is the multitude o f

Ara bs , bo th Bedo ueens a nd res idents in the city ,to which I ha ve a lready a lluded . Their dress c on

s ist s o f a co a rse shirt , o ver which the bet ter s o rt

wea r a wra pping gown of s ome sort of s ilk, or co t ton

s tuff, genera lly s triped ; and a ll thro w a n a bba

o r clo a k o f peculia r fo rm , wide, a rmles s , but with

ho les to thrust the a rm s through , and m ade of clo sewo ven wo rs ted , s triped wi th bro a d white a nd

brown perpend icula r ba rs , but somet imes bla ck o r

w hite . This is the peculia r na t iona l dress— the

regula r Ara b m ant le . The hea d-dres s is no t lesspeculia r . It is no t , a s many believe, a turban , nor

a nything like it . It co ns ist s o f a so rt o f squa rethick-wo ven handkerchief of s i lk, in la rge br igh t

yellow a nd red s tripes , the wo of of the ends beingtwis ted into cords , like a fringe of grea t length .

This being doubled tria ngula rly, is thrown o ver thehea d in the fa shion o f the o ld highla nd women, tw o

ends ha nging down befo re the shoulders , while the

o ther tw o (in o ne) ha ng down the ba ck . Aro undthe crown of the head, thus co vered, is wound a

wisp Of brown came l 's h a ir, pa rt ia lly twis ted , tw o

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

230 ARAB S ING ING ,

vo ice ; a nd s o dea fen ing is tha t vo ice, tha t s t rangers

a re a pt to suppo se they a re qua rrelling when , in fa ct ,they a re mere ly convers ing o r rela t ing so m e tr ivia l

o ccurrence . This peculia rity ha s some t imes led tolud icrous mist akes . There w a s a n India n Nawab

here, w ho had im bibed a grea t horro r fo r the cho lera ,insomuch tha t he never went without a bot tle of

la uda num a nd a box of cho lera pills in his po cket ;o ne day , soo n a fter his a rriva l, being in a coffee

house, Or some public pla ce , a n Ara b, w ho w a s

presen t , w a s e ither a sked o r vo lunteered to s ing ;but the labour of this mus ica l effo rt produced suchfea rful shrieks a nd ho rrible con tort ion s , tha t the

go od Naweh, w ho w a s ignora n t o f the la nguage,imagined tha t the m an w a s seized with cho lera ,which just then w a s s a id to ha ve m ade its appea ra nce a t Baghdad . Up jumped the Nawab— out

came the bo t tle a nd pi lls . Here , my good fellow,

”

sa id be , runn ing t o the mus ica l Ara b ; swa llo w

these pills then a nd take a gulp of this bo t t le ; neverfea r, you will do well enough, on ly take the phy s io .

”

The a ston ished s inger s ta red, of course, a nd repe lled

the proffered doses , excla iming “ la , la , la !”

no ,

no , no ! but the Nawab pers is ted, and I a m no t

sure, befo re he w a s convinced of his erro r, whetherhe had n o t persuaded his unfortuna te pa tient into

swa llowing his remedies .

But it i s no t the Ara bs a lone tha t ha bitua l ly

m ake this clam our it is genera l in Baghdad, which ,I th ink, o f a ll pla ces I ever w a s in, i s the m o strema rkable fo r every imagina ble sort o f no ise , a nd

i ts inha bitants the mo st intolera bly o bs treperous .

AND VAR IOUS NO ISES. 23 1

The room I now o ccupy ha s a ba lcony over thes treet, with tw o windows ; so tha t every thing tha tpa s ses under, is a s well hea rd a s if i t were go ing onin the ro om . Befo re day I ha ve a co ncert of co cksa nd hens from a neighbour ing ya rd ; this is fo l

lowed by the lively bea t o f the “reveillez

”

fro m

the Sepoys ’ qua rter, which , in its turn , rouses a ho sto f dogs ; these keep up a very industrious runn ing

ba se o f ba rking, ti ll the donkeys begin to bray. By

tha t t ime the neighbouring Ara bs w ho ha ve beendriven into town by the d is turbed s ta te o f the

country beyo nd it s wa lls , have shaken the ir ea rs ,

and begin to drive out to pa s ture the flocks o f Sheep

a nd herds Of ca ttle a nd camels they ha ve broughtin with them for security . Assuredly Arab sheep

and ca t t le ha ve the dea fes t ea rs to the vo ice o f

the cha rmer, o f any a n ima l s on ea r th , o r they a re

grievo us ly a bused by the ir drivers : for such a routing a nd ro a ring a s is m ade to induce the bea s ts tomo ve a long, I never hea rd in a ny o ther pla ce ; no r

could o ne imagine tha t so extra ordina ry a va riety

of guttura l so unds could be ut tered by the lungs o f

m an . Flo ck a fter flock , herd a fter herd, a re to be

hea rd a ppro a ching from a fa r ; the upro a r swells

upon the ea rs , dinn ing and confounding them t ill

the drum s Of the sa id o rga ns a re wel l n igh cra cking,and just when it begins to retrea t , a nd you a re

ven ting a s i len t expres s ion o f tha nkfulnes s fo r the

relief, ano ther burs t o f vo cifera t ion a ris es in the dis

tance , s o tha t the s ame t orture co nt inues genera lly

fo r tw o hours . By tha t t ime the res t o f the biped

inha bitan ts a re a s tir. The quiet Turk shuffles s i

232 BABEL !

lently a long, no r do the Chris t ians o r Jews commit

a ny vio lent trespa ss upon the sen se of hea ring ; but

there a re mo re Arabs— ay , this s treet is their grea t

thoroughfa re, a nd here a nd everywhere they rush

a long in dro ves , like the les s bruta l a nima ls they

drive o r ride , ha llo o ing to ea ch o ther a nd to a ll

they pa ss , often m a inta ining a conversa t ion a t the

top o f their tremendous voices , with some equa llV

clea r-piped brother, a t a qua rter o f a mile’s dista nce

a s for a pproa ching nea rer fo r conven ien ce o f comm unic a tion , they never dream

!

o f such a thing ;lungs a re cheaper than legs , it is clea r, a t lea st in

Baghdad . Then there i s—but I spare y ou the

further deta i l of town criers , Sa ints rout ing out

their pea ling ej acula tions , begga rs and fakeers thun

dering forth their pet it ions in the name of Alla h

and the Prophet ; and, worse than a ll, pro fes sed

Singers pra ct is ing their vo ices a s they pa ss a long.

In short, Ha tchet t’

s in Piccadilly when a ll the m a i ls

and coa ches a re under despa tch, —Cockspur Streeta nd Cha ring Cross , when the sea son is fullest a nd

the cries a re loudes t, —or Sm ithfield on a specia l

m arket-day ,— o r Billingsga te, o r a ll o f these to

gether, must s trike, a nd yield the pa lm fo r va riety

a nd intensity of no ise , t o Baghdad , the true legi

t ima te succes sor o f o ld Babe l !

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

234 PLAGUE APPEARS IN BAGHDAD .

turned the wa lls a nd buildings of this grea t city ;a nd the tyra nny o f m a n, wo rse even tha n thosescourges of the Almighty, ha s been a nd is fa s t

sweeping o ff the remna n t left by them .

Towa rds the end o f the ca reer of Da o od Pa sha h ,tha t is , in the yea r 1 8 30, his enemies preva i led in

the councils of the Po rte, a nd his downfa l l w a s re

so l ved upo n but so firmly had he established him

self in his pla ce , tha t no t a ll the power o f Co ns ta n

t inople would ha ve been able to effect his o ver

thro w , had no t a m ighty a rm in terfered t o pull

him down . Da o od had long applied him self to thefo rm a t ion o f a n efficien t a rmy, a nd had succeeded

s o wel l tha t he migh t ha ve laughed to scorn a ll the

milita ry a rray which the Sultan could ha ve sent

aga inst him . Thus s to od m a t ters when, in the

commencement of 1 8 3 1 , the plague which had beendes o la t ing Pers ia , m ade i ts a ppea ra nce in Baghdad .

Insula ted ca ses had o ccurred, i t w a s sa id, so ea rly

a s the preceding No vember, but they were con

cea led o r neglected a nd it w a s no t un ti l the montho f Ma rch 1 8 3 1 , tha t the fa ta l truth of the plaguebeing in and increa sing in Baghdad, became no

to rious a nd unden iable.

O n the la s t day o f Ma rch , Co lone l Taylo r Shutup his hOuse, in a cco rda n ce wi th the pa inful butneces sa ry cu stom o f Europea ns , w ho find, by experience , tha t i f this preca ut ion be taken in tim e ,

they genera lly esca pe the m a lady which a ppea rs tobe commun ica ble o nly by conta ct o r clo se appro a chto leew a rd o f a n infected person . On such o ccas io ns a ll a rticles from w ithout a re rece ived through

PRECAUTIONS AGAINST IT. 235

wickets cut in the wa ll, a nd a re never touched t i ll

pa ssed through wa ter . Mea t, vegetables , m o ney,a ll undergo this purifying proces s , a nd letters o r

pa pers a re received by a long pa ir of iron tongs ,and fumiga ted befo re being touched by the ha nd .

Wel l were i t for the na t ives o f the coun try if they

could be preva iled upon t o subm it to the s amem ea sures of precaut io n— the disea se would then berobbed of ha lf its terrors , and it s vict ims grea t lyreduced in numbers but indo lence a nd indifference,combined with a dim belief in predes t ina tion , pre

vents them from effectua l exert ions , a lthough the

fa ct , tha t thousa nds fly from the city in hopes o f

esca ping the pes t ilence which ha d penetra ted in tothe ir dwelling s , pro ves indisputably tha t the ir fa ith

in fa ta lism i s by no mea n s firm o r complete .

In some ca ses this fligh t w a s ma de in t ime, a nd

the. fugit ives e sca ped, though. to o often o nly to

per ish a t a no ther period and in ano ther pla ce . In

o thers, they ca rried the disea se a long with them ,

sprea ding it s po ison , a nd dying misera bly in the

deser t . Even a ll the ca re observed by Europea n s

ha s some t imes been insufficient t o preserve them

from co ntagio n . The virus is so subti le tha t the

sma lles t po ss ible cont a ct suffices fo r commun ica t ing

it, a nd the sma llest a n ima l serves to con vey it .

Ca ts , mice , a nd ra t s a re , fo r this rea s on , da ngerousinma tes o r vis iters ; a nd ca ts in pa rticula r, a s being

m o re fami lia r with m an , become m ore dreaded, a ndconsequen tly a re destroyed whenever they a re seen

by tho se w ho ha ve fa i th in the va lue of seclus ion .

An ins ta nce of the fa ta l consequence o f conta ct with

236 BRITISH RESIDENCY ATTACKED .

such an ima l o ccurred in the house of a na t ive

Christ ian a tta ched to the British Res idency, w ho

had the go od s ense to fo llow the Res ident ’s ex

ample in shutt ing up his house on a fo rmer o cca

s ion . A c a t belonging t o the family w a s touched

by his eldest child, a girl of fourteen or fifteen .

The anima l had e ither been a bro ad itse lf, o r had

recei ved the vis it of a neighbour, fo r the co nt a ct

brought the plague—the child to ok i t a nd d ied

of it . Po or thing ! from the firs t m oment she w a s

awa re of her danger a nd fa te .

“ I ha ve go t the

plague, she sa id , a nd I sha l l die ; the fa ta l spo t s

a nd swel lings s oon pro ved the justice of her appre

hensions , a nd in four days she w a s dea d .

It w a s proba bly by some such ca sua l mea ns tha t

the disea se w a s brought in to Co lone l Taylo r’

s house,a lthough he a nd a ll i ts inma tes conce ived it to

be a lmo s t hermet ica lly sea led from i ts a ppro a ches .

On the l oth of April, a Sepoy died o f it, a nd four

o f his serva nts were a tta cked . By this t ime the

disea se had made such progress , tha t seven thousand

pers ons had died of i t in the ea stern ha lf o f the

ci ty, which conta ins the res idence o f the Pa shah ,the Brit ish M is s ion, a nd a ll the pr incipa l inhabi

ta nt s . From the o ther s ide , the a ccoun ts were

no t less d is a strous , a nd the dis tress o f the inha

b ita nt s w a s further aggra va ted by the rise o f the

wa ters o f the Tigris , which , ha ving burs t o r o ver

leaped the dam s m ade upo n its ba nks higher up,had inunda ted the lo w co un try to the wes twa rd , andeven entered the town, where tw o thousa nd houseswere a lready sa id to ha ve been des troyed . Ma ny

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

23 8 SELF-DEVOTIO N .

duty prevented him from taking a s tep which a p

pea red to him like a desert ion o f his duty . He re

s o lved to rema in a t his po s t ; a nd , put t ing his trus t

in th a t Almigh ty Power which had sen t the dreadful

a fflict io n , and w ho , be we ll knew, could sa ve a s

wel l a s des troy, he shut up his house , in w hich

were twelve person s , including a n Armen ian scho o l

m a s ter a nd his family, a nd ca lmly awa ited the is sue.

It is from this gent lema n’

s j o urna l tha t the bes t a c

coun ts o f this drea dful period a re to be co llected

a nd from it therefo re , so fa r a s the plague a nd

inunda t io n a re co ncerned, I sha ll ta ke the l iberty

o f quot ing o cca s iona l ly in the fo l lowing short a ccoun t

of the cond ition o f Baghdad .

Co lonel Taylor left Baghda d on the 1 2 th o f

Apri l . On the previous day the number o f dea ths

w a s unders to od to a m ount to twelve hundred, a nd

o n tha t day it w a s a scerta ined tha t one thousa nd

a nd fo rty dea ths had a ctua l ly taken pla ce o n the

ea s t s ide of the r iver a lone . Next day , Mr. Gro ves

had the pa in o f becoming awa re tha t the d isea sehad entered the house of his next-do or neighbour ,where thirty person s had congrega ted, a s if fo r the

very purpose o f supplying it with vict im s . Tha t

s ame day , the repo rt o f dea th s va ried from one

thousand to fifteen hundred , a nd tha t exclus ive o f

the mult i tudes w ho d ied beyo nd the wa l ls . O n

the succeed ing day , the dea ths increa sed to eigh

teen hundred ; a nd so terrified were the survivo rs ,tha t they sca rce ly could be preva i led on to staya nd bury their dea d . Many prepa red fo r the fa te

they ant icipa ted, by pro viding winding-shee ts fo r

GREAT INCREASE o r MORTAL ITY . 239

them selves a nd family , befo re the increa sed dem andshould con sume the who le supply . Wa ter a lso hecame sca rce ; fo r every wa ter-ca rrier when s topped,replied, tha t he w a s taking his loa d t o wa sh the

body o f s ome dead person . An Armenian gi rl

t o ld Mr. Gro ves , tha t she had coun ted fifty bodiesbeing ca rried for interment within the spa ce o f s ix

hundred ya rds . No t a s ingle effo rt w a s m ade by

the inha bita nts , w ho a ppea red utterly confounded .

They sa t a t home wa it ing fo r dea th, a s if stunnedby wha t w a s pa s s ing , a nd sca rcely a soul w a s to

be seen a t this t ime in the streets except the bea rerso f the dea d , o r perso ns ca rrying gra ve clo thes , and

wa ter-ca rriers bea ring wa ter to wa sh the bodies .

F o r severa l days together a bout this t ime, tha tis , from the 1 6th to the 20th o r 21 5 t of April, the

mo rta lity, so fa r a s could be known , rema ineds ta tionary a t a bout tw o thousand a day ; but ma ny

s ingula rly distres s ing ca ses of individua l dis tres so ccurred . In the fam ily o f one ofMr . Groves

’

s l it tlepupils, co ns is t ing of s ix perso ns , four were i l l wi th

the plague— the fa ther a nd mo ther, a s on a nd a

daughter, lea ving but o ne s on a nd a daughter u n

touched . Of the P a shah’

s regimen t s o f seven hun

dred m en ea ch , some had a lready lo s t five hundred

and the report from the neighbourho od w a s s till

worse tha n in town . The wa ter, to o , in the swo llen

r iver w a s fa s t increa s ing , a nd the danger o f a to ta l

inunda t ion became every day more imminen t .

O n the 2 1 3t , the wa ter burst into the cella rs o f

the Res idency, and rea ched t o within a fo o t o f the

embankmen ts a round the city ; a nd Mr . Groves,

240 PAIN FUL SCEN ES .

in hopes of be ing a ble to render a s s ista nce , wentto the Res idency . The scenes be witnes sed on the

w ay were mo st distres s ing, nor w a s help to be ob

ta ined for the sufferers o n a ny terms . O ne had a

w ife , a no ther a mo ther, in the ago n ies o f dea th

a third w a s himself fo rced to ca rry wa ter to wa sh

a dea d child fo r now no regula r wa ter-ca rrier w a s

to be found ; o r if seen, he w a s a ccompa nied by

s ome serva nt , driving him to a pla ce o f dea th . The

ya rd of the mo sque w a s a lrea dy full o f fresh gra ves ,a nd they were burying in the public ro ads . Dea th ,

”

says Mr. Groves , ha s now become so familia r, tha t

people seem to bury the ir nea rest re la t i ves with a s

much indifference a s If they were go ing a bout some

ordina ry bus ines s

No r were the pro spects nea rer home less pa inful

a nd depressing. Oppo s ite the windows of Mr .

Grove s’

s house there w a s a na rro w pa s sage leading

to e ight houses , a nd from this sma ll spo t day a fter

day they saw dead bodies ca rried o ut unt i l the

number amo unted to seven teen . O n the 23 rd the

mother o f the Seyed , w ho w a s Mr . Gro ves’

s landlo rd ,d ied in her ow n house , a nd no o ther help be ing

t o be had, she w a s there buried by the ha nds o f

her tw o fem a le serva nts , w ho them selves so on a fter

d ied ; a nd n o one being awa re o f the ir fa te , therethey lay , the ir bodies ta int ing the a ir, unt i l the

house be ing so on after plundered a nd the do o r

broken o pen , the fa ct became known .

On thi s same day , a little girl o f twelve yea rs o ld

w a s seen pa s sing by with a n infa nt in her a rm s ; a nd

o n being a sked who se it w a s , she s a id she did no t

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

242 PROGRESS OF THE D ISEASE.

By the 24th a lmost a ll the clo th for winding-sheets

was consumed so tha t the,survw o rs were forced to

bury the dead in the clothes they had worn . Wa ter

w a s no t to be had a t any price, though the river w a s

so clo se , and the mo rta lity w a s es tima ted a t th irty

thou sand souls within the wa lls— yet s til l there

w a s no diminut ion in the number of da i ly dea ths .

No t one in twenty of those a tta cked a re thought

to ha ve recovered .

On the 25 th the fa l l of a wa l l in the Res idencyfrom the sa pping of the wa ter induced Mr. Groves

aga in to vis it tha t pla ce . No t a soul did he meet

in the s treets , except those w ho ca rr ied dea d bodies

a nd persons infected with the pestilence . Bun

dles of clo thes , the rel iques o f the dead , werethrus t out a t many doors . The ya rd of the grea tm o sque w a s shut up — there w a s no mo re room to

bury them , a nd they were digging gra ves in the

w ay-s ides , in the ro a ds them selves , a nd in a ny va

ca nt spot . While convers ing with the only serva ntof Co lonel Taylo r rema in ing a live in the Res idency,informa t ion w a s brought to the m a n tha t his a unt ,the eighth of his nea r rela t ives w ho had beenseized by the contagion, had j ust died like the res t .

One o f the principa l sellers o f cotton fo r burying

clothes (w ho had taken a dva ntage of the t imest o ra ise his price exorbitantly) this day died himself. There w a s then no more of the s tuff in the

city . The price of rope, too , had become quadru

ple . Ins tea d o f fo rma l buria l, the bodies, eveno f pers ons o f con s idera ble wea lth, were now j ustla id a cro ss the ba ck of a mule o r a s s, a nd taken

INUNDATION. 243

to a ho le, a ttended, perhaps, by a s ingle serva nt .Mr . Gro ves ment ions the gest icula tions of the fewArab women who m he m et in the w ay a s pa rtienla rly s triking— they seem ed to demand of Heavenw hy Fra nks a nd Infidels like him , were suffered tol ive, while so ma ny of the fa ithful died . The effectupon his m ind w a s peculiarly s ta rtling and pa inful ;surrounded a s he w a s by the dead and the dying,the growling of the dogs tha t were m angling thebodies (sca rcely wa iting ti ll life w a s fled to begintheir horrid fea st), united with the cries o f the ex

posed misera ble infants , formed a scene of horrorwhich he a vers— a nd no wonder— can never be era s

ed from his m emory .

The morta l ity, mea nt ime, increa sed . Oni

the 26th,i t w a s affirmed a t the Sera i , tha t the dea ths hadrea chedfive thousand in one day l—there seems no

doubt tha t they exceeded four thousand , a nd this outof a popula t ion which a t tha t t ime did not exceedfifty or sixty thousa nd ; fo r a t lea st one-third o f the

la te ~ inhabitants had, first a nd la st , quitted the city.

The wa ter, too , had risen frightful ly, and the an ti

c ipa tions in ca se of its breaking into the city wereterrible. Drea dful a s they were, however, they were

m ore tha n rea lised on the tw o following days .

Tha t n ight a la rge port ion of the wa l l fell, and

the w a ter rushed in full t ide into the city . The

qua rter of the Jews w a s speedily inunda ted, a nd tw ohundred houses fell a t once . A pa rt, a lso, of the

wa l l of the citade l fell ; nor w a s there much hope

tha t any house or wa ll which the wa ter had rea ched,could stand, owing to the very dissolva ble na ture o f

R 2

244 EFFECTS OF THE INUNDATION .

the cemen t with which the grea ter pa rt w a s built . By

the fo llowing n igh t the w ho le lower part of the city

w a s under wa ter and seven thousand houses a re s a id

to ha ve fa l len a t o ne cra sh , burying the s ick , the

dying, and the dead, w i th tho se s t il l in hea lth , a ll

in one common gra ve . It is sa id , and upon no

mea n a uthority, tha t no t les s than fifteen thou

s and persons , s ick a nd well , were o verwhelmed

on this occa s ion a lone ; nor , when the crowded

s ta te of the yet habita ble part o f the ci ty is co n

s idered,— the people prevented from flying by the

inunda t io n without , -is the ca lcula t ion a t a ll in

credible . The few who escaped from the rui ns ,brought the sha ttered rel iques of their families

to the houses yet rem a ining in the higher pa rts'

of

the city, empt ied by plague o r desert ion , a nd thusfurn ished fresh food for the pest i lence tha t lurkedin the infected habita t ion s which they o ccupied.

“ Nothing,”

s ays Mr . Gro ves , “c a n give a more

impress ive idea of the intens ity o f individua l m iserya t this period, than the fa ct tha t this fea rful event ,which a t a no ther t ime would no t only ha ve o ccapied every tongue, but ca lled fo rth the mo st a cti veexert ions in fa vour of the sufferers , pa s sed o ff a lmo stwithout rema rk , a nd without a n effort to relievethem .

”

T he d ifficulty o f obta ining provis ions had now be

come extreme . Very respectable persons would now

present them selves a t the doo r t o beg fo r s ome o f the

commo nest necessa ries . The number of the dead,

to o , left in the s treets had increa sed to a frightfuldegree ; no r w a s there a poss ibili ty o f removing

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

246 FR IGHTFUL MORTAL ITY .

prospects of Mr . Groves and his family, a lthough

they had hitherto been provident ia lly exempted from

a ctua l disea se, were sufficiently glo omy and distress

ing . From the little pa ssage oppo site they had s een

twenty-five bodies ca rried out, and they knew of

severa l persons being ill. In one of the houses

which had conta ined eight inma tes, one only re

ma ined a live ; and in l ike m a nner of a nother house

ho ld of thirteen, but one solitary individua l survived .

Nor were these by a ny m eans uncommon or s ingula rca ses : of eighteen servants and sepoys left by

Co lonel Taylor, In cha rge of the Res idency, by the

end of the month only four rema ined , and of these

tw o were a ffected a nd a fterwa rds died . There werefive tea chers of Arabic a nd Armenian, connected with

Mr . Groves’

s establishment, a nd every one of these

died. Nor, with a ll this cont inued morta lity did thevirulence of the disea se a ba te, nor the number of

da i ly dea ths decrea se . The rema in ing popula t ion,crowded into sma l ler a nd sma ller compa ss by theincrea s ing inunda t ion, presented, a s i t were , a moresure a nd deadly a im to the sha fts of the pest ilence .

The influx of new inhabitants into infected housessupplied fresh object s , a nd their dead rema ined, poi

son ing the a ir, in a ll the court-ya rds a nd a rea s, and

li tera lly encumbered the s treet s .

No r w a s this fea rful destruct ion of huma n l ifeconfined to the city . A la rge ca ra va n fo r Dama scushad left Baghdad a t the commencement of the m o r

ta lity but it ca rried the deadly contagion a long withit, a nd m e t, m o reo ver, with an enemy sca rce ly lessdestructive, in the inunda t io n . They ga ined a com

FATE o r CARAVANS. 247

para tively eleva ted spot where they rema ined pentup fo r three weeks , the wa ter consta nt ly ga in ing on

them a nd their numbers da i ly thinn ing, the kqfi/ah

ba shee (or leader o f the cara va n) being among thenumber who d ied . Ma ny tried to return and takethe ir cha nce a t home ; but bo a ts were ra rely to

be had, a nd the few to be pro cured were held a t

so high a price tha t few could a va i l them se lves of

them .

