It was
impossible to bury all the dead, and the bodies were left to
decompose where they died. After the plague had ceased, the Arabs
of the desert made their appearance for the purpose of robbing and
plundering. They found an easy spoil, for they penetrated without
resistance into the empty houses, or without difficulty overpowered
the few enfeebled people who remained. Herr Swoboda, among the
rest, was obliged to make an agreement with the Arabs, and pay
tribute.
I was glad to leave this melancholy place, and directed my steps
towards some of the pleasant gardens, of which there are great
numbers in and round Baghdad. None of these gardens, however, are
artificial; they consist simply of a thick wood of fruit-trees, of
all species (dates, apple, apricot, peach, fig, mulberry, and other
trees), surrounded by a brick wall. There is, unfortunately,
neither order nor cleanliness observed, and there are neither grass
plots nor beds of flowers, and not a single good path; but there is
a considerable number of canals, as it is necessary to substitute
artificial watering for rain and dew.
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