volume 2 - Robert Bedrosian's Armenian History Workshop

246 Return to MSsul.
stream looked like a great band of shining silver laid
out over the country. Meanwhile the service in the
church went on hour after hour, and the voices did not
cease until the day broke. I afterwards found that
Mr. and Mrs. Rich had inhabited the " cell " when
they visited the monastery, and Rich was correct in
describing it as " rather an airy lodging.'"
We left the hospitable Prior and his monks early
in the morning of December ist, and went down to visit
the new monastery, which is dedicated to the Virgin
Mary, and built on the plain at the foot of the mountains.
We were warmly received by Kuss Shmuel, who was a
very intelligent and superior man ; he could read Latin,
and speak ancient and modern Syriac, French and
Italian. Among his books was a manuscript copy of
the Homilies of Aphraates, taken from Wright's edition
of the great work of this famous Persian Christian.
We then set out for the village of Al-K6sh, and on our
way I asked Nimrud if it would be possible to pay a
visit to Shekh 'Adi,^ the great centre of the cult of the
Yazidis, which lies about twenty miles due east of
Al-K6sh. Nimrud looked horrified and crossed himself
at the mention of the " devil-worshippers," and at once
discovered that affairs in Mosul needed his attention.
It was evident that if I went there I should have to go by
myself. When we reached the village I found there a
messenger from Mosul who had brought a telegram for
me which had arrived there the day before. On opening
it I learned the welcome news that Sir William White
had that day sent to Baghdad the permit for excavating
Der, and he advised me to proceed there without delay
to receive it. I therefore gave up the idea of going
to Shekh 'Adi, and told Nimrud that we must return to
* Excellent drawings of the monastery are published by Rich
{Narrative, vol. ii, plate facing p. 98) and Badger (Nestorians, vol. i,
plate facing p. 102). Photographic views will be found in Preusser,
op. ciL, plates 25-28.
' See Badger, Nestorians, i, p. 105 ; Layard, Nineveh and Babylon,
pp. 81, 85 ; Parry, Six Months, pp. 361-374 ; Wigram, Cradle of
Mankind, pp. 104, 105.