THE MOUNTAINEERS OF THE EUPHRATES 



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Photo by Ellsworth Huntington 

 A KURD SWIMMING ACROSS THE EUPHRATES ON AN INFLATED GOATSKIN 



for we were obliged to continue our jour- 

 ney. The government was so afraid that 

 some harm would befall the foreigners 

 of our party that it insisted upon in- 

 creasing our escort for the next few days 

 to four, then seven, and finally sixteen 

 soldiers. 



After spending seven days in voyaging 

 down the Euphrates we landed at the 

 picturesque castle of Gerger, on a peak 

 among the foothills which overlook the 

 great plains of Mesopotamia. There we 

 stayed a few days in a village occupied 

 partly by Kurds and partly by Arme- 

 nians. 



One day I went out to copy a long 

 Greek inscription dating from about the 

 time of Christ. Some twenty swarthy 

 Kurds in white cotton drawers, white 

 shirts, and gaily embroidered waistcoats 

 followed me. As I copied the old Greek 

 words, they leaned on their long guns 



and talked in low tones, until at length 

 they seemed to come to some decision, 

 whereupon they all went quietly away. 

 Then I heard the sound of gunshot after 

 gunshot, coming apparently from the 

 gate of the castle. 



When I went out, the graceful Arabic 

 inscription over the door was seen to 

 have been freshly chipped and defaced. 

 Evidently the Kurds had been firing at 

 it. Back at the village the servants ex- 

 plained the matter as they had heard it 

 from the Kurds. The Kurds, it appears, 

 believe that all inscriptions tell where 

 gold is buried. As they watched the for- 

 eigner copy the Greek inscription they 

 said to one another: "We can't stop him 

 now ; he has copied this one and will find 

 the gold. Let's go outside and spoil the 

 inscription over the door, so that he 

 shan't find that gold, too." 



That night I made minute inquiries 



