rchant's house
and they barricaded the doors and windows and got out any weapons they
could find. The Arabs from the plains poured into the town and began to
loot. They looted the customs house in particular, and other official
places. He saw many street fights in the white dust under the glare of
the sun, but he said it was usually the Arab looters fighting amongst
themselves. Their fights would last a long time, the men circling round
one another with knives, or sniping from street corners. There was a
great deal of musket firing at night. This state of lawlessness went on
for three days, and then we made our first appearance in the form of a
gun-boat that fired three rounds from one of her guns, "Not to hit
something, but to make a salaam." The barricaded ones felt more
comfortable. When the Sixth Division marched in he became smitten by the
general appearance of these veterans, and hearing that interpreters were
required, made an application and was accepted. He marched up with the
Division to Kut, and eventually on to Ctesiphon. "It was such a peety,"
he remarked, "for we did all know perfectly well--for I had told
them--that the inhabitants of Baghdad would destroy us themselves." I
asked him what the city was like and if it was safe in peace times. "Oh,
it is all the same in the whole country," he said. "It is all unsafe
unless you theenk. You must always theenk a lot in this country, and
not be in a hurry." At Ctesiphon he said that our troops, a division
strong, fought wonderfully and had beaten the Turks, who were far more
numerous, but a fresh division from Constantinople arrived in time to
alter the complexion of affairs. In the rout, he apparently managed to
crawl on to a steamer full of wounded. It stuck on the way down and was
surrounded by Arabs, who shouted from the darkness for them to
surrender. They had a machine-gun and got through. The Arabs, he said,
did not cause any trouble on our Lines of Communication until the
retreat began, and then they began work with enthusiasm. At Kut he went
through the siege. At the surrender he had the foresight to disguise
himself as an Arab. The Turks hanged a lot of interpreters. He escaped
and lay low, wondering how to get down the river. "The Turks did not
treat the British soldiers very well. The officers, oh, yes. But the
men, no. There was leetle to eat." Two months later, when things were
quieter, he went to a party of Arabs who were going down the river and
m