T. E. Lawrence Correspondence – Page 424

To Hogarth. 16.12.1912. Broner form the Kala'at was Touma's last year. The elder Touma I saw today, and he has given us our permission to divide up our respective shares (at present, according to him, we hold in the specified 2/3 ). He swears he has a tapu to a certain part; ... says he has one half; Hassan says 7/3 are his; and nobody can corrobate their respective boundaries. Mr.Fontana and I agree that the best thing is for me to go direct jix and look up the archives there; for tho he has lent me Yagir, and I'm off tomorrow. This means an extra £6 or so, but I think it's worth it, if I can settle anythiing. The Toumas are to present their tapus to the ... meanwhile, and if the combined results seem at all certain, I'll bargain for a price and wire it you. I will be much the better out of the matter if Kenyon will agree to buy. At present I fancy our last year's installation was not worth the layer it is on. You might send it though in any case this time. The affair Mazloum is continuing, and Zendibey, together with ... year, is dunning me for the £13 shillers that Maz. went off with. I fancy he wants half the travelling expenses as well. Nice country. I wish someone would murder expedition. Henderson's purchase of the site seems to have been for the B.M., not personal; I'll get a proper title deed if I can, and send it to Kenyon in any case, whether they buy the rest or not. An Armenian gentleman came last night, and wanted to sell me 1/27 of Tell Ahmar; he seems to be the person Yagir set about it for you: he was also sick and miserable. I told him that we were committed to nothing, and that if we wanted part of the Tell later we would come to him; but I explained that 1/27 was a matter of some piastres only. He agreed, and said that it brought him little. I said that he might sell again if he liked, because we weren't going there yet. .L. (note at top of page) Binocular plates please, if the camera comes also.