A Falcon Flies by James Boschert

Author:James Boschert [Boschert, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penmore Press
Published: 2014-06-16T18:30:00+00:00

O Queen of Beauty, who hast conquered kings,

O woman wonderful, in pity be

Most merciful to one who softly sings

Thy matchless glory; yea, to one who brings

His broken songs, sung but in praise of thee.

—Charles H. Towne

Chapter 18

Baghdad

The first thing that struck Talon as they gazed at the distant city of Baghdad was the height and symmetry of its round walls. The river Tigris made a huge bend at this point in its travels across the green verdant plains, and in that bend, protected on almost three sides, was the ‘Round City’ as it was known far and wide. The side facing the west, where the waters of the river did not flow, was probably the most imposing, as the walls for some reason had the appearance of being taller.

As they approached the great walls of this fabled city, Talon was reminded of the time long ago when he had ridden up to the walls of another city, Isfahan. Despite his need to move on he was tired and wanted to pause in his journey and explore the wonders of the center of the Islamic universe. There were comparisons to be made with the great city of Constantinople.

Unlike the white stone of Constantinople, the walls of Bagdad were made of sunbaked mud brick and therefore bore a reddish hue. They were tall and imposing to the newly arrived traveler as he approached.

But there was much else he saw that disturbed him. As they rode with the caravan towards the city through the countryside, he noticed much that had changed. When he had come though six years ago, the outlying farms and estates had been on good condition, and although dusty, as it had been a hot summer, there had been much green, and the canals had been in good repair. The fields had been well tended and the variety of crops had been wide.

Now, although it was very green and the palms looked tall and healthy and the fields seemed to be well watered, it was almost as though there was too much water. It lay in large pools in muddy fields where the crops were sticking out of the mud, looking sickly. Dyke walls were crumbling and the walls that surrounded estates, indeed many houses themselves, were badly damaged and had a look of neglect about them.

On being questioned the others of the caravan told Talon and his companions that the floods this year had been the worst anyone could remember. If they thought the countryside looked bad, they should see the city. It had been a disaster!

As they passed alongside the many canals that made up a complex network of waterways, Talon noted that the banks, once well repaired, were crumbling and in some places broken so that this or that field was completely under water. The whine of mosquitoes reminded him that this meant more of these stinging creatures and the increased risk of the shaking sickness.

The caravan they had accompanied, which was carrying dates and some cotton

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