PROCURING THE IRADE 



I had made all my plans to go alone to the 

 desert, intending to proceed to Deyr, some 250 

 miles below Aleppo. A few days before I 

 planned to start, a tall athletic young man with 

 the snappiest eyes in New York came in to see 

 me. This was John H. Thompson, Jr. We 

 had met on two or three occasions before. 

 When I told him I was going on the trip to 

 the desert his eyes got even brighter and he 

 said: "If I wouldn't be in the way I'd like 

 mighty well to go on that trip with you." 



When I told him that I would like very much 

 to have him do so, he cut me short, and an- 

 swered; "Let that stand until I come in to- 

 morrow at 10 o'clock." 



When he called the next day he said: "I'm 

 ready to catch any boat. Are you?" 



In the meantime I received a letter from Mr. 

 C. A. Moore, the president of the firm of 

 Messrs. Manning, Maxwell & Moore, telling 

 me that his son, Arthur, was just as much of 

 an Arab as I was ; that he hadn't the slightest 

 doubt that his son would dance at the mention 

 of such a trip, but that he supposed it would 



the influence of this distinguished Turkish official than through 

 any efforts on the part of the American Embassador, though 

 I am satisfied his efforts were of great help. 



[18] 



