Fortunately the gentleman who related this story to me was able to despatch a mounted Armenian to the governor at Bayazid asking him to send some troops to the scene of the disturbance. The soldiers arrived in time to prevent a battle royal between the two factions. This probably would have ended in the annihilation of every Kurd and Circassian in the district, neither side being inclined to grant any quarter to its foe.
We rode through Molla Suleiman. All the houses in this village were filled with soldiery. On emerging into the open country I found that the path in front of us was blocked by a caravan coming from Persia. A pond was on the right-hand side of the path. The leading camel-driver led his animals along the frozen water, so as to avoid a collision with our party. He miscalculated the thickness of the ice; a loud splash made us aware that it had given way beneath the camels. Five of the huge beasts were sprawling in the water, here about five feet deep; their packs, containing timbaki, Persian tobacco, became dripping wet. The animals, frightened at the breaking of the ice, lay down on all fours. They refused to get up, in spite of the cries and the whips of their drivers.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Armenian lads—Riding calves—Buffaloes—A fair price for a girl—Our daughters are our maid-servants—A European wife—A useless incumbrance—A Dervish—The lieutenant roars at him—Kara Kelise—Kaize Kuy—The streams in Anatolia—A source of annoyance—Persian women—A Persian village—The houses—Rugs manufactured by the inhabitants—Erivan—The Russian invasion of Persia—Once a Russian always a Russian—The Murad river—Diyadin—The garrison—Rumours of peace—Persia—Ararat—The view—Ophthalmia—Bayazid—The Pacha's residence—The Russian authorities in Daghestan—Four hundred people killed—Women and children shot down and beaten to death—Major-General Macintosh—His opinion about Bayazid—The importance of this town from a military point of view—Syria—Aleppo—Diarbekir—Van—The barracks—Mahmoud Pacha—His descendants—The irony of fate—A Hungarian doctor—Mahmoud Pacha, the son of Issek Pacha, lies here.
We met with some Armenian lads riding calves, and driving others before them, the driven animals carrying pack-saddles, which were laden with sacks of corn. The Christians in this district make use of their cattle as beasts of burden. It is not at all an uncommon sight to see Armenians, man and wife, riding to market on cows and oxen. Buffaloes are much in request with the inhabitants on account of the great strength of these animals. Some of the richer Christians possess from twenty to thirty buffaloes, two of which are considered a fair price for a girl—it being the custom of the poorer Armenians in certain districts to receive money from their sons-in-law, and seldom, if ever, to give any dowry to their daughters. On my remarking this one day, when in conversation with a Christian, the latter replied,—
"Our daughters are our maid-servants, when they marry we lose their services. It is quite right that the husband should compensate us for our loss. Europeans educate their girls very well, but the latter are utterly useless as cooks or sweepers. When they marry, the fathers lose nothing, but, on the contrary, gain, as they have no longer to pay for their daughters' maintenance or clothes. It is quite proper that you should give a husband something when he saddles himself with a useless incumbrance; and you have no right to find fault with us for our system."
Presently we met a dervish; his long black hair was streaming below his waist; he brandished a knotted stick. The fellow looked very hard at us, as if he were of the opinion that we ought to leave the track, and let our horses sink into the snow-drift so as to enable him to pass. The lieutenant did not see it in this light. This officer was a little man, but had a tremendous voice, which sounded as if it came from the very bottom of his stomach. He roared at the dervish; the latter who was greatly alarmed, sprang on one side into the snow. Nothing but his head and face were visible—his dark eyes glared fiercely at the giaours as we rode past.
Kara Kilissa came in sight. It is a large village, every house was crammed with soldiers. It was impossible to obtain any accommodation. We rode on towards Kaize Kuy, another Armenian hamlet. The track descended for a few yards, and then ascended precipitously. I thought that we were in a gully. However, the Zaptieh and his horse floundering in some water made me aware that we were crossing a frozen stream, and that the ice had given way. It was very cold; the man was wet from head to foot, in a minute or two he looked like one gigantic icicle. Pushing on as rapidly as possible, we reached our quarters for the night.
The streams which traverse the tracks in many parts of Anatolia are a source of constant annoyance to travellers during the winter. The water becomes frozen; snow falls; it covers the glassy surface, and in time fills the space between the banks. There is nothing to warn the wayfarer that he is leaving the track, till he suddenly finds himself upon the ice: a horseman is fortunate if it is strong enough to bear him.
Now we saw some Persian women sitting cross-legged on their horses, like the men. Some of these ladies were mothers, they carried their children slung in handkerchiefs round their necks. In a short time I came to their village, one amongst several others which are scattered about in this part of Turkey. The houses were clean inside, and in this respect a great improvement upon those inhabited by the Kurds. The floors were covered with very thick rugs made by the wives of the proprietors. I was informed that the people in the district send their manufactures to Erzeroum.