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CHAPTER XXXIV.
Marash eastward—A countiy of nomads—Bazaarluk—The Stamblil
hamal—Aintab—A native Anglican church— Aintab southward
A rich land and pleasant road— "A'Art?i of the Five Eyes"—Feeding
camels— Killis— Disturbance in the market-place—Syrian scenes
The Rock of Azaz—The knife at Gaferuntun Khan.
From Marash my next stage
was to Aintab, a large
town fifty miles to the south-east and w^ithin twentyfive
of the Euphrates.
Through green rice - fields, with Akhar Dagh in
green and blue and snow always upon my left, the
path led over the plain and up into a brown undulating
country of scattered scrub and the flocks and
low black tents of nomads. There were many more
of these encampments here than I had seen elsewhere.
For this was a winter country of the wanderers ; a
little later they would strike their tents and move
gradually to summer pastures among the mountains
of Kurdistan. At this time, however, they remained
the only inhabitants of a dull piece of country, to
which their flocks and tents and smoking fires gave
a look of pastoral contentment. And a very primitive
ancient appearance the scene had, too, as it lay
shimmering in fierce heat. Here was the edge of
a true land of nomads ; scarce a hundred miles in the
east country was Haran and the land of old Abram :
like enous^h he had dwelt in iust such tents as these.
The day ended at Bazaarluk, a quiet hhan in a
small green plain, overlooked by bold hills dotted