Explorations in Bible lands during the 19th century - H. V. Hilprecht

DURING 19 CENTURY: ASSYRIA AND BABYLONIA 317
the consequences of the severe laws of Arab blood revenge
by paying an adequate indemnity to the family of the fallen
man. But our offer was proudly rejected by the hostile tribe,
and an old Sa'id workman, employed as a go-between, returned
with torn garments and other evidences of a beating.
The American party was equally prompt in refusing to give
up the " murderer." The days and nights which followed
Mukota, Berdi, and other 'Afej
were full of exciting scenes.
shaikhs, who professed to come to our assistance, had occupied
the spurs around us.
six
Thirty irregular soldiers, with
hundred rounds of cartridges, were sent from Diwaniye
and Hilla, and others were expected to arrive in the near
future. There were constant alarms of an attack by the
Sa'id. The 'Afej, not concealing their displeasure at seeing
so large a number of zabtiye in their territory, were evidently
at heart in sympathy with the enemy.
Besieged as we practically
were, we were finally forced to withdraw our laborers
from the trenches and make arrangements for quitting Nuffar
altogether. On Thursday, April 18, long before the sun
rose, the whole expedition was in readiness to vacate the
mounds and to force their way to Hilla, when upon the treacherous
order of Mukota, an Arab secretly set fire to our huts
of reeds and mats and laid the whole camp in ashes in the short
space of five minutes. For a while the utmost confusion
prevailed, the xabtiye got demoralized, and occupied a neighboring
hill ; and while we were trying to save our effects,
many of the Arabs commenced plundering. Half the horses
perished in the flames, firearms and saddle-bags and $1000
in gold fell into the hands of the marauders, but all the antiquities
were saved.
Under the war-dance and yells of the
frantic Arabs the expedition finally withdrew in two divisions,
one on horseback, past Suq el-' Afej and Diwaniye, the
other on two boats across the swamps to Daghara, and back
to Hilla, where soon afterwards the governor-general of the
province arrived, anxious about our welfare and determined,
if necessary, to come to our rescue with a military force.