THE STORY TELLER OF THE DESERT
“BACKSHEESH!”

The following pages are the result of a peaceful crusade to the East, undertaken for purposes of pleasure and profit. The author has endeavored to combine the humorous features of the journey with the store of useful knowledge that should be the result of a tour through the Orient. He trusts that he has so combined them that both will be satisfactory, and that the reader will be amused while seeking instruction and instructed while seeking amusement.

There is a story of an honest old Quaker resident of Philadelphia, who sent his son to make the tour of Europe. The young man determined to see all that could be seen, and gave his whole mind to the search for enjoyment. When he returned from his travels his father said:

“John, thou hast been absent a twelvemonth and past, and thou hast drawn on me for eighteen thousand dollars. John, that is a great deal of money for thee to spend in one year.”

“I know it, father,” was the young man’s response, “but I have had lots of fun for that money.”

In return for the labor and fatigue incident to Oriental travel, the author believes that he found an ample reward in the entertainment and information which the journey afforded.

The author is glad to avail himself of this opportunity to express the gratification he feels at seeing his book so profusely and artistically illustrated. In this department of the work the publishers have displayed their enterprise and liberality in such a creditable manner, as to justly entitle them, not only to the author’s grateful acknowledgments, but to the hearty thanks of all who may read his book.

He would also return his thanks to the artists and engravers, who have so skilfully designed and executed the illustrations, many of which were drawn and engraved in London and Paris, expressly for this volume.

Finally he would thank most cordially the many gentlemen in the various countries he visited who gave him the benefit of their personal experience and observation. Their names are too numerous to be included in this preface, and their nationalities comprise nearly all the civilized countries of the globe. T. W. K.

Principally designed, or reproduced from photographs, by Karl Giradet, Faguet, Frank Beard, James C. Beard, Arthur Lumley, L. Hopkins, and eminent artists, and mostly engraved by Messrs. Holier, Pannemaker, Laptante, Gusmand, Gauchard, and other noted engravers of Paris; by W. J. Palmer, and the London Illustration Company, of London; and by Charles Speigle, of New York.

