328 JOURNEYS IN KURDISTAN LETTER xxx

air, into an inhospitable and altogether unprepossessing
crowd.

Then there was a commotion, with much bowing
and falling to the right and left, and the Kaimakam him-
self appeared, with my powerful letter in his hand,
took me into the unfinished house, at which he had only
arrived an hour before, and into a small room almost
altogether occupied by two beds on the floor, on one of
which a man very ill of fever was lying, and on the
other an unveiled Kurdish beauty was sitting. The
Kaimtikam, though exceedingly " the worse of drink," was
not without a certain dignity and courtesy. He apolo-
gised profoundly for the incivility and discomfort which
I had met with, and for his inability to entertain me •
" with distinction" in " so rough a place," but said that
he would give up his own room to so " exalted a per-
sonage," or if I preferred a room outside it should be
made ready. Of course I chose the latter, with profuse
expressions of the gratitude I sincerely felt, and after a
cup of coffee bade him good-night.

The room was the justice or injustice room over
the zaptieh barracks, and without either door or glazed
windows, but cold and stiff as I was after an eleven hours'
march, I was thankful for any rest and shelter. Shortly
my young Kurdish katirgi, a splendid fellow, but not
the least " tame," announced that he must leave me in
order to get the escort of some zaptiehs back to Julamerik.
He said that " they all" told him that the road to Van was
full of danger, and that if he went on he would be robbed
of his mules and money on the way back. No transport
however, was to be got, and he came on with me very
pluckily, and has got an escort back, at least to Merwanen.
In the morning the Kaimakam rose early to do me honour,
but was so* tipsy that he could scarcely sit upright on
his chair on a stone dais amidst a rabble of soldiers and