CHAPTER V.Hasta Khan—The Kurds—Their summer depredations—Our Sultan ought to be Padishah in his own dominions—The English Consul—A story about the Kurds—The Delsin—Arresting the major—The major's dinner with the chief—Acknowledge the Padishah—A sore back—The mule which is offered in exchange—The pack-saddle—The Euphrates—Coal in the neighbourhood—Kemach—The Caimacan—Djerrid—A National Guard—A miniature Gibraltar—Turkoman horses—Numerous wells—One of the faithful.On we went, fortunately not down any more glaciers, and, after being upset about twenty times in the snow-drifts, reached Hasta Khan. This was a house built on the road-side for travellers. It was kept by an old Turk. According to him, the Kurds in the neighbourhood were engaged all the summer in robbing their neighbours, and were hardly ever brought to justice."They take our cattle," said the man, "andthey bribe the police. There is no sort of order here. What we want is our Sultan to be Padishah in his own dominions."I subsequently heard from the English Consul at Erzeroum a story which rather corroborated the Turk's account of the Kurds.It appeared that in the Delsin, not far from Erzingan, a major commanding a battalion of infantry received orders to apprehend a Kurdish chief. Somehow or other the Kurd heard of this. One day, taking with him about five thousand followers, he managed to surround the place where the troops were encamped. Riding up to the commander's tent, he accosted the officer—who was much surprised at the unexpected presence of the culprit—with the words,—"Peace be with you! I have come to dine here this evening."It was a very disagreeable position for the major, but what could he do? His battalion had been taken unawares; it was surrounded by the Kurd's followers, and all of them were armed men. He put on the best face he could about the matter, and gave his guest an excellent dinner. The following morning the Kurd said to him,—"I dined very well last night, and slept comfortably.I have accepted your hospitality, and now you must accept mine. I am going to take you to dine with me. Nay, I am!" he continued, to the officer, who appeared a little indignant at the proposal, "and every man under your command as well. They shall all dine and sleep in my encampment this evening.""It was a disagreeable position for the major," observed the Consul at Erzeroum, when he related the story to me. "He was ordered to arrest the Kurd, and now the Kurd was about to arrest him! However, resistance was useless. His battalion was surrounded by Kurds, who, at a sign from their chief, would have massacred every Turk on the spot. The only thing for the officer to do was to accept the invitation. The Kurd, when the soldiers arrived at his mountain home, commanded his servants to make preparation for a feast. Several hundred sheep were killed, to be cooked for the occasion, and the stream on the hill-side ran red with the blood of the slaughtered animals."After dinner the major tried very hard to persuade the Kurd to recognize the Sultan as his lord."You need only nominally acknowledge our Padishah," remarked the officer; "you have30,000 sheep; give 1500 piastres (10l.) a year to the Sultan. You have 10,000 retainers; give him 10 to serve in his army. I can arrange the rest. You are a very rich man, but this need not be known at Constantinople.""I have never given any one of my children to serve another master," replied the chieftain, proudly. "Your Padishah is Sultan at Stamboul, but I am Sultan here!"The following morning, the Kurd allowed the battalion to return to their quarters, and presented the major with an Arab charger as a memento of his visit."All the circumstances were reported to the military authorities at Erzeroum," added the Consul when he related the story, "and the officer was afterwards promoted."Shortly before leaving Hasta Khan, Mohammed came to me with a smile on his countenance. I at once thought that something disagreeable had happened. The Turk seldom indulged in a smile. Radford, too, in spite of his illness, seemed rather more cheerful than usual. I began to be a little alarmed."What is the matter?" I inquired."At—the horse!" said Mohammed."Yes, sir," said Radford, who had accompaniedhim, and had acquired the habit of sometimes interlarding his English with a few words of Turkish; "the At has a hawful sore back, and all the 'air is off it.""Which horse?""The old pack-horse, the roarer."Mohammed shook his head mournfully."We had better sell him," he said. "One of the Zaptiehs has a mule; he is not a big mule, but he is a nice animal, sleek and comely, besides