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T. E. Lawrence to his family
Kafr Ammar
Thursday, Jan.18th 1912
Prof. Petrie has
now come - and in his camp everyone writes pencilly - this explains
that. I got two letters from you, with Mr. ffoulkes' one. My letters
to you have obviously gone wrong: though 20 days seems unduly so: of
course the quickness of the P. Said post, and the slowness of Beyrout
throws things out. You only talk of Bab though. I hope my week later one
will get in: - from Aleppo. In any case if you do any wiring, let it be
to British Consul - Beyrout or Aleppo - Jebail has no telegraph now, and
as a matter of fact they did not know there where I was, for my Aleppo
letter to them miscarried. The things for Mrs. Rieder and Miss Holmes I
sent to their agent in Beyrout to be forwarded. This was not done till
Jan. 2:- I was 30 days without letter from you-. My shortage of money
arose from the second journey to Biredjik which became necessary as
explained in letters: I bought nothing for self - only for Mr. Hogarth.
I hope he will like his seals. The news about Sigurd is splendid.
You didn't say how you liked it: put in either morning room or my house
if it's Will's now, and let Arnie read it. Tell him it's the best poem
I know. Am sorry to hear of illness: hope all clear now.
Mr. ffoulkes'
book might be sent - book post - to British Consul Aleppo. Its quite
small and will go for 2½d. Book-post is gloriously cheap. Sigurd I must
leave till I return I suppose. I wrote about slides from Beyrout: if not
gone by now send British Consul Aleppo. In case Beyrout letter fails know
that I got two there You - Father - Will - Arnie. I don't like Egypt or
the Egyptians - after Carchemish and the Carchemisians:- and I don't like
Mrs. Petrie. He is interesting - but so intensely self-centred and
self-standing. Argument etc. is ludicrous between them, for either's
opinion is rooted against all winds that blow. I like him exceedingly,
but rather as one thinks of a cathedral or something immovable but by
earthquake. He is a quite inspired archaeologist - and I am picking up
hints of sorts all day long. Very little of his methods applies to Syria
as yet. The styles of digging are so utterly dissimilar and the things
dug and the earth you dig them in. This here is ghastly work - too easy,
too monotonous, and mostly body-snatching - not one tenth the joy of
ruin exploration. I'll not become a digger in Egypt at this rate. I
hope to send you some prehistoric pottery - hand polished with a surface
like silk and a lovely blush of red in parts - by one Wainwright to
Oxford. He is one of Mr. Petrie's permanent assistants, and
interesting, though in a simple sort of way. His voice cracks also but
he is not self-complete. He is coming to Oxford in April for work and I'll
ask him to bring them up: not at all a formidable person: you may even
like him.
They call me here es Shami - the Syrian - and cannot go about
to understand me. I am digging on the Laxdale and Burnt Nial, Orderic
vitalis, Canterbury tales, Daudet, and Richard Yea and Nay: - a very
tolerable selection of the light sort: we start at 7 and stop at 5
and do some night-work, mostly development - the weather is warm and
sunny without a drop of rain and nearly windless - which is as well with
all the Shara unbroken lying W. of us.
Salaams to all the world.
N
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