QUEER KURDISH CULT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19897, 17 September 1926, Page 11

QUEER KURDISH CULT.

WORSHIPPING “THE DEVIL.” STRANGE GOD OF THE EAST ENGLISH WOMAN’S ADVENTURE A strange eoct is described by Lady Dorothy Mills in an article published in the New York Herald-Tribune. She writes; In the course of my wandering round the Near an<J Middle East I came across what I think must bo the queerest religion in the world. It is that of the Yazidi, a tribe of Kurdish descent living on the northeastern border of Orak, at the foot of tno Kurdish Mountains, who literally worship the devil. Little if anything is actually known of their origin I had hoard queer talas of them down in the south in Syria and Transjordan, but everybody agreed that it would ba quite impossible to visit them. After prolonged study of my map, decided to make Alcpoo, in French Syria, my jumping-off place. It is about 420 miles from the Yezidi territory, and the country between is an illimitable stretch of .flat, stony, roadless desert, bisected only by the Euphrates River and a few low ranges of hills that I imagined might bo passable by car. After a long search I found an Arab chauffeur willing to take the job. The next day at dawn, in a car heaped up with food and water and petrol, we crept without any flourish of trumpets from Alsppo. At sunset on the second day we euocee?fully reached Deir Ez Zor, on the Euphrates, with no worse mishap than a few punctures. Once in a narrow defile in the hills we saw an ominous great rustcoloured streak of. dried blood, where the last hold-up by brigands had taken place a- few days previously, accompanied by the murder of two persons. I was glad to take shelter in the native inn, where my accommodation was a email, empty room. The floor was of dried bind, covered with sand. There was no bolt to the door, and only tho one window high up and narrow, that looked out into the courtyard. A NIGHT FULL OF DANGERS. I confess that I was—well, not nervous, but inclined to be wary. After all, I knew very little of ray Arab chauffeur and 1 was entirely alone Perhaps in ail its long

history Diet Ez Zor had seen less than half-a-dozen white women. So far as 1 knew there was no other westerner in the place that night besides myeelf. The door of the room allotted to me opened in ward. I took my baggage—it consisted of a couple of kit-bags—and propped it against the door—This dons I prepared my light supper. 1 listened awhile at the door to the "Hinting of tho camels, the whisperings and laughter of tho men. After a bit they quieted. I curled up on some carpets and went to sleep. .... .. i It was in tue middle of the night that I awakened sharply and sat up, all alert. Some noise had warned me. I heard It now a faint scuffling sound as of someone cHmbing up the outside of the room. My thoughts and my eyes flew to the window —I had forgotten It Softly 1 arose to my knees on the carnet-bed and drew out of Its holder my automatic pistol. Then I walted--there was nothing else to do. The light scuffling neared the window. I saw a head silhouetted against It. The head remained there motionless for a long minute or two, listening. A flicker of flame from one of the nres lighted it. The face peering in at me was that of a most evll-visaged Aram, a long knife between his teeth. I called out sharply. As I did so the Arab grunted and lunged forward, three-quarters way through the window. ' TWO WARNING BULLETS.

There was no time to lose. I sent one bullet between bis Blotching hands—another close to his head. I did not shoot then either to kill or to wound. Had I done either, his friends might have rushed my frail defences. But the two bullets were enough. With another grunt ho threw himself back and I heard him fall, cursing, at the door. The balance of that night I spent on the watch, although there was no further attempt, to intrude upon me. It was late on the evening of the fifth day when we reached Basheeka, the headquarters of the devil worshippers. For the last IS hours my sustenance had consisted of half a dozen acid drops. I was all in, with a touch of the sun, and the world was going round me In great whirling bands. I knew nothing of the Yezidi language, which is a Kurdish dialect, and left Jacoub to explain me away to the startled crowd—2oo at least, —who, carrying torches, collected at the sound of the car. Apparently the explanation was satisfactory, for with much gesticulation and frijndly smiles I was ushered through a courtyard Into a large empty stone room, where rugs were brought and heaped into piles for my bed. and bowls of sour milk and eggs were laid out for my supper. While I ate, the chief of Basheeka. hurriedly summoned, came in, and, squatting on the floor in of me. made me a long speech of welcome. “You arc tired.” he said at last, “ I will leave you to sleep. To-morrow we will talk, and I will tell and show you much.” THE SACRED BRASS PEACOCK.

It is mortal sin to mention the evil one’s name of any word that resembles it in sound, and one has to be very careful when talking with them. Until a few years ago (he penalty for anyono who transgressed this law was death. If it is necessary to refer to the evil one they do so under the name of Melek Taous, which means “ Emperor Peacock,” and their sacred emblem of him jealously guarded, is a brass peacock. On the outskirts of Basheeka stands the groat temple containing the hidden brass imago of the peacock, which I, an unbeliever. was forbidden to see. But the thought of that peacock haunted me day and night, and at last, I am ashamed to say, led be to betray the trust of my kind hosts. It was the time of the Yezidi Xcw Year, when Melek Taous Is taken from its hiding place and deposited on the altar. While the ceremony was at its height, aided by Jacoub, to whom nothing was sacred, I climbed the walls and, peeping anxiously through a narrow window, I got a glimpse of tlie scored emblem.

It was a roughly moulded figure of a bird, looking more like a duck than a peacock, and about a foot long. Realising how I was risking my life. I hastened away, and even now I devoutly hope that no Ye.sidi will ever come to hear of how I saw the imago of his evil god, for I would not trust his fanaticism at. 3000 miles distance.