being strong. The man says that if the Effendi will give him five liras and the horse which makes a noise, that we may have his mule."The animal in question was a brute which the gendarme rode, and which was always trying to run away. I had previously gathered from the fellow that his mule had escaped three times whilst he was being saddled. However, the gendarme had forgotten that he had told me of this, and in all probability had offered Mohammed a share of the five liras, should I be fool enough to accept the proposal."Let me see the pack-saddle!" I exclaimed.On looking at it I found that by cutting out a considerable portion of the lining, it would be possible to prevent any weight pressing upon the horse's sore place."He can carry his pack," I remarked to Mohammed."If I cut the saddle he can," replied my servant; "but it will cost twenty piastres to mend it again.""Yes," I observed, "and it will cost five liras to exchange the horse, besides which we should have a worse animal than at present.""The Effendi knows best," said the Zaptieh, with a grin."He knows," said Mohammed."Shall I have a little backsheesh?" remarked the gendarme, rather alarmed lest his endeavour to deceive me might have done away with his chance of a present."Inshallah!" I replied; and, this matter being arranged, we continued our march across the mountains.Presently we had to descend almost to the bed of the Euphrates. Here there were traces of copper ore. A little farther on we came to a place where what seemed to be iron ore was lying strewn along the mountain side; I was informed by the guide that a few miles to the east there is a substance in the earth which the villagers use as fuel. According to my informant it is hard and black, and gives a bright flame; so in allprobability coal is also to be met with in these regions.As we approached Kemach, the Euphrates became narrower; in many places it was not more than thirty yards wide. The stream was very rapid. Any man, no matter how good a swimmer he might be, would have a poor chance for his life if he were to fall into the torrent. Here and there large rocks and loose stones, which have been washed down from the mountain sides, block up the channel; they check the waters for a second. The river bubbles and roars; it lashes furiously against the boulders, and, leaping over them, rushes headlong with a fall of at least four thousand feet to the ocean.The Caimacan of Kemach and a few of his friends were engaged in playing at Djerrid near the outskirts of the town. It was a lovely scene. The sun was setting on the snow-capped mountains; the river ran at my feet; bright-coloured vegetation and many-tinted rocks looked down upon us from either hand; cascades and waterfalls dashed over the rugged crags; whilst the Caimacan and his party, who were immensely excited with their game, shouted "Allah! Allah!" as they rode at each other and hurled the wooden missile.The governor stopped playing when he saw ourparty, and, riding up, asked the Zaptieh who I was. He then introduced himself and the company to me. They had been busily engaged in learning drill all the morning. An order had been received from Constantinople for the Caimacan to form a National Guard. Every able-bodied man in the district had at once enrolled himself as a volunteer. On entering Kemach I was struck by a high rock, which might have been a miniature Gibraltar, and which stands immediately behind the town. The rock was about 500 feet in height, and a ruined citadel on the summit towers above the Euphrates and the town.The Caimacan and his friends were well mounted, their horses being of a very different stamp to those which I had seen during my march from Constantinople. They were most of them fifteen hands high, and one or two over sixteen. On inquiry, I found that they were Turkoman horses. I also learnt that most of the animals in the district had been bought by Government agents for the use of the army at Erzeroum.A large proportion of the houses in Kemach are constructed of dried mud. Numerous wells, with high cross-bars and long iron chains for thebuckets, were to be seen along our path. One of the faithful, on a tower above our heads, was calling the Mohammedans to prayer. His loud but melancholy strains were being listened to with great attention by Mohammed and my English servant. It appeared that Mohammed, through some strange inadvertence, had omitted praying at mid-day. Radford was a little alarmed lest the Turk might make up for his shortcoming by an extra-long prayer that evening, which would have kept him from attending to the horses.
