Show m m n nJ J J Trip To Bagdad Told By Tulka I Readers will remember about five weeks ago a young globe trotter appeared appeared appeared ap ap- ap- ap in Cedar City and recounted his experiences in many foreign countries countries countries coun coun- tries to the students of the schools The The- young fellow referred to Is Charles Tulka of In his travels he has visited practically all of the prominent countries of the theold theold theold old world wold and is now covering North America He passed through h a most thrilling experience in crossing the sandy desert of to the famed city of Bagdad traveling the entire distance on foot consuming 16 10 days time tune in making it Following Is the narrative as written by himself Do you remember Douglas Fairbanks' Fairbanks motion picture The Thief of Bagdad 7 I a story of which was taken from the Night Oriental Thousand and One tales If the picture had been made in real Bagdad I do not suppose you would have liked it Quite different Is the reel real Bagdad and the one which was made nade by Doug by Dug Doug The banks blinks of Tigris River shaded by bythe bythe the dark greeness of palms covered by the soft dust blown upon them by byth byth byth th hot winds from surrounding deserts The murky yellow and muddy waters I of the Tigris River serve the natives I for all purposes Starting by washing clothes continuing by bathing and I i ending by drinking All this you can plainly see e when you you stop on the Maude Bridge which was s built and named after the English General W. W Maude who with his army entered Bagdad after the end of the Great War The tall minarets of Mohammedan Mohammedan Mohammedan Mosques rising toward the dark blurry skies without a single cloud over the native houses mostly built from mud and mud brick Main thoroughfares and narrow streets overcrowded by Arabs wearing native dresses covering their bodies to the ankles some also half dressed or wearing only a dirty shirt not even covering the knees This very often is the only property of countless beg- beg gers On their heads white or differently differently differ differ- colored turbans the or red Fez is worn Arabian women with their faces carefully covered by the black veils keeping them from the anxious sight of strangers especially white men Groups of wild dogs running under the feet of the crowds in search of the food to satisfy their everlasting ness Donkey caravans tired and covered covered covered cov cov- ered by the grey dust from nearby deserts and camel caravans from the burning deserts of far away Syria and Arabia are coming here Gracefully slowly but with long steps walks this heavily loaded ship of the desert on I II I through the streets of Bagdad Bells DeUs I hanging on their long necks sound with their long steps This is a fabled Bagdad cut and Isolated from the entire world Just the same as it was centuries ago The shortest way from Damascus in Syria requires 26 20 ours by the huge busses the fare being per single seat for fora a one way journey These buses are accompanied by the military escorts for the wild tribe in Southern Syria l very often attack the travelers in those deserts The old caravan way takes 22 days At the beginning of of the month of August two pairs of heavy boots tramped eastward across the sand of toward the fabled city of Bagdad The temperature was about about about a- a bout degrees above zero not exactly exactly exactly ex ex- ex- ex the best time to travel Mesopotamian 1 desert on foot Tho The two lucky owners of the boots were my friend Jerry and I I. I It is sixteen days since we slept in ine r. r bed I tried to say but half of my words did not want to slip through my parched throat And maybe we can get even Ice Cream ream In Bagdad said my friend pointing his finger toward the horizon horizon- where the sand filled air ap appeared appeared appeared ap- ap the dim skyline of Bagdad Maybe I replied and In 10 the depth of ot my soul I prayed that the tall minarets palms and ira gray walls on the horizon wre not a mirage which so often likes to play a dirty duty joke on the travelers in that part of the globe Until our monotonous tired steps sounded on the wooden bridge of General General Gen Oen- eral Maude leading across the River I was afraid it might be a mir mir- age We had not seen suc such a town for several months Sweaty unshaven burned by the tropical sun and browned by burning desert winds we were slowly fighting our way through the crowded narrow streets Groups of Arabs followed us some with childish smiles on on th their lr long bearded faces about about about a- a bout our appearance Fr From ni the ln many n sahibs who came carne to this town on on the Tigris River certainly very few apPeared appeared the way we did it ft was only our high boots pants and trop tropical l It helmets by which we could be distinguished distinguished distinguished dis dis- dis- dis from the desert Bedouins Where were we going to sleep I thought as we we walked across the wooden wooden wood wood- en bridge It was about 4 p. p pin Pm in we had not much time to find a place be before before before be- be fore th the t S. darkness fell on this city Inthe In Inthe Inthe the meantime it to me that we had only two ruppes 60 cents between the two of us No air sir there