Sun. June 13. [13 June 1909] Left Kotü Kala at 6.15 - coldish. Rode along the valley, very beautiful. At 7.5 passed Ispektin on the other side. A little further up a valley opens to the L and on the R. bank of the Tochma Su [Tohma] there is a widish plain at the end of which is Mügde buried in gardens and cultivation. Some charming Turks showed us our road for a little way and asked who we were. F. [Fattuh] replied that he was an Albanian from Tokat and on being asked why he talked Arabic said he had travelled much. We left the river, having crossed it, rode over some barren high ground and so down into the valley at Derende [Darende]. The town is immensely long and narrow - it took us 3/4 of an hour fast going to ride up it. Got to the gorge near which stands the castle at 10.55 and I went up to the castle. But very little remains of it. The river here flows through a very narrow rocky gorge. The most remarkable thing in the castle is a staircase cut in the rock leading down to the water. Lunched under the gateway and saw the baggage start. Then came down and found the Commissaire waiting to see me. He had had a telegram from Sivas [(Sebastea)] asking where I was. It seems the hills through which I passed are reputed dangerous and full of robbers. Left the river again (we carried back to the R bank at the gorge) and went up onto barren hills. They have partially constructed a carriage road but we did not go round by it. We left Derende at 12 and got down to Yazi K. on the L. bank of the river at 3. We camped on the R. bank under willows by the water. There is reported to be a church completely ruined in the hills to the N 2 hours away. Heaps of cut stones they say. Kites but not many.