Sun March 19 [19 March 1911] Breadfasted at 6.30 and off about 7.30.
My mare had not come up so Mr L. [Lorimer] and I walked down into
the bazaars and met her. He rode with me till 9. We went out by the N
gate and crossed the new dyke Nazim was making with forced labour
- perfectly useless and even harmful says Sir W [William Willcocks].
Caught up the baggage about 8.15. So we parted with much gratitude
on my side. Absolutely barren landscape flat mud; now dry, but a
good deal of water over the road in places. High winds and dust.
Remember the look of Baghdad as one comes away with the mound
of the old walls and Sheikh 'Umar's pointed spire. The zaptiehs all
much distressed at Nazim's fall. Fattuh says he never saw such rows
in his life. Most people are sorry that Nazim has gone; all except the
rich and owners of property which he did not respect. The soldiers
says that the road in his time had become absolutely peaceful and
fear that troubles will begin again now. I changed zaptiehs at every
nuktah. In the afternoon I had one who said that it was chithb to say
they were better off than under the Istibdad though they got 8 mej a
month regularly paid as against 41/4. They might not now take tips or
bribes and they cd not live. He said too that all the soldiers in
Baghdad were now Jews. "You do not like the Jews?" said I. "They
are infidels" he said. "They do not eat our food. El Nasara zain, they
eat with us." We got to Khan i Bir at 11.45 and took on 2 fresh
zaptiehs. At Khan Beni Said [Bani Sa'd] (1.45, all these are caravan
times) I stopped and had tea and cake and took on 2 zaptiehs who
had come in from Ba'kuba [Ba'qubah] with a prisoner. All the
zaptiehs there regretted Nazim. We then passed 2 tiny guard houses
at regular intervals between Beni Said and Ba'kuba. 2 soldiers in
each to guard the road. One had died here of cold in the snow.
Crosed the Nahrwan just before we got to the Diala [Diyala (Sirwan)]
which is a big stream but the water is now low. Camped near the khan
on this side at 6. There is a nuktah here. Bar at about 10 was 29.95.
Fearful wind.