T. E. Lawrence Correspondence – Page 422

To Hogarth Jerahlus. Dec.16 (1912) I hope you got my letter from Alep.o. I set off just after that, taking Hai Yahie with me as an afterthought that there might be buying to be done. The arrival was a great success. The German works broke up with a yell, and rushed down the path to meet me. Arbag as though the Huns had arrived. We put up with the Hojs, and had a most glorious night. All the village dropped in, and I heard all about the Germans: they put on a tra- - they are ignorant of sanitary - not regulating a little indiscrimination: they know no language - they say sacral mento, and when we ask what they want "but", they only say it again - they drink raki all night, to two soldiers - are very aggressive - they do no work with their hands, but sit in the tents - we may not smoke: there is no bak- shish - we may not speak to them, they say it is shibals - they cannot swis - they make a bargain and break it - On ..."e the pigs, they sit crane - and loafsick! After this the talk drifted naturally to demons & ginns. The Hoja and the rest told tale after tale, each more grimly than .. the last: till at a slanting fortingly into the darkness, refused with one voice to go home. So we slept there happily, the Hoja, his wives, his four children, the Faj, Danus, myself, and fifteen others, in a house about the size of your room, a huge snout royal heap of quilts, all wonderful to say, nearly deserted. It was one of the best nights I've had, and yet the Hoja told Thomp- son there are no local geniis: why, one tore in here & the brother of Thallaf Khalife, another stole some halawi from Hassan Agha, another so bereft Haswan of his wife for a year and six months! The great mound is full of them, and all begged me for a few of my amuletries. It's a splendid place, but I suppose I must be serious. There ex are four or five Germans here: about 20 tents, and mud houses building: everything in between the Talaat and the village. Their chief told me that the latest (and last) change of plan taxes the railway outside the walls, right to the river: not a gun or a stone of the site is to be touched. This is alientold: for unless under direction of one of us I feel sure no stone could have been removed with safety. The bridge is to be S. of the site: (by sherry though that some beast (or ideals for the really inspired in art) has bruised the eyes of the basalt chari- oteers. I have sworn for the officer when discovered flaying alive, and rolling in salt, and then a grill before a slow fire of quotations from Diodorus. The chief engineer, must up the idea warmly: says he has never seen it done. About buying the site: It possibly be worth it, but not yet. Hassan Agha wants £100: in two months it will be worth £20. Old Saleh's is dirty going it, but everything is so confused that we should (and can) wait till after the expropriations. About antiques: all gone: to a former band of Ger... their dreso- mar, and an antikaji from Birejik. I got a view of the highest