Hasta Khan—The Kurds—Their summer depredations—Our Sultan ought to be Padishah in his own dominions—The English Consul—A story about the Kurds—The Delsin—Arresting the major—The major's dinner with the chief—Acknowledge the Padishah—A sore back—The mule which is offered in exchange—The pack-saddle—The Euphrates—Coal in the neighbourhood—Kemach—The Caimacan—Djerrid—A National Guard—A miniature Gibraltar—Turkoman horses—Numerous wells—One of the faithful.
On we went, fortunately not down any more glaciers, and, after being upset about twenty times in the snow-drifts, reached Hasta Khan. This was a house built on the road-side for travellers. It was kept by an old Turk. According to him, the Kurds in the neighbourhood were engaged all the summer in robbing their neighbours, and were hardly ever brought to justice.
"They take our cattle," said the man, "andthey bribe the police. There is no sort of order here. What we want is our Sultan to be Padishah in his own dominions."
I subsequently heard from the English Consul at Erzeroum a story which rather corroborated the Turk's account of the Kurds.
It appeared that in the Delsin, not far from Erzingan, a major commanding a battalion of infantry received orders to apprehend a Kurdish chief. Somehow or other the Kurd heard of this. One day, taking with him about five thousand followers, he managed to surround the place where the troops were encamped. Riding up to the commander's tent, he accosted the officer—who was much surprised at the unexpected presence of the culprit—with the words,—
"Peace be with you! I have come to dine here this evening."
It was a very disagreeable position for the major, but what could he do? His battalion had been taken unawares; it was surrounded by the Kurd's followers, and all of them were armed men. He put on the best face he could about the matter, and gave his guest an excellent dinner. The following morning the Kurd said to him,—
"I dined very well last night, and slept comfortably.I have accepted your hospitality, and now you must accept mine. I am going to take you to dine with me. Nay, I am!" he continued, to the officer, who appeared a little indignant at the proposal, "and every man under your command as well. They shall all dine and sleep in my encampment this evening."
"It was a disagreeable position for the major," observed the Consul at Erzeroum, when he related the story to me. "He was ordered to arrest the Kurd, and now the Kurd was about to arrest him! However, resistance was useless. His battalion was surrounded by Kurds, who, at a sign from their chief, would have massacred every Turk on the spot. The only thing for the officer to do was to accept the invitation. The Kurd, when the soldiers arrived at his mountain home, commanded his servants to make preparation for a feast. Several hundred sheep were killed, to be cooked for the occasion, and the stream on the hill-side ran red with the blood of the slaughtered animals."
After dinner the major tried very hard to persuade the Kurd to recognize the Sultan as his lord.
"You need only nominally acknowledge our Padishah," remarked the officer; "you have30,000 sheep; give 1500 piastres (10l.) a year to the Sultan. You have 10,000 retainers; give him 10 to serve in his army. I can arrange the rest. You are a very rich man, but this need not be known at Constantinople."
"I have never given any one of my children to serve another master," replied the chieftain, proudly. "Your Padishah is Sultan at Stamboul, but I am Sultan here!"
The following morning, the Kurd allowed the battalion to return to their quarters, and presented the major with an Arab charger as a memento of his visit.
"All the circumstances were reported to the military authorities at Erzeroum," added the Consul when he related the story, "and the officer was afterwards promoted."
Shortly before leaving Hasta Khan, Mohammed came to me with a smile on his countenance. I at once thought that something disagreeable had happened. The Turk seldom indulged in a smile. Radford, too, in spite of his illness, seemed rather more cheerful than usual. I began to be a little alarmed.
"What is the matter?" I inquired.
"At—the horse!" said Mohammed.
"Yes, sir," said Radford, who had accompaniedhim, and had acquired the habit of sometimes interlarding his English with a few words of Turkish; "the At has a hawful sore back, and all the 'air is off it."
"Which horse?"
"The old pack-horse, the roarer."
Mohammed shook his head mournfully.