In the same manner a cara va n of tw o thousand

persons , who left Baghda d for H ama dan, in Pers ia ,ca rried the pest ilence a long with them , a nd lostmore than ha lf the ir number on the ro ad . At ea chres t ing-pla ce, from s ixty to seventy ca rca sses wereleft upon the ground, a nd numbers d ied during the

m a rch upon the ir horses a nd mules , o r were knock

ed o ff them when taken i ll, a nd left to die by thero a d-s ide , while their effect s were plundered by the

survivors .

Wo rse even than the irs w a s the s itua t ion o f thou

sands w ho a t tempted to o la te t o fly, a nd were ca ughtby the inunda tion . Retrea t ing to the highes t ground

they could find, they rema ined wa tching the wa ter

a s i t ro se , t il l i t go t ha lf a ya rd high in the very

tent s . They had ne ither fo od n o r the mea ns of

m aking a fire . Ne ither s ick n or wel l could lie

down , and worse tha n a ll, they had no mea ns of

burying their dead , w ho rapidly increa sed among

them . Some , ha lf-frant ic with despa ir, a ttempted

to return tha t they m ight die a t home ; but the

wa ters left n o w ay , and boa ts were n o t procura ble

a t a ny price. To aggra va te the miseries of these

248 THE STILLN ESS OF DEATH .

fugit ives , tho se w ho did escape the wa ters were

a lmost certa in to fa ll into the hands of the plun

dering Arabs , w ho stripped a ll they caught, women

a nd m en indiscrim ina te ly.

During a ll this a ccumula t ion of human misery

nothing w a s m ore remarkable than the dea th-like

st illness wh ich reigned throughout the city. The

Mo ollahs cea sed to ca l l to prayer— the m ourners

to lament for the dead . It w a s so striking,”s ays

Mr. Groves , “tha t a s ickness came over the hea rt

when‘

one thought of the ca use .

”

The firs t glimpse of relief in this complica t ion

of suffering, w a s the subs iding of the wa ters, which

occurred a bout the beginn ing of May . Soon a fter

wa rds a little r ice w a s brought from the o ther s ide

o f the river. The monopolis ts o f fire-wood , w ho

had made the ir ha rves t o f the necess ities of the

poo r inha bita nt s, had by this t ime them se lves fa l lenv ict ims to the pes ti lence, so tha t fuel w a s to be hadfor the taking ; a nd wretches w ho fo r a long whilehad no t ta s ted wholesome food , were enabled to

co ok a decent mea l . Soon afterwa rds , namely, onthe 4th ofMay , some prospect a ppea red ofm itiga t ionin the plague i tself. The previous days had beenbeauti fully fine a nd clea r, a nd the increa sing hea tga ve promise o f a check to its virulence . On tha tday , the number o f new ca ses , a s well a s tha to f dea ths , decrea sed ; while the l ist o f recoveriesa ugmen ted .

“ O ur eyes ,”

s ays Mr . Groves , “ weregladdened by the s ight of three o r four wa terca rriers , the first w e ha d seen thes e ten day s ;

a nd ma ny mo re people ha ve been seen pa ss ing and

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

250 EXC ITING CAUSES OF MORTALITY.

of the Pa sha lic, I m ay mention , tha t scarcely an

individua l w a s left in the town o f H illah , which

before the pes t i lence posses sed a popula t ion of ten

thousand souls . From a ll I ha ve been a ble to

collect, a s wel l a s from the opinion o f Mr. Groves ,it a ppea rs but too probable, tha t of the popula tion

of Baghdad, not less than tw o-thirds were ca rried

o ff by this awful plague, and tha t the number of

dea d fe ll litt le short of, if it did not exceed, one

hundred thousand persons . As suredly the m orta lity

w a s grea t ly increa sed by the unfo rtuna te co inci

dence of the inunda tion , firs t in the country, whichprevented fl ight a nd hemmed the grea t ma ss of the

popula t ion within the wa lls, and a fterwa rds by the

entrance of the wa ters into the town itself, whereby

no t o nly were thousa nds drowned or buried in the

ruins of houses , but the rema inder became huddled

up together in to grea tly dimin ished spa ce upon the

dry spo ts , a nd forced into infected houses in twentiesa nd thirties , surrounded by corrupt ion, a nd withoutclo thes or provis ions , or the mea ns of m aking a

fire . The mult itude o f unburied dead, too , a dded

grea t ly to the effects o f the pes t ilence, by ta inting

the a ir a nd rendering it st il l more noxious .

Yet even in the a bsence o f such cont ingentcauses , such a pes ti lence a s th is mus t ha ve a n

effect upon a n Ea s tern t own, which , in a Europeancity , in our days a t lea s t , it could no t exerciseunder the opera t ion of a regula r po l ice . The benefit o f shutt ing up a nd insula t ing houses from c on

tag ion ha s been proved beyo nd d ispute . Few o f

the Europea ns in Constan t inople, or e lsewhere, w ho

PLAGUE IN OTHER PLACES . 25 1

adopt this precaut ion suffer ; and were it poss ibleto persuade the na t ives to a dopt s im ilar mea sures ,a s suredly the fa ta l ity, a nd probably the dura t iona lso, of the disea se would be grea t ly diminished .

I ha ve spoken of the plague of Baghdad inparticular, beca use i ts effects ha ve been pressedm ore home upon m y observa tion than tha t in

o ther pla ces but there is sca rcely a city o f Pers iaof

l

w hich nearly the sam e ta le, with the except iono f what refers to the inunda t ion , m ight no t be told,a nd where m isery in the same ra t io w a s no t ex

perienced . Kermanshah , Ha m adan, the who le of

Ko o rdis tan, lost even in a grea ter proport io n . So

did Ma zunderan a nd As tera bad . The popula tionof the w hole province of Gheelan w a s reduced toone-fifth—its ow n people say to one-tenth. The

city of Resht w a s utterly depopula ted so were the

towns of L ahaj an , P omen, T eregoram , &c . C on

ceive this sweep of hum an life — this awful m a ss

of hum an suffering, chiefly a ttributable to ignora nce

and m a l-administra t ion ! a nd think of the bles s

ings of civ ilis at ion— tha t by a we l l-organ ised sy s

tem of go vernmen t , and enforcing the mea sures d ic

ta ted by sense and experience, the weight of this

fearful v is ita tion might , by God’s bles s ing, be

d iminished, if n o t to ta l ly a verted . Would t o Hea

ven tha t even this were the full exten t of ca la

m ity enta iled upon our brethren of the Ea st by

tyra nny and m a l-admin is tra t ion

A s fo r Baghdad , the plague a t length fled befo re

the increa s ing hea t of summer ; by the 26th o f

May ca ses had cea sed to appea r. Mr . Gro ves

25 2 EFFECTS ON THE C ITY .

opened his house soon a fter, and the few rema ining inhabita nts is sued forth to ga ze upon the wrecko f the ir city . Melancho ly enough w a s the scene :o f a ll the buildings of Baghdad there rema ined

s ta nding but a sma l l kno t upon the banks of

the r iver where the ground w a s highest , with a

mo sque or tw o , the wa lls a nd founda t ions of whichhad been mo re securely built than tho se of the othersa nd even o f tho se tha t did rema in scarce o ne had

escaped damage . Even a fter the wa ters had sub

s ided, hou ses continued to fa l l from the effect produced upon the ma ter ia ls a nd from the s inking of

the ground. Beyond this cluster s tretched on a ll

s ides a va ca n t spa ce up to the very wa l ls , m a rked

with ves tiges o f broken wa lls a nd the ruins'

o f morethan tw o-thirds of the city ; and here a nd there laya grea t lake, left by the receding wa ters in the

lower parts of the ground . Of the long lines o f baz a a rs , m any had sha red the genera l wreck , a nd lo ngit w a s befo re tho se tha t rema ined began to fi ll, a ndshops to re-o pen in a ny numbers . Mos t o f the

mercha n ts , a nd a lmos t a ll the a rt ificers were dea d.

E ven now , if you require s ome a rt icle o f m a nufa cture , fo r which the pla ce w a s fo rmerly celebra ted,the a nswer is , “ Ah ! you ca n

’

t get tha t now , fo r

a ll tho se w ho m ade it a re dead o f the plague .

”

Who le trades were swept away ; a nd i t w a s s omet ime befo re the commo n neces sa ries of life—fo oda nd clo thing, were to be ha d fo r the survivingpopula t ion .

Then came the foul fiend Famine, w ho ca rried o ff

a port ion of those whom the pesti lence had left,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

254 M ISTAKEN MEASURES .

preser ved . On the firs t o cca s ion , the Pa shah in

terfered to preven t the people from m ovm g , In hope

o f checking the pan ic with which a ll cla sses wereseized o n i ts first a ppea rance in the city ; a nd sub

sequent ly the inunda t ion effectua l ly deta ined them .

A like a ttempt had been made a t Busso ra . The

city ga tes were closed, a nd the consequences weremos t disa stro us ; fo r fea r a nd consterna t ion ex

a cerba ted the effect of pes t ilence on the pent-upcomm un ity, and the m orta lity exceeded in propor

t ion tha t o f Baghdad . Among the vict ims w a s

the mis taken governor himself, whose indiscretion

thus brought its ow n punishment .

LETTER X .

Politica l Consequences of the Plague .—Displea sure of the Porte a t

the Pa shah .—Capidj ees and Firm auns .

— Danish Effendi is m ur

dered by the Pa shah’

s Orders —The Pa shah’

s Ala rm .—Allee ap

pointed Pa shah of Baghdad .—The City besieged.

—The Pa shahdelivers him self up .

—The City trea cherously given up .—Da ood

sent to Con stantinople .-Mea sures pursued by Allee—Murder

of the Georgian s— and of Sa leh Beg—Character of A llee Pashah ’s Governm ent .

THEW usequences of the pesti lence weres ca rce ly less importa nt , a nd it m ay be s a id fa ta l ,to the Pa sha l ic o f Baghdad, tha n its phys ica l effectson the populat ion . I ha ve a lrea dy observed tha tDa ood Pa sha h had fa llen under the displea sure of the

Porte . The_

daggerous Of independence~

and

self-aggra ndisement d isplayed by him , ha d lo ng s ince

awakened the jea lousy of the Sult an , a nd led him to

resolve upon his doom o n the first fitting o ppo rtun ity

but the imm edia te offence which roused its indigna t ion

a t this pa rticular t ime, w a s no less tha n the murder

o f a n officer sent by it on a mission to the Pa sha h .

It is true tha t the object o f this mission w a s his

ruin— probably his dea th , but the a c t w a s no t the

les s a m urder, a nd trea son to the Sultan his m a s

ter ; for in Turkey, whether his H ighnes s is plea sed

to send a dress o f ho nour, or a bowst ring, i t is the

25 6 CAPIDJEES AND PASEAR S .

etiquette to rece ive the mes senger with equa l re

spect , a nd a po int of duty to bo w the head with

equa l rea diness to e ither.

This, however, is a perfect io n of obedience which

c a n o nly subs is t while the power of the superior i spa ramount , and must cea se when tha t power declines ; and such being to o much the ca se with

Sulta ns in these degenera te days , it ha s becomera ther the fa shion to neglect his H ighnes s’s lea stagreeable comma nds , and, however respectful the

o utwa rd mode of reception, to trea t them with rea l

contempt . St ill a ppea rances a re kept up fo r there

is s ti ll throughout the empire a l ingering sent i

men t of venera t ion for the Sulta n’

s name and '

a u

thority , when brought prominen t ly forwa rd , which

sca rcely a ny ch ief or Pa shah , however powerful ,would ca re to outrage . Thus , when it is known

tha t a cap icjj ee or mes senger i s o n the road , provis ion is made for his reception a ccording to the

n a ture o f his commis s io n , which is genera lly int im a t

ed to its object, long befo re his a ppea rance , by somefriend in his pay a t court . If tha t be fa voura ble,the messenger’s reception is honoura ble and cordia l ;if o therwise, mea sures a re usua l ly taken to retard

his a rriva l, unt i l a n o pportun ity o ccurs fo r pu tting

him out of the w ay— a n a rra ngemen t genera lly m a

naged so a s to ha ve the a ppea ra nce of a ccident ; a

m a t ter no t very d ifficult in a country teeming withba ndi tt i a nd preda tory tribes .

The C ap idj ee s them se lves , we l l awa re o f the

danger o f their mis s io ns , m ake their ow n prepa

ra t ions , a nd a regula r d isplay of ta ct ics on ei ther

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

25 8 A DANGEROUS GAME .

Danish Effendi, to endea vo ur to effect tha t object,w hi le the intrigues of Allee, then Pa sha h of Aleppo ,succeeded in procuring for himself a nom ina t ion to

the expected va cancy.

Wha tever m ay ha ve been the suspic ious o r secretprecaut ions of Da ood, i t does no t a ppear tha t he

w a s quite prepa red for the blow, a t the t ime itcame . Danish Effendi succeeded in rea ching Bagh

dad, and the commun ica t ions he m ade to the Pa shahwere ca lcula ted to mis lea d him a s to the t rue na

ture of his instruct ions : but the C apidj ee, con sciousof the danger o f his po sit ion, a nd, like a ll tra itors ,m istrustful of others , declined taking up his qua rters in the Sera i, where he felt he should be mo rein the Pa shah

’

s power, a nd w a s a ccordingly a ecom

m oda ted in the house of an ofl‘lcer high in the

P a shah’

s confidence, named Ma homed Effendi, betterknown by the des igna t ion of flIuss rufi.

In the mean t im e, he lo oked a round him fo r in

s trum en ts to a ss ist h im in the d ischa rge of his da n

gerous commiss ion ; a nd be fixed upon ano therofficer, a lso high in the Pa shah

’

s fa vour, his Meer

Achor , or m a s ter of the ho rse— a m an of very con

s iderable ta lent ; a nd to him be commun ica ted the

Sultan ’

s order, offering, a t the same t im e, to conferthe inves t iture of the Pa sha lic on himself, pro vided

he should a s s ist in securing the person of his ma s ter .

But the Meer AchOr, though a m an of a bilit ies , hadno t nerve enough fo r the enterprise thus propo sed

to him . L et us hope , to o , tha t a n hones t rega rd

for an indulgent ma s ter had its share in determ in

A DESPERATE CHO ICE . 259

ing him in the course to be pursued . He com m u

nica ted the fa ct to the Mussruff a nd both together,going to the Pa shah, info rmed him of the true n a

ture o f the C a pidj ee’

s errand .

The Pa shah, whose mora l courage appears no t

to ha ve equa lled his a bi lit ies , w a s confounded withthe intelligence, a nd appea red unable to decide on

wha t course he should pursue. But the j uncturew a s too momentous to be trifled with ; E ither

y ou and we mus t go, o r that C apidj ee,”sa id his tw o

a dvisers .

“ If the na ture of his errand is but sus

pected, you a re lo st— now , a nd now on ly is yourt ime .

”The Pa shah , utterly perplexed , a nd una ble

of h im self to resolve on a ny course of a ct ion , w a spersuaded to s a nction, if no t to order the mea surewhich his Mussruff and Meer Achor suggested .

These tw o officers immedia tely left the presence ;a nd, ta king with them a gigant ic fellow of a

chia oosk’

, repa ired to the qua rters of the C apidj ee .

Tha t personage, w ho had ret ired to res t, w a s na

tura lly a larmed a t the unceremon ious manner inwhich he w a s roused fro m his s leep, and in a vo ice

sufficien tly expres s ive o f his a la rm , demanded wha t

they wa nted adding, tha t be trusted the ir un t imelyvis i t po rtended no thing of ha rm . Tha t ,

” observed

the Mus sruff, you will so on d iscover ; a nd the a irs

which you though t fit to a ssume tow a rds m e yester

day , sha ll be pa id off to you to-n ight . The poor

wretch , thoroughly terrified, had recourse, i t is sa id,to the mo st a bject en trea ties but the Musruff ca l led

in the huge chiaoosh, who, quietly unwinding the

s 2

260 MURDER AND ALARM.

shawl from his wa ist , threw a twist round the C a

pidj ee’

s neck , a nd speedily put an end to his prayers

a nd his life together .

Tha t the perpetra tors of this murder felt fa r

from ea sy a s to it s consequences i s clea r enough

from the fact, tha t to quiet suspicion o r popula r

clamour, an individua l, intended to persona te the

C apidj ee and dres sed in his clothes , w a s pa raded

o nce o r twice through the streets ; but the rumour

o f his dea th‘ stillm ga ined ”c

ogedit a bro ad, a nd came

to the ea rs of the Resident , Cu

e j onelm Taylor, w ho

taxed the Pa sha h with the crime , a nd“represented

in s trong colours its probable flcgnflsequences . A t

first the Pa shah equivo ca ted, but the distan t m ut

tering o f the s torm which w a s ga thering a t C o n

s ta n t inople , s oon brought his H ighness n o t only

to confes s ion , but to a n earnest so l icita t ion fo r a d

vice and a ss istance . Po l it ica l cons iderat ions , a s

well a s a convict ion tha t the—P a sha h

!

had ra therbeen fo rced o r surprised into the comm i s s ion of a

crime so common in Ea stern courts , tha n its o ri

gina l contr iver, induced the Res ident to represent

his ca se fa voura bly a t Cons tantinople ; and there i sl itt le doubt tha t the affa ir, with s ome conces s ionso n the pa rt o f the Pa sha h , would ha ve termina tedfa vourably for him ,

—in which ca se an influence mo s ts a luta ry for the Pa sha l ic would ha ve been a cquiredo ver its ruler by the Res ident—when the o ccurrence o f the m isfortune jus t described , effected a s

complete a po lit ica l a s phys ica l a ltera t ion in the

st a te of a ffa irs , a nd pro duced a to ta l revolution in thedes tinies o f the Pa sha lic, a s wel l a s a cha nge o f rulers .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

262 FL IGHT o r DAOOD .

Pa sha h profess ing him self to be the Kioy ah (or

m in i ster) of Allee : but the people rose upon them ,

a nd Suffook and Soly m uan Gunnum were forced to

m ake the ir escape, the former from a house upon

the r iver w hich he swam . Others were se ized,a nd Co ssim Pa sha h , when off his gua rd, w a s pitchedinto a wel l by Ahmed Aga , the T offunchee Ba shee

(commander of the musketeers) o f Da o od.

These violent mea sures confirmed Suffook and

Solym aun Gunnum a s fr iends of Allee . They be

s ieged the town fo r three m on ths , a nd the cannon of

the new Pa shah , w ho by tha t t ime had rea ched the

camp, fired into it in a ll direct ions . At length the

pa t ience of the people go t exhausted , and a m er

cha nt, by name Hajee Kha leel, ha ving communi

c a ted with Allee, let his forces, one n ight, into town

by the southern ga te .

During these proceedings the unfortuna te Da ood,suffering from the effects o f plague which he had

caught, but mira culous ly recovered from , a nd the

wounds consequent on wh ich were st i ll opena ba ndoned by a ll tha t rema ined of his people, even

his women, except tw o of his w ives , who adheredto him to the la st,— lay concea led in the house ofa B aghdadee, known by the n ick-name of Ka raBiber, to which , a s before observed, he had fled

when his pa la ce fell . Previous to tha t t ime he

had subs isted chiefly through the services of one

Seyed H indee, once a boa tman on the river, buto f la te a s o rt of useful ha nger-on about the Res idency . This m an used, once a day , to bring hisH ighness a mess of pillaw , for which be genera lly

HE I S TAKEN. 263

rece ived a piece o f money ; and thus w a s the fo rmerm a s ter of thirty thousa nd troops susta ined in his

advers ity a nd a bandonment by a poor bo a tmanhe now owed life and support, under pa in a nd s icknes s, to a humble shopkeeper .

Da ood’

s pla ce of concea lment , however, becomingknown to Sa leh B eg , w ho ha s been mentioned a s

a spiring to the dignity o f the Viz ierut him self, tha tperson sent people t o bring the fa llen Pa sha h intohis presence . The ma ster of the house, and the

women , a larmed fo r the consequences, propo sed tha the should escape by a doo r tha t opened into a dif

ferent s treet , a nd o ffered him their a ss ista nce fo r

tha t purpo se . But l ife, embittered a s it w a s bypersona l suffering, the sense o f his mighty losses ,a nd the neces s ity of consta nt concea lment, had become too va lueless to the ill-fa ted Da ood, to be

worth a further s truggle .

“ No ,”

sa id he,“the

t ime for res istance o r fo r fl ight is pa st ; I will gowherever, or to wha tever fa te I a m summoned .

”He

w a s set upon a horse (he could no t wa lk), a nd

taken to the house of Sa leh Beg , which is tha t

now o ccupied by the Res ident , a nd in which I a m

now a gues t . He w a s rece ived with respect, but

immedia tely m ade a cqua inted by his host , or ra ther

capto r, w ith his purpo sed a ttempt upon the Pa

sha lic , which he w a s ca lled upon to a id . Some

notion of the powers of Da ood’

s m ind a nd fa cult ies

of persua s ion m ay be fo rmed fro m the fa ct, tha t

this conference, which commenced in so threa tening

a form fo r the ex-Pa shah’

s interes t, termina ted in

an a rra ngem ent, by which Sa leh Beg consented to

264 DAOOD M ILDLY TREATED .

his restora tion to the Viz ierut , a nd to a c t himself

a s his Kiayah o r m in ister.

But these a rra ngements were a ll broken up by

the trea chery o f Hajee Kha leel . Allee ,w a s n ow

m a ster of the city ; his tro ops occupied it , but hedid no t cho o se a s yet to trust his ow n person in

it ; and immedia te ly sending for Da ood Pa shah ,whom he received with a l l po ss ible courtesy, t old

him tha t his life w a s safe ; but tha t he must pro

ceed to Constant inople , where a ls o he wo uld find

his person secure : nay , he informed the fa llenPa sha h tha t he w a s a t l iberty to take wha t pa rt

of his property be plea sed , a nd to see any of hi s

family w ho rema ined a l ive . There is no doubttha t this fo rbea ra nce towa rds his la te enemy w a s

in conformity with o rders from Cons ta nt inople ; butlet us n ot deny to Allee the merit which is hisdue . He m ight ha ve fulfilled these commands withles s of courtesy— he m ight , even without co m

mitting him self, ha ve rendered them ineffect ive , sa vein so fa r a s life w a s concerned ; but he fo rbore,a nd Da ood n o doubt ca rried o ff a con sidera bleproperty, which Allee, by pursuing ano ther course,might ha ve secured to him self. It w a s , however,compa ra t ive ly sma ll — perhaps a po l it ic sa crifice .

H is game a t the t ime w a s certa inly to concilia tesubsequent confisca tions amply indemn ified him .

Allee , thus fixed upon the musnud , a ssumed, a s

I ha ve sa id, the tone of concilia t ion but his firs to bject w a s to remo ve a ll a cknowledged pa rt iza nso f the la te Pa sha h ; a nd to effect th is , he unscru

pulously resorted to the usua l Or ienta l mean s o f

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

266 MURDER o r THE GEORG IANS .

m an he had wounded before the la tter could draw

his weapon, and the Arna outs a t the same momentfired their pieces , a nd fel l upon those w ho rema in

ed unwo unded by the d ischa rge . The struggle w a s

sho rt : a ll the Georgians were put to dea th , somewhere they sa t, o thers in flying, a nd a fter making

a formida ble res is ta nce ; and thus did A llee Pa sha h

rid himself of the la st of Da o od’

s Gho laum s .

It m ay a ppea r a lmo st incredible tha t’

m en in their

s i tua t ion should no t ha ve forseen som e such a ttempt,a nd one a nd a ll sought fo r sa fety in flight : but ,in the firs t pla ce , i t mus t be reco llected tha t fl ight

fro m the ca pita l of a dis ta n t a nd ho st i le country

ha s its da ngers ; a nd, secondly, it appea rs tha t a

more tha n ordina ry sha re o f pa ins w a s taken on

this o cca s ion to blind the v ict ims . To judge ofthe degree of t rea chery a nd deceit m ade use o f,

i t m ay be ment io ned tha t the firs t person struck

down in this scene o f blood w a s a m a n w ho had

fled from the service of Da ood to tha t o f Allee,a t Aleppo, a nd w ho had a ccom pa nied him from

thence a s his Kiay ah, or minister, in which capa

city he w a s s itt ing in the Pa shah’

s divan when

the m urder took pla ce— such i s Ottoman fa ith, and

the rewa rd o f service in Turkey

Nor did Sa leh Beg escape long. He, in likem anner, w a s blinded by a shower of fa vours , a nd

wa lked on in a drea m of delus ive security, t il l oneday , when pa ssm g from the o ffice-chamber of the

Kiayah to tha t o f the Pa sha h, into who se presencehe had been summoned, he w a s suddenly seizedin a na rrow pa ssage, and drawn a side a nd s tra ngled .

