(Peace be with you,) to which I responded, according to usual form, ‘aleikum salam,’ (with you be peace.) Meeting with others of his party, they asked us if we were Nesrani, (Nazarenes—­Christians,) and saluted us with the same respect, going some distance back on their path with us to show us a cool water spring.  ‘They then went their ways, and we saw them no more;’ but I shall not easily forget the satisfaction which they showed in recognizing us as fellow believers here in the land of the infidel, and the kindness with which they went out of their way to offer us a ’cup of cold water in the name of a disciple.’”

That night they spent on the banks of the river Zab.  The next day, after traversing a wild pass, hemmed in by perpendicular rocks, more than a thousand feet in hight, they reached the village of Bizeh, in a valley of the mountains, and secured a house-top for the night: 

“About the middle of the night, Mr. Marsh was waked by a slight noise, and, lifting his head, saw a party of five or six armed men creeping stealthily toward our roof, which, on the side toward the hill on which they were, was only four or five feet from the ground.  The foremost man stopped short for a moment at Mr. Marsh’s movement, and turning to his followers, called out ‘Khawaja!’ (the gentlemen!) Then seeing that our old guard was asleep at the stepping stone, he climbed upon the roof at another corner, and stood for a moment with his long gun at his side.  Mr. Marsh raised himself upon his arm, and demanded in Arabic, ’What do you want?’ The man probably did not understand the language:  at any rate, he made no answer, but turned to the old man, and conversed earnestly with him in a low tone.  The other men gathered near them, as if to listen and take part.  But they all finally went away without doing any mischief.”

The next morning the sentinel who had kept watch over their baggage attempted to dissuade them from going the direct road, as the people of the next village had heard of their coming, and were determined to kill them.  However, they kept on; and, in the course of two or three hours, their guide was stopped by a company of six armed men: 

“The place was admirably chosen for the purpose.  The narrow path along the cliff by which we had come, here widened into a little platform large enough for our mules to stand upon together.  In front of us, a ledge of broken rocks jutted from the mountain and ran down, crossing our path, and leaving only a very small passage.  In front of this path stood our challengers.  Six worse-looking men, whether in form, dress, or feature, it would be difficult to imagine.  Each man wore around his high, conical felt hat, a turban of handkerchiefs of every hue and texture; in his hand a long gun with short and narrow breech; and in his belt the universal Kurdish curved and two-edged dagger.  The leader of the gang was a man of middle age, with black eyes and a grisly, untrimmed beard, and with half his front teeth knocked out.”