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As we proceeded on our journey, one felt hourly more conscious of the barrier that has been so unwisely set up between the Allies and Angora. As railway and telegraphic communications had been cut off, news was not only delayed, but distorted beyond recognition. One only marvels that some grave disaster has not arisen from such confused reports, apparent contradictions, stern threats, and frequent misunderstandings. It would seem as if the Allied Commissioners had no desire to keep in touch with this “little Republic of the Mountains.”

In all my wanderings I have never experienced such an overpowering sense of isolation. For me there have been no “personal” communications from Europe since October. That “English letters are not accepted in Anatolia,” that all my friends’ news will be returned to them marked “Service suspended” or “cannot be reached,” may explain the facts but does not make them easier to bear. When homeless dogs howl and whine outside my bedroom window, superstitions will intrude—dread of disaster to distant friends.