MEASURES o r ALLEE PASHAH . 267

It would be no plea sant ta sk to describe in

deta il the t is sue of trea chery, crime, a nd ra pa city

tha t succeeded these events , no r do I pretend to

the honour of be ing Allee P a shah’

s his to ria n . So

so o n a s prudence permitted, a ll the property oftho se in any m a nner connected with the la te Pa sha hw a s confisca ted, a nd seizures go on to the pre

sen t day . These a re even ts too customa ry upona change o f governors to a ttra ct much a ttent ion ,

except from the pa rt ies concerned. But this is no t

the wors t : hea vy dut ies were impo sed on c om

merce ; the pea sa ntry were a bandoned to the ex

t o rt ious o f the Pa shah’

s serva nts ; and s o a tro ci

ously bad ha s been the genera l cha ra cter and effects

of his a dminis tra t ion, tha t the coun try ha s become

a lmo st a desert, overrun by the Ara b tribes, w ho

swa rm up to the very ga tes o f the city ; and his

revenues , a s fa r a s they depend upon agriculture,ha ve been reduced compa ra t ively to nothing, while

terro r and detest a t ion of his person and his go vern

m ent pervade a ll ranks o f the people , with the ex

ception of his ow n im media te crea tures .

LETTER XI.

Appearance of the City w ithin and w ithout the Wa lls .—Politicsof Allee The Jerboah Arabs—they invest are City—“

RBtféfiti —The Aneiza Arabs ca lled in— dismissed un cere

m oniously by the Pa shah they refuse to retire and investthe City.

— Engagem ent betw een the Pa shah’

s Troops a ided bytheir Arab Allies and the Aneiza— the form er defea ted, and the

Jerboah Sheikh sla in .—All the neighbouring Popula tion driven

w ithin the Wa lls —White A sses and bla ck Slaves —Fem a leApa rtm ent s and Costum es .

—Jew els . Occupations—Visits.Voices .

—Genera l Conduct and Character.

UNDE R the circums tances rela ted in my la stletter, you ca nno t suppo se tha t Baghdad woremuch a ppea rance of prosperity when I enteredit . The firs t r ide through the city betrayed itswretched condit ion , a nd brought into view the

deep tra ces o f tha t flood of misfo rtune which hadso la tely pa ssed over it . Immed ia tely beyond the

compa ra t ively sma ll knot o f buildings left s tanding

by the inunda t ion , lay the w ide wa ste o f ruins ithad left , with here and there a new house s ta rt ing

up like a gho st from amidst the relics o f a bur ied

popula t ion . La rge spa ces o f ground had sunk,s tra ngely enough , under the pres sure of the wa ter,fo rming deep ho llows among the ga rdens, which

fill up a cons iderable spa ce in the southern part

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

70 ALLEE PASHAH’

S POLICY ,

s tretches on a ll s ides to the very ga tes . It is

true tha t a t this period this desert is enl ivenedby ten ts and camps of Arabs, by flocks o f sheep

and ca tt le, herds of camels , a nd a con s idera ble

success ion of comers a nd goers on foot or on horse

ba ck ; but even this tempora ry Show of life and

bust le i s owing to the pa rt icular and most unw el

come pressure of externa l circumstances .I ment ioned tha t on my a rriva l near the town I

had lea rned tha t a tribe o f ho s t ile Ara bs w a s en

camped in the neighbourhood ; I did n o t , however,know how nea r w e had been to witness ing an Ara b

ba ttle . It appea rs tha t the politics of Allee Pa sha h ,which like tha t of his predecesso rs a nd m any so ve

reigns o f the Ea st a s wel l a s West, a re grounded

on the Jesuit ica l maxim of D ivide et im p era ,

a lways a da ngerous one— had broken down in

the present ca se, a nd left him sorely in the lurch .

It had been the pra ct ice of his predeces sors , few o f

whom were powerful enough to control co llect ivelythe numerous tribes o f Ara bs by whom they weresurrounded, to fomen t d isco rd between them , and

when threa tened o r pressed by o ne tr ibe to bringup a nother to oppo se them . This, I say , is da n a

gerons po licy, un les s when ba cked by a force suffi

cient a t a pinch to render the po lit icia n indepen

dent o f untowa rd contretem s . If such be no t a t his

comma nd, the chances a re tha t, a s in the ca se o f

Allee Pa shah , incroa chm ents a re m ade by ea ch

pa rty, who by turns play the pa r t of friend a nd

foe, unti l from servan ts and a l lies they becomema sters .

AND ITS CON SEQUENCES . 271

The tribe o f Jerbah o r Jerbo ah (from the an ima l

so named) ha d o rigina lly been brought into the

upper part of the Pa sha lic in order to a ss is t thela te Pa sha h in turning out some other ra ce o f

robbers ; a nd the service which the ir chief, Suffook,had rendered to Allee , ent it led him, in his o w n

opin ion, to some further indulgence o r concess ionfrom tha t Pa sha h . But Allee thought differentlyon this po int fro m his la te co adjutor ; he rejectedSuffo ok

’

s demands a nd threa tened him with his

high displea sure ; on which the Arab first ret ired tothe upper part of Mes opotamia , where he stopped a llintercourse upon the ro ad, plundered ca ra va ns a nd

s tripped t ra vellers , and next , by w ay o f giving hisla te m a ster a specimen of his power , he came downwith his who le tribe a nd invested Baghdad itse lf.F o r three months w a s the city held in blockade,

and the neighbouring villages plundered a t will bythis hardy robber, without the sma l les t oppo s itionbeing m ade on the pa rt of the Pa sha h— indeed hehad no m ea ns o f m aking any . At the end of tha tt ime, whether from fa i lure o f fo rage a nd increa s ing

sca rcity of plunder, or some o ther ca use, the Arabssuddenly broke up the ir camp a nd disappea red ;a nd Baghdad, o ne fine morn ing, found itse lf freeof its troublesome v is i ters . Suffo ok retired to his

ha un ts in Upper Mesopot amia ; but promised a re

pet it ion o f his vis it in the fo llowing yea r— a threa tso a la rming to the Pa sha h , tha t he sent to ca l l inthe a ss ista nce of the Aneiza , a nother very powerful

t ribe, to whom he promised the lands of the Jer

bo ah , upon condit ion o f turning them out of them .

272 JERBOAII ARABS .

No t trus t ing to this mea ns a lone,“

the Pa shah

a lso con tr ived to crea te a d ivis ion among the Jerboah themselves ; a nd, usm g the power a rroga ted

by his predecessors , however nomina l in his o w n

ca se,’

of crea t ing whom soever he chose a s Sheik/i s ,

o r chiefs of the Arab tr ibes , be nomina ted a young

m an , rejoicing in the euphon ious name of Schla ush,

to the dign ity of Sheikh of the Jerboah. Only a

sma ll number of the tr ibe, however, pa id a tten t ion

to this nom ina t ion, while the grea ter a nd mo s t re

spec table port ion a dhered to their o ld chief Suffo ok .

In the mea n t ime the Ane iza , who se mo uths wa ter

ed a t the prospect of revelling in the rich pa stures of

the Jerbo ah, came a s required, with no‘less tha n

thirty-five thousand figh ting m en, making sure o f

a nn ihila t ing their opponents . But by this time the

a la rm s of the Pa sha h a nd his pro tege Schlaush werequieted by the retrea t of Suffook, fro m some ca use

o r o ther, to a st i ll sa fer dista nce ; a nd his H ighness

sent to inform his new a llies tha t the ir services were

no t now required . You will no t wonder tha t theAneiza , whose hopes were high , a nd who had comefrom dis ta nt regio ns , where litt le fa t w a s to be found

on the bones of the la nd , should take this ca va liermode o f trea tment in a nything but go od part . They

fl a t ly refused to lea ve the pla ce , unt il the Pa sha h

should ha ve complied with Iris pa rt o f the agreement ,a s they had perfo rmed theirs ; a nd they took up a

po s it ion a cro s s the n a rrowes t pa rt o f the j ez irahin the vicini ty o f the ci ty, ca lcula ted to lend em

pha sis to their determina t ion .

T he Pa shah , aga in a larmed, now ca l led upon his

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

274 PORBEARANC E o r THE ANE I ZA.

troops a nd turned a ll their vengea nce aga ins t the ir

Ara b enemies . The cry w a s Let a lone the N i

zcim and kill the Jerbo ah,

” —which a cco rdingly they

did a s long a s they s to od . As for the ca nnon , the

ignorant rovers of the desert did no t seem to under

s tand wha t they were a t a ll events , they knew n ot

how to use them so they rema ined on the field unt il

the P a shah’

s troops , encouraged by the forbea rance

o f their foes , took po sses s ion o f them unoppo sed ,a nd retrea ted wi th no sma ll rapidity to the shelter

of the city wa ll .

Such w a s the st a te o f things when I rea ched Bagh

dad . Fear of the Aneiza had dri ven in every

'

vil

lager a nd ga rdener, a nd a ll the petty Arab tribes tha t

were wont to en camp in the country a round , within

the wa lls ; a nd a ll w ho had flo cks of sheep o r herds

o f ca tt le , or camels , in the vicinity, to ok refuge therea lso in the ample empty spa ces left by the inunda tion .

This adds a s suredly to the populo usnes s a nd life o f

the pla ce , but it a lso adds mo s t disagreea bly to the

uproa r and co nfus ion of its streets . It is these flo cks

a nd herds to which I h a ve a l luded a s pa s s ing a nd

repa s s ing my window every m orn ing , a nd making

the ir presence known by such a din ; a nd when w e

a ttempt ea rly o f a m o rn ing to pa s s through certa instreets , o r to is sue from the ga tes , it is wel l if our

pa tience be n o t quite exha usted before a pa ssage ca n

be effected . Is no t this a pretty picture of a pro

vince which should be one o f the m o st flourishinga nd product ive of the who le Turkish empireNo vember 20 .

—Since my la s t da te w e ha ve rid

den a nd w a lked a bout a good dea l . We ha ve tra

TOMB OF ZOBEIDAII. 275

versed a ll the habitable qua rters of Baghdad, a nd

vis ited mo s t of the objects worthy of a ttent ion .

Among o thers , the tomb of the fa ir a nd w i tty Zobeidah, the wife o f Ha roon ul Ra sheed . I ha ve little ,however, to rema rk a bou t i t , sa ve tha t it cons is ts o fa s ingula r obelisk-like spire , set upon‘

a very ugly,

ta ll, o ctagona l ba se, the lower pa rt of which,I pre

sume, con ta ins the pla ce of sepulture, but I did no t

go in to see . They make a wo rk a bout these thingshere , which I wished to a vo id, a nd my curio s ityrega rding Mussulm a un mausolea ha s been to o muchblunted by d isappo intm ent , on mos t o cca s ions , to

be very keen upon this . No r sha ll I enterta in you

with either the raptures o r mus ings tha t m ay ha verisen in my mind at the tomb of this celebra ted

bea uty, to who se name w e a ll a t ta ch some plea s ing

youthful reco l lect io n, a nd which is connected with

much juveni le amusement , though a ssuredly, so fa ra s my elderly imagina tio n would permit , the dayswhen she sa t a nd amused herself, like her lord a nd

ma s ter, with lis ten ing to ta les and adven tures , fa iledno t to rise before m e . But the pa la ce of the Kha

lifs is gone— even it s sight is unknown ; the glo ry

ha s depa rted from the la nd, a nd the spirit which

once inspired i ts s on s and da ughters, ha s fled to o ther

rea lms , -so lea ve w e the dust of Zobeidah to i ts

repo se, a nd turn to o ther scenes

Amongst the object s , which next to.

the number

of wild-looking Ara bs , a re apt to a rres t the o bserva

t io n o f a s tranger in his wa lks through Baghdad,I think m ay fa irly be pla ced the mult itude o f white

a s ses , and intensely bla ck and exquis itely ugly negro

T 2

276 WH ITE ASSES .

s la ves tha t swa rm in a ll the streets a nd ba za a rs .

F o r the fo rmer there is qui te a cra ze here — white

i s your on ly co lour fo r a donkey , a nd y o u sca rce ly

m eet any person o f re specta bility, m an or woma n ,

mounted on a nything e lse than these spo tles s quadru

peds— except , indeed, the mo re wa rlike cla sses , w ho

despise a nything under the gra de o f a n Ara b steed .

Mo st of the lea rned and ho ly profes s ions prefer the

meeker an ima l , a nd s o do a ll the ladies ; s o tha t

the number in use is very grea t ; a nd a s women

o f the highe r ra nks seldom move without a mult i

tude of a t tendants s imila rly moun ted, w hen such a

visi t is made a t the house o f a n eighbour, the bray

ing concert becomes into lerable . These a s ses a re , I

believe , o f a pa rticula r breed , a nd fetch very high

prices— from forty to fifty pounds sterl ing be ing no

uncommon sum fo r o ne of grea t s ize , go od blo od ,a nd fine pa ces . They a re m a gn ificent ly ca pa ri soned ,a nd every one o f the po o r a n ima ls ha s it s n o s trils

s l it , a pra ct ice preva len t a lso in Pers ia, a nd which i s

s a id t o m ake them lo nger winded . Hea ven knows

the ir wind is long eno ugh when they begin to bray .

The rage fo r bla ck Sla ves here is qui te a s uni

vers a l a s th a t fo r whi te donkey s , a nd, j udging from

a ppea ra nces , I sho uld suppo se tha t the uglier they

a re , the mo re they a re va lued— l ike an is le of Skyet e rrier, who se bea uty con s is ts in it s especia l a nd perfeet uglines s . These da rk bea uties , m a le a nd fem a le,come chiefly from Ma daga sca r a nd Za nzeba r, a nd a re

supplied fo r the m o s t pa rt by the Im aum o f Musca t—a very s ta unch a nd wo rthy a lly o f ours , in who seha nds nea rly a ll o f the t rade res ts . They a re a ll

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

278 WOMEN ’S WALK ING DRESS .

exem pted fro m these restrictions, a nd m ay ride a s

freely a s they plea se .

Another a nd scarcely more plea s ing fea ture in the

crowd which frequent s the ba zaa rs , a ppea rs in the

vis ions in dark blue with bla ck ma sks , which s lip about

in litt le yellow boots , and which you a re told a re

wom en . Heaven knows , disguised thus , they a ppear

like a nything ra ther than the fa irest pa rt of the crea

t ion . Their grea t wrappers of da rk blue, or blue and

w hite cloth envelop ing the person from head to foot ,effectua lly concea l both figure and dress, while a vei l

o f bla ck but thinly woven horse-ha ir, protects the

wea rer’s face completely from the rega rd of pa ssers

by, a t the same t ime tha t she’

c an see perfect ly a ll

tha t pa sses before her. I ha ve laughed when a ccident ha s o cca s iona lly remo ved one of these da rkskreens , to see behind it a fa ce st ill bla cker than thefriendly m a sk ; but somet imes i t does a lso ha ppentha t the lo vely fa ce of some youthful Geo rgian lurksunder the envious veil, and I ha ve fe lt a stro ng inc lina tion to stretch fo rth a sa crilegious h and , a nd

withhold for a moment the eclipse of a visio n so

delightful, yet so rare in these pa rts—the s ight offema le beauty — in fa ct no better disguise tha nthese hideous shrouds , with which fema les whenthey go abroa d deform them selves , could ha ve beeninvented by Orienta l jea lousy to sca re away pryingeyes a nd damp the spirit of libert inism . In them

youth a nd age, defo rmity and beauty, wea r the samea spect, a nd the idea sugges ted by every fema le thusclo thed is tha t of a frightful old hag , clad in the

ga rb o f poverty a nd mea nness .

INTER IOR OF THE HAREMS . 79

Yet do es this uninviting exterior, in fa ct, protectthe forbidden fruit fro m longing eyes ? » Ala s ! theinexhaust ible ta les o f love a nd o f intrigue, with thetragica l ca ta strophes which genera lly close thesedrama s of romance and crime, tel l a fa r differents tory, and prove, to o surely, tha t the m adden ingforce a nd consequence o f pent-up pa ssions in these ,a s in a ll other countries , i s the same . In fa ct, ful l

well i s it known tha t these forbidding veils do often

shroud the choicest beauties of the harem—youngand lovely women , a nd, whether fa ir o r o therw ise,a s gorgeo us ly appa rel led a s the means of fa ther o r

of husband can afford . It is on the persons a nd

apa rtments of his women tha t the Turk la vishes

the wea lth he fea rs to display a broad . His public

a pa rtments m ay be mea n, the ca rpets o ld a nd

worn, the cushio ns so i led ahd threa dba re, nay , the

shawl which wra ps his head o r w a ist m ay be shabby,o r on ly an imita tion of the true Ca shmere ; but,depend upon it , the chambers of the forbidden pla ce

a re no t only comforta bly, but luxurious ly furnished .

Could you enter there, you would see the carpets

of Herat a nd Kerma nsha h, the num uds of Kha een

and Tuft ; the ch intzes o f India o r of England the

broad clo ths of Yorkshire and Gloucestershire; a nd

the s i lks of China , o f Yezd, o r o f Ga shan, ornament

ing , or rendering comfo rtable the a partment s of his

w omen . You would see their heads co vered with

the fines t shawls of Ca shm ere , or the richest bro

c aded ha ndkerchiefs of Lyons ; their persons cla d

in the most gorgeous velvet s, and wrapped in the

most expen sive furs . You would obs erve their

28 0 AND FEMALE HABIL IMENTS .

ea rs , their fo rehea ds , a nd the ir n ecks , glittering

with jewels ; the ir ha ir entwined wi th pea rls , the ir

fingers co vered w ith spa rkl ing r ings , and their who le

a ppea ra nce , a s well a s a ll a round them , denot ing

w ea l th a nd luxury .

No thing , indeed, can be more splendid in co lo ur

o r m a teria l, than the dres s o f the Turkish ladies of

Baghdad ; but I fea r tha t, without a ccura te dra w

ings , it would be a lmo s t impo ss ible to convey to

y ou an idea o f the ir co s tume . So fa r a s I c a n

lea rn , the Turkish fa ir o ne wea rs , in the firs tpla ce , a long chemise o f s ome fine gauze-like s tuff

o f s ilk o f va r ious co lours , which opens in front

nea rly to the girdle be ing cla sped a t the neck wi th

s ome rich jewel . This chemise i s ve ry ha ndsomely

embro idered round the neck a nd down the bo som ,

a nd its long lo o se s leeires , which a ppea r ha nging

out fro m the open wris ts o f the vest , a re bea ut ifully

wo rked with go ld and s i lver a nd va riou s-co loured

s i lks . Over this , when no t sufficien t ly r ich , a so rt

o f front s t i l l m o re exquis itely a do rned, a nd extending fro m the neck to benea th the wa is t , is wo rn bys ome ; but I suspec t this piece o f dres s i s chiefly u sedto concea l a deficiency o f finene ss in the shift . Overthe chemise , is wo rn a long-skirted vest , fitt ing tightto the shape , s o fa r a s the wa is t, wi th t ight s leeves ,w hich , however , a re left o pen nea rly a s fa r a s the

elbo w . This is m ade o f a ll so rts o f rich s tuffs , s ilksflowered a nd pla in, bro ca des , sh awls , velvets , &c .

a nd o rnamented wi th embro idery o f every kind,a cco rd ing to the ta s te o f the wea rer . Over thiss ome wea r a short j a cket o f s im ila r s tuff, l ined with

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

28 2 JEWELS .

display the embroiders to the bes t adva ntage, and yetw i thout the sma l lest appea ra nce of a rt o r cons tra int ,and the end i s made to hang down, o n the left s ide ,wi th an ea sy a nd peculia rly gra ceful fa ll . The

shawls used a re a lways the finest Ca shmeres , and

a re fringed with go ld and s i lver ornaments, o r

pea rls and other jewels. In putt ing on this head

dres s , the ha ir is so pla tted a nd wound a bout theturban a s to fo rm of itself an ornament, and one

o r tw o long bra ids hang down behind, a nd end in

a ta ss e l o f gold coins o r jewels . On one s ide, under

the turba n , but so a s to co m e pa rt ly into view, a

rope of strings of pea rl, lo oped together w ith pre

cion s s tones , is hung and twis ted with the ha ir ;a nd quantit ies o f pea rls , in va rious form s , a re hunga round bes ides , a cco rding to the ta ste o r ca priceof the wea rer. As to the jewe ls most common lywo rn— how sha l l I describe them in a ll their va riety

of fo rm , and pla ce, a nd co lour There i s the j ika lz,o r pine-shaped o rnament pla ced on one s ide, a nd

the teeta o n the other, a nd the Aeen-e-g oonee in

front , depending towa rds the forehead , a ll of dia

monds, and rubies , a nd emera lds . And then there

a re a thousa nd sma ller butterfl ies , and cla sps , and

pins , a nd pendants , no t to be enumera ted o r de

scribed . In short, the Turkish lady’s head-dress ,with its full port ion of jewels , forms a r ich and

da zzling who le, which s trikes you a t once a s go r

geons , bea utiful, a nd ta steful, but which mocksde script ion .

Then the ea rs a re furnished with penda nts , and

a number of neckla ces , d iamonds , em era lds, pea rls ,

THE TOUTE-EN SEMBLE . 28 3

a nd cha ins of go ld, encircle‘

the throa t , a nd fa ll

down upon the bosom . The a rms , midway be

tw een the shoulder a nd e lbow, a re bound with bazubuna

’

s , o r a rmlets , which a re genera lly o f grea tva lue ; the wris ts , in like m a nner, glitter with a n

unspeakable quant ity a nd va r iety of bra celets . The

wa ist is encircled with a zone o f velvet cla sped with

a bo ss o f go ld and precious s tones , the zone itself,of the rich , being set round wi th diamonds ; the

poor content themselves with less va luable s tonesa nd fine work in go ld . T o conclude, the fingersa re , one a nd a ll, covered with innumerable rings ,set w ith s tones of finest s ize a nd rarest wa ter,nay , the very toes a re jewel-clad , a nd i f they dono t , l ike those o f the lady in the nursery rhyme ,make m usic , they a t lea st spa rkle a nd glit ter withevery movement , and thus doth the Turkish lady

s tand o r move , a thing o f da zzling light and lustre .

I fo rgo t to ment ion, among the o rnamen ts’

o f the

hands a nd feet , a curious s ort of ring worn upon

the thumbs a nd grea t toes , it is shaped somewha t

like ha lf a thimble , the bro ad s ide being wo rn up

perm o s t , a nd set with brillia nts o r o ther jew e ls ;a nd— I beg pa rdon , there a re the s lippers— the

pretty litt le use less s lippers— equa l to tho se of C in

derella , but you sha l l see a pa ir. These are sus

ceptible o f any ornament which suits the ta ste o r

riches of the beauty whose feet they sca rcely serve

to pro tect from the rich ca rpet on which she treads ,but a s they a re on ly used in moving from one room

to a no ther it is o f less consequence .

From a ll this you will percei ve tha t the dress

2 8 4 MENTAL QUAL IF ICATIONS .

o f a Turkish lady no t on ly is very gorgeous a nd

m agnificen t , but tha t i t s co st m ay be indefinitely

increa sed a cco rding to the owner’s mea ns , a s i ts

s tyle o f o rna m ent m ay be va ried a ccording to her

t a ste . I wish I could a dd tha t the minds of the

fa ir wea rers were a s highly a do rned by a ccomplish

ment s a s the ir persons a re by dress . But from a ll

the a cco unts I ha ve been able t o ga ther , thi s is fa r,very fa r be ing the ca se . In fa ct, the igno ra nce

,

frivo lity, a nd inde lica cy of the women o f ra nk in

Baghdad is s ta ted to be pa infully rema rkable, no r

i s it ea sy to conce ive how it should be otherwise ;fo r wha t o ppo rtun it ies of impro vem en t c a n they

ha ve , either from example o r precept ? Wha t m o

dels ha ve they to imita te ? Tra ined up to plea se

a m a s ter , w ho , in his domest ic cha ra cter, i s o ften

l ittle bet ter tha n a brute ; to dres s , a nd pa int , and

smile , a nd constra in them selves to sui t the humou r

o f their lo rd, w ho could no t, a nd would n o t va lue

a ny exhibit ion o f intellect o r menta l power in his

m a rried s la ve , wha t bette r is to be expected tha n

tha t they should , fo r the mo st pa rt , become soulless ,m indles s puppets ?

So fa r a s I c an a scerta in , they ha ve no o ccupa

pa t io ns , a t home, except those, i f such they ca n be

ca l led , o f dres sm g , a rranging their clo thes a nd jewels,smoking, a nd drinking co ffee , go ss iping with theirs la ves , o r with the Jew women w ho come to furn ishthem w ith s tuffs , toys , a nd jewe ls . They play with

their children when they ha ve a ny , but they ha ven o no t io n o f educa ting them ; tha t duty i s leftt o the sha re o f nurses a nd g oa vernantes . Their

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 8 6 LAD I ES AND DONKEYS .

to be formed on o ne sca le, and tha t is , the ro ar

of a n Arab w ho converses with a friend a t the

other extremity of a crowded ba za a r . They a ll

screa m a nd ha llo o a t such a pitch , tha t when

they a ll speak together, a s is genera lly the ca se , the

effect somewha t surpa sses the uproar m ade by the ir

donkeys below , which i s n o t saying a little, —yea ,veri ly, I suspect on the who le , tha t of the donkeys

is the more suffera ble o f the tw o ; and this I do

no t t ake a ltogether on informa t ion ; fo r, in pa s s ing

in the s treet by a house hono ured by the presence

o f a fem a le pa rty , I ha ve l istened to the noise of

bo th , and rea lly the pa lm a ppea red to res t with theladies . But they a re not a ltogether content with

their ow n n o ise, n or with the de lights of the ir ow n

con versa t ion . They mus t have s ingers and da ncers

to a s s is t ; and, to be sure, when these a re in full

swing , and the cho rus of a pplause burs ts from the

a ssembly, it i s the very perfect ion o f uproa r— o ld

Ba be l in its confusion w a s but a j oke to it .

