'En route from Bandar Abbas to Kerman. The Village of Kishku' [‎653r] (37/68)

to Kerman without anything serious supervening. Indeed to-day it looks
less wicked and seems to be absorbing itself naturally, at any rate not
spreading. The pain also is less. You would have been touched to see
poor Lock kneeling down on the mountainside bathing and dressing the
ugly open wound (it had happily broken after a few days helped no doubt
by Lock , s poultices of flour) I expect our poor efforts to be anti-
septic have produced a smile in a London hospital, but I expect
Loc^s boric washings and clean bandages at least have prevented pos
sible mischief. The poor chap is very grateful and most incredibly
brave, both in bearing the handling and in going about his daily march
without complaint tho 1 the jolting of the donkey must oe very painful.
One of our own sowars had had a nasty cut across his hand, which had
healed before leaving B.A. but which swelled up in Hie cold and was
most painful. Here again we could do nothing tho' Lock, who had had the
same experience with his own wounded hand was able to proffer lots of
sympathy and assurances that it was only cold and not fresh trouble.
We were able to make a sling for him and Lock shewed me how to make
a sort of rude cotton-wool glove to keep the hand warm both of which
things gave him relief.
Otherwise our party has had so far no ailments or accidents
which is a great blessing and our little store of bandages lint and
simple drugs has not been heavily drawn on. We ourselves are as well
and fit as can be imagined and enjoying every moment of our journey.
Such a contrast to your jolting, dirty railway trains and
your sea-sick-making steamers tho’ one must admit that their method is
the faster. Here we are at our 19th day and we are still 5 days march
off Kerman -- a matter of 300 odd miles ! However, the donkey transport
has made this journey most unnecessarily slow. With good mules we could
have probably got up in 17 or 18 days and without baggage the distance
could be ridden in under a fortnight. But these poor little underfed,
overladen donkeys cannot be hurried and any attempt to drive them would
of course - apart from its cruelty - only result in their going sick
an d 1 ame .
They are in every way infinitely more tedious than mules for
they take longer to load and unload and keep you waiting longer when