Manuscript of Persia and the Persian Question (Continued) [‎33r] (65/690)

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In the summer the banks of the river in this part are wholly
destitute either of population or verdure. But at the time of my
visit occasional Arab encampments were to be seen on the water’s
edge, consisting either of black tents or of a square enclosure com
posed of mat huts with a fence of thorns, the horses and cattle beino-
folded at night in the interior to keep them from the attack of wild
beasts. These nomads move upwards in the winter months from the
date-groves, loosely turn the (soil with rude wooden ploughs drawn
either by donkeys, horses, or cattle, scatter the seed and await the
harvest. Having gathered this in the early spring, and procured
flour for bread and fodder for their horses during the remainder of
the year, they—
“ Fold their tents j
And silently steal away.” I
In the neighbourhood only of thes^ffflpnlary enc^fcpments is
cultivation to be seen, the rest of the country having the appearance
of a desert. But the entire district is one of incredible nat^^al fer
tility, and it is pitiable to see stores of potential wealth lying ijaRe in
a land that is always bewailing its poverty. At 8 p.m. the Shushan
dropped anchor for the night by the small village of Ismailijiyh, on
the left bank. The tide from the Shat-el-Arab and Bahmeshir is
felt as far as this place, and in the lower reaches of the river causes
a rise and fall of from four to five feet. I t • -/. h _
Early in the^morning we passed ■Boraikia, the first vil
lage of any size since leaving Mohammerah. It contains about three
hundred inhabitants, Arabs, and their sheik/ps subordinate to Sheikh
Mizal Khan. Then follow a series of river loops and windings so
tortuous, that we continually find ourselves steaming right away
from the point at which we are due to arrive in another hour, while
on the boat’s deck we can never settle our relations with the sun.
The next village, again on the left bank, is Kut Omeira(; while,
further on, at a distance of about thirty miles from dleralkia is Kut
Abdulla^the main settlement of the IBwiyah, who are also a subdi
vision of the Ka’b tribe. This is one of three places between Moham
merah and Shuster, where the local sheikh formerly claimed the right
of levying a custom-duty or black mail upon any goods passing up the
r iver, either by boat or caravan. For conv enience sake these tolls,
tolls, which no one ventured to dispute, were subsequently amalga
mated, and are still exacted from native merchandise at the two
termini.
The scenery on the Karun in these parts cannot be styled other
wise than depressing. Fifty years ago travellers described the banks
between Mohammerah and Ahwaz as being abundantly wooded with
poplar, tamarisk, and small timber. A good deal of this has since
disappeared, and a low scrub or brushwood in parts is all that breaks
the flat monotony of the river’s edge. On either side the plain,
marshy, bare, and untilled, may be seen stretching away to the
horizon. Where the banks are at all high the boat is quite concealed
from view at the distance of a few yards; but over the level expanse
its tall funnel can be seen for miles, projecting like a stick of black
sealing-wax from the ground, and appearing to creep stealthily over
the surface. >. For many hours before reaching Ahwaz we were in
sight of the sandstone ridge with pointed summits that stretches
across the country, and is responsible for the barrier there existing
in the river bed. Throughout our journey we had seen a great
variety of wild fowl on the river, duck, teal, snipe, pelican, and
gulls. About two miles below Ahwaz some of us went ashore with
guns and rifles, to test the resources of the scrub on the right bank.
Wild fowl rose in clamorous flocks from swamps and pools a little way
inland; franco]in-{called a partridge in these parts, but in size and
appearance more resembling a hen pheasant) jumped up at our feet
and whirred away with a flight like that of a grouse; several hares
scampered hither and thither. I shot a big wild cat which turned
out to be a lynx, and was as large as an Indian cheetah, and some
monster wild boar appeared within easy range. It would be diffi
cult to ride them in this country, because of the swamps and deep
nullahs or cracks in the surface : but some years ago pig-sticking
expeditions were regularly organised from Bagdad. For any one
content with small game a richer preserve could not be found than
the Karun valley; while for the more ambitious lions are also
forthcoming, and further north, in the Bakhtiari Mountains, abun
dance of antelope, ibex, and wild goat. * ’
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