'MILITARY REPORT ON PERSIA. VOL. IV, PART II.' [‎75r] (154/212)

135
re from
ages in
the old
fighting
n under
dy still
s above
Ii bore,
i- Am-
nasonir
>d post
t by the
ain and
ossessed
eight of
>n were
like nor
inst the
7 art as
leiids on
rniption
much of
When
nd often
ran else-
s; men,
ng their
>od how
i. They
i narrow
sections
addition
ically at
mtion of
er could,
id where
grazing
le spring
could prevent their moving to their summer grazing ground with
a like result. For this reason they would probably hesitate to
engage in open hostilities with a fairly strong force moving up
to the Sh'raz valley during the winter months, though they might
resist a smaller force if they thought they could block its advance.
Military Note on the‘Arms Traffic.—The chief place in the Ar,n ' T,afflo -
Gulf, whence there is a small hut steady flow of arms into
PersiU, is Koweit, where considerable quantities of .SOS service
rifles and ammunition have been accum'dated. These have
been collected from the former battle fields of Mesopotamia,
from friendly tribes of that country to whom large issues of arms
were made by the Government during the war, and from the
tribes of the King of Hedjaz, who were well supplied with ser
vice rifles for use against the Turks and are now selling off
their surplus stock.
These arms are exported from Koweit in two directions-
By far the larger number are smuggled across in dhcws to
the Persian coast between Bandar Dilam to a point about 40
miles south of Lingeh. Smaller numbers find their way across
to Makian.
During the first nine months of 1020 there were 600 to 800
rifles landed at v^ariors times from Koweit and its neighbour
hood along the strip of coast between Bandar Dilam and
Lingeh. 95 per cent of these were 'SOO service rifles, the
remainder being of various types, principally Turkish Mausers.
The latter type is little in demand owing to the difficulty in
obtaining ammunition for : t. Each rifle is usually accom
panied by about 100 rounds of ammunition. Besides this
large consignments of ammunition were carried separately
estimated at not less than 100,000 rounds.
Practically the whole of this quantity is absorbed in the
province of Pars, where, in addition to the local inhabitants,
the nomad tribes provide a never ceasing demand. The proof
of the abundance of service rifles now present in Pars is their
price which near the coast averages about 40 to 50 Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value.
(roughly 120 to 140 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. ) for a service rifle and 40
to 50 rounds
The price of ammunition is 12 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. (about 40 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. )
per ICO rounds.
There are few villages along this strip of coast in which
there is no less than one rifle in each family.
J