A new face appeared at the hole. Not that we could see the face.
We could only see the form of a man who shook the bloody stump of
a forearm at us, and shrieked unintelligible things. After thirty
seconds even the men in the far corner were aware of him, and then
there was stony silence while he had his say. He repeated his message
a dozen times, as if he had it by heart exactly, spitting foam out
of his mouth and never ceasing to shake the butchered stump of an
arm. At about the dozenth time he fainted and fell headlong down
the ladder bringing up on the shoulders of the men below.

"What does he say?" I bellowed in Fred's car. But Fred was forcing
his way closer to Gloria, to tell her.

"He says the Kurds are coming! He says two regiments of Kurdish
cavalry have been turned loose by the Turks with orders to 'rescue'
Armenians. They are on their way, riding by night for a wonder.
They cut both his hands off, but he got away by shamming dead.

He says they are cutting off the feet of people and bidding them
walk to Tarsus. They are taking the women and girls for sale. Old
women and very little children they are making what they call sport
with. Have you heard of Kurds? Their ideas of sport are worse than
the Red-man's ever were."

Every tongue in the room broke loose. In another second every man
was still. They looked toward Ephraim. He who could order a hanging
so glibly should shoulder the new responsibility.

But Ephraim was not ready with a plan, and could not speak English.