swords were only for prodding, but they used to use them on horseback and would hit whatever they struck at. They used to wear white capes so as to blend in with the snow-covered ground and not be detected by the enemy. They would throw the horse's reins over one arm, or attach them to the horse's neck and leave the animal completely free, then galloping at speed, would fire their rifles uninterruptedly. They were extremely accurate shots. While the commanders addressed the volunteers in order to encourage them to fight, in their excitement, the volunteers could not remain in their places squatting on the ground; as soon as the order to move was given: "Tention! Tention!", they would spring up, and flying onto their horses, would gallop off against the enemy. [^263]

[^263]:Ibid., 158-9.

Bediuzzaman's actions were cited in both Ottoman records and foreign records. One of the latter, quoted by Necmeddin Şahiner, is the French, Documents Sur Les Atrocités Arméno-Russes, a copy of which is in Istanbul Municipal Library. The following is a translation of just one page:

Yusuf and Abdurrahman, sons of Mehmed, said the following under oath:

Our family comes from Nurs, Vavink, And, and Mezraa-i And, the summer pastures of the district of İsparit in the sub-province of Hizan. After the sub-province of Çatak had been occupied by the Russians, the Armenians of the neighbouring villages of Livar, Yukarı Kutis, Aşagı Kutis, Çaçuan, Sikuar, and Yukarı Adr came to the village of Yukari Kutis under the leadership of Lato, also known as Mihran, and Kazar Dilo, both of whom had infiltrated into Anatolia from Russia. They presented three written proposals to the notables there. Among the notables was Molla Said, who is well-known under the name of Bediuzzaman. Was he taken prisoner, or was he killed? I do not know. These were the proposals:

1. Surrender.

2. Evacuate the district.

3. Fight.

Nine hours after the enemy arrived, a force of six hundred attacked the village, The enemy soldiers were wearing uniforms and caps. We could not discover whether or not there were Russians soldiers among them. The number of those who looked destitute in the enemy army was extremely high. These could have been Russians or Armenians come from Russia.

The enemy took all the people of our village to Mezraa-i And. Abdurrahman, the son of Hurşid Bey, one of the notables, was also present together with his son and wife, The following day, thirty-three men and boys, and around eighty women, young women, and girls were moved to Müküs in