I wish the ir no isy a nd untuneful voices were thewo rs t point in the bea ut ies o f Baghdad . But , nu

educa ted a s they a re , it is their indelica cy, theirmeanness , a nd gro s s inquis it iveness tha t a re mo stca lcula ted to disgust perso ns o f mo re cult iva ted

minds . It is da ngerous to let a pa rty o f themlo o se among cho ice a nd curious things ; fo r they fa ll

upon them tooth a nd na il, put them in utter disorder, o r pull them to pieces ; long for them ,

—nay ,a sk for them , a nd somet imes very unceremon ious ly ,—occa s iona lly even by s tea lth , posses s them selves of

wha t they admire . As fo r their co nversa t io n, it is

MORAL QUALITIES . 28 7

m a rked by anything ra ther than reserve or delica cy,a nd in po int of subject c a n of course s o a r no higherthan the limited sphere o f the ir educa t ion and scopeo f the ir minds . A lady-like ca rriage they a re some

t imes s a id to ha ve, a nd ma ny o f them a re kindhea rted a nd good-humoured and I fa ncy these qua li

t ies, with individua l except io ns , which no doubt exist ,fo rm the chief sum o f their socia l virtues . The germso f o thers m ay ha ve been born with them , but ha vewithered through neglect, o r been smothered by themore luxuria nt growth o f hypocrisy , a nd frivo li ty

enco uraged by the sta te o f so ciety to which they

a re unhappi ly confined . Well m ay the wom en of

Europe , and of England in pa rt icula r, bless tha tkind Providence which ha s preserved them from so

degraded a co ndit ion ; a nd well m ay the m en o f

these m ore fa voured rea lm s be thankful fo r the

bles s ing they enj oy in partners fit ted in a ll respectsfo r the high s ta te of intellectua l refinement which

they ha ve a tta ined . L et bo th lay t hese bless ings

to hea rt , a nd be ca ut ious how they consent to disturb t oo fa r or ra shly a so cia l sys te m which , under

God, ha s been the means of bes towing o n them so

much ha ppines s .

I ha ve sa id no thing of the lo w er orders o f womenhere , beca use they a re more o r less the drudgeswhich necess i ty m akes them in a ll countries . As

they rise in the sca le of wea lth and ea se they imita te

the ir superiors . In the s treets , you see the Ara bwomen go ing a bout unvei led and in very m ea n

ga rb, covered with the eterna l a bba , their pers o ns

s ta ined with innumerable blue ta ttooed ma rk s , a nd

28 8 MEN ’S ATTIRE .

the ma rried o nes bea ring on the s ide of one nostri l

a go ld o r si lver o rnament , like an immense filigreewo rk button , and a nklets a nd bra celets o f s i lver o r

bra ss , a cco rding to their mea ns . The Armen ia n a nd

Ca tho lic women dres s , I bel ieve , pretty m uch a s

the Turks do ; but the Jew es ses ha ve a d ifferent

a t tire , o f which l a m igno ra nt , a nd the Armen ians

o f o ther places ha ve a lso the ir peculia r co s tume . All

the fem a le co stumes o f Baghdad va ry, I a m info rm

ed, cons iderably from tho se o f Co ns ta nt inople .

After this long t rea t ise o n fema le dres s , you will

pro ba bly excuse m e from ente ring into a pa rt icula r

deta i l of tha t of the m en . The tw o predo m m a t ing

co s tumes a re tho se o f the Turk a nd o f the Ara b .

The former wea rs a lo o se vest t ied round the wa is twi th a shawl , o ver which is thrown a benesh , o r

clo ak of bro ad clo th , genera lly embro idered . In

co ld wea ther he wea rs a j a cket , o r co a t l ined w i th

fur benea th this , a nd a la rge turba n o f white mus lin

o r shawl round his head . T he Ara b d res s , I ha vea lrea dy described ; and ha ve o nly further to a dd ,

tha t the mixture o f ga rbs a nd co lours , wi th the

gli tter o f a rm s a nd a ppo intment s , m ake a to lera bly

amu sing a nd l ive ly d isplay .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

290 THE PASHAH .

us into his presence much better . We found there

a fa t m a n a bout fifty yea rs of age, clad in a fur

beneesh, with a fez upon his head, s itting in a very

modera tely furnished o uter apa rtment , open on one

s ide ent irely to the court . There w a s a to lerableca rpet on the flo or, and the cushions and m usnud

w e sa t on were covered with crimson s ilk .

The Pa sha h w a s a fa t m an , a s I ha ve sa id, wi th

a good dea l o f the Ta rta r countena nce, but no t a n

unplea s ing manner . He conversed with m e a good

dea l, speaking Turkish t o my Pers ian a nd o n the

who le, w a s wel l enough fo r a Pa sha h : but there

were too m any persons present to a dmit of his opening out, a s I w a s told he w a s likely to ha ve donehad w e been a lone . The room w a s -well filled with

persons in Turkish , Arab, Pers ian , a nd Ko ordish

dres ses , a nd there w a s no wa nt o f ta lkers ; but a s

li tt le is to be ga ined from such conversa t ion, I ro sea s soon a s propriety permitted ; a nd, taking lea ve

o f his Highnes s , went to ca l l on the Kiay ah, w ho

s a t in a da rk room down a pa ssage sombre enough

looking, a t some distance . It is in these da rk pa s

s ages , in the sera is of Princes and Pa shahs , tha t

so m a ny murders a re committed . A poor fel low,

suspecting no thing a s he pa s ses a long them , ha s a :

shawl thrown round his neck from behind, is jerked

o n his ba ck , a nd s tra ngled before he can utter a n

Alla h !” o r a n Alban ian from a s ide-door dis

cha rges a blunderbu ss into his a bdomen, o r shoo tsa pistol-bullet through his bra in , and no more a boutit t ill the headles s trunk is seen exposed in the

m a ida un. Something of this sort had occurred , a s

THE KIAYAH. 29 1

I w a s info rmed, but a short While s ince in this very

pa ssage ; I go t through it s a fe ly, however, a nd

found the Kiay ah, w ho had been the genera l o f the

bea ten a rmy, s it t ing in his co rner, with a co lonel o fthe regula rs a nd a n officer of the Alban ia n ho rsenea r him , bes ides a host of n ondescripts lining threesides o f the ro om , come to congra tula te him uponhis la te explo its, I suppo se ; fo r by their ow n a c

count , it would a ppea r, tha t though they fled theynevertheless perfo rmed grea t t hings . The c o m

ma nder o f the a rtillery swea rs tha t he fired five

hundred rounds fro m his guns , a nd tha t ea ch round

killed fifteen of the enemy . He does no t say m ore,

a s he l ikes to be within the m a rk, and to be be

lieved : nevertheless , somehow o r o ther, they w ere

forced to retrea t— tha t he a dmitted .

A very!

short .vis it here sufficed : w e to ok coffee ,smoked a pipe or tw o - a t lea s t they did , no t I

a nd I made my retrea t from the sera i , beset by a

whole ho st of his H ighnes s’

s serva nts with demands

ra ther tha n requests fo r presents , preferred in the

mo st impo rtuna te tone . This , bo th here and a t

Constan tinople , .i s a mo s t d isgust ing nuisa nce ; but

it is worse here . All the serva nts o f a ny grea t

m an you m ay vis it here expect t o be fed, o r to re

ceive some present fro m the s tranger, and so com

pletely ha s this a bominable cus to m become pa rt o f

the system , tha t serva nts lay their a ccoun t with

such fees a s pa rt of the ir wages , a nd to a vo id co m

pliance isimpo ss ible. Every one ha s some po in t

to ga in, and pays a ccordingly. E m p toy és fee the

grea t ma n’

s serva nts tha t they m ay secure friendsU 2

292 MORE -OF ALLEE PASHAH .

a t court, while they in turn a re tip ! by their o w n

ha ngers on ; a nd thus ha s i t become s o un iversa l a

custom , tha t o ne ca nno t m ake a common vis it w ith

out fee ing the who le househo ld . At the sera i , it

i s a bso lute ly a bominable : the numberles s a ttend

a n ts beset one l ike ba ndit t i ; and to such a n extent

i s the compuls ion ca rried, tha t the so ldiers on guard

will s omet imes cro ss t he ir bayo nets a nd refuse to

e t y ou pa s s un t il you come down wi th your co in .

I know no t whether I should return to the subject

o f the Pa sha h , a s i t is o ne on which I ha ve little

a greeable to s ay but a sketch of Baghda d, however

s light, would be very incomplete without a few

s trokes of the pencil devo ted t o descr ibe i ts presentma ster, The exterio r of Allee Pa sha h I ha ve a l

ready given you . H is mind i s no t mo re a ttra ct ive

t han the ca sket which enshrines i t . He is weak of

j udgm en t , infirm o f purpose, irreso lute in a ct ion,gross in his a ppet ites , selfish a nd a va r icious . It is

s a id tha t he is no t na tura lly disposed e ither to c ru

elty o r inj ust ice, but dis likes so much to ha ve his

m ind dis turbed by exert ion o f a ny so rt tha t, ra therthan submit to such annoya nce, he will suffer o thers ,unchecked , to commit the gros sest cr imes ; so tha this serva nts take a dvan tage of this weaknes s a nd

h is a va rice to Oppress the people, a s sured tha t hewill qua rrel w ith n o thing which brings him mo neyand lea ves him a t res t . He is s a id to be goodna tured a nd po s sessed o f cons idera ble l itera ry a c

quirem ents ; a nd I ha ve hea rd fro m good authority

tha t his Turkish verses a re fa r from despica blebut he is a ltogether a person o f low and grovelling

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

294 THE EXPER IMENT,

bel ieving only in the roguery of the a dept, M . de Ma r

quez reso lved to w a tch the proces s very clo sely, in o rder

to detect the impo s it ion , weighed with his ow n hands

and put into the crucible the bra s s which w a s to be

transmuted, and which he him self had provided

the cha rcoa l m ade use of he likewise examined ; and

the process w a s conducted with the a ppa ra tus a nd in

the labora tory of the mint . In the course of the work,the m an required a certa in a nd very sma l l po rtion

of whi te a nd yellow a rsen ic, a nd M. de Ma rquez, in

order to preven t pos s ibility o f a ny trick , sen t for the

a rticle to a shop tha t he could depend upon for

providing it genuine . H e even put it into the cru

cible him self, nor did the a dept a ppro a ch it a t a ll

except to put in a sma ll quan t i ty of a certa in powder-less than tha t of a sm a ll pinch o f snuff- which

he took from a l itt le box with a sma l l spo on , like an

ea r-picker . M . de Ma rquez himself poured out the

melted m eta l when ready, a nd took pos ses s ion o f it .

On examining it w hen co o l, he saw tha t a port ion o f

it , which adhered to the ma ss in clots a nd perva ded

it in l ines , had a ctua lly become gold . This ma sshe w eighed ; a nd find ing it somewha t hea vier tha nthe bra ss which he had put in , he dem a nded o f the

Ara b how this had come to pa ss . The m a n in

s tantly put him in mind of the a rsenic which hadbeen a dded, and which , un ited with the bra ss, wouldm ake up the exa ct amount . M . de Ma rquez a fter

w a rds perfo rmed the same experiment himself, and

found tha t the result w a s a s the adept had sa id .

The m a ss w a s then submitted by M . de Ma rquez tothe a ctio n o f a qua for ti s , which dis so lved the rema in

AND TRANSMUTATION . 295

ing bra ss but left the go ld un touched— this be ing

weighed proved to amount to one-third of the wholem a ss . On being requested t o s ta te w hy the who lehad no t undergone tra nsmuta t ion , the a dept ex

pla ined tha t the proces s w a s only a n experimenta nd consequent ly imperfect , being but the second (Ithink)he had made with these ma teria ls . The nexthe expected, if no t quite complete, wo uld lea ve l ittleimperfect ; a nd tha t when by these means he shouldha ve found the jus t proportions o f his ma teria ls , thewho le mas s subjected to the ir influence would .un

doubtedly be tran smuted . The go ld being a ssayed

a nd subjected to the touchstone in the Bazaa r,

proved to be perfect ly go od a nd ma rketable meta l .

No wa s M . de Ma rquez’s genera l cha ra cter ren

ders i t a bsurd to suppose tha t he should conn ive

a t such a fraud a s w e must suppo se th is Arab to

ha ve pra ctised— his pla ce a nd profits being to o

va luable, independent of cha ra ct er, t o risk for thepa ltry advantage he could expect to rea lize from

such unw orthy m ea ns— I find myself bound to credit

his sto ry, and do , in fa ct, implicit ly bel ieve i t,

a lthough it m ay on ly serve to show the extreme

adro itness o f the legerdema in which could ba ffle

the a cutenes s of a rema rka bly clever person s o fully

on his gua rd to detect it . M . de Ma rquez w a s too

caut ious to ven ture a decided Opin ion on the sub

j ec t ; he on ly declared his reso lut ion of wa tching

the adept ’s mo vements , pa rticula rly in the course

of a st ill la rger experiment which w a s to be m ade

in a few days . I expressed a s trong wish to be

present a t this experiment, but o n inquiry a nd

296 THE ALCHYMIST.

cons idera t ion the a ttempt w a s given up, a s it could

no t ha ve been done without the risk o f excit ing

the P a shah’

s jea lousy in a po int o n which he w a s

peculia rly sens itive . I a fterwa rds lea rned tha t the

result had been ra ther a fa ilure, and the m a n ex

pressed a des ire fo r permission to go to the Ko ordish

hi lls I think , to ga ther certa in m a teria ls of which

he w a s in wa nt ; but the Pa sha h refused to let him

lea ve the city, suspect ing, no doubt , tha t he might

no t find his w ay ba ck . A strange thing this m ix

ture of fa ith a nd mistrust The Pa sha h hop es a nd

s trongly bel ieves In the succes s o f the ma n’

s a t tempts ;a nd yet , overlo oking the very things tha t should

o pen his eyes a nd destroy these ho pes , he clings to

them in the fa ce of his bet ter j udgment . We went

one day to vis it the a lchym is t in his workshop . He

wa s‘

a stou tish commo n-looking fe llow, with n othing

of gen ius in hi s lo ok s o r o f bo ldness in his a ddress .

He ha d j ust taken from the furna ce a crucible o f

white-ho t s tuff, a dose fo r the prince o f the lower

regions himself, in po int of abomina ble stench , a nd it

threw out a success ion o f bri llant scinti lla t ions , a s

if it had a mind to des troy us a ll fo r our impert inentcur io s ity . The m a n w a s a t the t ime in a so rt o f

honoura ble confinement , a nd I suspect tha t if he doesno t so o n m anage to return some o f the Pa shah

’

s

money in the sha pe o f go ld ingo ts , he m ay a s wel l

turn his inquiries to the d iscovery o f rendering himse lf invulnera ble , o r pro o f aga inst the bo w s tring ; a s

in a ll probability , a mo re pro tra cted d isa ppo intmento f his H ighness

’

s expecta t io ns , m ay lea d to a n in

t im a te a cqua inta nce be tween his neck a nd tha t ins trumen t .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

298 C LASSES o r DERV I SHES .

ga ze upon the sa intly concla ve . But before giving

you an a ccount of a vis it I m yself pa id to these

fa na tics , I a m tempted to tra nscribe fo r your edific a

t io n a few pa rticulars respect ing the Dervishes o f

Baghdad, which I a bridged from some pa pers of a

friend upon tha t subject .

Of Dervishes in this pla ce, i t a ppea rs tha t there

a re three grea t bodies — firs t, The Collegia te, o r

endowed Dervishes ; secondly, The miscella neo us

m endicants , w ho m ay be termed Endemic ; a nd

thirdly, The Ka lenda rs o r Peripa tet ic s a ints .

The Co llegia te Dervishes a re ma inta ined by reve

nues , which a re respected by even the wo rs t of

go vernors ; some of them a re m en rea lly devoted to

s tudy a nd contempla tion , o thers a re fa na t ic enthu

s ia s ts , while the grea ter number a re sensua lists ,drunka rds , or eccentr ic fools . They wear a conica l

felt , o r quilted cotton, c ap , fringed o cca s iona lly with

cora l , or adorned with needle -work o f co loured

threa d, a da rk co a t a nd s anda ls . They ca rry o cca

s iona lly an iron ma ce or axe, and a bla ck vesse lhollowed from the fruit o f a species of pa lm , which

they suspend by a lea thern thong. They a re a lso

m a rked on some pa rt of the body with the signpeculia r to their a vo ca t ion a nd o rder, and ha ve a

pa rticula r s ign and counters ign .

T he m embers of their respect ive co l leges a re

bound, o n every Friday eve a t lea s t, to a ssemblein a circle before their superior, In a pla ce which

i s open to the numerous devotees a nd curious spec

tuto rs of the city . In the middle a re pla ced bra s ierso f lighted cha rcoa l, with swords, daggers, a nd long

DANC E OF DERV ISHES . 299

sharp iron spikes fixed on thick ha ndles of wo odfurn ished with numerous m o vable i ron rings , whichproduce a j ingling sound when agita ted . A bro thero f the order s ings to a mournful mea sure somehymn in pra ise of the Deity , expressed in dim pecu

lia r meta phys ica l term s ; o r a sa cred e legy o n the

dea th and sufferings o f some ma rtyr, a ccompan ieda nd go verned by the vibra t ions o f a tabret s oundedby some other of the fra ternity . Fo r a t ime a ll

i s quiet and solemn ; but a t length o ne or mo reof the brethren s lowly rises , and s lightly ro cking

to a nd fro , repea ts the words Haq ! haq ! Ho o '

ho o l—Ho o-ul-Haq m edita t ing a t the s ame t imeon the perfect ions o f the Divinity, his m o vementsbecome a ccelera ted, and fo rm them selves gradua lly

into gyra t ions , unt i l from the velocity of his mot ions

a nd the vio lent ra pidity of his exclama t ions , his lipsbecome covered w ith fo am , his eyes clo sed and pro

m inent , his long lo cks fo rm a sort of ha lo round

his head, his fa ce becomes livid by exert ion , a nd a t

length he fa lls exhausted, inan ima te, a nd ba thed in

perspira tion .

Excited by the s ight , o thers fo llow this example

of adora t ion , unti l the profane specta tors a round,inflamed a lm o s t to frenzy, rush forwa rd to inha le

the brea th a nd rece ive the bles s ing of the super ior ;a nd seizing the swo rds , daggers , a nd spikes, co ld

o r hea ted, on the bra s ier, bra ndish them a loft with

the dance a nd gestures o f Ba ccha na ls , a nd s triking

their bodies with the weapons , o r pa ss ing the burn

ing irons o ver their ow n fa ces , with invo ca t ions to

s ome pa tron s a int o r ma rtyr, or the wo rd Hoo !

300 FRENZY AND CRAFT .

a t length fa l l to the ea rth , some wounded and

s treaming with blo od, some unhurt, but ro lling likem en po sses sed , s ome to rpid a nd immova ble . The

wounded in this confl ict o f kna very with enthu

s ia sm a nd devotion , a re held to ha ve suffered forunexpia ted s ins ; while the pure, a ided by the brea tha nd bles s ing of the superio r, ha ve esca ped unhurt .

Ser ious a ccident s o ften a rise from these exhibit ion s ,w hich a re repea ted a t the will and capr ice of a ny

scheming Seyed, w henever he m ay choose t o t ax the

s inceri ty of his disciples , o r increa se the influence of

his sa intly cha ra cter a nd spiritua l a uthor ity .

Begging i s ra re among this o rder ; but when

they do condescend to s o licit a lms , it is merely by

the repet it ion o f the wo rd H aq o r Ho o in

a sha rp o r deep sonorous tone, and few disrega rd

the sa cred a ppea l, such refusa l be ing suppo sed to

be inva ribly fo llowed by misfortune to some of the

family . They a lone c a n ga in a cces s into the inmo s tco urt o r reces ses o f a dwe lling, fea rles s of pun ish

m en t a nd rega rdless of hinderance ; a nd hence the irpower of depreda t ion o r o f ga in ing info rma t ion which

somet imes appea rs m ira culous . Som e o f this o rder

ha ve been so complete ly led away by the fo rce o f

im agina t ion , a nd perha ps by the effects o f repea ted

a ssumpt ion of superna tura l power, a s publicly to

a s sert them selves to be the Div inity himself, ex-s

cla iming cont inua lly “ An-ul-Hag !” —“ I a m the

Truth - tha t is , the Eterna l Autho r of truth . But

this a uda ci ty, when incurable , ha s a lways beenpun ished by the tempora l powers o f Is lam wi thdea th .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

302 BEGGARS

soon recovers the use o f his eyes , unt i l it becom esnecessa ry aga in to s t imula te the fa ithful to a n ex

ertion o f their cha rita ble sympa thies

A second, a squa t a nd wel l-condit ioned fel low,

w ith a thick , sho rt , grizzled heard, a chubby fa ce,and sma ll oblique grey eyes overshadowed by

shaggy brows , a la rge thick-lipped m outh , with

huge straggling omn ivo rous fa ngs ; his person clad

in whi te co tton , o ver which he wea rs a white Ara ba bba , s tops a t the ga te o f some wea lthy-lo okingma ns ion , a nd from his deep

'

lungs bellows fo rth

a eulogy o n the Prophet , combined with pra iseof divine benevo lence, and cha rity to the naked,the hungry, a nd the needy . He is sure o f his

m a rk , tw o Nubian s la ves , a ma le a nd fema le , rushfo rth towa rds the porta l with different purpo se

the firs t to dri ve away the intruder, the second toa fford him a s s is tance . The clamour o f the dis

putan ts is a dded to the howlings o f the mendicant ;but the fema le preva ils , and the go od things of the

ma ns ion ’

s owner a re poured into the ready wa llet

of the sturdy beggar .

A third m ay be seen , a la nk shadowy being, with

loose s inewles s l imbs— a perfect ske leton, a speci

m en of how nea rly the l iving m ay resemble the

dea d . To othles s , ha irless, dim-eyed, clo thed in.

a

bundle o f rags , without a s ta ff to susta in his trem

bling limbs, he drags his ha lf-inan ima te ca rca ss

from door t o do o r ; a nd, extended on the ea rth , he

lea ves a ppea rances to plea d his wants . Pit ied a nd

rel ieved, he is a t length sen t to his wretched home

PERIPATETIC S . 303

in a ba sket but it is on ly to return .ou the morrowto his haun ts, aga in to move the public compa ssion,and aga in to be relieved .

The third cla ss , tha t of the Peripa tetics , o r Ka

lenda rs, is composed genera lly of the bes t-informed,a s wel l a s the most energet i c a nd youthful of thera ce These a re the a lchym is ts , the a strologers ,the m ant is ts , the schisma t ics of the pauper world .

Their fortune is ever changing, but their presenceof mind i s ever found equa l to every emergency .

They a re genera lly myst ics in religion, o f pliantmora ls , quick a pprehens ion, ready w it , firm courage,a nd vigorous frames . They a re fo nd o f throwing

over the ir shoulders the un tanned skins o f l io ns ,t igers , o r antelopes . They suffer their locks to

grow a t will, or twist them up into fanta s tic shapes .

They a re seldom without a rm s ; and counting on

the proneness o f devotees to a‘ bel ief in

'

the super

na tura l, they a re a lway s well provided with the

m ea ns of producing some striking chemica l pheno

m ena ; with philtres , cha rms , and va rious ins tru

m ents o f divina tion, to a id their pretensions to pro

phetic ski ll .

The his tory of Seyed Ma a m o on-ul-Musta pha , a

yo ung m a n born in one of the va lleys of As syria ,a ffo rds a good specimen o f the spirit of this cla s s .

While under pro ces s o f be ing educa ted for a Moo l

lah, he w a s seized with a desire to tra vel ; a nd in

spite of the remonstra nces o f his family, left his

house . He w a s a t a ll, s tout, fine-looking youth ,of fa ir complexion, a nd da rk

,

eyes , a nd he entered

304 SEYED MAAMOON-UL-MU STAPHA .

o n his tra vels wi th a ligh t hea rt a nd bright a nt i

c ipa tion s o f future j oys a nd wonders . After longwanderings among the Maug ra bins , the suppo sed

m agicians o f the Mo s lem s , he w a s on his‘

w ay to

wa rds the Joghees and Bra hmins o f India , when he

entered’

B aghdad, a nd took up his a bode in the

co llege o f Mo o s tan ser, a t tending the theo logica l

lectures a t tha t t ime part icula rly deli vered to zea l

ous sectar ian s . H is mind , however , rem a ined unsa

tisfied, his rea son unconvinced . He felt him self

superior to those a round him ; a nd a t length , re s t

les s a nd object les s , he ret ired into the recesses o f a

n eighbouring m o sque , where he cont inued some

days without ta st ing food .

The keeper of the mosque , a ttra cted by so s in

gula r a piety, endea voured to rou se him to go

abro ad in sea rch of sus tenance ; but the result o f

the interview w a s , tha t he believed he had beendea l ing with a s a int , a nd he decla red him self a de e

vo ted d isciple of the a scet ic, to whom he no t on ly

brought fo od, but inlisted the feelings o f the ne igh

bourho od in his fa vour .

