Evening star., 1925-04-05

hands outspread. and then backed
hastily away into the dark.
What's all this. now" Shorty
asked Mahommed.
That's the chief of a village" he
replied. "Rahim Khan told the chief
to supply grain for the camp. At first
the man swore there was not a bagful
in all his village. But now he says
he will bring everything quick"
In a few minutes Rahim came over
TO say good night. He smiled. II
hope the singing over at my tent
just now didn't disturb you," he
said.
At daybreak I awoke. I looked
about and then rubbed my eyes to
make sure I was seeing straight. The
noisy camp of the night before had
disappeared. Three tents only were
standing. AS ] watched, two of these
came down like lightning, a group of
horsemen driving pack animals rode
away, and where had been that little
town of canvas stood only Mrs. Har-
rison's tent. Rahim had waited be-
hind to say goodbye: then he, too.
was gone. or all the Ilkhani's camp
there remained only Haidar, standing
by his horse, and one of the Baba
Ahmedi. whom he had given us for a
camp attendant.
Three hours later we were riding
into a long, narrow valley. A group
of four black tents stood out on the
floor at the bottom of the foothill
'Haidar khan's camp" said Mahom-
med.
Where were the 500 rifles" of the
tribe Haidar was supposed to COM
mand? So l wondered, because of my
ignorance of tribal life. Mahommed
explained. The tribes depend for ex-
istence on their herds. Accordingly
every part of their life is regulated
by the requirements OF these herds.
Since the cattle and sheep and horses
must have large grazing grounds, the
families live well apart, to give them
sufficient space. The Baba Ahmedi
tribe, therefore, instead of being
gathered into one big group, is scat
tered in family units for 20 miles
down the narrow valleys
l looked up Haidar's valley. Yes,
there, a mile away, was another
group of tents. 1 looked on to a point
where the hills shadowed away into
the horizon, and / knew that, II I
could see the thousand miles north
west from Arabistan to the Black
Sea L should view all along the west
ern side of these great mountain
ranges Identical little groups of black
tents at almost regular intervals
hundreds of thousands of them. whole
peoples living the ancient tribal life
OF our own Aryan forefathers.
The migration of these nomads is
natures affair. The trouble is that
she makes the tribes dependent on
grass for life, and then she doesn't
grow grass in one part Of the country
the year round. Here to the west of
the mountains 1T is low and hot
Therefore there Is plenty of vegeta-
ton here in the Winter; but that
vegetation is withered up in the Sum
mer.
ENOW, on the other side of the noun
tains it is high and cool. There
fore, there is plenty of grass there
in the Summer; but that grass
is killed by snow and ice in the Win
ter. So there you are. Twice a year,
Spring and Fall, year in and year out,
through the centuries. Nature has
forced the tribes thus to fight their
way back and forth across rivers and
mountains and snow to reach the
life-giving grass.
Amir Jang had lent us two tents.
These 1 had the men pitch on a mar
row shelf above Haidar's camp. A
reception tent had been put up for us,
and there we dined with Haidar and
his followers.
Haidar, I found had nine brothers
Aye" said he, I'VE ten are the
certainly were the biggest men and
had the hardest faces of any tribes
men We had yet seen. Ali Agha, the
eldest brother, with grizzled mus
tache and a smile, is chief. But he
leaves the title and the work to
Haidar. However. this does not change
his actual power. Haidar, though,
carrying the name of chief, must obey
him.
The day, before the start the tents
were down and only camp fires
burned that night among the crowded
cattle. Tomorrow we were to be off,
all of us-men, women, children, our
beasts and all our household goods.
Not many of these household goods
few rugs, pots and pans, a sack or
two of grain and rice, the water
pipes of the men, the tattered Korans
to be kissed and pressed against the
forehead and then packed carefully
away, crude wooden cradle for each
family and in nearly every cradle a
baby, strapped in by horsebands.
The Bakhtiari move light. Every
thing is sacrificed to the driving Of
the beasts. The cattle were all
brought in from the far grazing
grounds in the afternoon.
L nave said that the tents were
down. Well they were not being
packed for the journey. The tribes
intended to leave them behind. They
would store them away in some viii
lage bordering on the tribal country
and would travel without tents Yes,
the tribes must travel light!
OF the Bakhtiari alone there were
$4,000. They are called, as I have
said, mountain BEARS" by the Per-
sian townfolk. They overran Persia
in 1909. AS nearly as could find out,
$4,000 Of them would move over the
mountains now by FIVE routes. About
5000 were to go our way. Haidar's
tribe, our Baba Ahmedi, which num-
bers several hundred, was among
these 5000.
Besides the Bakhtiari, there are, of
the Persian migratory tribes, the
Lurs, kurds. Kashkais, Kuhgelus,
Baluchis and others, million in all,
who migrate in search of grass.
X
| A S soon as a start was made I saw
4 it was going to be a great show.
II had never watched such a parade in