wouldn't be any ice cream today may maybe may may- s I be not even supper After a long search we found a hotel standing just beside the Mohammedan Mosque The proprietor was a Turk He took us to the flat fiat roof where two lines Unes of beds stood and on the other half of the roof two rows of blankets lying directly on the flat fiat roof Six Annas the fat Turk said point point- pointing pointing ing his hand to the bed F Four ur Annas and his hand moved toward the blankets blankets blankets blan blan- on the floor We chose the luxury and paid six annas each for the bedin bed bedIn bedin In advance as was required by the proprietor especially when he looked at a. our little knapsacks And it wa was this evening when our eighteen day beard disappeared under the blade of ofa a safety razor We still had some money to buy us some supper and breakfast It was all we wanted anyway We were glad It was not tint worse WOrp Tf Tt It woe was A Q about A b In n v o'clock in the evening when we returned return return- ed to the roof of our hotel from the little exploring of the Bagdad streets At first I gently touched the bed fol following following following fol- fol lowing this by examining the four legs to make sure they were able abl to hold me until the next morning Then I undressed myself in public It was the first public preparing to go to bed tied I had ever done or witnessed It was too hot to sleep 1 I was laying in my bed on on my back my iny arms under under my my head looking toward the dark skies skies- where myriads of stars glittered gUttered Thru my head were floating thousands of thoughts and oriental tales about ALt All Baba and his forty thieves I couldn't sleep Aro Around nd midnight the silver light liht of the moon fell feU down upon the minarets and roof of a Mohammedan Mosque Th The dark walls seemed to be changed to the walls of some mysterious castle The little squares of or green blue and white mosaics covering the walls were changed by magic silver moonlight to precious stones diamonds rubies and emeralds Part of my dreams cams came true I was in hi the fabled city of Bagdad Bagdad Bag Bag- dad the city of the Thousand andone and andone andone one Night tales the town where clever Continued on Page Eight TRIP TO BAGDAD TOLD BY BV TULKA Continued From Page One All Ali Baba Daba and his forty thieves once I upon a time lived When I awoke in the morning there was already a bright sunlight The Mohammedan mosque In the night changed to a beautiful mysterious castle stood there again I was back in real life again I walked down to get my knapsack which the proceeding evening had been locked in my presence presence presence pres pres- ence by the proprietor in one of the rooms Slowly Slowly he walked opened the thedoor thedoor door and let me pass in to take my knapsack The very moment I opened opened opened open open- ed it I knew somebody had hod examined it during my absence My extra pair of shoes was missing I had proposed to sell them that same morning to help us for a day or so from an unpleasant unpleasant unpleasant un un- pleasant financial situation The only clean shirt was missing from my friends friend's bag The thief apparently picked up only what he could use or sell Further examination of my friends friend's bag showed his tooth brush was also missing So while I was dreaming about All Alt Baba Daba and his forty thieves probably one of his descendants descendants descendants descend descend- ants was examining the contents of my poor knapsack Apparently to save me the trouble of selling my shoes he sold them for met mel It was lucky I had our kodak under my pillow that night Of course the fat proprietor swore that nobody entered the room and th that t he did not give a key to anybody and so on Anyway each of us had one less trouble My friend did not need to change his shirt and I was saved from looking for somebody who would like to buy my extra pair of oxfords which which I had brought from Constantinople Its no use to call the police pollee They might find the thief but his friends might pay you back for his arrest It has here before we were told by an Englishman editor chief-editor of Bagdad Times as he handed us an envelope with fifteen rupees for a astory astory astory story we gave him about our day 32 tramp from in Syria across the desert to Bagdad We had met an Arab who spoke some German being a servant ervant of a German officer during a time when the thc GerL Ger Ger- L u L' L army was in Mesopotamia tie ne took us to a little Arabic eating house for we were looking for a place to buy some cheap food Half of the fifteen rupees from the editor of Bagdad Times was gone and we couldn't af afford afford afford af- af ford to buy any better meal than an Arab one The darkness of the room was broken brok brok- en by the dull red light of the thc oil lamp hanging on one of the dirty walls Four dirty greasy tables two wooden banks and several half broken chairs two of them crying either In protest orby or orby orby by welcoming when two sahibs sat down on them a narrow door and be beside beside beside be- be side these a hole in the front wall here was placed a little oven where Arabic delicatessen was prepared by bya a dirty eyed cross-eyed Arab Our Arab friend who brought us in told us