Sat 22. [22 April 1905] Up at 5 and off at 6.30. One of my merchant
friends rode with us - I think he had business at Merjemek [Mercimek]
and the Onbashi from Anavarz to help us over the water and mud.
This was very necessary. We waded several times girth deep. The
road through the marsh lay through tall thickets with occasional open
stretches of grass. Soon after Anavarz we came to a Circassian
village, Cherkes K. I suppose on Kiepert's map. It was blazing hot, the
hottest day I have known for a long time. At a tiny village just before
Merjemek I found 2 small trees and sat down in the shade of them to
lunch - it was midday. A charming old party presently appeared with
a large wooden tray of fried eggs, leben and bread, which we all eat
and for which I might give no payment. So we rode on to Merjemek
where the Onbashi and the merchant left us. From here the plain was
higher and dryer and we got into a corn growing country. It is all a
chiflik of the Sultan's. To the S by the Jihan Chai [Ceyhan] there are
some abrupt hills on the top of the N one stands Yelan Kalesi. To the
N of the road is the steep tell of Tumle Kalesi. We rode on to a chiflik
where I wd have camped if there had been corn but there was none.
So we lay and watched the sheep milked till the mules came up and
then went on to Chakal Dere on the Jihan Chai which we reached at
4.30 and camped on a green flat place outside the village. I had a a
bath and dined. It was still blazing hot. The two muleteers, Tenfik[?]
and Muhammad, in spite of all their previous protestations of devotion
left us here. No Turk can stand a hard day, I have come to the
conclusion, and none knows how to work.