Ma a m o on con trived to m a inta in the decept ion

of his mira culous n a ture of exis tence, by feeding on

a very s lender port ion o f the ampl e s to res set wi thin

his rea ch , a nd his fame increased da ily . Ba rrenwomen cra ved his bles s ing a nd his cha rm s , the

blind besought him to res tore their s ight , the lametha t he should resto re the use of their limbs . The

disa ppo in ted a lchy m is t en trea ted fo r an effec tua l

elixir ; neglected wives kis sed his feet fo r a t tra e

t ive philtres, a nd seekers a fter the superna tura l ex

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

306 AN INCANTATION .

bra zen po t of fire, a nd in the other a sma ll da rk

lo oking pouch o f drugs and amulets . Of the drugs

he s i lent ly threw a sma ll po rtion on his cen ser,fro m whence there a ro se a dense smoke, a nd highly

penetra t ing odour, which , a ct ing in conjunction

with the mora l excitement of the scene upon his

audience, w ho t ill then had been sea ted, caused

them a ll s imultaneous ly to sta rt up with an ej a cu

la t ion of Alla h !” Even the owner of the s to len

property, smitten with compa s s ion for the terrible

fa te which seemed likely to awa it the yet unknown

thief, bent fo rwa rd, a s if to a rrest, if pos s ible , the

progress of the inca nta t ion but aw e kept him s ilent ,a nd the m agicia n pro ceeded.

Taking now from his pouch severa l da rk-coloured

billets, he steeped them in the perfume a ris ing fro m

the censer, a nd ut tered in ho llow t ones , the fo l lowing invoca t io n Lo rd of a ll worlds ! thou m igh ty

Providence o f na ture ! whose sa cred es sence pervadeth a ll ma tter, gra nt to m e n ow a port ion o f

thy energy .

” With these words be advanced to

wa rds the suspected persons , w ho had now become

a prey to intense emo t ion . The symptom s wereva r ious, but striking in a ll ; one rem a ined s ta nding

upright, but his st iff a rms , convuls ively fixed to

his s ides , ha rd-shu t mouth , fixed eyes, dry skin,a nd l ivid circle round his compressed a nd co lourles s l ips, betokened his m en ta l agony . Anotherwrithed like a snake , and every muscle worked

convuls ively, while drops of perspira t ion poureddown hi s skin . In a third, every extremi ty w a s in

mot ion, the lips worked involuntari ly, and the

DETECTED TIIIEVES . 307

muscles of the sca lp wr ithed a s if violent ly pulledby co rds . A fourth fe ll upon the floor, fo aminga t the mouth , ro lling in frightful agita t ion, a nd

m aking ineffectua l effo rts , a s i t seemed, to a rti

cula te .

The agony o f the culpr its, a nd the emo t ion ofthe specta tors , wa rned Ma a m o on to bring the sceneto a clo se . Leading, therefo re, the merchan t apa rt,he s a id, “ Permit a char itable vei l to be thrownover guilt so clea rly proved, a nd so severely pun ished . L et ea ch m an , a t midnigh t , ca st a lapful

of ea rth in the a ngle of the court benea th the po la rs ta r, a nd on the r is ing of the sun seek there for

your property .

The sea rch w a s probably succes sful , a s the ho ly

man ’

s fame , a nd the bel ief in the power of his

spells , increa sed s o grea t ly, tha t the firs t m en o f

the s ta te were numbered among his devoted ad

herents . Secrets of a lchymy, charm s aga inst wo unds

or the cha nce o f misfortunes , or lo s s o f roya l fa vour

or of office, were eagerly dema nded o f him , with full

confidence in their effica cy, a nd splendid rewards

were o ffered by o thers for permis s ion to pa rtake in

so envia ble a species of power : but this w a s no t

the myst ic’s game ; his power he decla red w a s

incommun icable, a nd una tta ina ble by a ny , s a ve tho se

who were especia l ly favoured by Providence . Such

excuses , however, did no t s a t isfy a ll a nd there were

s ome w ho , disappointed or envious , reso lved to

wa tch the s age’s pro ceedings m ore clo se ly. Un

fo rtuna tely fo r himself succes s made him bo ld, and

led him to pra ct ise his decept ions with less caution .

308 PRESUMPTIO N PUN ISHED .

Suspicion a roused, soon increa sed, a nd circumsta nces

came to ligh t which led to conclus ions very a dverse

to his cha ra cter. A thirs t of ga in , too , grow ing by

wha t it fed on , seduced him into a cts o f gro ss pe

cula t ion a nd fraud , for which the confidence reposed

in him by his d isciples a nd o ther dupes , ga ve him

ample scope : but the spel l of his influence w a s a l

ready broken ; exposure a t length took place, a nd

w a s rapidly fo l lowed by disgra ce, pun ishment , a nd

ruin .

So much for the no tes o f m y friend : I return to

my ow n observa t ions . I ment ioned a v is it which ,in company with some o f my Res idency friends , I

pa id to a shrine frequented by the Dervishes who

pretended to invulnera bility .

After a certa in number of the Dervishes had a s

s embled , a nd a very modera te a udience , the former

took their sea ts in a circle , rem a ining quiet a nd

a s in medita t ion for a while , when up started one

o f them , w ho s tripped him self naked to the wa is t ,and go ing into the tomb where the swords , daggers ,and pikes were depo s ited, be se ized tw o o f the second,and bega n t o pa rade up and down a sm a ll spa ce

surrounded by his brethren a nd the specta tors .

At firs t his m o t ion w a s s low , a s i f wra pt in medit a tion ; but a fter a while be a ccelera ted his pa ce,and began brandishing his wea pons , un ti l gradua l lyhis mo vements became leaps a nd bounds , and his

a rm s were flour ished a bout with a rapidity whicha lmo s t mo cked the s igh t . On wa tching h im , how

ever, y ou s a w tha t the daggers , a t ea ch movement ,were ra ised and brought down upon his ow n person,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

31 0 SHE IKH ABDOOL KADER .

a nd rubbing them over their bod ies a nd fa ces ; but

I s aw enough to convince m e tha t the who le w a s

a very impudent fa rce, go t up to impose upon a

m o st gullible a udito ry, a nd tha t the odium -

of a p

pea r ing to la ck fa ith mus t be a very efficient pro

tec t ion for these sanct ified chea ts , aga ins t the dan

gers o f a too impert inent inquiry.

O n a no ther o cca sion w e pa id a vis it to the shrine

o f a very celebra ted So once sa int ; named SheikhAbdoo l -Kader, to who se honour a mo st superb

tomb a nd mo sque ha ve been erected here . T o this

shrine flo ck a ll the Indian pilgrims , a s well a s those

from Afighan is ta n , Bockha ra , a nd T o orkes tan . It

w a s n o t without some difficulty, o r a t lea st s ome

ques t ion ing, tha t w e obta ined permis s ion to view

the inter io r of this ho ly edifice, which is under the

contro l of a cer ta in clerica l officer, ca lled a Nug eeb,

o r head of the s a ints o f the pla ce, a nd w ho i s under

sto od to be a l inea l descenda nt of the origina l s a inthim self. It is a

,S i tua t ion which once w a s fa r

m o re importan t tha n s ince the inunda t ion and the

a ccess ion o f Allee Pa sha h . Befo re these events,this quarter w a s inha bited by a ll the vagabondsa nd scoundrels of the pla ce ; fe llows w ho , feeling

in danger even o f the la m e a rm o f Baghdad j ust ice, sought refuge under the shadow of this grea ts a int . It w a s here tha t a ll thieves and rogues wereto be found— a ll bullies a nd a s sa ss ins . It w a s the

Alsa tia’”o f Baghdad, o ver wh ich , and its wor thy

inhabita nts , our friend the Nugeeb genera l ly exer

c ised a pretty fa ir po rt ion o f con trol ; a nd they re

pa id his protection by y ielding him a certa in limited

A N EST o r D ESPERADOES . 3 1 1

degree o f obedience , a nd by gua rding the precinctso f his domin ions aga inst a ll interlopers . In fa ct ,few o f the Pa shahs da red ever to interfere wi th thea rrangements o f this nest o f despera do es a nd the irsa intly pro tector , fa r les s to send e ither offi cers o r

tro ops aga ins t them . Even Da ood Pa sha h , a l

though a m a n n o t to be trifled with , a s he showedby depos ing the Nugeeb, a nd o cca s iona l ly firing

cannon into the qua rter, in order t o quel l the spiritof turbulence tha t reigned their— even Daood couldby no mea ns work his will there ; nor did he thinkfit to run the r isk of rous ing to o fa r the spirit o f

religious fana t icism , by mea su res of extreme severity.

In short, none da red to en ter the qua rter, exceptthose w ho could m ake themse lves welcome to the

ruffia ns w ho res ided there ; a nd a s fo r a pa rty of

infidels l ike us a ppro a ching it, w e might a s wellha ve pro ceeded aga ins t a n a rmy o f m ad bulls .

It is true tha t Mr . Rich no t on ly vis ited the

Nugeeb, but w a s permitted to go through the pla ce ;but his w ay w a s smo o thed by ha ndsome presen tsto tha t grea t m an , and s ince then on ly one p a rty

of Franks , w e were a s sured, had ever entered its

wa lls ; a nd tha t s ince the period I h a ve a l luded

to . But the scene had grea t ly changed— the plague

had made a clean sweep of the ruffia n inhabita n ts ,a nd the inunda t ion had dea lt equa l ly freely wi th

a lmo s t every house in the qua rter except the shrine

itself and it s immedia te dependencies , which ha s

exper ienced a n increa se o f celebrity a nd sanct ity

for a n imm un ity which i t owed, n o doubt, t o the

depth and solidity of its founda t ions—a ll else re

3 1 2 THE NUGEEB .

m a ining were ruined wa lls, a nd the few new houses

which ha ve s ince a risen . The impudent defenders

of the qua rter a re no more, a nd the qua rter i tself

i s open and free to whom so ever plea ses t o vis it i t .

We were ourse lves the third pa rty w ho proposed

to view the pla ce , a nd the Nugeeb a t firs t s t ickledfo r the s ame presents which he a verred he had re

c eived from Mr . Rich ; on my info rming him , how

ever , tha t w e were mere t ra vellers who, though

des irous o f gra tifying our curio s ity, had n o idea

o f paying s o high fo r i t , he returned a gra cious

mes s age , a nd w e went . He received us wi th a

s o rt of co ndescending civi li ty, in a miserable l itt le

ro om , the wa lls o f which were of raw unpla stered

brick . If thi s w a s a show of humility, it w a s i ll

suppo rted by his persona l equipment , which w a s

handsome a nd co st ly ; fo r he w a s clo thed in richs i lks a nd fine furs , a nd had on his hea d a m agn ifi

cent turban of ca shmere shawl—somewha t incons istent in a dervish but sa ints a nd w ultees a re now

a -days privi leged people, a nd this m an i s s a id to beextreme ly rich . His conversa t ion w a s somewha t c ons tra ined , and he uttered some sent iments express iveo f self-den ia l, which a s suredly did no t come from the

hea rt , a s he is a t bo tto m a no torious breaker of thelaw , especia lly in the a rt icle o f s trong liquors , o f

w hich he is a grea t a dmirer . Indeed, I take i t, tha twhen this Als a tia w a s in its glory there w a s m orew ine a nd a r rulr con sumed here tha n in a ll the res t

o f the ci ty put together . In person the Nugeeb w a s

a la rge, ta ll, fa ir-complexio ned Turk, with a high

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 1 4 OLD M INARET.

it is handsomely ca rpeted, so a s a ltogether to ha ve

m ore the comfortable a ir of a gentleman ’

s drawing

room tha n the chill solemnity s o common to such

pla ces of worship . It i s sa id tha t this mo sque c a n

conven ient ly a cco m moda te th ree thousa nd persons

a t once a t prayer. It is surrounded by a squa re

o f building, conta in ing cells , like a ca ra va nsera i, in

which pilgrim s fro m va rious pa rts m ay dwell, a nd

w here they a re fed from the revenues o f the esta

blishm ent, which a re s a id to be very la rge . Among

the va rious Ind ia ns tha t were here I looked for somefrom those pa rts of the coun try with which I w a s

a cqua inted, and pa rt icula rly from Dehlee but there

w ere few such to be found . One only ha iled fromthence, a nd he had no t been there s ince the days ofO chterlony ; but he had know n the tw o Skinners ,a nd a few o thers of m y a cqua in tance ; and had it

no t been fo r a ta int of tha t impudent a ir o f a s sum p

t ion w hich these Dervishes so co nstan t ly a ssume ,and which s a vours much of the ancient spir it of

the qua rter, I could ha ve regarded him a s a sort of

o ld friend .

Ano ther of our peregrina tions led us to a scend the

o ld mina ret a lrea dy a l luded to by Buckingham , fro mthe top o f which w e had a capita l view of the tops ofthe houses of Baghda d and some o f the m a rketpla ces nea r, which were crowded wi th people ; buta s such a bird’

s-eye view of a n Ea s tern town c an

no t be very in terest ing, except, perha ps , ea rly inthe morn ing, it did no t deta in us long, and s o w e

wen t from thence to the house of a French clergy

FRENCH V ICAR-GENERAL. 3 1 5

m a n , w ho is vica r-genera l of a ll the Ca tholics in thispa rt of the world . H is flock here , indeed, is sma ll,n ot exceeding a thousa nd souls in Baghdad, of a ll

sorts a nd ages : no r do the pro spects or circum sta nceso f the church of Rome a ppea r to be improving inthe Ea s t ; fo r he te lls m e tha t, o f no less thanfive

convents in Ispahan , there is o nly one tha t is no t

in ruins , and tha t one is , I bel ieve, occupied by

tw o servants . In the church here, a very poo rbuilding, there w a s but o ne object wo rth seeing ;a nd tha t w a s a picture w hich had been brough tsome con s iderable t ime befo re from Busso ra , a nd

w hich , so fa r a s I could j udge , w a s very bea ut iful .

It w a s a Virgin and child, the la tter standing and

ho lding s ome flowers , or a bird, I think, in his hand ;but the light w a s so bad, a nd it w a s s o il l-pla ced,tha t there w a s no examin ing i t without ha ving it

taken down . It a ppea red to m e the s tyle of Ann i

ba l Ca racci, and w a s probably a copy from o ne

by tha t m a ster . I unders tood tha t it had been

brought to Bus sora by the Dutch some hundred

yea rs ago .

Our friend the vica r w a s a plea sant enough but

m o s t ta lka t ive litt le m a n , w ho bemoa ned himself

sadly a t ha ving been left so long in this s avage

country, where he ena cts no t only the pa rt o f hea d

o f the Romish church , but tha t o f agen t to the Pope

a nd fo r the French Government . But they a ll

a ppea r to be very bad payma sters , for he i s fo rced

t o eke out his mean s by other methods . T o this

end he keeps a very t ight ha nd over his flock,

3 16 CONSC IENTIOUS PR IEST .

a nd no t a soul get s out of purga tory without a ha nd

s ome douceur being pa id to the terrestria l agent .

Nay , there is one family among them whom he

contrives to keep pretty constan t ly in tha t unea sy

s ta te in this world, by denying to the head o f it ,

w ho la tely died, a ll exit from tha t limbo o f pur i

fic a tion , unti l they pay him down a swinging sum

for m a sses— he decla res tha t the m a n w a s a grea t

s inner, and tha t his co nscience will no t permit him

to relea se his poor soul without s igna l repa ra t ion .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 1 8 PREPARATION S AND N EGOTIATIONS .

the Tigris to the Euphra tes , occupying the roa d toH i llah , so tha t n o o ne c a n go in tha t direct ion— a nd

in fa ct none is secure , fo r no t only they, but every

scoundrel, Ara b, a nd thief belonging to and in the

neighbourho od o f Baghdad, .is out plundering under

their n ame . Many po or crea tures ha ve come in

stripped naked , a nd no ca ra van tha t is no t of grea t

strength will pro ceed in a ny direction .

The Pa shah is s a id to be negotia t ing, and, a c

cording to his o ld policy, endea vouring to sow dis

sens ions between the severa l d ivis ions of the tribe ;he ha s ca lled in ano ther tribe too , a s u sua l, the

Zobe id (o r Zubo id), to his a ss is tance : this is de

struct ion to him self and to the country ; but i t i s

his wretched po l icy. The Aneiza , however, o r tho se

w ho take their names, a ppea r to pay l itt le a ttent ion

to these negot ia t ions . Severa l of the Pa shah’

s ow n

officers ha ve been stripped close to the ga tes , among

others , o ne Eus suff Beg , w ho held the office of Brib

ul-Arcib— the ga te of the Ara bs , - tha t is , the

officia l m ea ns of commun ica tion betw een them and

the gove rnment, and w ho w a s one o f the Pa shah’

s

Musakebs , o r pr ivy counsellors a nd this ha s so ex

a spera ted his H ighness tha t he now s ays he will

no t trea t a t a ll. Only tw o days ago , too , firing

w a s hea rd on the wes t s ide o f the r iver, nea r

Zobeidah’

s tomb : it turned out to be a n Anei za

plundering pa rty , tha t swept the country of camels,sheep, a nd ca t tle , up to the very wa l ls .

All this is severe o n tra vellers , to whom , like

mys elf, delay is bo th inconvenien t a nd dis tressing.

It is a lso pa rt icula rly so upon the num erous Per

STATE OF THE SIIRINES . 3 19

s ian pilgrims , w ho come from d istan t pa rts , poorcrea tures ! to vis it the tombs of H o o ssein a nd o f

Allee a t Kerbelah and Nuj j eff Ashruff. Some who sezea l had tempted them to bra ve the clutches o f

the Ara bs, ha ve returned s tripped to the skin, a ndwithout seeing the shr ines ; a nd if they did rea ch

them , i t a ppea rs tha t the ir chance of sa fety is

no t much improved . It i s a s ingula r fa ct, a nd a

most pregnant proof o f the ut ter weakness of the

Turkish go vernment in this province, tha t a lmostevery shrine of peculia r sanctity ha s been m ade,a nd cont inues to be a sanctua ry fo r the mo st a bandoued a nd wo rthless of the commun ity. This probably o rigina tes in the indiscrimina te na ture of

the pro tect ion they a fford, a nd which , a s a ma tterof course, i s principa l ly cla imed by the wors t of

offenders ; but i t is a privilege of which the m oot

wullee (o r governor), a nd priest s or servants of the

shrine are to o jea lous , to perm it interference with,by the secular a rm , on a ny pretence wha tsoever .

Thus evi l chara cters a ccumula te— proba bly they

pay wel l for pro tection— t i ll they a re able to com

ma nd it , a s in the ca se a lready re la ted of the quarter

of Sheikh-Abdoo l-Kader in Baghdad itself. This

s ta te of things had o bta ined to a fa r wo rse exten t

bo th a t Nuj j eff a nd Kerbelah : the multi tude of

disorderly persons collected there had increa sed so

m uch , tha t neither the governor of the pla ce nor the

a uthority of the Pa sha h could contro l them ; a nd

they no t on ly did just wha t they plea sed, but ex

a cted fro m the pilgrim s w ho came to the shrine ,

the most unrea sonable concess ions , and in default of

320 YERRIM-MASES .

complia nce plundered and s tripped them , and often

took the ir W ives a nd da ugh ters from them . The

evil became a t length so crying tha t Da ood Pa sha h

sen t a force aga inst Nuj j eff a nd succeeded in redueing it to obedience, so tha t though s till a disorderly

pla ce, the bla ckgua rds who infes t it do no t go suchlengths a s fo rmerly.

Kerbelah i s sti ll rebellious . The Yerr im -m ases

(litera lly ca re les s reckless fel lows), o r ruffia ns a nd bul

lies o f the pla ce , w ho amount to a la rge number, no t

only repulsed the P a shah’

s a rmy, but ha ve now so

completely go t the upper hand, tha t no one can eitherd isobey o r o ffend them with impun ity. They ha ve

established a secret mode of commun ica t ion whichnone but the in it ia ted understand, and by w hich

they c an ra lly a fo rce a t a moment ’s wa rn ing on

any given point ; and a ll the respecta ble inha bita nts s tand so much in a w e o f them tha t they da re

no t a ttempt any mea sures for oppo s ition or even fo r

self-pro tect ion . It is no t lo ng s ince a n Indian

Nawab , connected with the family o f the Ca rna ti c,w ho had for some yea rs taken up his a bode a t

Kerbelah, fell under their displea sure . They a s sem

bled, to ok a nd plundered his house, and destroyed

his whole effects w ithout a ny one being able t o pre

vent it, a nd he him self w a s fo rced to fly fo r his

l ife from thence to Baghdad, where, I believe, he

stil l rema ins . They even carry the ir a uda ciouslibert inism so fa r, tha t whenever they hea r tha t a

pilgrim ha s a pretty wife o r s is ter with him , they

will send fo r her ; a nd if refused, e i ther s tea l her

away by stra tagem o r take her by force ; a nd it

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

322 REPORTS .

excurs ions on tha t s ide ; but they a re certa in ly

qua rrel ling amongst them selves , whether from the

effects o f the Pa shah’

s po l icy, o r from the increa sing

sca rci ty of forage and plunder, is uncerta in , yet they

bea t up the country uno pposed to the very ga tes o f

the town . Letters from Shus ter ha ve come to hand ,which s ta te the country to be in a most turbulent

cond it ion ; tha t severa l ca ra va ns ha ve a lready been

plundered, a nd tha t n o m o re will venture on the

ro ad ; a ccoun ts from Hamadan a nd Kerma nsha h

co rrespond with this ; but l itt le m o re is a ctua lly

confirmed tha n the fa ct o f the Sha h’s dea th a t

Ispa han .

December 3 .—The a ccounts from Persia seem a ll

to confirm the report tha t H oo ssein Allee Meerza

ha s proceeded to Tehran a nd procla imed h imself

King, and tha t being jo ined by his brother, Ha ssa n

Allee Meerz a , the la tter had drawn the swo rd inea rnes t a nd cut o ff the heads o f sundry o f the

Princes w ho e ither had refused to a cknowledge hisbro ther o r were suspected o f ha ving views o f theiro w n tha t the Ameen-u-D ow lut had j o ined him wi th

some of the powerful n obles , a nd tha t he had go tposses s ion o f the a rk o r pa la ce o f Tehran, with the

t rea sure ; tha t no t a wo rd had been hea rd o f the

heir-appa rent , Maho m m ed Meerz a , a nd tha t a ll a s

yet w a s quiet a t Kerma nsha h ; but tha t the tribeshad broken out and were plundering to right a nd

left , so tha t there w a s no sa fety fo r travellers . One

o f the coss ids , o r foot couriers , w ho brought in the

new s , meet ing nea r Baghdad wi th a ca ra van in

which w a s one o f the o ld Sha h’s daughters , w ho

REWARD FOR EV IL TID INGS . 323

w a s return ing from a pilgrimage to Kerbelah, tha tPr incess ordered his no se a nd one finger to be cut

off a s a rewa rd fo r his evil t idings , a nd in this c ondit ion he rea ched Baghdad .

December 4 .— The ted ium and uniformity of our

l ives ha s this day been broken by the excitemento f a n unexpected incident—no less tha n a regula rAra b fight w ithin the wa lls o f Baghdad ; but befo re describing the ba ttle , I mu st expla in wha t ledto it .

Ma tters between the Pa sha h a nd the Aneiza had

been hourly getting worse, and the dis turbance of the

country kept increa s ing, so tha t a s I ha ve a lready

ment ioned, people even of respectability were plun

dered a t the very ga tes ; the tribe itself bec o m

ing a lso divided in to pa rties , there w a s rea so n to

fea r tha t the o ther Ara b tr ibes a round m ight be

induced to take p a rt in the d ispute, a nd the

who le of Mesopo tamia be thus set in a flame . At

length , i t so happened tha t severa l of the Pa shah’

s

Ow n Officers were plundered clo se to the city, a nd

the outrage be ing tra ced to some Ara bs o f the Ag eil

tribe , w ho l ived in the western port io n o f the city,his Highness w a s so much enraged a t the insult

tha t be determined upon taking immedia te a nd s ig

na l vengeance on the perpetra tors .

These Age i l Arabs a re part of a tribe s a id to be

very la rge and powerful in Nej a’

, o r the high c en

tra l land o f Ara bia , w ho , in con sequence o f a n

a rrangement entered into with Solym aun Pa shah

some s ixty yea rs ago , ha ve monopo lized the t rade

o f guarding a nd guiding the ca ra vans which go

Y 2

324 THE AGE IL ARABS .

between this pla ce and Aleppo a nd Dama scus . In

o rder to'

furnish the guides required , this tribe ha ve

a lways been in the ha bit o f keeping a certa in num

ber o f their people a t Baghdad under a She ikh, but

t il l la tely they had no t been permitted to reside‘

within its wa lls ; within these tw o or three yea rs ,however, a qua rrel, o rigina ting in r iva lry , ha s a risen .

No t conten ted with driving away their oppo nents ,the Age i l, se izing a r ich ca ra va n which the ir r iva ls

had conducted from Aleppo to the vicin ity o f Bagh

dad, decla red, tha t,

if their demands were n o t c o m

plied with , they would plunder the ca ra van and

lea ve the coun try. The Pa sha h , too wea k to pro

tee t the ca ra va n , the a rriva l of which w a s im

pa t ien tly looked for in the city, and the duty o n

which to come into his o w n po cket would, he knew ,

amount to a cons idera ble sum , complied with a ll

they'

required, a nd among o ther indulgences gra nted

permiss ion fo r a deta chment o f the tribe to res idein Baghdad, pro vided they rema ined exclus i vely o n

the wes tern s ide o f the river.

