Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-08-16
|N A KURDISH CAMP.
A NIGHT WITH THE WILD HERosMeN
 ON MOUNT ARARAT.

Two American Tourists Enjoyed the Doubt
 full Hospitality of a Kurdish Chief and His Household Scenes View
 cd In the Twilight
 Two young American students Messrs. Allen and Sachtleben-made a bicycle tour around the world immedi ately after their graduation During their passage through Asiatic Turkey they celebrated the Fourth of July by climbing Mount Ararat, the first Amer jeans to accomplish tho feat Their course lay through the grazing grounds of wild Kurdish herdsmen, but they were provided with an escort of soldiers through the influence of n letter from the grand yizier. In The Century they gave the following account of a night spent among the nomads:
 The disk of the sun had already touched the western horizon when we came to the black tents of the Kurdish | encampment, which at this time of the day presented rather busy scene The | women seemed to be doing all the work,
 while their lords sat round on their
 launches. Some of the women were
 engaged in milking the sheep and goats in an inclosure. Others were busy mak- ing butter in a churn which was noth-
 Ing more than n skin vessel 3 feet long.
 5f the shape of Brazil nut. suspended
 from q rude tripod This they swung to
 and fro to the tune of a weird Kurdish
 song Behind one of the tents, on a
 primitive weaving machine. some of
 them were making tent roofing and mat
 ting; others still were walking about
 with q ball of wool in one hand and a
 distaff in the other. spinning yarn The
 fiocks stood round about, bleating and
 lowing or chewing their cud in quiet
 contentment- All seemed very domestic
 and peaceful except the Kurdish dogs.
 which set upon us with loud, fierce
 growls and gnashing teeth
 Not so was it with the Kurdish chief,
 who by this time had finished reading the mutessarif's message, and who now | advanced from his tent with salaams of
 welcome As he stood before us in the
 glowing sunset he was a rather tall but
 well proportioned man, with black eyes
 and dark mustache, contrasting well with his brown tanned complexion Upon his face was the stamp of rather wild and retiring character, although treachery and deceit were by no means ] wanting. He wore headgear that was ; something between a hat and a turban,
 and over his baggy Turkish trousers , hung a long Persian coat of bright col
 ored, large figured cloth. bound at the
 waist by belt of cartridges Across
 the shoulders was slung breechload- ing Martini rife, and from his neck
 dangled heavy gold chain, which wa: , probably the spoil of some predatory
 expedition A quiet dignity sat on Is mail Dcvcrish's stalwart form
 It was with no little D. asurc that w'
 accepted his invitation to a cup of tea After our walk of 19 mi.,=s. in whicl : We had asccnded from 5000 to 7.OOC i, feet, we were in fit condition to appre ciate rest That Kurdish tent, as fal g as we were cunccrned, was a vcritahl' . palace, although We were almost blind l ed by the smoke frum the grCcn pin' V branches on the smoldCring fire w,
 said that the chief invited us tO q Cul
 of tea So he did. but We provided tin tea, and that, tOn. not only for our OWI - party. but for half dozen uf the chief :, personal friends There being only tw - ! glasses in the camp. We Of COursss ha' I to wait until eur Kurdish aCquaini.sGC,' = had qucuchg1I :llrir burning thirst Il ?, thoughtful uIC-Dl We gazed arnlgs., V through the evening twilight Far aN. z. on the western SlCTs. We could sCc sss ] .. Kurdish women p.0olding along un'.. N heavy burdens uf pine branches lE ', those that were now fumigating Ou .o eyes and nOStrils.
 Across the hills the Kurdish shepherd d were driving home their l2erds and flock ., to the tinkling of bells All this to U = was deeply impressive Such Pcacefu ,o scenes. WIG thought, could never be th
 haunt of warlike robbers The fiocks a
 last came home, the shouts of the sheT
 herds ceased. darkness fell, and all Wa Q quiet.
 d One by one the lights in the tent
 broke out. like the stars above As th !, darkness deepcncd they shone more an d more brightly acrUsss tho amphitheate Ii of the encampment The tent in whic
 we were now sitting was Oblong i
 shape, covered with n mixture of goat.
 and sheeps' wool. cardcd, spun and woN
 en by the Kurdish women
 10 There were no signs of an approaCl ? ing evening meal until we opened ou l. provision bag and handed over ccrtai s articles of raw food tO be cooked for u: ' No sooner were the viands intrnstcd [ r. the care of our hosts than two sets ( J. pots and kettles made their aPpearanC l. in tho other compartments In half a it hour our host and friends proceeded { l- indulge their voracious appetiteS. Whe y our own meal was brought to us som le time after, We noticed that the II egl 10 we had dOled out had been reduced { n six, and the other materials suffered
 similar reduction, the whole thing |,
 ing so patent as 10 make their atteml at innocence absurtlly ludicrOuS Before turning in for the night N :. reconnoiterCSl our situation. The ligh in all the tents save our own were no , extinguished Not n sound was hear to except the heavy breathing of some ,r the slumbering animals about us or Il n, bark of dG; at some distant encarni ,- ment The huge dome of Ararat, thOug ,a six to eight miles farther up the slOp' to seemed tO be towering over Us, like solr ,o giant monster of another world W at could not seo the summit. so far was - above the cnvclOping clouds We n "a turned to tho tent to find that the ElI I'd tiehs had been given the best placss all !, best covers tO sleep in. and that We wei
 expected to accummOdatc ourselves nes
 the door. wrapped up fin an old Kuriis
 carpet Policy was evidently n better d. lc ! velOped trait Os Kurdish charactsF thl rs hospitality.
 d A Shower of Wheat.
 re In the year 1896 or thcrcabouts it W, lt 0 report in Bristol and thsreabOuts tn 10 it rained wheat about this Town ar fl lEs- |.