My War Experiences in Two ContinentsMacnaughtan, S. (Sarah)
History
My War Experiences in Two Continents
Macnaughtan, S. (Sarah)
World War, 1914-1918 -- Hospitals, charities, etc.; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, English
On February 16th one of the long-delayed cars arrived, and we were in
ecstasies, and took our places on the steamer for Persia; but the
radiator had been broken on the way down, and Mrs. Wynne was delayed
again. I started, as my car was arranged for, and had to go on board.
Also, I found I could be of use to Mr. Scott of the Tehran Legation, who
was going there. We travelled on the boat together, and had an excellent
crossing to Enzeli, a lovely little port, and then we took my car and
drove to Resht, where Mr. and Mrs. McLaren, the Consul and his wife,
kindly put us up. Their garden is quiet and damp; the house is damp too,
and very ugly. There are only two other English people (at the bank) to
form the society of the place, and it must be a bit lonely for a young
woman. I found the situation a little tragic.
[Page Heading: KASVIN]
We drove on next day to this place (Kasvin), and Mr. and Mrs. Goodwin
were good enough to ask us to stay with them. The big fires in the house
were very cheering after our cold drive in the snow. The moonlight was
marvellous, and the mountain passes were beyond words picturesque. We
passed a string of 150 camels pacing along in the moonlight and the
snow. All of them wore bells which jingled softly. Around us were the
weird white hills, with a smear of mist over them. The radiant moon, the
snow, and the chiming camels I shall never forget.
Captain Rhys Williams was also at the Goodwins; and as he was in very
great anxiety to get to Hamadan, I offered to take him in my car, and
let Mr. Scott do the last stage of the journey in the Legation car to
Tehran. We were delayed one day at Kasvin, which was passed very
pleasantly in the sheltered sunny compound of the house. My little white
bedroom was part of the "women's quarters" of old days, and with its
bright fire at night and the sun by day it was a very comfortable place
in which to perch.
_Hamadan. 24 February._--Captain Williams and I left Kasvin at 8 a.m. on
February 19th.
I had always had an idea that Persia was in the tropics. _Where_ I got
this notion I can't say. As soon as we left sheltered Kasvin and got out
on to the plains the cold was as sharp as anything I have known. Snow
lay deep on every side, and the icy wind nearly cut one in two. We
stopped at a little "tschinaya" (tea-house), and ate some sandwiches
which we carried with us. I also had a flask of Sandeman's port, given
me last Christmas by Sir Ivor Maxwell. I think a glass of this just
prevented me from being frozen solid. We drove on to the top of the
pass, and arrived there about 3 o'clock. We found some Russian officers
having an excellent lunch, and we shared ours and had some of theirs. We
saw a lot of game in the snow--great coveys of fat partridges, hares by
the score, a jackal, two wolves, and many birds. The hares were very
odd, for after twilight fell, and we lit our lamps, they seemed quite
paralysed by the glare, and used to sit down in front of the car.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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