Page:The Nestorians and their rituals, volume 1.djvu/373

Rh rituals, and not understanding the meaning of a word of that language. In proof of this the Bishop adduced the case of an ecclesiastic, who, on being asked by him the meaning of Moryo, (, accordmg to the pronunciation of the Jacobites,) replied—water. The people of Gerger form about one-half of the diocese of Kharpoot, the remaining portion, consisting of about forty villages, being scattered about at some distance from that town as far north as Palu on the Euphrates, where I have been told that a Syriac MS. of the New Testament exists, ascribed to the third century.

May 19th.—Having exchanged our Diarbekir guards for five horsemen from Sewrek, we started from that place at 1 and after fording two or three streams and passing several villages, which will be found noted in the map, we reached Tashlik at half-past five, where we put up for the night. We had now before us in the distance a range of low hills called Karatsh Er-Raha, dividing the level country between Sewrek and Urfah into two plains. On the following morning we set off at 5, and in three hours reached Kara Joorni, called also Goondi Resh and Kara Goondi. This is a large village situated at the foot of the Karatsh Er-Raha, and inhabited by Milliyeh Coords and a few Yezeedees. These people were most inhospitable, as we also found them on a later visit, and refused us the shelter of their houses. We accordingly pitched our tent by an adjoining stream, and were obliged to be on the alert for fear of being robbed. Not liking to spend a night among such a set of thieves, we started again at 3, and after travelling for two hours came to a spot where one road turned off to the west, and another towards the south. Our guards finding us determined to pursue the latter, tried to frighten us into acquiescence by recounting several stories of Arab ferocity. The fact was, the fellows were themselves afraid of meeting with the Bedooeen, who had sworn that they would murder any Turk they met in revenge for the treatment which some of them had lately received from the Mutsellim of Sewrek. We now continued our journey through the hills, and at 7 reached a large Coordish encampment of about 200 tents, where we put up for the night. Immense flocks of sheep were feeding in the rich pasture around, and the Coords readily supplied us with as