The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-07-04
THE jSTORY-TELLER.
AN ENCOUNTER WITH BEDOUIN
HIGHWAYMEN.

hIUll W "A MCNs
Shortly after the return of the great
annual pilgrim caravan from Mecca to
Bagdad, in 1865, Asiatic cholera broke
out among the population of the latter
city with such virulence, that young
and old, male and female, both native
and foreign, whosoever could muster a
tent, an awning, ora few yards of mat
ting to improvise q tent herewith, hur-
riedly packed up few indispensable
requisites for temporary encampment
outside of the city walls, and bctook
themselves in hot haste to some suitable
spot i'll the desert which surrounds the
Getty of the Caliphs," and where they
encamped themselves, and remained
until the dire epidemic had passed away
in the city.
Those of Asiatic nationality pitched
their tents mostly in and around the
wretched little village of Carara, situated
few miles below Bagdad on the left
bank Of the stately river Tigris, while
the European residents (there were no
Americans in Bagdad), about twenty in
number, all told, selected the site of the
famous defunct city of Ctesiphon, about
twenty miles below Bagdad, and also
located on the left bank of the Tigris,
us their camping ground.
Our little camp, composed of about
twenty large and comfortable tents, pre-
sented quite cheerful aspect, notwith-
standing the monotonous scenery of its
surroundings, with its lively European
population, attended by numerous native
servants, and possessed of over thirty
splendid Arab horses, picketed in a line
in the centre of the cosy camp, on which
animals we made daily promenades and
hunting excursions III the neighborhood.
Owing to the circumstance that the
arid plains all around us were utterly
uninhabited by man, we were compelled
to get all our supplies, barring game or
fish, from Bagdad or its suburbs.
A few days after pitching our tents at
Seliman Bhag Garden of Seliman, or
Soliman), an utterly desoIate locality
now, but said to have formerly been a
magnificent garden, the two Arab ser
wants employed by us to purchase and
convey the daily supplies above spoken
of to our camp, returned several times,
at irregular intervals, few hours after
their departure, without either the
money given them to pay for the sup
plies they were sent to buy, Or the goods,
nrr;nu oxorx, +;mo +bo nloo +haf +bo,,
had bean way,oid surnr;sed and robbe1
nf tbn ,nomey with wb;cb tbev had baon
;n+r,,o+ad b,; a oono Of tive norondinc,
Bodor;nS on borSebeo,l who 90 tLoI = %
serted, were continually prowling about
Casseba, a locality situated about half
way between our camping ground and
;n;ns tbo T;or;s ;,sf hole wav botwaon
tb ttba WHY, 81 Cto&S;nbon & ond tho o;tY ~
Pnadad Enu DarSaIu ao,,arod u,;tb b,,Sb 90
~, 10Th s;Gos ~ tbo tortrons road or
- eont,,o.b ond no;,,hah;taJ b,,
~, - 49,. - ana;taI ~
,a,.n, ;mar ,,1aoo In'1' co. L;nb u'arn,o,
M ,,,oo r,are 80 at+ool,od ,vbon
AZ: - Ial- ~ IL oo,',,, ~ =,
,,nu;aLII, t,,o;,. ',,a ~ to,,,,, o,,,oI1,
10 a vi L"H .n a.. "y oI " - ,nsoas
W. W." .ny y ii,'' onI os''. i;aS =; .i| %
sh sioi'' anu 'no iooo1is leiioV1u onu ,h;ah
oao none$ Gity, as pOtn c. uAys, thn d ~n'oa nf
uopai.Iu .I, 'no Is ,Iei ioi 'nt pui ~ d"5 ~, W
t%n;;S S S SnI soous, welo ,,5 piau nnroauor on
In1.d II no' h any; ;S;t moIio' a,.o 80 tLn
rohbou, =; ooen of a ,nai,;t tbn oo;,,aIS
,,ano oiaa li '"oI ia VI PA - ,,aInninss
tbnnob thou norot;tr.od al tho ,uoridI,,
,;obaS of a. t,,,a 80 Ill, 'u,boso
econty and tottorod oorn,on+o ,vore NOT
jiITeIy TO incito tLe c,iEn;aitv Of ste oano
f"At' hotb m % fellows NV We're We're notar;ons IN
camn for telIine lies and tbe nrovarb
"There is but little difference between
liar and a thief" is also known in
fellows either pocketed the money them
selves, or that they were in league with
the highwavmen, allowing themselves
to be robbed by the latter for the pur-