The Agei l came a ccordingly , and s ince tha t t imeha ve been perfect m a sters of tha t ha lf o f Baghdad .

L ike the Yerrim -mas’s of Kerbelah, a nd o f the

Sheikh Abdul-Khauder’s tomb , they protected fromthe a rm o f the law a ll vagabo nds and reproba tesw ho took she lter with them , and no t a soul could

res ide on tha t s ide o f the r iver, but such a s they

chose to permit . In sho rt , they , a nd no t the Pa

sha h , were the go ve rno rs o f their quarter ; a nd his

H ighnes s had long writhed under the sense o f theirinso lence , reso lving, yet no t da ring to repress a nd

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

326 THE BATT LE BEGUN.

s ite s ide show ed tha t the ba tt le w a s begun . It

w a s fo llowed by ha lf a dozen more, a nd the bridge

w a s soon clea red, when the fire w a s immedia tely

a nswered from our side the wa ter. A pa rty of

regula r infantry then ran a cross the standing part

o f the bridge, a nd taking post in the boa ts which

pro tected them , kept up a fire upon a coffee-house

oppos ite, from whence the Arabs discharged their

pieces ; and then a pretty lively ra tt le of musketry

to ok pla ce . This cont inued for perhaps tw o hours ,dur ing which t ime the only vict im w e hea rd of,

w a s a poor old woman , w ho caught a s tray shot

a s she w a s hobbling o ver the bridge a s fa st a s she

could .

Va rious were the repo rts tha t now poured insome decla red tha t the Pa sha h had se ized the Agei l

She ikh , a nd wi th him his o w n g oom rookc/zee, o r

cus tom-m a s ter, a notorious scoundrel, and put them

bo th t o dea th ; o thers a sserted th a t the Sheikhw a s sa fe in his ow n house on the o ther s ide , a nd

tha t the Ara bs were on ly wa it ing to a ssemble info rce fo r a gra nd a tta ck . About n o on w e hea rdtha t the Pa sha h had re-ins t a ted the Sheikh , a nd puthis o w n shawl a bout his head , a nd tha t there w a s

to be no thing more but pea ce a nd good-humour ;a nd sure enough the fire, which had fluctua ted

t i l l then , freshen ing up a nd s la cken ing by turns ,nea rly cea sed . But j us t a s Aga M ina s , one of thepeople o f the Re s idency, w a s tell ing us of th is good

news , a sa lvo of cannon w a s hea rd . Ah sa id

Dr . Ros s ; there go the guns ; tha t is a sa lute for

the happy termina tion o f host ili ties .

”But the quick

BOLD ATTACKS OF THE ARABS. 327

ra ttle of musketry a nd a cont inued fire of ca nnonwhich succeeded and increa sed, to ld a no ther ta le ,a nd w e a ll ran up to the top of the house to lea rnif w e could, wha t w a s going on . The da te-trees ,however, h id the comba tan ts from our view , a l

though the smoke o f the guns a nd the sha rp ro l lo f musketry, convinced us tha t there w a s someea rnest fight ing.

We lea rned , then, tha t the fray had first been o c

c a sioned by a report rea ch ing the Agei l tha t the irSheikh had been executed by the Pa shah’

s o rders ;o n which they had divided them sel ves into tw o

bodies , o ne o f which came down to cut the bridgea nd fire upon the town , while the o ther rushed out

o f the nor thern ga te, to a tta ck the tro ops w ho were

enca m ped there , a nd surprise the guns . In the

mean t ime the Pa shah , wha tever might ha ve been

his firs t intent ion , a la rmed a t_the explo s ion , had

given the She ikh , a s w e had hea rd, a dres s of

honour, a nd sen t him ba ck to quie t his people ,while secretly he sent o ver wo rd to the comma nder

o f his tro ops , on the wes tern s ide , to a tta ck the

Ara bs in the rea r— indeed, w e sa w the bo a ts pa ss

ing with the Turkish officers to the camp ; but the

Ara b m o vemen t had a nt icipa ted the effect o f this

o rder, so tha t the mes senger, when he came, found

the troops a lready engaged with the Ara bs . So

sudden had been the rush o f the la tter, tha t before

the troops, o r their commander, knew whether tho se

w ho so rapidly adva nced were friends o r fo es , they

had go t possess ion of one o f the guns . The troops

then flew to a rm s , and the Arabs were in turn

328 AN UNPLEASANT REQUEST.

driven off by the rapid fire o f the other cannon ,

and the musketry of the Nizam ; a runn ing fight

took pla ce ro und the wa l ls to the H i llah-ga te ,which both parties entered pel l-mell together . This

w a s the cause of the sha rp renewed firing w e heard ,a nd, to j udge by the ra ttle, it w a s , I a ssure you,wha t Capta in Douga ld Da lgetty would ha ve ca lleda very pretty ons laught .

About tw o o’

clock P .M., while this w a s going on,

and a regula r ca nnonade w a s kept up, both o n the

western s ide, nea r the H illa h-ga te , a nd fro m tw o

cannon on the ea stern side, which played upon. the oppos ite end of the bridge and the coffee-housestha t were filled with the Ara bs , an officer camefrom the Pa shah , to beg tha t the Resident would

rry

o ver a reinforcement of tro ops ? d ammun it ion t o

his people, w ho were engaged with the Ara bs on

the o ther s ide . It w a s by n o mean s an agreea blerequest,

!

a s,’

if complied with , i t m ight a ppea r l ikeinterfering in the lo ca l qua rrels of the pla ce ; buta s the Agei l were certa inly in o pen rebellion aga instthe Pa shah , it seemed but right , a s friends , to a s

s ist the legit ima te a utho rities a s fa r a s might bepo s s ible , so the bo a t w a s clea red a nd made rea dyfo r their use.

The Turks a re s low a n ima ls ; they took a longt ime to get their m en into the boa t, and when on

bo a rd , she w a s found to be aground a nd wouldno t s tir. But the boa t ’s berth being jus t underthe Res idency

’

s windows , a nd the tro ops a ssembling

there being speedily observed by the Ara bs on the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

330 THE FIGHT RENEWED .

a bout one hundred and fifty , landed and soon dis

a ppeared behind the da te-groves a t tha t s ide o f the

tow n . The firing of cannon a nd musketry, which

had cont inued both within the body of the western

port ion o f the town and from the ea stern s ide a cro ssthe ri ver, now bega n to rela x ; the Ara bs probablyhad been much incommoded by a grea t gun fromthe ca st le, which had been brought to bea r upon

their pos it ion, a nd were m ore caut ious of expo s ing

them selves ; the sun too had go t low befo re the

troops had la nded, and there w a s an interva l of

suspense , on ly interrupted by a n occa s ion a l sho t herea nd there , a nd by the drums a nd fifes of the Nizam .

On a sudden, however, the loud ra tt le of musketry

a nd the ro a r o f the ca nnon a t o nce re-commenced

a loud shout procla imed tha t the tro ops had jo ined

their comrades . The noise , to o , a ppro a ched the

r iver, a nd, looking a t the bridge, w e observed tro ops

mu stering on tha t a lso ; in a no ther m oment they

m a de a rush fo rwa rds , firing ra pidly . The fire w a s

sh a rply retu rned fro m the other s ide fo r a few mo

m ent s , and then i t cea sed ; but a s the co lumns wereno t twenty ya rds a sunder, i t mu s t ha ve done much

execut ion . We sa w a l ittle ba sket-boa t push a cros sthe gap, and the bridge w a s re-un ited : the m a ssof m en evident ly cros sed, but by tha t t ime it hadbecome too da rk t o see more, a nd there w a s

an interva l of deep suspen se ; this, however, d idno t continue long. The firing cea sed, but in

its pla ce there a rose a wi ld yel l— sho uts of m en

mingled with cries o f women, a nd a ll the s ounds

o f terror a nd confus ion a nd despa ir. In a nother

THE CATASTROPHE . 331

m inute the r iver w a s co vered with the ba sket-bo a ts ,ca lled g oqf ahs , which ply upon the Tigris , a nd whicha t the beginn ing of the fray had been bawled upon the bank . It w a s clea r tha t the troops were inpo sses s ion of the town , a nd plundering and pillagingin a ll directions . Dropping sho ts s t i ll co ntinued, butthey were on ly the wan ton d ischa rge of muskets byr io tous soldiers , blowing open a lo cked door, o r

putt ing to dea th some wretch useles sly res ist ing .

The uproa r came nea rer and n ea rer to the wa ters ide, a nd w e soon counted m ore than thirty g oofia lzso r ba sket-bo a ts cross ing a t a t ime, filled with fugi

t ives . It soon became pitch da rk, but the no ise c o n

t inned unremittingly for three hours , mingled with

shrill shrieks , a fter which a ll w a s s ilent, and the

city became a s s t i ll a s if no such event a s w e had

witnes sed had occurred to dis turb its tranquilli tyWe hea rd it w a s the T offunchee Ba shee tha t spIrIt

ed up his m en to m ake the da shing mo vement a long

the bridge , a nd which w a s wo rthy o f better tro ops .

The Arabs , o n seeing-the ir reso lution , had given w ay ,

and the tro ops pa s sed . The ba za ar nea r the br idge

w a s plundered in a moment , a nd the wo rk of pillage

n ow bega n . It is sa id the Sheikh ha s sent terms

t o the Pa sha h , with o ffers to quit the town to

m orrow, provided certa in Arabs sha ll be pro tected ,a nd this, they say , he ha s agreed to ; o thers say he

ha s sent f or the Ane iza t o enable him to‘

keep the

town : i t would be like his s trange tempo rizing

po licy but w e sh a ll see to -morro w .

December 5 .— This mo rn ing, a t a n ea rly hour ,

the s treets were thronged with fugit ives , many o f

332 THE P ILLAGED TOWN .

them a lmo st na ked ; others , mo re fo rtuna te, wereca rrying wha tever they had been a ble to bea r o ff

o n the first a la rm . The women were wringing the ir

hands a nd sobbing and wa i ling ; the m en , sullen and

sulky, or clamorous a nd a bus ive, were ca rrying thei rguns and o ther a rms . The qua nt ity of ca tt le in

the town had become increa sed, a nd every la ne a nd

pa ssage w a s crowded . Reports va ry a s to wha t ha sbecome of the Agei l ; but the m o st probable s ta te ,

tha t when the rush o f the troops over the bridgew a s m ade, they found them selves between tw o fires ,a nd fled on a ll s ides , ret iring muskets in ha nd to

the ir houses to gua rd the ir property. The troopsd isco vering th is , a nd know ing tha t they proba bly

had litt le to lo se, quitted pursuit , a nd turned theira tten t ion to the ba za a rs and the houses of merchantsa nd wea lthy indiv idua ls , which they gutted clean ,s ett ing fire to the ba za a rs . Thus the blow fe l l

hea vies t o n the town ’

s-people, a nd no t, it is s a id,undes ignedly, a s a ll o f them a re pretty we ll knownt o ha ve taken pa rt with the Ageil, a nd to ha vefired upon the Pa shah

’

s tro ops .

Ha lf-pa s t n ine, A . M.— Pa rt ies s t i ll hurrying pa st

our door, s tripped to the skin a nd weeping a nd

wa iling : the s tree ts crowded with Arabs from the

o ther s ide, both m en a nd women ; but no certa intywha t ha s become o f the Agei l . Some say they a re

s t i ll in the ir houses , musket in ha nd, while the

t ro ops cont inue plundering the houses of the townsfolk— others think they ha ve fled a ltogether . It is

a lso s a id the Pa sha h ha s sen t o rders to the troopsto des is t from plunder, a nd ha s himse lf taken po s t

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

334 LOSS o r THE TROOPS .

shrugging his shoulders a s he says , You see wha t

you ha ve brought on yourselves it is your ow n

fault , no t m ine .

”

Accounts of the loss on e ither s ide, in this a ffa ir,a re a s yet to o vague to be rel ied upon but it mu st

ha ve been pretty sha rp on the Niza m a nd Alban ians , for o ne of the Res idency people, w ho w a s a t

the Pa shah’

s yesterday while the busines s w a s go ing

o n ,hea rd a person w ho had come from the o ther

s ide m ake a dem and fo r co t to n cloth enough to

shroud twenty-four dead bodies , a nd this on ly out o f

o ne deta chment . The commander of the ga lla n t

ru sh on the bridge , w e hea rd , w a s sho t through the

head , a nd severa l o f his people killed a nd badly

wounded . The los s a t the H illa h-ga te mus t ha ve

been grea t o n the s ide of the tro ops , a s they stood

expo sed to the fire o f the Ara bs , who, fight ing

from behind stone wa lls , proba bly suffered but litt le

no est ima te o f their,lo s s w a s a ttempted to be made .

The chief mischief is in the town . T he a tro cit ies

o f the troops , though perhaps no t grea ter than tho secommi tted by the m ore po lished so ldiery o f Europewhen a town is taken by s to rm , a re shocking

enough . The women were horr idly m a ltrea ted ,a nd this day the body of one w a s brought o verw ho had been Sho t by a brute o f an Alban ia n ,

while firmly res is ting his vio lence . The bea rersla id her do w n a t the thresho ld o f the Sheikh ’s tomb,a nd the Nuzeeb o rdered tha t she should be buried

with the honours o f a m a rtyr. Another of t hesem iscrea nts , while plundering the ha rem o f a n Ara b,being annoyed by the cries o f a child, to ok a nd

THEIR BARBARITIES . 3 35

threw it, a s he though t, into a well . This explo it ,o f which he made bo a st , ha ving come to the ea rs

o f the mo ther, she returned , when she da red, to lo okfo r the rema ins of her infa nt . They dragged the

wel l for i t , but in va in , a nd were a bout to aba ndonthe sea rch a s fruit les s , when the ir a tten t ion w a s

a tt ra cted by a fa int c ry ; a nd, seeking a bout , they

disco vered the poor l ittle thing lying in the tendour ,

which is a sort o f o ven dug in the ground a nd linedwi th po ttery, for baking brea d, into which , m is

taking it for a well, the vi lla in had chucked the

child . It w a s but l itt le hurt, and sca rcely bruisedby its fa ll, and you m ay conce ive the poo r mo ther

’

s

j oy .

O ne could no t ha ve imagined the populousnes s o f

the western s ide from its appea ra nce on ordina ry

occa s ions . The ba za a rs a re a lmo st impa s sa ble fromdroves o f mules a nd a sses , lo aded with furn iture ,with their drivers , a lthough the shops continueclosed from dread ; a nd the bridge from o ne end

to the o ther is a perfect s ight, s o thronged wi th

crowds hurrying to and fro . The who le ea s tern

shore w a s co vered with groups a rriving from the

oppo s ite s ide . The H a itahs a re swimming droves

of m ules a nd a sses a cro ss the r iver, a nd w e see

them s t il l driving them down to its ba nks on the

o ther s ide . It i s a perfect scramble , and would be

m o st laughable if it were no t for the misery pro

duced by it . One fel low pounces on a sheep while

its un lucky owner runs away with its lamb o n the

o ther s ide . A woman in one co rner might be heard

rending the a ir with cries fo r her son o r husband

3 36 OUTRAGE AND P ILLAGE .

w ho had been sho t o r dro w ned—fo r m a ny of the

g oofiahs sank with the ir freights ; a nother w a s

bemo an ing sca rcely les s piteo us ly fo r the lo ss of her

househo ld goods , in the hands , perha ps , o f a ruffia n

clo se by , w ho had pillaged her dwelling befo re her

eyes . In sho rt , outrage and plunder is genera l

throughout the city, a nd the weakest everywhere

suffers .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

338 THE P ILLAGED C ITY .

the line o f the roa d to Hi lla h ; they were oncevery powerful, but a re now , from va rious causes ,on the decline . Both these chiefs , being enemies

of the Ageil, willingly o beyed the P a shah’

s ca ll,which w a s m ade in the true spiri t o f his customa ry

po l icy— it rem a ins to be seen how he will a rra ngem a tters with them now tha t their services a re n o t

required .

In the fo renoon w e cro ssed the r i ver to lo ok a t

the scene o f combat . The effects were les s s triking

a t firs t s igh t tha n I expected ; fo r , in fa ct , the western division of the town w a s so squa lid and ruinous

tha t scarcely a nyt hing could m ake it look wo rse

but when y ou came to the ba za a rs a nd thoroughfa res

the more inha bited spo ts— there you saw the

mischief. Every do o r w a s burs t open , and genera lly to rn o ff i ts hinges ; a nd a t severa l o f thesesa t a few o ld women , wringing their ha nds a nd hea ting their brea s ts a s they ga zed into the ir gut ted

houses— the da rk , empty lo ok of which w a s , God

knows , depress ing enough : the m en w ho s til l re

m a ined, were s itt ing mo t ion less a long the s ides o f

the s treets , or sto od listless ly ga zing a bout them .

A few of the coffee-houses , empt ied o f their c on

tents , were occupied by m en who, from the ir a p

pea ra nce , I judged to be mercha nts and shopkeepers ,who had lo st a ll they ha d possessed .

~Loaded mulesa nd a sses were s t il l pa ss ing through the s treets ,

genera lly driven by the .Ha itahs ; a nd the s treets

them selves were strewed wi th broken furniture,fea thers o f pillows and bo ls ters which had beenripped up fo r their s i lk or brocaded covers , the

PLACE O F CO NFL ICT. 339

co tton and wool of m a ttres ses too hea vy to be ca r

r ied o ff, a nd quan tities o f gra in and pro vis ions tha thad been thrown a bout .

The Ba za a rs betrayed the sorest tokens of

v io lence . The burned roo fs had fa llen in, and the

a shes were mingled with gra in , da tes , gro cer ies ,wa ter-melons , pumpkins , a nd o ther vege tablesa ll things no t va luable enough to be ca rried awa y ;a nd the débris o f wha t had been spo i led in ca rryingo ff, o r left , w a s trodden under fo o t , with the brokenshreds o f the ve ssels tha t had co nta ined it , intoone disgust ing ma s s o f d irt , amongst which some

dozens o f a lmost naked children were paddling a nd

groping, no doubt fo r something to ea t . The cells

and shops were a ll s ta ring open , do ors a nd shutters

ha ving been to rn down— and lucky w a s it fo r the

city tha t the grea ter pa rt o f i t is built of m ud a nd

bricks , a s , o therwise, the whole would ha ve been

burned to the ground by the Wa nton madness o f

the incendia ries .

We went to see the principa l pla ces o f confl ict .

At the end o f the bridge the damage w a s less than

I had e xpected , a s there Were tw o hea vy guns play

ing upon tha t po int a ll day . It w a s a t the H illa hga te tha t the chief tokens o f the fight were to be

seen ; fo r here the chief s truggle w a s , a s here the

tro ops entered pel l-mell with the retrea t ing Ara bs .

There is an open spa ce inside this ga te, where the

tro ops a nd the guns to ok up the ir po s it io n, while the

Ara bs flew to the houses a nd ga rdens , from behind

the wal ls o f w hich they kept up a ho t fire— it is

a work they unders ta nd ; while o n their s ide the

z 2

340 ARAB CAMP .

a rtillery fired , it is sa id, five hundred rounds a t

their unseen a ntagon ists . The houses and wa lls , con

sequen tly, a re we ll bo red with ca nnon-sho t , whils t

the ga te ha s been soundly peppered with musket

bullets ; but the troops suffered mo st , a nd would

ha ve been fo rced to retreat , their ammun it ion being

expended , when the supply o f tha t and o f m en ,

o ppo rtunely a rrived by the Res idency boa t , a nd

ga ve them fresh means a nd renewed courage .

From this scene of destruct ion w e went t o vis it

the Zobeid camp, which certa in ly w a s a s ight worth

lo oking a t . In a ll my experience of T o o rko m a ns ,

Koords , o r wa ndering t ribes, I had seen n o such

w i ld-lo oking s a vages . Their lank bla ck ha ir hung

a round their bla ck visages ; a nd the only po ints o f

rel ief in the wild countena nce which loured fro m

under their s tra nge head-dresses , were the da rk

piercing eyes a nd the white tee th . Wha t wouldm a ny a gentlema n and lady in Europe give fo r

such a Ca se of incisors ! There were a t lea s t o ne

thousa nd horses a nd a s ma ny m en, a ll mingled

h iggledy-piggledy together— a huge living ma ss o f

quadrupeds a nd bipeds , from among wh ich ro se a

thick bristle of spea rs . The dress , if dress it couldbe ca l led, of these Ara bs , w a s the regula r Buddo oee ,o r desert cut—the yel low a nd red ha ndkerchief

bound round the top o f the head with a thick ropeo f camel’s ha ir the coa rse ha ir o r ca nva ss shirtand the a bba of every sort a nd qua l ity : the mos to f them were very filthy a nd grea sy . Some had no

t rousers , others no ves t ; some appea red to ha veno other covering than the ta t tered abba girt round

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

342 ARAB ARMS .

Cold though the wea ther w a s , especia lly a t night ,

these m en were a ll encamped upo n the ba re

ground, w ith no other covering than the abba

which they wore . No t a ten t , except tha t o f the

Sheikh , w a s in the pa rty, and tha t w a s a very

sma ll one . They lay a ll a t ra ndom among the

horses , looking like bundles of dirty rags bla cken

ing the ground . Mo st o f them were a rmed wi th

swords of the uSua l scimita r-sha pe, a nd a crook

ed dagger a t the wa ist . Some had hea vy iron

m a ces , a nd m any the herba iz, o r iron j a velin, o f

five o r s ix feet long, fo r throwing . The jereed, a

st il l sho rter j a vel in , m ade o f iron , hung a t m any a

s addle bow , to the number somet imes o f six on

ea ch s ide , a nd these they throw wi th grea t fo rce and

dexterity . Some of them carried sma l l hammers ;a nd a few had sticks ,

“

of about a ya rd long, a rm ed

w ith iron bo oks , with which they c an pick up

anyth ing fa llen to the ground, o r pull a m a n from his

s addle when a t full speed . There were a lso a few

guns amongst them , wretched clumsy engines ; but

the grea t wea pon , after a ll, is the spea r, o f which ,a s I ha ve sa id, there w a s a perfect thicke t st icking

in the ground , and without which no Ara b thinkshimself complete . It w a s genera lly planted clo se to

the owner’s horse .

Their horses disappo inted m e much I sca rcely sa wone of decent a ppea rance among the whole . No

doubt the bes t had been taken with the Sheikh ,who had gone to wa i t upon the Pa shah ; but I did

expect to see m ore of the common order wo rth

looking a t . But they were no t o nly sma l l a nd lea n ,

DAR ING THEFT. 343

but i ll-fo rmed, a nd deficient in a ll the cha ra cteris t ic

go od po ints of the Arab . In fa ct , the Zobeid, ita ppea rs , a re by n o mea ns celebra ted for good horses .

If you a sk them how th is happen s , they reply,Oh when w e want fine horses , w e go a nd plunder

the Aneiza .

” This they once did , sure enough ;but it nea rly cost them their existence

‘

a s a tribe .

They wished, i t seem s, to ga in fa vo ur with the

P a shah’

s Meera chor, or m a ster of the horse, by

giving him a handsome present ; but no t ha ving

a ny ho rses of their o w n good enough fo r the pur

po se , o r, a t lea st , no t cho o s ing so to employ them ,

they did contrive to s tea l away some dozen of the

fines t o f those of the Aneiza , with whom ,a t tha t

t ime, they were o n the best terms . These soon dis

co vered the robbery, a nd were a t no lo ss to guess

the thieves . They sent to the Zobe id, and taxed

them with the theft . We ha ve been,”sa id they,

a s brothers wi th you, a nd w e d es ire so to c on

t inne ; w e ha ve had our ho rses s to len , a nd you

a re the thieves —w e know i t, so do n’

t deny it , but

return them to us, a nd be our brothers a s befo re ; i f

n o t, hencefo rth w e a re your enemies .

”The Zobeid

sw o re by a ll tha t w a s s a cred tha t they were wrong

ed w—tha t they knew no thing of the ma tter, and in

vited the Aneiza to send a nd look a t a ll their ho rses .

Now there i s nothing in which an Arab is more

dexterous than in d isguis ing a s to len horse, -he

would bea t Yo rkshire a t tha t , “ a nd they had suc

ceeded SO‘

WEll with these , tha t the Aneiza could

n ot distinguish their pro per ty am ong the others .

But they rema ined unsa t isfied . It s ign ifies no

344’

CONSEQUENCES OF THE THEFT .

thing, sa id they, you, and no o thers , a re the

thieves ; a nd s ince you ha ve thought fit to injureand insult us , and then to bra ve our anger, be it so ;w e a re now your foes .

