The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-04-11
UP THE SHAT-EL-ARAB.
Sailing on the Persian GuIf.-The Un-
lon of Rivers.-City of BassOra.-In
the Garden of OrEden.-CilImPses OfTur-
kIsh Life.


seem to be Uf interest. The navigator is
pretty apt to take note If the prevailing
winds, which are the reverse of those on
the Red Sea, to catch glimpses of the is
lands that stretch along the Arabian
shores, with white sand hills in the back
ground, to catch sight of the fishing
boats and naked divers near the numeT-
GUS pearl banks. to watch the mysterious
movements OF the strange crafts with
which the sea abOunds, and to mark the
deeper waters and the abrupt cliffs skirt
ing the Persian coast line. He is quite
likely to recall, from the appearance of
Its waters, the ancient name OF Green
Sea, and to remember that along its
northern borders the first great sea ex-
ploration in the worlds history was
made by Nearchus, the admiral of Alex
ander the Great.
In passing through the gulf the novel
and clumsy looking sailing vessels OF the
native traders and sea-farers are met
with in large numl e-s. They are called
dhows, and are engaged in coast trading,
fishing and pearl gathering, rarely ven
turing beyond the safer limits OF the sea.
Many of them are piralical ships, which
prey upon honest industry and spread
something of terror over the main. and
for many years have plundered the de
fenseIess sc :men with impunity. OF
late, however, several British gun-boats
have been stationed in these waters to
prevent such depredatlons, and have
captured and burned many of their yes
sells.
Atlhe head Of the sea the river, formed
by the junction of the Tigrls and Eu-
phrates that drain a vast territory, pours
out its sluggish water, aOd is known as
the Shat-el-Arab, 1t is over hundred
miles in length from its mouth to the
great rivers above, and for seventy miles.
As far as BassOTa, il navlgable to quite
large steamers. To pass the bar at its
mouth and tD make ones way safely
through the winding and narrow chan
nels have made necessary system OF
pilotage for ships unfam liar with the
river, native pilots being at hand to aid
the unfortunate slragglers In these wat
ers. The Turkish pilots are peculiar in
their mode of procedure. A. the beck
of the captain two Cf them board tue
ship and take their place at the wheel,
one to pray while the other guides the
vessel, sharing the scriptural Injunction
Of watching and praying. They are Mo
hammedans, devout, dirty and defiant,
and alternately spend an hour three or
four times each day in prayer. lhslr
badge of office is a pot # water, that en-
ahles them to present themselves pure
before their devotions by washing their
feet, face hands, arms and teeth, hold
ing the water pot in one hand and pour
ing the contents into the other. The
left hand is used in the ab'utiOns, and
thus being made unclean is never offered
to another. Despite all the perils i'm
piled in their precaution and invocation,
our ship made the passage up the river
in safety, and dropped an anchor at the
mouth of canal before the city of Bas
iora.
The Shat-el- Arab along its course pre-
sents most beautiful appearance. The
bright scenes, with which our eyes were
regaled, were the more enjoyable to u,
because nowhere between this place anC
Gibraltar did we see any signs OF vegeta
ton. The river banks were lined will
d ate palms and mulberry trees. Tit
green grass carpeted the fields with rich
coloring, and the hills in the distanc'
were touched with purple Herds o
cattle, sheep and goats were grazing II
the luxuriant pasturage. Scores OF wat
er buffaloes, great unSainly beasts Will
bumped backs. large reclining horns ant
almost hairless bodies Ot mud color
were seen standing in the shallow wa'e
and feeding from the bottom. at time
thrusting their heads out Of sight ant
keeping them for several minutes be
meath the water Here and there tn
shores were dotted with villages ant
large towns. IN which the houses ar
bu 1t of bamboo and mud with flat an,
grass covered roofs, and whose lnhaol
,ants wear but 1T lie clothing and Leaf
lndolent and semi barbarons lives. Ih
whole country, stretching away to Tn
horizon, is low and fat, and compare
lively fertile. Forests of palm tree
grow in profuslon, apparently capabl
Of producing enough dates with whicl
o supply the world. The fruit of thes
trees is the principal food of the people
and is both palatable and inexpensive
and always available.
The rity of Bassora lies back from tn
river about four miles toward the west
with which it has communication by 81
l
the canal, where our ship was anchored
are situated the British consulate, tha
never failig adjunct to all eastern ports
the postoffice, warehouses, stores AM
Notifications. The city may be reache,
by either land or water. The road lead
along the banks of the canal, and tn
only means of conveyance available ar
donkeys. These little beasts, which ar
met with almost everywhere, are no
provided with saddles, but with pad
covered over with pieces of carpet, whlcI
served. while we were making our trl
umphsl march into the city, to remin'
the Young American of circus riders
tempting him to initiate some startling
feats IN equestrianism, to the hmuse
ment of the donkey boys and passers-by
and doubtlessly to the astOnishment o
the donkey when called upon to wal
for the rider TO pick himself up and rt
mount. The canal is covered with lon
and narrow boats foi carrying passen
gers. the better ones of which are coy
cred wi IN awnings and have seats sprea'
I, with briyht cnlOred cloths and rugs
Offering very comfortable pleasur
trip.
The city is miserable conglomera,io
of huts and small houses and tumble
down business places, with dirty. nal
row and tortuous streets, in which seN
eral thousand subjects of the Pdsha O
Bagdad find habitation and the mean
of livelihood. Some of the buildings ar
made of sun-dried bricks, but by far III
greater number are built Of mud, BAN
boo and palm leaves. 1t was once
famous and opulent capital. noted in tn
annals of Arabian literature. and count
its age by centuries. With limited CON
munication by caravans and visitin
steamships. a fair trade in the nativ
products of the country is still carried o
with the world. Dirt, poverty, indC
Ience and fanatacism characterize III
people, whose abiect condition is pitifr
enough.
Although the location Of the Garde
of Eden is a much disputed question
and many claims are made for It any
where between the equator and the polei
, Il is positively assured to us that "
stand at its very threshold. In fact tn
exact location ia minutely pOinte ont
, us. and is no farther away than the Ian
at the junction Of the Tigris and Et
phrales rivers, fOriy-iive miles aboN
Bassora. Desiring to visit the old HON,
J stead. where our first parents dwelt
happiness for time, and to pay our re
poets to their memory, party OF I'll
Ju iala officers, equipped with neces5aI
nrI tr,ttIpa GfartaI carly AN