The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1905-03-02
THE ARTISTS STORY.

ara remember a distinguished looking
man who used to ride in Central Parh
every morning last spring and sum
mer on a magnificent cream-Wnlte
Arabian stallion. Be that as 1t may
it is certain his advent caused quite
a flrtter of curiosity. I have known
him since we were boys together-
boys in a little North Of England town.
He's in South Africa now and Will
hardly resent what l am going 10 tell
the readers of the Pathfinder about
him. His name is Ford-Charlmers
Ford. 1t is a name not unknown
among artists. If you have ATTENDED
the exhibitions you have probably seen
it at the bottom of more than one wal
or color.
happened in at his cozy studio one
evening last August, only DAY OF
two before he sailed. The walls OF
the room were covered with the tro-
phies of his travels. My attention was
fixed by a sketch in water coiors Oh
a young girl of the dark-haired eastern
:4ype. On it read the name 'ZulelKa-
ssYou world-rovers gather q good
many barnacles in your Wanderlnss'
I remarked. Il suppose, too, many OF
these relics of yours have history,
added, desirous Of drawing him OUT
eyes. that's so. That sketch, FOR
instance could tell story, and this old
thing here could corroborate it." ne
answered, handing me venerable pls'
tol with long barrel Of large calloer.
THAT ancient piece OF ordnance NOT
only saved my own life, but was tne
chief instrument in the rescue OF one
OF her majesty's vessels out In the Fer
sian Gulf last December.
Ford is a man singularly retcent
about his own exploits, though he has
had enough Of them. But the cigar l
handed him made him communicative.
j only wish 1 might have taken ms
story down in shorthand, for he told 1t
infinitely better than I can. However,
this is about what he said:
Il had taken passage on the BRUSH
India Company's steamer kllwa at
Bassorah, for Bombay. was just
reaching comparative civilization
asain after more than six months OF
privation and adventure in the interior
OF Asiatic Turkey. With much dif1cu''
ty had made my way overland all the
way from Trebizond, on the Black sea-
Part of the distance had followed the
route traversed by Xenophon and his
devoted 10000 in their disastrous "ka-
tabasis." had visited the squalld city
az Mos,l-once renowned for it's mus
Inns and like fabrics, and whence, IN
fart the name muslin is derived
to make some drawings in the excaVat-
ed ruins of ancient Nineveh, near oy.
It is there, by the way that the royei
nalaces of Sennacherib and Sardan-
analus. after twenty-six centuries OF Oh
Iiyion. have been laid bare. After stop
ming en- route at now decayed and IN
glorious Bagdad, I had completed my
a.duous Journey at Hillah, a modern
town built near the site and from the
ancient brick Of Babylon. Finally
having finished some further archaeo'
logical observations in the nelghDor'
hood, respecting some ancient irriga'
ing works, had caught passage on Z
small dhow loaded with dates anc
Aoated down the lazily-fowing, mysti'
Euphrates. At first, beyond the VII
low and planelined banks OF the grea
river. stretched the once blossomlns
levels of Yrak, the very cradle OF MS
tory: then came lagoons which merge'
ultimately into a pestilential swamp
Thus had reached Bassorah, the mod
ern Balsora of the Arabian Night
tales-once, during the ascendency o
the Caliphs, the port and entrepot O
Rasdad, but now, like that city, dilapl
dated and dwindled into issignlhcance
.sThe Kilwa had sailed from BassoT
ah at midnight. 1t was late in the al
ternoon of the next day when, ate
touching at Bushire, an 1mporlan
town about 200 miles down the Persia
coast. we headed for the small Ara
port of Linga, where we were TO lea'
some cargo.
GAS the sun sank toward the water
horizon and dissolved in the purplls
vapors of the west, a Parsee merchan
a so-called 'fire-worshipper, first n
moving his odd-looking, SHINING ol
cloth hat, paced the deck, repeating q
youtly his alteration Of the orb that
looked upon, not as an intrinsic oelt
but as the highest manifestation
God. A crowd Of Musselmans hneeis
on their praying carpets, with the
faces turned toward Mecca, and' VII
swaying bodies and changing inton
ton of voice, invoked the Prophe
careless of public gaze anu iaudao
courageous in the faith. One old III
in particular, white-bearded patl
archial parsonage, prolonged MS q
yotions till late in the evening" M
reading half aloud from an ancle
conv of the Koran, Illuminated WI
characters in colors and gold, tn
nraying. then amounting his IONS WI