Wed May 29 [29 May 1907] Rode off at 5.45 with Mr Wrench to the
Byz fort. We got there in 3 hours. All the flowers have come out -
lovely bushes of yellow briars. But the people have all gone up to the
high yailas and the foot of the hills is quite empty. Worked at the
upper fort for 3 hours by which time it was finished and we lunched for
an hour. Then walked round the top of the crater but found nothing
more and measured the other fort and the buildings below. This took
3 hours more. The oblong building by the round water basin appears
to have covered a spring, for there looks to be a spring at this point -
the water is at a higher level than that in the basin. It is however much
blocked now. So we rode home in 21/2 hours and got in about 6.15
pretty tired. There was a Kurdish revolt this morning. Hassan and the
other 3 struck for more wages - 15 ps for the other 3 - and Hassan like
a serpent persuaded the villages to strike for 15 ps. We were
however too many for them. Fattuh had already got me workmen from
other villages and promised me as many more as I wanted. We sent
the Kurds away, Hassan and Abdullah went but Weli and Reza
returned and the villagers came in at 10 ps! Water is the great
difficulty; the villagers grumble at our using so much, we have now
made an arrangement with the workmen from the other village by
which they are to fetch us some extra water from the spring when they
fetch theirs. The villagers will give neither water nor food. The
servant of the Americans complained he cd buy nothing to eat. Their
zaptieh has quartered himself on me. No letters today. Captain Wylie
cannot have understood[?] To bed at 9 very tired.