”

The Aneiza were a s good a s their word ; and

being a m uch more powerful tr ibe , so on m a

naged to distress a nd persecute the Zobeid so much ,tha t they beca m e wea ry of the busines s , a nd resolvedto set m a tters to r ights if they could . Sending,therefo re , to the Meerakhor, they besought him ,

fo r God ’s sake, to let them ha ve ba ck the horseson any term s . They then recei ved and sent them

to the Aneiza , with a humble a cknowledgment of

their error, a nd a request to be re-admitted to theprivi leges of friendship a s befo re . The Aneizarefused : No, n o ,

”sa id they ; you ha ve proved

yourselves to be m en wi thout fa ith— pitiful scoundrels , with whom it would be d isgra ce to a ssocia te ;you ha ve found it expedient to res tore your stolen

goods ; but you never ca n rega in our es teem— w e

cont inue enemies st ill .” In truth, this qua rrel

with the Aneiza ha s very much tended to a ccelera te the decay of the tribe Zobeid .

From the bivoua c of the Zobeid w e went to the

camp of the H a itahs , a litt le w ay off. This w a s

another curious scene : it w a s full of plunder,which the ca ptors were pa cking up and securing

a s well a s they could . Every tent w a s s tuffed

with a m a ss o f heterogeneous a rticles ; a nd reed

bedsteads , bedding, ca ldro ns and co okery-pots , ba

s ins and ewers , m en a nd women’

s appa rel, &c .

were piled in every corner, and ga thered in hea ps

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

346 NEWS FROM PERS IA.

Our friend in ques tion did no t a ppea r to relish the

pra ises w e bes towed on the Nizam ; no r would he

e ven a dmi t the merits o f his o w n c omra des w ho

m ade the cha rge a long the bridge . The m en o f his

o w n dus teii , o r t ro op , he a s sured us , bo re the who le

brunt of the a ct io n , a nd o f them he had lo st s ixteen

o r eighteen during i ts course . He a dmitted , how

ever, a s did eve ry one , tha t m a t ters wo uld ha ve

go ne very ill but fo r the re info rcemen t o f m en a nd

ammun it ion, sen t a cro s s by the Res ident’s bo a t , a nd

which a rrived in the very n ick of t ime . He to ld

us tha t a bout t w o hundred had been killed a nd

wounded o n bo th s ides ; a nd a s this agrees w i th

o ther es t ima tes , from va rious qua rters , it is probably

nea r the t ruth .

T he n ews from Pers ia co nt inues mo st unpro

m ising . A ca ra va n, e leven days from Ham ada n ,

ha s a rrived , with ho rsemen from Tehran , C a sha n ,

Ispahan , &c . T he repo rt from the la tter pa rt i s ,tha t when the o ld king d ied , his son , the Pr ince

o f Fa rs , a ssumed the rega l ins ign ia , and pro cla im ed

him se lf King . Tha t the Ameen-u-Do w lut , one of

his la te Maj esty’

s ministers , to ok the crown a nd

the ce lebra ted a rmlets con ta ining the Koh-i-no or

a nd the Deria -noor diamonds , a nd m a de them o ver,t ogether with the roya l trea sures to this Pr ince ,w ho , paying the t ro ops a yea r

’

s a dva nce , had ta ken

the w a y to Teh ran . A t tha t pla ce w e lea rn tha tthe Z i l-e-Sulta n , a bro ther o f the la te Prince Roya l ,w ho w a s go verno r o f the Ark, had shut the ga tes

o f tha t ci tade l a nd seized the roya l t rea sures there ,procla iming h imself King by the t itle o fAllee Shah ,

STATE OF THE C OUNTRY . 347

and striking co in with the legend “ Yah Allee !”

The Prince o f Fa rs , H o o ssein Allee Meerz a , ha s

done the same, subs t itut ing “Ya h Ho ss ein ! for

the o ther. S o here w e ha ve three Kings , Mahom ed Sha h, Allee Sha h , a nd Ho os sein Allee Shah ,a ll a t once in Persia . IVe only wa n t Ha ssan Al

lee Shah to complete the family pa rty, a nd tha tw e sha l l proba bly so on have in the pers on o f the

Pr ince o f Kerman , who bea rs tha t name with the

glorious t it le of Shuja a t-u-Dow lut .

The south o f Pers ia is in a melancho ly sta te .

All the ‘

tow ns between Sheerauz and Bushi re have

been plundered by the E eliaut chiefs ; a nd a son o f

the Prince o f Fa rs is playing the s ame game a t

Bush ire it self. All the merchan ts a nd person s of

pr'

operty a re quit ting tha t pla ce a s fa s t a s they

c a n . There a re m any reports o f princes a nd nobles

being blinded o r put to dea th, but no thing to be

depended o n .

December 6 .-A m an , fo rty days from T a breez ,

ha s a rrived , w ho decla res tha t Ma homed Meerz a and

the English envoy were s t i l l then in tha t place ;but tha t while he rema ined a t Hamada n , inform

a tion had been recei ved tha t bo th had a dva nced a s

fa r a s Zenjan on their w ay to the capita l . Other

repo rts a re r ife, but they tend o n ly in a vague,w ay

to confirm wh a t w e ha ve a lready hea rd the o n ly

thing certa in is , tha t the co un try i s grea t ly dis

turbed .

December 1 1 .—Thi s day , reports which ha ve fo r

s ome t ime preva i led o f the Aneiza Arabs being d ivi

ded among them se lves , a nd o n the wing fro m the

348 ARRANGEMENT WITH THE AGE IL.

Jez irah, a re confirmed . It is po s it i vely s ta ted tha t

they a re off, a nd tha t in a few days ho pes m ay be

enterta ined th a t the ro ads a round the ca pita l will

be free from plunderers . T he Pa sha h ha s a rra nged

the bus iness with the Ageil tri be by invest ing So ly

m aun Gunnum , the a dven turer a lready frequent ly

ment ioned a s Sheikh , fo r the purpo se o f guidingca ra va ns ; while the Agei l Sheikh ha s recei ved per

m is s ion to res ide here, pro vided he co nsents to l ive

a s a priva te person . This is a n a rra ngement quite

in con s is tence with the P a shah’

s usua l mea sures ;for this Soly m aun Gunnum being a n i llegit ima tedescendan t of a Shum m ur Arab by a s la ve wemam ,

no true Ara bs will co a lesce heart i ly wi th o r yie ld

him obedience ; n ay , a s I ha ve sa id befo re, he fa i led

on a former o cca sion when s imila rly empowered ,these very Agei l ha ving driven him o ff a s he w a s

in cha rge of a la rge a nd importa n t ca ra va n clo se

to Baghda d itself : but this i s a ll fo rgo tten, a nd

consequences a re d isrega rded the present momenta lone is pro vided fo r and cons idered .

Mr. Finlay, w ho ha s been our very plea san tinma te, a nd my compan ion in a ll my rides a nd

wa lks , t ired of w a it ing fo r the road be ing clea r,reso lved to try a nd pro secute his j ourney by the

r iver ; and, ha ving m ade his a rra ngements , s ta rted

in a bo a t bound fo r Bus sora . B ut his firs t o ut setha s been unpromis ing ; fo r the boa t had no t pro

ceeded five miles befo re she w a s stopped o n pre

tence of ha ving on bo a rd some horses tha t had

no t pa id duty. A cha ra cteris tic scene took placeo n this occa s ion : it a ppea red tha t the dut ies ha d

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

350 REPORTS .

a t n ight w a s left aground by the ra pid fa l l of theriver, w hich a t this t ime o f yea r fluctua tes much ,even from hour to hour, a cco rding to fa lls o f ra in

in the hills . He w il l now proba bly a ccompa ny

D r. Ro ss a nd myse lf on our purpo sed vis it t o 8 o ok

u-Shio okh a nd Wa ss it .

The news from Pers ia is s t il l vague and con

t radic to ry ; s ome s ay tha t Ha ssa n Allee Meerz a

ha s sent ten thousa nd m en to help his bro ther o f

Fa rs , w ho i s play ing King a t I spa ha n o thers , tha the ha s t aken his course to Kho ra san , and is t o set

up fo r him self. It is a lleged tha t the Prince o f

Ma zundera n o n be ing a sked by Allee Sha h (theZi l-e-Sulta n, w ho is go verno r of Tehran) whe therhe had any intent ion o f preferring a cla im to the

throne, replied ,“ No : tha t he w a s o ld a nd infirm ,

with one fo o t in the gra ve , and tha t fo r him t o

think o f the thro ne wo uld be fo l ly : a ll he a skedw a s to be left a lone to die quiet ly in his ow n pro

v ince, and tha t so fa r a s his suppo rt went , he had

no object ion to bes tow i t on the Zil .” We hea r

not a wo rd o f Ma homed Sha h and the English

party . Ma homed Ho s sein Meerz a of Kerma nshah

is sa id to ha ve wr i tten to the three a spiran ts , the

Princes of Fa rs , o f Tehran , a nd Azerbij an , offer ing

a llegiance to ea ch a s a mea sure of preca ut io n : hisfa ther, Ma homed Allee Meerz a , the bra ves t o f the

la te King’s s ons , would no t ha ve done so ; but he

a nd a ll the pet ty pr inces a re keeping quiet in the irgo vernments , wa it ing the result o f the s truggle between the grea ter ones .

The ro ads a re by some reports infested every

THE ZOBEID SHEIKH . 35 1

where by robbers , o thers decla re them to be a ll

quiet— proba bly ea ch m a n speaks a s he found thembut there is no doubt tha t severa l ca ra vans ha ve beenplundered in the neighbourho od o f Ispa ha n, a nd

between tha t a nd Shuster a nd Kerma nsha h ; and

tha t the Lour, F eilee, a nd Bucht ia ree t ribes ha ver isen , a nd go ne fo rth to ca tch wha t they c an in the

t roubled wa ters .

This day w e ca lled on the Zobeid Sheikh , fromwhom I hope to obta in convoy a nd guidance fo ra t lea st the ou tset of o ur Ara b trip . The Aneizaha ve certa inly ret ired — a t lea s t fa r enough to be

no lo nger objects o f immedia te dread ; a nd a ca rava n is prepa r ing t o s ta rt fo r Hi lla h , so tha t w e ha veevery rea s on to hope tha t w e m ay now pro ceeddown the Jezeerah in safety . We found the She ikhin the house of Ma homed Aga , the go verno r o f

H illa h ; a j o lly good-lo oking fe llow he w a s , fa tter

than Ara b bes eem s , a nd fa r more a ddicted to

go od living than Ara bs usua lly a re indeed, the o nly

re a son w hy w e ha d no t before wa ited on this chief

w a s his inability to receive us from the effects o f

his debauchery . Every n ight he is the guest o f

s ome one in the town, with whom he ge ts dea d

drunk, a nd is consequently seldo m able to ho ld his

head up t ill the succeeding a fterno o n .

This vice of drunkennes s is get t ing no t merelycommon , but a lmo st un ivers a l in Baghdad . In the

days of Da o od Pa sha h , i t w a s a t lea st concea led ;

but now the Pa sha h him self leads the va n in the

drunken squad , a nd is seen s ca rcely a ble to wa lk ,

returnn o f a n even ing from his debauches in the

3 5 2 MAU SOLEUM AT KAUZEMEIN.

ga rdens . The Zobeid Sheikh seem s to take very

kindly to this sort of life ; and, a ssuredly, his c on

versa t ion , a s interpreted to m e , w a s neither deli

ca te no r even decent . He, however, promised us

a ll ma nner o f a ss is tance and perfect security in his

o w n country, with guides and gua rds when w e

should require them to o ther qua rters .

In the evening w e rode t o Kauzem ein, a village

a bout three miles north of Baghdad, where is themauso leum o f Ima um Mo o s sa Kauz im , the Imaum

of the Sheahs , who w a s beheaded, I bel ieve , by

Ha ro on-ul-Ra sheed . He w a s confined in a dun

geon, which is s t il l shown, and from whence he is

sa id to ha ve esca ped mira culous ly ; others a ssert

tha t his hea d w a s cut o ff by order of the ca liph , yet

tha t he m ay be seen o cca s io na l ly to this day sea ted

on his o ld sea t in the dungeon . The m auso leum

a ppea rs to be a la rge pla ce, w i th a couple o f fine

gilt domes a nd four ha nds ome mina re ts ; the fo rmergilt by Nader Sha h , w ho a ppea rs to have res o rted

to this mode o f decora t ing the tombs of sa ints a s

a n expia t io n for his o ther enormit ies . It is a grea t

resort o f Pers ia n pilgrim s — a ll tho se w ho go to

Kerbelah pay ing the ir devo t io ns here a lso a nd, likea ll such pla ces , i t is thriving from the out lay madeby them , a nd full o f vagabonds a nd outca s ts , who

court the protect ion which, a s a religious s a nctua ry,it extends to such cha ra cters . I did no t a ttemptto enter, ha ving seen quite enough of these, a nd

be ing des irou s to a vo id the fuss made when s tra ngersseek to vis it them .

December 1 9 .—This day w e lea rn tha t Ma homed

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

LETTER XV .

Arab Tribes of Mesopotam ia .—Arab Character and Ta stes .

Blood Feuds and Arab Revenge—The Va le ofWom en—Ex .

tracts from the Journa l of a Traveller.—Toorkom an s of the

Euphra tes .— Ben—i-Saeed Arabs . Ham et-ul -Kha leel . The

Wom en ugly.—Ul-Fadhee Arabs of Ra cca .

— Loud Ta lkers .

-Jungle Arabs .—Decam ping and Encam ping.— Difference be

tw een Jungle or Fellah, and Bedooeen Arabs —The GoldenDays of Plunder.

—Pow er of the Sheikhs and their Fam ilies .

DECEMBER 22 .—We ha ve a t length completed

our prepa ra tion s for a trip through the Jezeereh,

o r Lower Mesopotamia : and a s you a re now t o

a ccompa ny us through a land inha bited ent irely

by Ara b t ribes , you m ay perhaps be glad to be

m ade s omewha t bet ter a cqua inted with the na turea nd cha ra cter of these people, before be ing per

sona lly introduced to them .

You a re awa re , I presume, tha t the country of

Mesopotamia , tha t is , the tra ct lying between the

tw o rivers Tigr is a nd Euphra tes , though fo rming

no pa rt of Arabia Proper, is principa lly occupied

by Ara b tribes ; w ho , origina lly tempted, doubtles s ,by the fert i lity o f the so il so much more product ive

than their o w n deserts , ha ve overrun n o t on ly the

grea ter pa rt of the country, more immedia tely in

question, but ha ve a lso taken possess ion of mo st of

LOCATION OF ARAB TR IBES . 35 5

the low lands on the left bank o f the Tigri s from

the shores o f the gulf, even up to Monsul . Thusthe upper pa rt o f Mesopo tamia , o r the Jezeereh, a s

it is ca lled by the Arabs , from the river Khabourto the vicin ity o f Baghdad, is occupied by the Jerbo a h tribe, of whom frequ ent men t ion ha s beenm ade in the forego ing pages . The Dela im tr ibeinfes t the immedia te neighbourhood of the city ;severa l tribes, va rying in power and respecta bility,but the dominan t a nd principa l one of which is theZobeid, po sses s the country from thence t o the

Ska t-ul-Hye, a ca na l o r river which cro sses the

Jezeereh, connecting the tw o grea t rivers . The

spa ce from tha t cana l to Kerna , where they meet ,is occupied in like manner by m any tribes , o f whom

the Ben-i-Rubbiyeh, rela t ives of the Montific , a re

the principa l . In fa ct , a ll the others a re but

dependants of these tw o la st-ment ioned powerful

tribes .

On the right bank o f the Euphra tes the grea t

t ribe of Ane iza , with whom you a re a lready in s ome

mea sure a cqua in ted, rule the coun try a nd oppres s

o r protect , a s the ca se m ay be, a multitude o f

sma l ler tribes , who a re found a long the r iver a ll

the w ay from Beer to Anah . From H illah to Se

m avah, the marshy tract fo rmed by the o verflow

of the Euphra tes , includ ing wha t a re ca lled “the

Lem lo on Ma rches ,”is held by the la rge tribe o f

Kheza il, powerful from the na ture o f their country,

w ho a re agricultura l a s wel l a s pa stora l, living much

on the produce o f la rge herds of buffa loes , rea red

on the rank vegeta t ion o f the m a rshes , a nd w ho

2 A 2

356 ARAB CHARACTER .

a re especia l sa vages and fa ithless plunderers to boot .

From Sem avah to the sea , the whole country he

longs undisputedly to the grea t tribe of Muntefic ,

w ho range upwa rds, o cca s ion a lly , a s far a s Hit a nd

Anah , on the confines of the Aneiza , a nd w ho give

shelter to a number o f dependen t petty tribes . All

these, except ing the Ane iza , a re , nomina l ly a t lea st,subjects of the Pa sha lic of Baghdad .

On the left ba nk o f the Tigris , a bove Baghdad,the country i s o verrun with va rious sma l l tribes o f

Koo rds a nd Ara bs, a s you ha ve pa rt ly seen, a ll

robbers , who plunder tra vellers , a nd commit every

kind o f depreda t ion . Below Baghdad is found thepowerful tribe of Ben-i-Lam w ho range the lower

pa rts of Sus iana to the Keerkah ; a nd beyond tha tr iver the Cha a b Ara bs ha ve po sses sed themselveso f a ll to the sea . A gla nce a t the m a p w il l ena ble

y ou to unders ta nd the lo ca l ities o f these va rioustribes .

Now a ll these petty tribes being descendants o f thesame s to ck a s their brethren of Ara bia Proper, o r

wherever else the ra ce is to be found, resemblethem in a ll es sen tia l points o f cha ra cter. They a ll

lay cla im to the virtues o f genero s ity, ho spita lity,j us t ice, incorrupt ible integrity, a nd fidelity to theirwo rds or o a ths , a s wel l a s to the high qua lit ies o f

courage, independence , a nd love o f freedo m ; a nd

a cknowledging them se lves to be plunderers a nd rob

bers , o bvious ly a tt a ch no discredit to the a c t o f

a ppropria t ing the property of s trangers who m ay

no t ha ve barga ined with them fo r the s a fety o f

their persons a nd goods . In fa ct, like their grea t

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

5 8 ARAB V ICES .

of Ara b fa ithlessnes s a nd trea chery . The sa cred

tie o f brea d and sa l t ” becomes a n empty fo rm

which is ea s ily evaded . The pledge given by one

chief is disrega rded or broken , when it suits his

purpose, in the person of his brother o r his uncle,w ho decla res his ow n independence a nd right of

plunder ; and w e hea r even of a ho s t , a fter enter

ta in ing t ra vellers a s his guests , a nd ~

gua rding them

in safety on their journey to a prescribed point,him self waylaying a nd stripping them .

Courage , l ike m any other qua lities, is the child

of circum sta nces , a nd flourishes in proport ion a s

these ca ll it forth . The s tout resis ta nce'

of the

Ben-i-boo-Allee tribe to the Brit ish a rms at Ra us

ul-Khym ah, the determined courage o f Ara b m er

cenaries in India on many occa s ions , and the da ring

(though often a trocious) exploits of the Wahabees ,

m ay serve a s proofs , among ma ny others tha t might

be quoted, of Ara b ga l lantry ; yet so much is the

reverse the ca se in the count ries w e a re now speak

ing of, tha t the cowa rdly, yet bullying, cha ra cter o f

the Ara bs is notorious . Of this there are numer

ous insta nces . On a certa in occa s ion, when Colonel

Tay lor w a s journeying by boa t from Bus so ra to

Baghdad, the Arabs of a certa in village, on the bank

of the Tigris, taking some offence a t the conduct

o f a boa tman , a ssembled in grea t numbers , a nd with

such ho st ile demonstra t ions tha t , a fter sundry va in

a ttempts to pa rley, i t w a s j udged necessa ry to fire

a sma l l gun over the ir heads, with a volley from

the party of Sepoys on boa rd the boa ts . The effect

w a s insta ntaneous, every m an fel l down or ra n

VALUE OF FIRMNESS . 35 9

a w ay, a nd the women o f the vi llage, o r camp inthe rea r, insta nt ly s truck the tents and retrea ted

into a swamp behind . The ho st ile symptoms cont inuing, a nd the crowd increa s ing , a pa rty of Sepoysw a s la nded, on which the Arabs, though grea tlysuper io r in numbers , were so int imida ted a t the

prepa ra tions made to resist them , tha t they ca lledout they were willing to trea t ; and, a ccordingly

,

explana tions took pla ce, and ha rmony w a s restored .

The Arabs a fterwa rds confes sed tha t they had

taken the Res ident ’s boa ts for a fleet o f na t ive craft,which they were a ccustomed to bully a nd fleece a t

will . In the same w ay , a friend of ours go ing

down the river, w a s‘

a tta cked by the Arabs w ho

demanded an a rbitrary custom ; but the discha rgeof a shotted gun o ver the ir heads , a nd the exhi

bit iou of a reso lute fa ce , brought the party clear

A little firmness will a lmost invariably bring

the Arabs of Mesopo tamia to rea son ; but this firmness mus t be guided by judgment a nd discret ion ,

o r it m ay lead to pa inful results . If blo od be drawn

where the superiority on the pa rt of the opponen ts

is o verpowering, the con sequences a re sure to be

fa ta l ; wherea s, when res is ta nce in such s itua t ions is

no t offered , the Arabs seldom , if ever, murder .

This w a s exemplified in the ca se of three English

m en w ho were tra velling, no t m any yea rs s ince,with a ca ra van from Baghdad to Constant inople .

At a po int nea r Ma rdeen, the cara van w a s sur

rounded .by a la rge pa rty o f a rmed Ara bs, w ho de

m anded a sum of money by w ay of custom . The

360 CONSEQUENCES OF RASHNESS .

a ffa ir would ha ve been speedily a rra nged by the

payment o f part of this dem and, but these gent le

m en , who were a l itt le w ay a pa rt a t the t ime o f

the a tta ck, either dreading the result o r sco rning

the idea o f submitt ing to be rObbed by Ara bs , re

t ired to a l ittle r is ing ground, where they were

speedily surrounded by a wel l-a rmed t roop . Threa ts

a nd furious ges tures ensued, a nd in the scuffle, by

some unfo rtuna te cha nce a pisto l, discha rged by one

o f the gentlemen , shot the son o r rela t ive of the

She ikh . The consequence w a s a n insta nt a ssault ,a nd the unfortuna te tra vel lers were cut to pieces

in a moment .

You ha ve a lready seen tha t these ba t tles a re a l

m ost r idiculously bloodless—a victory is no t unfre

quent ly ga ined without the lo s s o f a m an ; but

i t is to be observed tha t , in addit ion to the shy

nes s o f individua ls to expo se their persons to ha zard,there is a who lesome a pprehens ion of the couse

quences of a bloo d feud , which fo rm s a powerful

check upon any indiscreet propens ity to vio lence .

In the ba tt le with the Ageil, however, this principle

did no t come into opera tion , and yet you ha ve seen

how compa ra t ively sma l l a lo ss the Ara bs sus ta ined

o n this occa s ion, a nd how litt le they exposed them

selves to danger.

These blood feuds among the Arab tribes, preg

nant though they a re with a trocit ies a nd horrors ,differ litt le in cha ra cter from tho se of other na tions ,including even our ow n coun trymen in the t imeso f old . Vo lumes of deta ils m ight be writ ten on

the subject ; but I da re say you will be sa t isfied

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 62 ARAB REVENGE .

On inquiry, it a ppea red tha t this Sheikh , w ho

now had to mourn the los s of a da ughter, had once

had a son, who in some former fray had been put

to dea th by a p ehlew a n (or champion) of the~

o ther

tribe ; an event which ca lled forth a ll the virulenceof the exis ting feud . So m e short t im e a fterw a rds ,a s tranger en tered the camp and w a s rece ived with

the customary cordia l ity of Ara b hospit a lity. Un

fortuna tely he w a s recogn ised by some of the tribea s the very pehlew a n w ho had put to dea th the

s on o f their Sheikh . Wha t w a s to be do ne —He

w a s now their gues t , a nd by a ll the laws of ho spi

ta lity and by Ara b custom s could no t be touched .

The Sheikh himse lf w a s a bsent ; and the a rguments

of good fa ith a nd m ercy were prepondera t ing, when

the young woman now in quest ion en tered the a s

sem bly a nd upbra ided the m en with cowa rdice and

co ld-hea rtednes s towa rds their chief. “Wha t !”

s a id she,“sha ll the murderer o f your She ikh ’s s on

he in your hands and yet escape ? Never let this

be sa id— put him instan tly to dea th, o r renounce

the name o f m en St ill, however, a reluctance to

infringe on, in so direct a manner, the laws of host

a nd guest , restra ined the hands and weapon s o f the

m en , in spite of the wra th tha t w a s boiling in their

brea st s, and poss ibly the force of tha t co ns idera t ion

might ha ve preva i led, when the young girl herself,m a ddened a t the s ight of her brother’s murderer

a nd the idea of hi s esca ping, seized a sword a nd

smote him . The s ight o f blood w a s irres ist ible

ia a moment every weapon w a s drawn, a nd shea thed

in the body of their unfo rtuna te gues t— he w a s l ite

ra lly cut in pieces .

EXTERM INATION OF A TRIBE . 3 63

The Sheikh returned, a nd shocked a t the a tro

c ious viola t ion of hospita lity, w a s fur ious a t the

perpetrators : fa in would he ha ve reca lled the a c t

o r repa ired the injury ; but tha t w a s impo s s ible .

Time pa ssed o n, a nd the murder, like others o f

the sort, w a s forgotten by the tribe ; but no t bythe mo ther of the s la in. Reso lved upon revenge ,she had followed the hosti le camp for yea rs , a nd

pa tient ly wa tched a n opportun ity, which she found

not unt i l the fa ta l n ight when the Englishman w ho

rela tes the s tory, w a s by chance a guest in the tent

o f the Shiekh , and witness to the consumma t ion o f

her sa vage vengea nce .

