374 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



whether of love or woe 'twas hard to say ; but what- 

 ever it was, it startled the hush of night in piercing 

 tones of nasal melancholy. 



The light of early dawn showed the corresponding 

 terrace to ours on the other side of the quadrangle 

 crowded with human beings. All were dressed alike, 

 in a sort of white linen military dress. These, we 

 learned, were Anatolian recruits for the Turkish 

 army, some two hundred of them going to Hillah. 

 The Turkish officer in command commenced the 

 morning's work in the most orthodox way, which 

 was in very strong contrast with what subsequently 

 took place. He thoroughly put any lingering drowsi- 

 ness of ours to rout by screaming out the roll-call of 

 the recruits. He then dressed them in line. The 

 terrace on which they were, with perpendicular sides, 

 was raised some four feet, and at one angle three or 

 four steps led down to the floor of the Serai. At 

 this angle the officer placed himself. His giving 

 the word of command to the recruits to descend was 

 the commencement of a scene that defies any descrip- 

 tion. Before half-a-dozen of the recruits had filed 

 by him, the Turk had lashed himself into a perfect 

 frenzy. Like a practised boxer, he hit out right and 

 left at the unoffending Anatolians : he kicked at 

 them ; he cursed at them ; he finished by spitting 

 at them ; he sent them by a dexterous push as they 

 crowded towards the angle, a dozen at a time, sprawl- 

 ing down the steps, so that many of them lighted on 



