'DIARY OF A TOUR IN THE PERSIAN GULF AND IN TURKISH ARABIA, DECEMBER, 1906 (WITH MAP)' [‎13v] (26/106)

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miles or more, which are the home of bil
lions of mosquitoes and the abiding place
of wild pig and malaria. From the junction
the Tigris becomes much narrower and
enters these marshes, through which it
pursues a serpentine course, the naviga
tion of which is difficult. Beyond the
marshes one enters a country capable,
indeed, of again being made one of the
richest agricultural districts of the world,
but which, under the blighting sway of
the Turk, has become merely a huge desert
with isolated patches of cultivation at
long intervals. On the whole stretch of
five hundred odd miles from Basra to
Bagdad there are only a couple of towns
or large villages. The other places are
mere hamlets or the temporary encamp
ments of the nomad tribes. As already
stated, the sway of the Turk extends little
farther than the range of his rifles, and
much of the country is quite dangerous to
travel through. From time to time, indeed,
the Arabs fire on the passing steamers, not
because they have any grievance against
the British, but merely either (1) out of
sheer devilment, (2) to show their indepen
dence and contempt for all authority, or
(3) as a sort of protest on account of some
rea! or imaginary wrong inflicted on them
by the iurkish Government, and which
they wish to get redressed.
I have referred to the two solitary places
between Basra and Bagdad which can be
dign i fled by the name of town. These are
Amara and Kut. The former we reached
at dusk on the second day. The licht
unfortunately, did not admit of any pho.’
tograph being taken. There is, however
a fine river frontage with a brick wall
and a broad some fiye
hundred yards in length + X
ties up alongside the wall, and on^he'oc-
casion of our visit there was much em
barking and disembarking. The town
possesses a good many solid-looking house"
and a fair-s.zed covered bazar. Th ere
is a furbish garrison and a post and tel
t g he aP rivefa C t\ a h nd " ^ crosst'
tian sect, followers of John the Baptist'
whose geneology, if true, would make them
one of the most ancient and bftl . “
peoples in the world TVatK nt( : r ® stl ng
of Yemen, they claim thaUheTr foregS
i^heba whose 8 vhsit to Sol ^
Biblical history 8 . 1 ^ Of tteTaltha 00 ^ 6 ' 1 ' n
ferity of Sheba, of the cupiditywlfich these
Amara.
The Sabaeans.