'Notes of a journey from Kasreen to Hamadan across the Karaghan country. By J. D. Rees' [‎8r] (20/54)

FROM KASVEEN TO HA MAD AN.
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figures of horsemen with spears and swords in hand, carved on
upright, not recumbent, grave-stones. I was told there were
700 or 800 head of cattle in Farsian, and sheep innumerable.
From Farsian to Ajurband is a pleasant march through fields 11 miles,
of barley and wheat, watered by underground irrigation channels.
Just around the latter village white and yellow roses grow in
such quantities as make the air heavy with their scent, and over
this uncared-for garden and above the gate hangs from the
village walls a little upper chamber wherein the traveller is
allowed to rest. The village is small, say 50 houses, as many
head of cattle and more sheep. The inhabitants are Turkis and
the women, therefore, unveiled. The old peasant who did the
honours told me that the Grovernment demand had been raised
and that the villagers were badly off. My informant had, how
ever, seven daughters. I asked what they did. He said they
slept and ate. The people looked well fed and well found as if
they enjoyed a fair share of both these luxuries.
As usual a large crowd collected to see the Fafangi eat his
curds and cucumbers, his bread and cold fowl. I asked the
old spokesman to join me, not having enough to go around, but
he declined, as he was making up for a day’s fast missed last year.
This, from a man of at least 70, and with a June-July .Ramazan
impending. At parting I said to the crowd, “ What do you think
of the first Farangi who has visited your village,” but the old
man interposed and said, “ How should they express opinions
about God’s works. Did not God make Farangi and Mussulman
alike ?” This answer made my apparently harmless question
appear to myself frivolous and absurd.
I left the little village with its solemn grey-beard chief and 12i miles
journeyed through barley and wheat past Hakimabad and Akhoora
across an irrigation channel and through land either cultivated or
cultivable to Shaintappa, a little village of 50 or 60 homes of
Turki people. Here I found that 5 pence a day with food was
the labourer’s hire, that he got about 9 pence without it, and in
the long days of July as much as 13 pence. I use English terms
in preference to Persian, but they express in no way the purchas
ing power of the wage. I hesitate to express my opinion as to
the difference in this respect between a franc and a kran. I shall
be within the mark if I say that a family can be fed in Persia
for what it costs to feed an individual in England. From infor
mation received here I calculated that 340 lb. of wheat and 430
lb. of barley could be purchased for about 7 shillings. The
Mustehidd or high priest of Kasveen, who owns this village, gives
the cultivators half the crop.