'THIM DAYS IS GONE' [‎57r] (113/248)

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a ledge upon which even a fly could have landed: yet the ibex had
foHo^them th6 leopard ’ fe,1ne though it was, had been unable to
Even the approach to the mountain was quite an undertaking. From
the gully or depression where one had concealed and abandoned
one s car there was a long, waterless, march to some Baluchi
encampment. The only possible refreshment on the way was
obtained by lying on one's stomach beside a stagnant ^ool
scraping aside the green slime which covered it, shutting one's
eyes and drinking - regardless of the myriad wild life which it
contained. By good luck I avoided ingesting any of the leeches
which swam almost thread-like in the water, but which if
swallowed would fasten themselves to one’s gullet and suck blood
incolvenien^e. Were fin 9 er ' sized cause considerable
But the most extraordinary refreshment of all was drunk from a
go at-skin (hair on the inside!) at the encampment. Into this
went the milk of every animal which could possibly be milked -
cow (rare), sheep, goat, camel, even mare. It was never cleaned
out and was, naturally, a riot of bacterial activity. It had
every thing : some of it was cheese, some yoghurt, curds, whey
junket, and whatever unrestrained bacteria can make out of milk*
But it was mighty refreshing - if one was thirsty enough.
Back in Zabul one occasionally saw the Persian Army Brigade
marching through the village. Never did I see a more depressing
sight. They were conscripts, paid next to nothing, ha 1f-starved‘
ragged, down-at-heel and dejected. And well they might be ;
their officers were also underpaid (a month's salary woud hardly
buy a pair of boots) and had to make up their income by extortion
f rom their troops.
If, after sleuthing, a conscript was discovered to have private
means or to come from a well-to-do family he found himself day
after day detailed to clean out the latrines or carry out
whatever most noisome and degrading task could be devised. On
enguiring whether it might not be possible to arrange for more
congenial employment he would be told by his immediate superior
that "yes, it could - in consideration of a cash payment - not
for myself, of course, but for those higher up!"
Later, I had the opportunity to ask a prosperous Persian Jew in
Meshed, whose family came from Merv in Russia (but whose
spiritual home was the Mile End Road), how he had fared with his
National Service. He said "It was easy. I made a point of being
seen as often as possible in the company of the General, and when
my time for conscription was near, I gave the Colonel to
understand that_^the General and I had come to an understanding,
but, I said, T_a clast-i-tun Kh~al i na bashad -\*so that your hand
may not be emptyfp here Ts a thous and tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. for yourself. Of
course I hadn t sguared the General (they are very expensive)
but the Colonel was not to know that and I was never called up! *