Outside our bedroom window there was an open drain

TCD MS 3416 page 81

TCD MS 3416 page 81

[November 1916]

our houses. The Armenian family to whom our house belonged had been recently murdered by the Turks on the hills surrounding Yozgad. One morning, about 16th of Nov. the Turks were very active in sweeping up the grounds, our Mulazim came round the houses, poking his nose into every corner & passed remarks on sundry cobwebs & leaves that were lying about. The Turk does not know the difference between sanitation & what we in the Army call “eye wash”. The Mulazim would point out with much gusto a few leaves which the law of nature had demanded should fall from the trees in autumn, while he would totally ignore the fact that a cesspool was leaking through the wall into the kitchen. The following little story I always think is typical of the Turk – In the back yard outside our bedroom window there was an open drain on account of which in spite of the summer heat, we were obliged to keep our windows shut; when the Interpreter came round we complained and taking him to the window hoped to convince him that the odour from the drain was most unpleasant. He exclaimed – Yes the smell is bad, but if you close the win[dow]