'Military Report on South-West Persia, Including the Provinces of Khuzistan (Arabistan), Luristan, and Part of Fars' [‎11] (38/466)

11
ttajji Ali and his many sons were so pleased with the Martini-Henry-
cavalry carbines carried by myself and orderly that they desired to possess one,
and the former sent me word that by friendship or other means one must be
his. On declining' to meet the demand and on returning a colt, sent for
acceptance, on the excuse that there was no groom available to lead it, he
instigated his immediate attendants to rob me.
On the night of the 15th April, the horses were cut loose to create con
fusion, my orderly drawn from his tent to see to them and an attempt made
to rifle it. It did not succeed, as I was expecting some such attempt and
was on the alert.
From this date, two of the party were placed nightly as sentries over
the camp and all baggage was packed in a heap. Whilst pressed on all sides
by the crowd endeavouring to push across the narrow bridge thrown over
the Kulohu stream, attempts were made to wrest, from Orderly Shahsowar,
his arms. A like attempt made on the 20th succeeded, but the thief being
recognised as one of Hajji Air's retainers and word being sent to him to
that effect, he caused the rifle to be returned. Before the whole of his mounted
following his conduct was characterized as that of a thief, as cowardly, in
hospitable and unworthy of a chief of his high standing.
This outburst of indignation, accompanied by hard words (in which
Orderly Shahsowar took an able and prominent part), a direct accusation of
theft and an appeal to the holy Mula of the party, the Shenf-ul-dm, to wit
ness to its justice and necessity, quite cowed Hajji Ali.
He sent several of his sons to explain to me that he, in truth, had
not robbed me. Powerless, in his hands, I acquiesced in, without accepting,
his explanation, and gave up my intention of escaping from him by a forced
march into Khoramabad, on its being pointed out to me that to do so with
out an escort, which Hajji Ali, whilst demanding a receipt from myself for
my body, refused to give, would be to court destruction and to give to my
host the opportunity that he desired [see page 98),
We parted good friends, and on passing through Ardal I left with the
IIkhani of the Bakhtiaris a brace of cavalry pistols to be presented to his
eldest son ; after his menacing demand and subsequent attempts to thieve, it
was impossible to give him a rifle although his service to me had been of the
utmost value. As he had heard that I had given presents to all officials of
distinction at Ahwaz, Shustar and Dizful, the omission to satisfy his demand,
the most powerful and feared of all, must have been galling to his pride,
especially as every man and woman of the exodus knew that he had made it.
During the passage of the hills several attempts at robbery were made
by the neighbouriug tribes, and Hajji Ali^s party lost several mules. The
barking of the watch dogs, when the camps were pitched in the vicinity of
the Dalich pass, the most dangerous part of the hills, was incessant.
Khoramabad resembles Dizful and Shustar, inasmuch as it is in ruins;
all trade is stagnant, &c. It lies in a treeless district
Khoramabad. ^ head of the gorge of the Ab-i-Khoramabad and
to the north of the wide, extensive and fertile valleys of the Dar-i-rud and
Ab-i-Khoramabad which unite south of the town.
The party were here accommodated in a summer house 'within the outer
walls of the fort and overlooking the river. The view from the Bala-Hisar,
in the early dawn, was a picturesque one; snow lay on the distant mountains;
the black and brown colours of the barren hills contrasted well with the brown
ish yellow of the bridge, the green of the poplars and vegetation, and the
yellow muddy waters of the Ab-i-Khoramabad in the foreground.