The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-12-21
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The paramount impression re-
mining on ones laind after having
Travelled IL Armenia is that If ycu
wcrc to so over ti.c same ground
again tomorrow there ,sould always
be the cha1ra of the unexpected &c
which tc look forward. 7 am speak
! of the tine before the country
was devastated by the Kurds. When
an Englishman appeared upon the
scene, every one : Turks, Kurds,
Armcnians, devil worshipers, and SO
on-got ready to help him. never
saw such willingness to guide and
direct stranger in my life. But it
seldom took a more practical form.
Having done everything, in theory,
that was necessary, the Turk or
Kurd or devil worshiper went back
to his hut and considered it done in
fact.
And there remains in my mind to
this day the sense of Geep injury and
vivid annoyance which l used to ex-
perience when, toward the end of a
long ride, weary, travel sore, hum
cry, I would pull up ny apology for
mule and ask some stalwart noun
taineer how far it was to the village
where I intended to pass the night.
Ee would blandly assure me that it
was only an hours journey and do
part. At the end of an hour there
would not be what I once heard an
exasperated missionary describe as
ga scintilla of q village" in sight.
Then I would meet another man.
ooh, yes, effendi, you'll get there
in three-quarters of an hour!' The
tired dogs and horses and mules
would prick their ears and start on
again, as if they, too, had heard the
welcome words. Three-quarters of
an hour later a downcast assemblage
of men and animals would gaze over
the plain in the fast falling dusk
vainly looking for village.
After this had been repeated some
half dozen times, however, just as
we were sorrowfully gathering up
our reins in our chilled fingers, pre-
pairing to push on with bitter hearts
and empty bellies, go Or 80 rough
haired, ferocious Kurd dogs would
emerge from the gloom, circle
around us and bite at our riding
boots by way of welcome. These
dogs belonged to the Kurds who had
settled in villages and were enor-
nous brutes. They usually wore
huge collars, studded with nails, so
that ii wolf flew at their throats he
was received by a mouthful of sharp
points and could not get a grip.
once bought a magnificent Kurd
dog for shillings. He was SO fierce
that l dared not go near him. Kind
ness, / thought, would have its due
effect on him in few days, SO I had
a rope fastened to his collar and
gave the other end of the rope to O
mounted Zaptieh.
The last thing I saw of that dog
was frightened horse and Zaptieh
disappearing in the distance and the
animal fetching compass for his
native village, with what Artemus
Ward once described as "a select
assortment of trouser patterns in
his mouth.
These dogs are SO intelligent that
they seem to understand the slight
est sign from their masters. once
saw my man buy a fowl for our
evening meal from Kurd and pay
down the money. Then he asked for
the fowl. "Oh, there it is, effendil"
said the Kuri, pointing to limp
mass of feathers standing on one leg
just outside the hut. "All you have
to do it to catch and kill it. My
man, like Agag, walked delicately"
toward the fowl, and the limp bun
die of feathers Immediately put
out in the direction Of Sivas. My
man went after it, sword in hand,
with the full intention of slicing off
the fowls head and bringing back
its CORY body in triumph. A big
Kurd dog Immediately started after
my man, who gained rapidly upon
the fowl. Just as he was about to
slice off its head an ominous growl
from the rear warned him that he
must turn and defend himself. Tho
! fowl stopped, Imply watched the
struggle and gained her second
wind. When the exasperated man
had driven off the dog, he again pur-
sued the fowl, which seemed to re-
member an important engagement
in the direction of Diarbekir. Again
the fowl was nearly overtaken;
again came an ominous growl, the
CLEAN of magnificent teeth through
&1.o Foxr,1 11,,,v,