concur m TtraKEv, 
489 
green plots wherever a level spot could be found on the steep hillsides. 
These green plots stood out sharply from the prevailing red colour of 
the soil in this neighbourhood. 
When we reached Jemilan, the village where we were to stay the 
first nighty we were very civilly received by the chief; a stately old man 
with a long white beard. But the Kurds who had been my escort 
came to me about sundown, and said that they had been invited to sleep 
in the village, but they dared not do so for fear of being murdered 
and begged that I would allow them to sleep round my tent under my 
protection. The Mudir of Gawar also, who was to have come with us, 
cried off, as he was afraid to stay the night at this village, where he 
had been shot at once previously. 
The old Agha said that all the Kurdish tribes were at enmity with 
one another and no one could safely leave his own particular valley. 
The next day I went on with another escort from this village, but 
about mid-day the leader of them came to me and said they dare not 
go any further, that there were nomad Kurds in the hills in front and 
that, though they were safe whilst with me, they would be set upon 
when they turned back. As it was evident that an escort who had 
these ideas was of little use, I sent them home and went on with my 
two troopers only. The next night we camped in the main valley of 
Shattak and heard many stories of the depredations of the nomad 
Bekiranli Kurds and of the misery of the Armenian villagers, who said 
they were practically the slaves of the neighbouring Kurdish Aghas, 
who even sold them among themselves. That night we kept watch 
all night, but were not disturbed. 
The next day on our way to Mush the chief of the Bekiranli met us 
with two or three attendants. He said that the Government were going 
to send troops against his people to drive them away. I told him that 
if this was the case the cause was the bad behaviour of his people, and 
the way they plundered and robbed and that I advised them now to go 
quietly home and if they wanted to come again another season to 
promise to behave properly and to keep their promise. This Kurd was 
certainly a most truculent scoundrel in appearance, worse than any 
other I ever met. Many of the Kurdish chiefs I came across were 
fine-looking men, with excellent manners and no signs of such ferocity 
or fanaticism as would prevent them from living at peace with their 
neighbours, whether Moslems or Christians, if the Government were 
only firm and just and the officials honest. 
I may perhaps be allowed to indicate in a few words what appeared 
to me to be the condition of the country and the principal evils 
under which it suffered. The country is naturally rich. There 
is much fertile land, though somewhat depending for its crops on the 
seasons, so that lack of rain sometimes produces scarcity or famine. 
If the country were more settled a more extended use of artificial 
irrigation might however be possibly introduced. It is already carried 
on in many places. In addition to its agricultural wealth, there is 
abundant pasture on the mountains in summer and, I believe, also con- 
58 
Condition 
of the 
country. 