"We had better sell him," he said. "One of the Zaptiehs has a mule; he is not a big mule, but he is a nice animal, sleek and comely, besides being strong. The man says that if the Effendi will give him five liras and the horse which makes a noise, that we may have his mule."
The animal in question was a brute which the gendarme rode, and which was always trying to run away. I had previously gathered from the fellow that his mule had escaped three times whilst he was being saddled. However, the gendarme had forgotten that he had told me of this, and in all probability had offered Mohammed a share of the five liras, should I be fool enough to accept the proposal.
"Let me see the pack-saddle!" I exclaimed.
On looking at it I found that by cutting out a considerable portion of the lining, it would be possible to prevent any weight pressing upon the horse's sore place.
"He can carry his pack," I remarked to Mohammed.
"If I cut the saddle he can," replied my servant; "but it will cost twenty piastres to mend it again."
"Yes," I observed, "and it will cost five liras to exchange the horse, besides which we should have a worse animal than at present."
"The Effendi knows best," said the Zaptieh, with a grin.
"He knows," said Mohammed.
"Shall I have a little backsheesh?" remarked the gendarme, rather alarmed lest his endeavour to deceive me might have done away with his chance of a present.
"Inshallah!" I replied; and, this matter being arranged, we continued our march across the mountains.
Presently we had to descend almost to the bed of the Euphrates. Here there were traces of copper ore. A little farther on we came to a place where what seemed to be iron ore was lying strewn along the mountain side; I was informed by the guide that a few miles to the east there is a substance in the earth which the villagers use as fuel. According to my informant it is hard and black, and gives a bright flame; so in allprobability coal is also to be met with in these regions.
As we approached Kemach, the Euphrates became narrower; in many places it was not more than thirty yards wide. The stream was very rapid. Any man, no matter how good a swimmer he might be, would have a poor chance for his life if he were to fall into the torrent. Here and there large rocks and loose stones, which have been washed down from the mountain sides, block up the channel; they check the waters for a second. The river bubbles and roars; it lashes furiously against the boulders, and, leaping over them, rushes headlong with a fall of at least four thousand feet to the ocean.
The Caimacan of Kemach and a few of his friends were engaged in playing at Djerrid near the outskirts of the town. It was a lovely scene. The sun was setting on the snow-capped mountains; the river ran at my feet; bright-coloured vegetation and many-tinted rocks looked down upon us from either hand; cascades and waterfalls dashed over the rugged crags; whilst the Caimacan and his party, who were immensely excited with their game, shouted "Allah! Allah!" as they rode at each other and hurled the wooden missile.
The governor stopped playing when he saw ourparty, and, riding up, asked the Zaptieh who I was. He then introduced himself and the company to me. They had been busily engaged in learning drill all the morning. An order had been received from Constantinople for the Caimacan to form a National Guard. Every able-bodied man in the district had at once enrolled himself as a volunteer. On entering Kemach I was struck by a high rock, which might have been a miniature Gibraltar, and which stands immediately behind the town. The rock was about 500 feet in height, and a ruined citadel on the summit towers above the Euphrates and the town.
The Caimacan and his friends were well mounted, their horses being of a very different stamp to those which I had seen during my march from Constantinople. They were most of them fifteen hands high, and one or two over sixteen. On inquiry, I found that they were Turkoman horses. I also learnt that most of the animals in the district had been bought by Government agents for the use of the army at Erzeroum.
A large proportion of the houses in Kemach are constructed of dried mud. Numerous wells, with high cross-bars and long iron chains for thebuckets, were to be seen along our path. One of the faithful, on a tower above our heads, was calling the Mohammedans to prayer. His loud but melancholy strains were being listened to with great attention by Mohammed and my English servant. It appeared that Mohammed, through some strange inadvertence, had omitted praying at mid-day. Radford was a little alarmed lest the Turk might make up for his shortcoming by an extra-long prayer that evening, which would have kept him from attending to the horses.