CONSULAR EXPERIENCES IN TURKEY# 
435 
wardly, but bad a ghastly blue look. As there was no outward 
bleeding, we could do nothing for him, but with great difficulty 
persuaded his womankind to take him home and put him quietly to 
bed. We fully expected to hear next day that he was dead, but to 
our intense astonishment on our way into Bitlis we overtook him, 
supported on a horse being taken by his wife and mother to Bitlis 
to lay a complaint before the authorities and get damages against 
his assailant. As far as we could make out they did not much care if 
he died, so long as they could get substantial damages. 
I may make some mention of a journey I took to visit the great 
Kurdish Sheikh Obeydullah, who dwelt in the mountain fastnesses near 
the Persian frontier and who was a very turbulent subject of the Porte. 
I received instructions to visit him if possible and see what was the 
real state of the case with regard to him. I did not obtain from those 
I consulted much encouragement as to my chances of getting to see 
him, as he was said to be much too holy a man to allow any infidel to 
see his face. However, as I wished to distribute some famine relief 
in the district of Gevver, beyond Bashkala, which was in the direction 
of ObeydullalPs residence, I determined to go that way and see what 
events would bring forth. 
Sure enough, one day a messenger from the Sheikh came into my 
camp and said that the Sheikh had heard I was in the neighbourhood 
and would be very pleased if I would pay him a visit. Of course I 
said I should be glad to do so. The route from Bashkala to Neri, the 
Sheikhas village lies nearly parallel to the line of hills forming the 
Persian frontier and close to their foot. The frontier was much in¬ 
fested by a marauding tribe of Kurds called the Shikaks, who plundered 
impartially on both sides, taking refuge either in Persia or Turkey, 
according to whether the Turkish or Persian authorities were en¬ 
deavouring to punish them. The tribe had been armed by the Turks 
with breech-loading rifles during the Busso-Turkish War and they 
still retained them, so that they were a formidable body. The day I 
left Bashkala, just as I was on the point of starting, some business 
turned up which I had to wait to see about, so I sent my baggage on 
with my servants and one zaptieh, intending to follow shortly with my 
dragoman and the other zaptieh. I was delayed longer than I expected, 
so that the baggage got several miles ahead. As I came down to the 
bridge by which the Zab was to be crossed, my zaptieh said he had 
seen a party of mounted Kurds, presumably Shikaks, on the road 
ahead. On hearing this I was very much afraid they might have 
plundered my baggage, as I had a large sum of money in my port¬ 
manteau for famine relief. . I accordingly galloped on to try and find 
out what had happened. On rounding a spur of hills we came in 
sight of the band of about 20, who immediately turned up a valley 
towards the frontier. I then, followed by the zaptieh, turned over the 
spur to the left to try and intercept them the other side. On reaching 
the crest of the hill we found them going slowly up the hollow beyond, 
I stopped and called to them to speak to me. But they scattered on 
to the hillside and commenced to fire. My zaptieh returned their fire 
Visit to 
Sheikh 
Obeydullah 
Mar Shim- 
oun. 
