'Military Report on South-West Persia, Including the Provinces of Khuzistan (Arabistan), Luristan, and Part of Fars' [‎10] (37/466)

fat or stout man or woman was not seen ; as a rule tlieir figures are wiry an3
well knit to endure fatigue. The prevailing diseases appeared to be indi,
g-estion, rheumatism, fever, liver and spleen, due to scant clothing, sleeping
on the ground and exposure to cold. The women wear loose shapeless dresses
affording no warmth and little underclothing. ^ The clothing of the children
is of a & like character, affording no protection^ against the cold, to the
stomach and the regions of the spleen and liver.
The women applied for charms to bring back the lost love ot a husband,
lost generally by reason of their sterility} to induce child-birth, &c.; for
amulets to be worn on the caps of their infant sons with the idea that
the fortune of the giver would follow the child throughout life, and to this
extent I became sponsor to the most infantile of Hajji Ali's many sons.
The sick of the tribe came for medicines. Ordinary pills had little effect, but
when six failed to satisfy, I threw up the case.
Unmolested, I was allowed to move about the camps of the various fami
lies ; each family or group of families, camped on the pasture land told off to it,
and each with its flocks and herds took the road assigned to it on the march.
The confusion on the line of march passes description ; sheep, goats, bullocks,
donkeys, &c., horsemen, and foot passengers, blocked the narrow hill-paths;
the cries of the herdsmen and herdswomen, " Ah-o-hd" were heard everywhere,
and when in the narrow ravines, the pressure and crash were the greatest,
the chiefs would add to the hubbub and confusion {tamdshd (spectacle) they
called it) by discharging their rifles, of which the tribe possessed about a dozen
(Peabody^s Martini-Henry).
Great interest was taken in my movements and my note book excited
special curiosity. Many were the exclamations " What does he write
The subjects of conversation that most interest all Lurs are our poli
tical relations with Russia, Turkey, Egypt and Afghanistan; our marriage
laws and social customs. Great Britain is known as London; admiration
is apparently felt for both Turkey and Egypt for having spent such vast
sums of foreign money and declining to repay them. Russia is recognised to
be a great power {see page 29),
Afghanistan is looked upon as a British possession, and its Amir to rule
it by our favour. Orderly Shahsowar himself appeared to be of this opinion.
Great interest everywhere was taken in the movements of the Mahdi. Eu-
mours that he had gained great victories over the British were believed
and no denial was accepted; it was hinted to me that it was quite natural
that I should not acknowledge a defeat. The sympathy with him is political
rather than religious, it being hoped that he, a Muhammadan, may conquer a
Christian power and be an agent destined to raise the fortunes of Islamism.
A withdrawal from the Soudan will be construed into a Christian defeat and
a Muhammadan victory.
„ .T he Muhammadan tenets do not appear to be strictly kept by them,
^i observed the hours of prayer, only because, perhaps, the bhenf-ul-
din, to whom he was greatly indebted for a money loan, to enable him to meet
the demands of the revenue officers, was his guest; he had twenty-five wives and
did not object to one of the ladies 5 of his camp pressing upon me the accept
ance in marriage of one of her daughters, an honour declined on the pleas
that, whilst Hajji Air's guest, I was his son, and all his family my brothers
and sisters and that I was not desirous of adding to my imjoedimenia.
When their ailments were such as to require the administration of
charms and philtres and they were recommended to carry their requests to
Aii, in whom they trusted, they received the idea as an excellent joke.