The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-07-25
Soldier of Fortune
Faces Wild Beasts
(By w. Forbes Fairbairn.)

of the way we were up to our knees
in mud and bog 1t was a dreary des-
olate plain. Half way from Robat to
kermanshah We met Colonel Row
landson on his way down to Bagdad.
He was i'll with fever and was going
home to die. We spent few hours
with him and then pushed on,
AT Kermanshah we found the rem
nants of Rowlandsons abandoned ex-
petition. There were two Ford vans
there with which he intended to march
to Hamadan in Northwest Persia, $50
miles from Kermanshah. We decided
we could use these cars to advantage,
FLIVvERS ON RATS
Stripping them of all excess weight
we RATED them across swollen
streams and rivers and, carefully con-
serving our supply of gasoline, we
arrived at Hamadan April Is, 1918.
and established connections with Mr.
~. w. McMurray, manager of the I'm
perial Bank of Persia who was our
host while there The nearest British
base was $50 miles away in Bagdad
and we were in suspicious territory, al
though IT was supposed to be neutral
AT this time General Becherak off,
Cossack, who is now in London, was
fghting 'kuchik Katon. a religious
ascet1c and leader of the Jungalis, a
Persian tribe of religious fanatics who
IN addition to being in a state of war
with the Cossacks were also hostile
to the British
"Becherakon, who Is now one of
koichak's leaders, at that time was
anti Eolshevist, anti-revolutionary and
anti British. but was in the pay of
the British and performed his Job
mighty we'll He kept his bargain
in every instance. He is a good SOL
dier and man of his word.
Osborne got busy in Hamadan and
organized CIPHER section for Cen
eral Dunsterville, who by that time
had reached the shores of the Caspian
Sea with about 100 men. nsterville
was subsequently turned back by a
soldier and sailors committee at
Enzeli on the Caspian Sea Dunster-
vile decided to join forces with Os-
borne's party and reached Hamadan
few weeks later.
"On June S, after making a careful
study of conditions in this territory. !"
SAID Osborne. TT was decided that
Major Wagstaff. myself and a few N.
c. O.'s should make as far as Zinia
We We're to visit enroute the Amir
Afshar, an extraordinary powerful
chieftain inclined to be prof. British.
but weakening under Turkish neeo-
tfations. 1t was partly our Job to
strengthen his pro- British tendepcies.
We sent ahead the news OF our
coming and began leisurely march
across the country to his capital. At
the villages the headmen were very
courteous and extended to us a greet
ing which few other white men had
ever received-the ceremony Of
butchering a sheep and stewing its
blood across the road in front OF us,
Just outside the village. This was the
Persian sign OF welcome. We were
three weeks on our tour and finally
reached the Amir's domains. He was
very kind to us. He entertained Law
ishly giving us hunting, feasting US
and loading us down with presents.
We accomplished our mission and
made the Amir a firm friend OF the
British"
CONSUL ASKS HELP
But now trouble started. Turkish
prisoners. released by the Russian
revolutionaries began to work their
way through Persia on their way to
Tabriz. The British Consul at Tabriz
a MIR. Bristow. became very perturbed
and asked Major Wagstaff for help.
we decided something had to be
done and done quickly" said Osborne,
we had a Rolls Royce armored car
in Zinia and decided to take this
to Tabriz via Manch. The natives
around Tabriz were becoming openly
hostile. their religious fanaticism
amounting almost to insanity
The Turks famed this fanaticism
and We saw that unless the Turks
were soon expelled It would quickly