The Henson Journals

[236]

Monday, April 12th, 1926.

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George Nimmins sent me a long type–written list of names, all links in a "chain" of luck, on which he had the impudence to inscribe my name, & to send the precious document with solemn admonition that I should in turn extend the absurdity in like manner. And all under the most terrible warning that ill–luck would follow any breaking of the "chain" by my negligence! – Well, well! and I thought him an unusually level–headed young Englishman! I cast the foolish paper into the w.p.b., and sent him a few lines of censure.

After visiting the dentist, and making my final arrangements for departure, I left the Castle about 11.30 a.m., and motored to Darganch in Bishopton, Renfrewshire, a distance of about 200 miles. We travelled by way of Barnard Castle, Appleby, Penrith, Carlisle, Dumfries, Kilmarnock, and Paisley. The weather was magnificent, sunny and nearly windless: the roads were almost empty: and the country was in the fresh loveliness of early spring. We lunched very comfortably in Appleby.

[237] [symbol]

A nephew of mine hostess, Dan Maxwell, a young soldier from Iraq became very communicative in the smoking room after dinner, and I encouraged him to talk as, on the principle that ex ore infantum there is truth, I hoped to learn something about that most mysterious country. He has been commanding Assyrian levies, to whose military capacity he bore a stronger testimony than I had expected. His disgust at the Turkish oppression of the Christians was all that could be desired, but his dislike of the Armenians was quite up to the normal standard. The prevalence of paederasty among the Eastern peoples, Christian as well as Moslem [sic], seems to have made a great impression on him. Boys are even more eagerly sought after than girls in the Turkish raids on Christians, & for the same reason. In the Salonika campaign a large proportion of the Levantine mule–drivers &c were diseased a ^[word unknown]^. Russians, for whom he had a hearty contempt, were addicted to this odious vice: but, of course, the Turks had a primacy in this, as in other iniquities. Their only redeeming trait was military courage, & for this he had something like enthusiasm.

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