The fo llowing s ti l l more dreadful ta le of Ara b

revenge is t aken from some memor a nda of Co lonel

Taylo r, respecting the Ara b tribes , a nd refers to a

remo ter period '

the t ribe of Montefic , to who se

power I ha ve referred, derive the ir chief s trength

o rigina lly from tw o principa l cla ns , the'

Malik a nd

the Aj w ad, w ho , though now united, were once a t

deadly feud . The ir quarrel w a s for the right o f

pa s turage over certa in tra cts , and the Malik pre

va iled— the Aj w ad were extermina ted ; excited to

despera t ion by the songs and encouragements of the

da ughters of their t ribe , every ma le of the Aj w a d

a rmed him self fo r ba ttle, and fell in defence o f the

spo t where his fa thers had pa stured the ir flocks .

But even this s anguina ry triumph w a s insufficient

fo r the caut ious fo reca st of Suleima n, the leader o f

the Malik ; he dreaded future retribut ion, should

even a s ingle individua l, especia lly a ma le, of the

conquered tribe survive . SO be adopted the a tro

364 THE VALE OF WOMEN .

cions expedient of putt ing to dea th every surviv

ing fema le, a nd securing the loss of progeny by the

mo s t horrible means . This diabolica l a c t w a s per

petra ted. One a lo ne, who had throw n herself a t

the feet of a Mal ik chief, w a s sa ved by his com

pa ss ion a t the ri sk a nd a lm ost by the sa crifice o f

his ow n l ife, fo r he w a s wounded, and nea rly cut

to pieces in defending his pro tege. O f this young

woman, w ho w a s pregna nt a t the t ime , w a s born

Abda l lah, a fterw a rds the founder of a tribe which ,fro m the peculia r or igin of its head, rece i ved the

a ppel la t ion of the Orphans’ Tribe .

”The scene

of s laughter w a s one of tho se plea sant glens which

even in the s terile a nd rocky s o i l of Ara bia a re

found among the mounta ins ; where wa ter m ay be

everywhere obta ined near the surfa ce, and which

in spring a nd ea rly summer a re co vered w ith a rich

verdure, a ffording excel lent pa sturage . It is there

the wandering Ara b lo ves to encamp ; a nd so plea

sant a re those lo vely spo ts , in contra s t with the

desert a round, tha t no wonder c an be excited a t

a ny s truggles to ma inta in the right over so delight

ful a retrea t . The va lley in ques t ion is to be seen

s ome fifteen miles to the south of modern Bussora ,a nd to this day reta ins the name it received on

tha t fa ta l occa s io n, being known a s the Wcidi-uln is s a , or the Va le of Wom en .

The following extra cts from the j ourna l of a

traveller, w ho res ided m uch among the Ara bs of

the Euphra tes , and which I obta ined by the fa vour

of Co lone l Taylor, a ffo rd some amus ing peeps a t

Arab manners a nd I give them with the less scruple

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

366 NATIONAL D I SH .

is made of itkeree, a sort of millet , coa rsely ground

and thrown into boiling wa ter, and st irred round t ill

it a ssumes the cons istence of pa ste . The ca ldro n

is then turned o ver into a wicker-tray, a nd the con

tents made into the shape of bread, being baked

on hea ted wood-a shes , o r s tones , brushw o od be ing

heaped and‘

kindled over a ll. A qua rter o f an hour

suffices for baking the loa f, which is broken to pieces

in the w icker-tray , and then pla ced in a wo oden

bowl . Yelaun clzoorbeh, a sort o f soup m a ig re, i s

poured upon i t, a nd it is ea ten very ho t . The

m a s ter of the tent or his son knelt a nd fa nned the

dish with the ta i l o f his shirt, while his guests a te

the contents : it is a mes s , tha t fro m its laxa tive

qua lities frequently disagrees with strangers .

This To pa l Mustapha , notwi thsta nding his profes

s ion s a nd those o f his son ,chea ted the tra ve llers a bout

the a ss , a nd it w a s with difficulty they procured a

guide towa rds Ra cca . The writer co ns iders thema s a ra ce mo re fa lse , thievish , a nd crue l by fa r tha neven the Koords , from who m he a ppea rs to ha vesuffered a lso .

They next rea ched the precincts of the Ben-i

Saeed tribe, the northernmo st Ara bs on the Eu

phra tes a t Shereen, and were received by Hametc l-Ja ss in, the She ikh of a pa rt of them , with thes ame religious honours a s a t the camp of Topa l

Mus ta pha , the Sheikh him self throwing him self onthe ground on their a ppro a ch, a nd rema ining pros tra te while the supposed Dervishes pa ssed over him .

Nay , to increa se his sa t isfa ct ion , Oma r, one o f our

t ra veller’s compan ions , rem a ined s tanding on the

l-IAMET-UL 3 67t )

poor man’

s lo ins while repea t ing a port ion of the

Ko rén . He ro se, a t length , a nd sa luting ea ch by

pla cing his hand in theirs , invited them into the

ca ta com b in . which be lodged . The chief of the

tribe, however, w a s Derw eesh-ibu-Fakh-ul-Sa eed, a

m an held in high a nd un iversa l esteem even bythe powerful tribe o f Aneiza , w ho pay respect tofew in fa ct , our tra veller speaks highly of the Ben

i-Sa eed t ribe genera lly, a nd sta tes tha t he pa s sedthrough their terr itor ies without suffering a ny mo

lesta tion .

One person of this tr ibe he honours with espec ia l men t ion, Hamet-ul-Kha leel , o r Hamet the Beloved, an o ld m an o f striking appea ra nce, whoselong white bea rd wa ving in a ll direct ions , a nd ba ld

head, ha lf covered on ly w ith the bla ck s ilk handkerchief tha t bound it , ga ve a venerable a ir to his

a spect ; while “ his ta ll gaunt figure and ga llant

deportment pro claimed tha t in his youth he had

been tha t c ommon cha ra cter, a ma rt ia l Ara b dandy

the hearty welcome a nd the frequent ro unds o f

righ t good coffee, declared him to be wha t in‘

truth

be w a s , a generous, n oble-hea rted o ld fellow ; a nd

the term a fa ther to the poor,’

appl ied to him by

the guide, exa ct ly described his cha ra cter .

The lad ies o f the t ribe do no t come o ff so wel l

in our tra veller’

s description he says tha t the Ara b

women from Shereen to below Anah. a re in genera l

ta ll a nd very pla in, having a n awkwa rd and even

m a scul ine a ppea rance ; the old ones a re abso lutelyhideous . Un like the ir pret ty live ly neighbours , the

‘

Koords , they a re grumbling a nd d iscontented in the

368 BEDOOE EN LAD IES .

duties of the tent, and ha ve no thing of tha t na tu

ra l e legance which a t first s ight so much recom

mends the Bedooeen ladies a nd the Ara b womenbelow Ana h their unbecoming ha bits , a nd the rude

screeching m anner in w hich they converse, render

them very repulsive to a stra nger no t o ne decentlooking woman did I see among the hundreds who

go uncovered during the Ba iram in the s t reets o f

Ana h .

”The ladies of the Ben-i-Saeed, he adds

,

go covered with go ld a nd s i lver co in s a nd trinkets , of which a la rge thick s i lver ring, a foo t indiameter, ha ving si lver r ings fixed to it by cha ins ,a nd a go ld a nd s i lver belt of five inches broad, w ere

the m ost conspicuous .

The m en, he observes , to ok the grea test ca re of theira ccoutrements . They studded the s traps from which

they suspend every a rt icle, with sma l l round bra s sbosses , so tha t they seemed a s if co vered with a rmour ;their bullet-bags a nd powder-fla sks a re lengthened

w ith numerous long thin s lips o f lea ther, twis ted

round with bra ss a t va rious distances , to give them

a glittering a ppea rance, a nd courie-shells a re a dded

a ccording to the wea rer’s fancy : their dres s is a

shirt a nd an a bba (Ara b clo ak); if co ld, tw o a bba s .

Furs a re seldom seen , a nd no t more than one in

thirty wears a kind of high shoe— the rest, both

horsemen a nd foo tmen (seg m a un) go ba refoot . On

a n expedit ion of sudden emergency, o ne and a ll,

horse a nd foot, rush out in the ir shirts , tucking

the skirts into their belts ; and ba ring their a rms

by tying the ends of their s leeves over their shoul

ders , they strea m away to the point of a ttack .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

370 LOUD TALK ERS .

been s itting in the same tent a nd a t a dis ta nce

from the fire, he m ay come with his‘Sa la a m Ale i

coum !’ a nd thus obta in a sea t by the fire . This

Sa la am ’

is never given a t the entrance o f the ten t ,

but on ly on the spot which the person fixes on for

a sea t . There is no respect shown ei ther to age

o r person , un les s it be to those who ha ve the mos tim pudence, a nd who thus obta in a good sea t .

The Koord , Allee Sinjar, ga ve the letter to the

Sheikh , w ho , be ing himself unable to read, sent fo r

the Mo ollah ; be, a fter much difficulty, read it

through . The Sheikh then, turning to m e, bawled

out in a to ne fa r above the vo ices of the rest , ea ch

individua l of whom w a s a t the same t ime roa r ing

out his opin ion and fa vouring m e w ith directions

a bout my future route . I never before witnessed

such a scene of upro ar ; but it w a s one I had to

witness every day a nd hour from thi s to Ana h .

F ive o r six persons would a sk m e ques t ions a ll a t

the same moment ; and while I w a s replying to one

o f them , the res t would, on conjecture, answer the ir

o w n inquiries , for the purpose , a s it seemed, o f say

ing something— the sheer love o f ta lking. Ta lk,’

a s my compan ion Dervish Hussein observed , ‘is theirfire , their clothing, a nd their p illaw a nd, in fa ct ,the Ane iza had left them little else, coming on thema t a ll t imes with dem ands fo r itheree, ca ttle, clothes ,a nd o ther things , which they da re no t refuse .

The She ikh ga ined the day , however, bellowing

out , a s I s a id, a t the top of his voice, a s followsBeyond the grea t jungle there a re no encamp

men ts fo r tw o days ’ journey ; a nd if you s leep out ,

AN EFFECTUAL ltETORT . 37 1

y ou will be ea ten up by the w ild ~bea s ts —y ou ha d

better go to the oppo s ite ba nk o f the rive r : I willgive you a le tter to a She ikh under m e lower do w n ,

where some of my people a re go ing to-morrowhe is ca rrying over it/zeree o n kellicks (ra fts). I willa lso give you letters to the Sheikh o f the oppo s iteba nk , who will fo rwa rd you to Deer .

Next cam e a“row

” upon religious subjects withthe Mo ollah, w ho w a s ca lled to write the letters ;this w a s going ra ther aga inst the tra vel lers , whena person a ddres sed the pries t a s fo llows , with a n

a rch look —“ I ca n’

t read myself, s a id he,“a nd

therefo re ca nnot j udge which of the pa rties is co r

rect ; but this I know, tha t the paper which y ou

ga ve la st yea r to a po or fellow to keep the pigs

out of his itizeree while he s lept , w a s wo rth very

l itt le . The m an did go to s leep, and when he

woke in the morning found ha lf his crop ea ten up,

a nd your paper which he had pegged down amongst

it, torn, trodden under fo o t , a nd defiled by the un

clean bea sts s o m uch for y our being a Mo o llah !

This clo sed the Mo ollah’

s mo uth , a nd put a n end to

the deba te .

“ I w a s much fa t igued, he cont inues ,“ by the

inces sant noise a nd crushing of people befo re the

fire . A circle three or four deep had been fo rmed,which comple tely filled up the tent : beyond this

many kne lt, while o thers sto od up . The Sheikh

lay within the circle a t full length befo re the fire ;

his son, a spo i lt monkey o f fourteen, sa t upo n our

toes , turn ing round, and nudg ing us with the po in t

o f his fingers (a common pra ctice)a s often a s he could

2 B 2

372 MED ICAL PRACTIC E .

frame questions to‘

put to us . The crowd w a s so

grea t, tha t'

w hen I tried to s it cro ss-legged, they s a t

upon my knees , so tha t t o prevent this I w a s forced

t o draw them up t o my chin a nd a l low myself to

be crushed like a wedge . I w a s much fa tigued, a nd

begged Omar to'

ac t the phys ician in my s tead .

T he Ko o rd A l lee Sinja r, who re ta ined the pla ce o f

honour, and sa t Taking the a shes wi th a cro oked

s tick, first thrust fo rth his grea t wrist . Oma r pro

nounced his ca se to be one o f the reca ll , o r the

humours .

’

He is righ t ,’

sa id the Koord, tha t

is exa ct ly my compla int so Oma r ga ve him a

gra in o f ca lomel , four of c' o locynth , a nd three a n t i

bilious pi lls ; but , ins tea d of payment , he received

on ly a reques t fo r a s imila r do se fo r a friend .

We had di vided our medicines into five gra ndpo rt ions ; the first fo r the neca li , o r hum our ; the

second'

for heada ch, &c . but the la s t, which w a s

pro lific pills , w a s in mos t reques t, a nd the nex tmorn ing the Shiekh’s bro ther seduced Om a r away

in to a nother tent to exhibit these to his lady, underthe tempt ing promise o f a good mea l— no sma l l boon ;fo r a l l had become wel l a cqua inted with hunger .

O ne mea l in the m orning a nd a no ther a t nightw a s our best luck, a nd w e had t o ca rry betweenus a hea vy knapsa ck . When w e a rri ved a t a n

encampmen t, w e had genera lly to wa it fo r our sup

pers t ill a fter da rk , a s Ho o s seen sa id, tha t w e mightno t s ee the a bominable tra sh they fed us wi th .

It w a s a lways the eterna l it/zerre turm oose, w ith

fa lse soup , o f which , such w a s its effects upo nour s toma ch s , the mo re w e devoured , the mo re

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

374 DECAMP ING.

Ba shkirs , o r Ca lm ooks their manners bruta l, the ir

conversa t ion indecent . The women a s bad a s the

m en—modes ty unknown . At the ferry, the wives of

the She ikh Allee-ul-Kelb a nd his lieutena nt s tripped

befo re the tra vel lers , a nd cros sed the ri ver on infla t»

ed skins — their who le conduct w a s equa lly indecent

a nd disgus t ing.

As among other wa ndering tribes , he found tha t

the women were the principa l labourers , s triking

a nd pa cking the tent s and househo ld stuff, in

the fo l lowing manner - they firs t packed up the

baggage , then drew up the tent-pegs a nd threw

down the ten ts : next they rolled up the s ide a nd

ha rem screen s , made of ta l l reeds, being o nly a ss ist

ed by the m en in loading the oxen tha t ca rry them .

They ha ve o n ly oxen and a sses there a re no camels

a t a ll in this!

qua rter ; a nd Abd-ul-Arar, the second

She ikh of this tribe, w a s the on ly m a n who possessed

a ho rse, a nd a very indifferent one it w a s—the Ane i

z a had disposed of a ll the rest ; neither did our tra

vel ler observe any pou ltry— a s ingle co ck in the chief’

s

tent served a s a clock a nd a pe t fo r the children .

The process of decamping sca rcely occupied one hour

though there were a bout three hundred tents , in tw odivision s, ,

to strike .

On a rriving a t the new ground, the m en co m

m enced cut ting down and clea ring the wood tha tcovered the spot , making a fence o f loo se bra nches ,a bout five feet high . Two o penings o r m o re wereleft , which they ca l l bub-u! gunnum (ga tes fo r the

sheep); spa re bra nches were left to shut up the

whole a t n igh t, be ing withdrawn in the m o rning .

ENCAMPING . 375

This is done a s wel l to keep out thieves a s wildbea s ts . L ions , in pa rt icula r, a s Allee-ul-Kelb to ldus , were a bunda nt , and one came to the encampmentevery n ight a nd ca rried off ca ttle o f some so rt .

From n ight till morning the shout went from one

ten t t o a no ther ; the dogs a re the bes t gua rds ,for when o ne of these begins to ba rk, some o f

the m en o f the encampment genera lly jo in a nd

shout a nd hoot t il l the barking cea ses . Even in

the m idst of conversa tion in the even ing, it con

s tantly occurred tha t one o r o ther o f the pa rty ,hea ring a growl o r a bark, would instant ly shouta loud, and this w a s mos t frequen t in the tent o f

the Sheikh .

The ground being clea red, ea ch individua l t akes

his s ta t ion exa ctly a s in the la s t encampmen t , in

o rder tha t the ca t t le m ay find the ir respect ive homes

without difficulty ; y et they say tha t, even were thepos it io n o f ea ch t o be a ltered, the oxen, sheep, goa ts ,a nd a sses would go to their owner’s tent o f their

oWn a cco rd without being driven . The t ent is then

opened out and bea ten ; the m en o nly drive *

the

pegs a nd ra ise the poles , the women set up the

screens and finish and a rra nge the res t . The ins ide

of the tent is then brushed to take o ff the soo t '

s takes a re dr iven in, a rope drawn a cros s a t the fur

ther end, a nd ha lters fa stened fo r the oxen ; then

itheree s ta lks a re collected a nd thrown in, in readl

ness fo r the ca tt le . Then forage is col lected, wo od

cut down, and wa ter drawn by the women . The

boys a ttend the flo ck , while the m en sca rcely do

a nything and are the la ziest people on ea rth. Fo r

376 FRIENDLY EXAM INATION .

s ix weeks in the yea r they a ttend the cherd . (or'

m a chine by which wa ter fo r irriga t ion is ra ised by

oxen), there be ing usua lly five tents to one cherd, and

consequen t ly ten days ’ labour to the :m en Of ea ch

ten t . The emba nkments on which the wa ter-courses

run a re on ly three , four, o r five feet high, a cco rd

ing to the decl ivity of the so i l . Cherds a re . only .

required below Ra cca . They ha ve n o ploughs tw o

m en dig wi th a la rge spade, one driving i t into theground, after wh ich the other pulls it towards him

with a co rd a ya rd.

long .

One day , s ays our tra vel ler,“a s I went to the

ferry , tw o m en with a sses were seen a t a d is ta nce , on

which Allee-ul-Kelb, a nd five o thers w ho were presen t ,ran to see w ho they were . They brought ba ck -the

young m en s tripped, ha ving left them on ly the

pa tched a nd ro t ten ga rmen t with w hich every m a n

t ra vels . Allee then inquired o f them to wha t tribethey belonged , a ques t ion they eva ded , a s it hap

pened tha t they were of a ho s t i le tribe, which , hadi t been knowh, would ha ve ca used their being putto dea th upon the spo t . When sen t to the tent s

t o be fed, however, they were recogn ised by Abdul-Arar, the seco nd She ikh , w ho , a lthough they wereenemies , pro cured fo r them the relea se o f their

property . The A rabs, in fa ct, make litt le dist inct ion between friends a nd enemies with respect toplunder, robbing both indiscrimina tely— they evenpillage one a no ther in their encampmen ts . O ne

day when a robbery o f th is sort had o ccurred, theowner came ; a nd, borrowing a la rge green by rak ,

o r flag, t ied a copper vessel of ablution a nd a Ko ran

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

378 BEDOOEEN ARABS

a nce between them and the fixed Arabs, such a s

the j ungle a nd Fella h Ara bs describing the formera s na tura lly noble a nd gen t leman-like, of a m a nly

ca rriage , a nd a n im a ted fea tures ; the la tter a s

clownish in manner , awkwa rd in depor tment , and

ill-fa voured in fa ce a nd figure. A stranger ,”says

he , wo uld sca rcely be offended a t being plun

dered by the Bedooeen , while even a complimentfrom the cult iva t ing Ara b is disgusting : I know

no better w ay to express the con tra st .” Nay , it

a ppea rs tha t even in enforcing their demands upon

the subject tr ibes , however a bso lute they m ay be ,

their m a nner is s til l dignified a nd po lite ; a s if

they were taking their ow n .

”

In shor t , the Bed

do oeens m ay be termed the nobility a nd gentry o f

the Arabs, while the cult i va tors a re the bo ors o f

their coun try . This is indeed the descript ion o f a n

enthus ias t in the cause of Ara b po liteness .

Assuredly, never theles s , this mode of helpingthem sel ves to the go ods of their less refined thoughmore indus trious neighbours , however po l itely m a

naged, is a serious evil to the subject country ; for

w e a re told, they (the Aneiza) come in bodies of

three o r four thousand m en , and cut, thresh out,

and ca rry away the corn which o thers ha ve sowed,a nd consequent ly the lands a bove a nd below Ana h

rema in unculti va ted . Hi t and other tow ns ha vefor ts to protect them , a nd therefore their harves tsa re more secure .

These a re no t the only o r the most profitabledepreda t ions which a re pra ctised by the roving

Arabs ; r ich ca ra va ns a re frequently pla ced under

A RICH BOOTY. 79

hea vy contribut io ns , and sometimes fa ll ent irely intothe ir ha nds , a nd o cca s iona lly la rge bo o ty is ma deby surpris ing pa rties o f r ich tra vellers . No t even theSultan’

s and the Pa shah’

s officers escape, when theya re overtaken by the Ara bs in sufficient force . Afriend of mine, journeying nea r E rbile, m et with a nAra b w ho na rra ted to him , with much glee , severa lof his plunder ing a dven tures . Among others he

m ent ioned his having, in company with a sma l l

pa rty, s topped a n officer of the celebra ted Da oodPa shah , by name Yussuff Aga , nea r a pla ce ca lledDa ltow a , and robbed him o f a cons idera ble sum in

gold a nd s i lver. The thing tha t turned out bes tfo r him , w a s a ring which he to ok from the fingero f one of the plundered pa rty. When he sa w i t

firs t, the ignora nt Ara b thought it w a s a bit of

gla ss set round with o ther sma ller bits, a nd he

to ok it fo r the sake of the g o ld sett ing a lone ; butha ving occa sion , some months a fterw a rds , to go to

Monsul, he wen t to the go ldsmiths’ ba za a r to get

s ome coins va lued, and there he saw people looking

a t gla s s or s tones like the one he had, a nd p ut ting

a grea t pr ice upo n them ; so he thrust his ha nd

in w ith the ring on it , a nd a sked a jeweller wha t

it w a s worth . The jew eller to ok it off, a nd put t ing

it on his ow n finger, turned it in a ll directions ;ca lled one or tw o o ther persons, w ho did the same,a nd then to ld him it might be worth 8 000 pia stres .

This news , he sa id, brought his hea rt to his mouth ,but he kept his countenance, and bo ldly to ld the

o ther he should no t ha ve the ring under

pia s tres . They then set to ba rga ining in ea rnest ,

3 8 0 PURC HASE O F FORBEARANCE .

a nd a t la st struck for The money w a s

counted down, a nd when he saw 8 00 cham ies

(about 8 0 or a ll his ow n , he go t qui te con

founded, t ied up the money in a co rner of his c a m

leen, forgo t a ll his o ther bus iness , went to his khan ,

mo unted his horse , and never ha lted or s tayed t i l l

he go t to his tent next m orning. Even then he

could ha rdly bel ieve his senses , but the s ight a nd

feel of the h a rd coin brought him t o . Tha t

ring ,”

added he chuckling, w a s the making of

m e,1—the bes t day’s wo rk ever I saw ! Ah ! tho se

were the t imes ! w hen w e wa n ted mo ney o r a ny

thing else , w e ha d o n ly to go t o the ro ad s ide a nd

wa i t fo r the firs t ca ra va n

As I ha ve o bserved a bove, however, these ca ra

va ns were no t a lways game . O n the contra ry, i t

w a s cus toma ry in d is t ricts where the Ara bs had

the sway, t o compound fo r the sa fety and free

pa ssage o f these rich m a rching maga zines of m er

cha ndise, a s in the ca se of the ca ra va ns from Da

m a scus a nd Aleppo, which ha ve, fo r m a ny yea rs ,been conducted by the Agei l tribe through the

Desert to Baghdad . These pay a tribute to the

Ane iza fo r the ir fo rbea ra nce , a s the ca ra va ns pa ss

chiefly through the ir territo ry . Yet even this preca ut ion o cca s iona l ly fa ils o f i ts object ; a nd ca ra vans ,whether from a cciden t o r des ign, a re occa s io na lly

s topped a nd even plundered , in spite of their gua rds .

A circum s tance of this so rt , rela ted by the tra vel ler

I ha ve a lready quoted, a ffo rds a curious and interest

ing proof of the power o f the Sheikhs and their

family over their tribes . A pa rty of the Aneiza

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 8 2 POWER OF THE SHE IKHS .

a nd genero s ity which a re understo od to cha ra cterisetheir nobler brethren ; yet in m anners and deport

ment , a s l itt le do they a ppro a ch in gro ss bruta lity

the Arabs o f the jungle , o r the o ppres sed cult iva

tors of the upper ba nks of the Euphra tes ; but Ineed s ay no more a bout the ma t ter here , for thea ccount I a m a bout to give you o f wha t I heard

a nd saw among them ,will, I hope, ena ble y ou

to judge fo r yourself of their cha ra cter, m a nners ,

and customs .

END OF THE FIRST VOLUME .

LONDON

P RINT ED BY SAMUEL BENTLEY ,

Bango r House , Shoe La ne .