how w much we had to pay for fora a meal and left us with a German Auf Aut hoping to meet us again tomorrow I didn't chew my food consisting of a dish of dirty ric rice e and smelly hashed mutton With my eyes closed I was merely swallowing it We paid the amount and walked out The next evening we e went to the same place again ate the same meal mealand mealand and laid on the table the thc same amount amount amount a- a mount of money The eyed cross-eyed Arab Ara b looked at ot the coins on the table an In Inan inan inan an excited voice started to say something something something some some- thing we wc didn't we-didn't didn't understand of course He lIe was pointing to the money on the table and again to our pockets atthe at atthe atthe the same time moving his lingers fingers s showing sho that he wanted some more mor e money In our Arabic we tried to explain that we had paid the the same money for the same meal as os we paid the day ber before bere re Of course we did not mean to pay him a cent more and we did not mean maybe Ignoring his excited excite d voice we simply walked toward th the e open door He lie Jumped like a wild cat t and spread his arms across the door trying to prevent pre us from walking out When the game seemed to have hav e lasted long enough we lifted him from m the door and put him aside At the same time from somewhere in th the e darkness jumped out another Arab whom we had not noticed before Having no chance to turn my body toward him he Jumped on my back The very same moment my friend whom the eyed cross-eyed Arab was trying to pull away from his Arab friend squeezed his neck It was a great fight for ten cents Our fists were swinging through the darkness of th the thc e room beating head or no nu head W We e were trying to keep Arabs away from em m us for we knew that a blow by the knife to the back is 13 the usual way that an Arab pays his debts of this kind During the fight an oil lam lamon lamp lampon p on the thc wall hill fell down and the thc room was covered by darkness We were standing with our backs toward the thedoor thedoor thedoor door and our bodies were plainly visible visible vis vis- ible to our enemies but we were vainly trying to see something in the blackness blackness blackness black black- ness of the room At the same time Ume both of them Jumped on us Several minutes of fighting and beating in the darkness and ond we had thrown them upon the broken tables and chairs The fight was over the hardest fight I ever had and all for ten cents Until now I can feel the pain in my hands my knuckles were bleeding and andI I could not see with my left eye ee In Inthe Inthe Inthe the same condition was my friend One step more and we were through the open door As if It struck by lightnIng lightning lightn lightn- ing we stood there breathlessly The street was crowded with Arabs Fists were rising above the heads of the crowd and I am glad I did not understand understand understand un un- un- un half of the villainous names that the Arabs were calling us We stood just a moment There was not time for thinking or brooding It was a rather doubtful game to get through the angry crowd But there was no other chance We stepped for for- ward The noise from the crowd increased Increased in increased In- In creased and more fists were raised An Arab seeming to be as tall as a mountain stepped forward Between us and the thc crowd he bent himself as asIf asIt asif If It he was picking up something from 1 the ground Several other men followed follow follow- ed him It was Good bye we saw in each others eyes eres It means the end we cant can't fight this whole crowd We were so tired beaten bleeding But we wont won't sell our skins for noth noth- ing Watching carefully his every movement we were waiting The white broad sleeve of his right hand was rolled up over a strong muscular arm Like snakes looked the muscles under the bro bron skin of his arm He raised it slowly nd in the horizontal position held it before our eyes We We wondered why h he did not attack us the quiet was getting on our nerves And then in the dull light I saw a blue on his right fore arm arma arms arm arm- a s blue cross I am a Christian he said quietly Come with me Those are my friends shaking his head toward to toward toward to- to ward the group of men standing near We could not move we did not under under- stand Come quick or it might be too late he said Then we under under- stood he had come to help us We followed him toward the crowd his friends surrounded us and lead us through the angry crowd to safety The villainous names fell again upon our heads and this time also upon our Arab friends but nobody dared to at attack attack attack at- at tack us We were saved We ran through several long narrow streets toward the main street of Bagdad New Street I Well it was good you have made I there said the tall Arab in broken English This man cheat everybody he can he deserved it Now you can cango cango cango go home nothing will happen to you here We did not know how much to thank him We shook hands with him and we put all our thanks In this simple squeeze of his hand and he understood it It was as nothing Just my duty Good bye we said in Arabic which means thank you He disappeared with his friends in the narrow street again |