ded to indulge
their voracious appetites. When our own meal was brought to us some time
after, we noticed that the fourteen eggs we had doled out had been reduced
to six; and the other materials suffered a similar reduction, the whole
thing being so patent as to make their attempt at innocence absurdly
ludicrous. We thought, however, if Kurdish highway robbery took no worse
form than this, we could well afford to be content. Supper over, we
squatted round a slow-burning fire, on the thick felt mats which served as
carpets, drank tea, and smoked the usual cigarettes. By the light of the
glowing embers we could watch the faces about us, and catch their
horrified glances when reference was made to our intended ascent of
Ak-Dagh, the mysterious abode of the jinn. Before turning in for the
night, we reconnoitered our situation. The lights in all the tents, save
our own, were now extinguished. Not a sound was heard, except the heavy
breathing of some of the slumbering animals about us, or the bark of a dog
at some distant encampment. The huge dome of Ararat, though six to eight
miles farther up the slope, seemed to be towering over us like some giant
monster of another world. We could not see the summit, so far was it above
the enveloping clouds. We returned to the tent to find that the zaptiehs
had been given the best places and best covers to sleep in, and that we
were expected to accommodate ourselves near the door, wrapped up in an old
Kurdish carpet. Policy was evidently a better developed trait of Kurdish
character than hospitality.

Although we arose at four, seven o'clock saw us still at the encampment.
Two hours vanished before our gentlemen zaptiehs condescended to rise from
their peaceful slumbers; then a great deal of time was unnecessarily
consumed in eating their special breakfast. We ourselves had to be content
with ekmek and yaourt (blotting-paper bread and curdled milk). This over,
they concluded not to go on without sandals to take the place of their
heavy military boots, as at this point their horses would have to be
discarded. After we had employed a Kurd to make these for them, they
declared they were afraid to proceed without the company of ten Kurds
armed to the teeth. We knew that this was only a scheme on the part of the
Kurds, with whom the zaptiehs were in league, to extort money from us. We
still kept cool, and only casually insinuated that we did not have enough
money to pay for so large a party. T