Thurs. May 27. [27 May 1909] But nothing arrived. The Chelabi went
off to Zakhuran with the Zaptiehs after taking an affectionate farewell of
me. I rode out that way to see a ruined church but found nothing
interesting. While I was away 50 infantry with 3 officers arrived. They
were Mulazim Muhammad Agha, Zaptieh Ibrahim Chowwish (who
spoke a little French) and Askari Mulazim Suleiman Effendi, the old
man who came to see me while I was at Midyat. The priest tells me
that the exedras in the courts of the monasteries are where the bp
said the week day prayers, the church being used only on Sunday.
The inscrips in the exedra here (there are a good many) are all
tombstones of monks, without dates, he says. They were simply
written on the interior of the exedra at any time. I then went to the Adra
and \n\nre-measured it, the officers taking a friendly interest. They
were most kind. After lunch came a message from the Chelabi that
man woman and child had fled from Zakhuran, taking the flocks with
them. The soldiers therefore prepared to depart - they were sitting in
a temporary shelter on the monastery roof. The Mulazim gave each
man a very coarse loaf, they formed up, blew their trumpet and
marched away, taking with them the 5 prisoners and the Mukhtar of
Khakh, Melkeh. I felt dreadfully concerned at all this. Everyone now is
under suspicion including the Chelabi, and a whole village has been
driven into the hills. I remeasured the ruined church. We decided in
the evening that I shd go with the caravan to Diarbekr [Diyarbakir
(Amida)] and leave Fattuh with the Chelabi.