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

DURING 19 CENTURY: ASSYRIA AND BABYLONIA 345
plundered by a ghazu> " stole away in the night," and
"pressed through to Hilla in hot haste." To prevent an
attack planned by the enemy upon his camp for the night
preceding the final departure of the expedition, Peters " resorted
once more to stratagem, and gave a second exhibition
of fireworks," which again had the desired effect. The Sa'id
then hoped to intercept him as he left the territory of the
'Afej, and try to extort blackmail. But the American
slipped out of their hands before they realized that
he had
gone. As soon as all the workmen from Jumjuma had been
sent in detachments through the marshes and everything
was packed upon the last boats, including the Turkish commissioner
and the zabtiye, Peters and Noorian, accompanied
by some trusted Arab laborers and a personal servant, turned
to the village of Hajji Tarfa to examine the more prominent
mounds in the south. With a door-socket of Gimil-
Sin of Ur (about 2550 b. c.) picked up at Muqayyar, and
with another of the same monarch and a whole box of fine
tablets, through a fortunate accident discovered at Jokha after
a little scratching of the surface, thev returned to the north
bv way of Samawa, Nejef, and Kerbela, reaching Baghdad
on the 7th of June, 1890. About a week later Peters
was on his way to the Mediterranean coast, returning to
America in November, while Haynes and Noorian left the
country
separately by different routes and at different times
in the course of the same year.
'Third Campaign, 1893-1S96.
In view of the large number
of inscribed objects unearthed by him, Peters felt greatly
encouraged as to future explorations at Nuffar, and looked
upon his method of excavating in a somewhat different light
from that in which it has been viewed by others. He was so
much pleased with the tangible results which he had to show
that before leaving the ruins he wrote to the committee
urging early resumption of the work under Haynes alone
according to the principles laid down by him. As the two