sanguinary people. Similar statements have frequently been made by other Koords, and confirmed by the Nestorians and Persians.

Myself. Where do you live?

Koord. In black tents. We are Kouchee Koords. M. What is your occupation?

Bishop. You need not ask him. I will tell you. They are thieves.

M. Is that true, Koord?

K. Yes, it is true. We steal whenever we can. M. Do you kill people too?

K. When we meet a man that we wish to rob, if we prove the strongest, we kill him. If he proves the strongest, he kills us.

M. But suppose he offers no resistance when you attempt to rob him?

K. If he have much property, we would kill him to prevent his making us trouble. If he had not much, we would let him go.

B. Yes, after you had whipped him well.

M. Suppose you meet a poor man who had nothing but his clothes, what would you do? Would you molest him?

K. If his clothes were good, we would take them and give him poor ones in exchange. If not, we would let him pass.

M. But this is a bad business in which you are engaged, of robbing people. Why do you not follow some other occupation?

K. What shall we do? We have no ploughs or fields; and robbing is our trade.

M. The Persians will give you land if you will cultivate it.

K. We do not know how to work.

M. It is very easy to learn. Will you make the trial?

B. He does not wish to work. He had rather steal.

K. He speaks the truth. It would be very difficult, and take a long time to get what we want by working for it; but by robbing a village, we can get a great deal of property in a single night. M. But you are liable to be killed in these affrays.

K. Suppose we are killed. We must die some time, and what is the difference of dying now or a few days hence? When we rob a village, we go in large parties upon horses, surprise the villagers when they are asleep, and escape with their property before they are ready to defend themselves. If pursued by an army, we strike our tents and flee to our strongholds in the mountains.

M. Why do you not come and rob these villages, as you used to do?

B. They could not live if driven out of Persia. They fear the Persians.

K. We should have no other place to winter

our flocks; so we give the Persians some presents, and keep at peace with them.

M. I wish to visit your tribe. How would they treat me ?

K. Upon my eyes, they would do everything for you.

M. But you say they are thieves and murderers. Perhaps they would rob and kill me.

K. No, no; they wish to have you come, but you are not willing. We never rob our friends. You come to do good, and no one would hurt you. M. But many of them do not know me.

K. They have all heard of you, and would treat you with the greatest kindness if you should visit them.

CHAPTER II

Practicability of visiting the Mountain Nestorians.-Journey to Constantinople.-Storm in the Mountains.-Journey to Mesopotamia, Diarbékir, and Mardîn.-Providential Escape.

A BROTHER of the Nestorian patriarch, who visited us at Ooroomiah, and a Koordish chief whom I had seen in his castle at Burdasoor, had expressed the opinion that my professional character would procure me a safe passport to any part of the Koordish Mountains, and, from what I had learned in my frequent intercourse with the Koords, I had reason to believe that I might safely pass through the Koordish territory and enter the country of the Independent Nestorians.

My own impressions were that I should be able to enter the country of the Independent Nestorians from the Persian frontier, and I advised this plan. But this was not assented to, and, in pursuance of the instructions of the Board to proceed by way of Mesopotamia, I set out from Ooroomiah on the first of April, 1839, for Erzeroom, where I had proposed to meet my expected associate, the Rev. Mr. Homes, of Constantinople, who was to be temporarily associated with me in this enterprise.

On my arrival at Salmas, I received a letter from him, apprizing me that the brethren at Con

C

stantinople had decided against his entering upon the tour, under the apprehension that my late afflictions would put it out of my power to fulfil the plans of the Board in the formation of a permanent station. I looked upon this as another among the many indications of Providence which had come before us, in favour of my plan of entering the mountains from the Persian frontier. I wrote to our mission for advice, repeating my conviction of the importance of the measure I had before urged upon them, of entering the mountains before proceeding to Mesopotamia. The political state of the latter country was mentioned as one consideration in favour of this course. My letter was also accompanied by the assurance of the governor of Salmas, that he would do everything to secure the success of the enterprise, and that he did not doubt but the facilities he could furnish would enable me to go and return in safety. But still there was not a majority in the mission in favour of my entering the mountains, and I was advised to proceed to join Mr. Homes, and enter upon the proposed tour in Mesopotamia.

I accordingly proceeded with as much expedition as possible to Constantinople. An unusual quantity of snow had fallen late in the season, and my journey proved one of extreme difficulty and of no little peril. For more than two hundred miles I found the snow from two to three or four