T. E. Lawrence Correspondence – Page 408

To Hogarth. about June 24 (1911) recited the Hebrew alphabet and "the House that Jack built" in a solemn voice, waving a cabalistic scroll in... one hand. The other on the man's pulse: the whole village crowded round the door to see. We had given the Zag a glass of one half a Seidlitz powder to hold in the hand, and as Thompson said Amen I poured in the other half. The Zag dropped the glass & stept back with a yell, stiff in a twinkling there was not a man but ourselves in the room: even then I aver some of the onlookers did not feel themselves safe till they had put the corner of the house (& the devil himself from the glass in white smoke. "Am I not your friend, your raffiki?" said the Zag: "Why did you give me that from which I might have a sign?" That have I done to you which made you do it: (he knew things, but he did not know). We forced Ahmed Hassen & Dah...., the two water-boys, to drink each half a glass, under pain of beating and being laughed at, and since they have some wonderful power of feeling their limbs, & shaking themselves, lest they be "transfigured". "I drank some of their sorcery", declared Dahum on the works next day, importantly, "& it is now dangerous: for by it men are changed suddenly into the form of mares and great apes". All the village, and above all the Maggot are rejoiced that the bully Zag is quelled. He can hardly show his face in Siwah: never on the mound. Theirs is "magic" of the return to Biredjh. This is the xthird miracle that we have wrought, and our fame as nigromancers is gone abroad to Aintab & Membi...j. The powder now foams a tall shaft fired from the glass with the noise of a dust-filled wind. It seems I raised your hopes on the N. half of the mound: We found there by the pall of square stone pieces of ...... & sotres (aslt—ntt) pottery. This should mean early Hittites: but of course two pieces, even if without later stuff, are not enough to build a theory on. We were proceeding to clear (in about a month) one third of the top area of the N. half: this Kenyon (had cess to him) has interrupted with a suspiciously spelt wire (then finisht acropoliou... etc...)stop work). It is really rather annoying, for six weeks would have skimmed the cream of the place. Still the rods gave baat. We "enliste in a vein: then Ahmar for which we have Halil's blessing. I may live in this district through the winter; it strikes me as... that the strongly-dialectical Arabic of the villagers would be an good as a discipline to me; and there is a immense no chance of any digging in the near future which would make Petrie advisable? If there is please send me a care Consul Aleppo, or let my people know: I am ofMarran, Urfa, Biredjh etc. from Tell Ahmar. Salaams to Leeds & Mr.Neil. ..L.