The Cradle of Mankind; Life in Eastern KurdistanWigram, W. A. (William Ainger)
History
The Cradle of Mankind; Life in Eastern Kurdistan
Wigram, W. A. (William Ainger)
Kurdistan -- Description and travel; Kurds
In one case, a party of some twenty of these desperadoes were fairly
caught by 700 Government troops, regular and irregular, upon an isolated
and waterless hill. It did seem that these men were cornered, for there
was not cover for a rat to escape by, and no man can fight against
thirst. However, the Armenians did not wait for the next day's attack,
but came down that moonless night, provided with the weapons they
had--rifles, bombs, and electric torches. Obviously, they had a leader
with a head on his shoulders, for their plans were regularly laid. They
advanced in couples; and as soon as a challenge was heard Armenian A
threw the flashlight from his electric torch on to the sentry, and
Armenian B threw the bomb at him and annihilated him. The explosion
roused the camp; but the band of Fedais rushed straight on, flashing
their lights and throwing their bombs at anything that came in their
way. Naturally, half trained troops were not going to face Sheitan
himself in this style. They broke; and the band went through without the
loss of a man, thanks to an ingenious combination of the tactics of
Gideon with those of the modern anarchist.
On another occasion the result was not quite so successful, though the
revolutionaries secured a full price for every man they lost.
Eighteen Fedais, their work done, were endeavouring to leave the
country, but were forced by sheer hunger to halt near a friendly
village, while food was provided for them. Somehow, the fact of their
presence leaked out, and the Kurds of the neighbourhood gathered to the
prey. The men took refuge in three small caves that stood side by side,
serving, as is often the case, for sheepfolds. These were hollowed
artifically in loose conglomerate rock, their roof being formed by a
comparatively thin shelf of projecting limestone. The Fedais put their
bombs in readiness at the cave mouths; these forming their sole weapon:
though the fact that they were carrying some £6000 in gold on their
persons made them a prize worth winning. One party of Kurds occupied the
top of the shelf of rock, while the main body prepared for a frontal
attack. As these rushed up the slope, an Armenian in the central cave
took up a bomb from the heap that lay ready, and hurled it at the enemy.
His aim was not too good, however, for the missile hit the edge of the
rock and exploded; the concussion naturally detonating the whole
magazine. Of course the six Armenians in that cave were never seen
again; though the writer was shown some of the coins that were then in
their waist-belts, and which had in several cases been blown clean into
the rock, looking as if they had been battered with a hammer on an
anvil. If the garrison perished, however, their cave was turned for the
moment into a great cannon. Every Kurd in the path of the explosion was
killed; and the roof of the cavern, with all the men on it, disappeared
into space. Thirty-five Kurds missing altogether, besides a number
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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