ILLUSTRATIONS

Page
6. Head Piece............................................[...033]
7. Steamer Day...........................................[...034]
8. The Judge’s First Day at Sea..........................[...035]
9. The Judge’s Second Day at Sea.........................[...036]
10. The Race.............................................[...039]
11. The Judge............................................[...040]
12. A Practical Joke.....................................[...044]
13. Head Piece...........................................[...048]
14. Fraternizing.........................................[...050]
15. Eternal Friendship...................................[...051]
16. Proof of the Affray..................................[...052]
17. Avenging an Insult...................................[...054]
18. “I must have a Duel”.................................[...055]
19. An Imperial Wine Cellar..............................[...060]
20. Head Piece...........................................[...063]
21. “Salt by Yer”........................................[...068]
22. The Snoring Match....................................[...069]
23. The Doubter..........................................[...071]
24. A Turkish “Hamal”....................................[...073]
25. Tail Piece...........................................[...077]
26. Head Piece...........................................[...078]
27. Among the Fleas......................................[...079]
28. A Toilet in Public...................................[...082]
29. “Natives of the Country”.............................[...085]
30. Precautionary Measures...............................[...086]
31. “She is a Jewess”....................................[...089]
32. The Palace Tshiragan.................................[...091]
33. Head Piece...........................................[...093]
34. Shirking the Cemetery................................[...097]
35. “Fresh Paint”........................................[...100]
36. Driving a Bargain....................................[...104]
37. A Night at Baidar....................................[...106]
38. Caught in the Act....................................[...108]
39. Tail Piece...........................................[...109]
40. Head Piece...........................................[...110]
41. Putting in his “Best Licks”..........................[...112]
42. “Backsheesh”.........................................[...113]
43. An Impressive Scene..................................[...116]
44. Constantinople from the Tower of Golata—Full.......[...116]
45. Head Piece...........................................[...123]
46. A Street in Constantinople...........................[...124]
47. Strategy.............................................[...126]
48. The Reconnoitre......................................[...129]
49. The Retreat..........................................[...130]
50. A Damas-cussed Dog...................................[...131]
51. Stowing the Sandwiches...............................[...132]
52. Admiring the Mosque..................................[...132]
53. A Sudden Attack......................................[...132]
54. The Pursuit..........................................[...133]
55. A Hopeless Chase.....................................[...133]
56. “Retrospection”......................................[...134]
57. Tail Piece...........................................[...135]
58. Headpiece............................................[...135]
59. A Sedan Chair........................................[...136]
60. A Turkish Beauty.....................................[...137]
61. An Importunate Moslem................................[...143]
62. Extorting “Backsheesh”...............................[...144]
63. Head Piece...........................................[...145]
64. End of the Fast and Beginning of the Feast..........[...146]
65. “Good-Bye, my Friend, Good-Bye”......................[...148]
66. A Turkish “Cavass”...................................[...149]
67. Head Piece...........................................[...153]
68. Moslems at Prayer....................................[...154]
69. “Bismillah”.........................................[...155]
70. The “Duplicate”......................................[...157]
71. Muezzin announcing the Hour of Prayer................[...158]
72. An Oriental Boot Jack................................[...160]
73. Fartha, or Opening Chapter of the Koran..............[...163]
74. Tail Piece...........................................[...165]
75. Head Piece...........................................[...166]
76. A Whirling Dervish...................................[...170]
77. Effect of too much Whirling..........................[...171]
78. Howling as a Profession..............................[...173]
79. Homopathic Treatment.................................[...175]
80. Head Piece...........................................[...177]
81. Some of the Brothers of Far-Away Moses...............[...178]
82. Interviewing a Purser................................[...184]
83. Head Piece...........................................[...187]
84. Head Piece...........................................[...197]
85. View of Athens and the Acropolis.....................[...199]
86. The Decline of Greece................................[...201]
87. Greek Priest of Modern Times.........................[...204]
88. “Doing” the Ruins....................................[...206]
89. Tail Piece..........................................[...212]
90. Head Piece...........................................[...213]
91. Sending Up the Ear of a Victim.......................[...217]
92. Head Piece..........................................[...225]
93. Pickling the “Doubter”...............................[...229]
94. “Backsheesh!” “Backsheesh!”..........................[...231]
95. Head Piece...........................................[...236]
96. Inspecting the Crew..................................[...241]
97. Bad “Backsheesh.”—“It was Counterfeit”..............[...243]
98. St. Jean D’Acre—Full Paye...........................[...249]
99. A Tricky Beast.......................................[...254]
100. Beyrout and the Mountains of Lebanon—Full Page.....[...257]
101. “Mou Dieu! Is this the Party for Damascus?”.........[...262]
102. Head Piece..........................................[...264]
103. The Cedars of Lebanon—Full Page....................[...265]
104. Cedar of Lebanon....................................[...270]
105. Great Stone at Baalbek..............................[...272]
106. Portal of the Temple of the Sun at Baalbek..........[...275]
107. Court of a House in Damascus........................[...279]
108. Moslem Women Weeping at a Tomb......................[...282]
109. Syrian Jew with Phylactery..........................[...285]
110. A Money Changer in the Bazaar.......................[...288]
111. Flat Roofed Houses—Damascus........................[...291]
112. Abd-el-Kader........................................[...293]
113. We “Strip to ze buff”...............................[...296]
114. “You will have all ze luxuries”.....................[...296]
115. We Enter “Ze Bain Beautiful”........................[...297]
116. One of the Luxuries.................................[...297]
117. Softening the Asperities............................[...298]
118. A Not One...........................................[...298]
119. “What is Curlew?”...................................[...305]
120. A Bedouin Encampment................................[...308]
121. A Bedouin of the Desert.............................[...309]
122. The Terror of the Desert on his Arabian Charger.....[...311]
123. Enins of Palmyra—Full Page.........................[...315]
124. Hebron—Full Page...................................[...319]
125. Mount Carmel—Full Page.............................[...323]
126. An Inhabited Boot,..................................[...325]
127. Ploughing in Syria,.................................[...332]
128. All that remains of Capernaum,......................[...334]
129. “Backsheesh! O Howadji!”............................[...335]
130. The Sea of Tibenas—Full Page.......................[...337]
131. Magdala,............................................[...339]
132. Unhorsing the “Doubter,”............................[...342]
133. Nazareth—Full Page.................................[...345]
134. Jeivs of Nazareth—Full Page........................[...349]
135. A Syrian Water Bearer,..............................[...353]
136. Jerusalem and Surrounding Country—Full Page........[...359]
137. Sidon—Full Page....................................[...365]
138. Tyre,...............................................[...368]
139. Tail Piece,.........................................[...369]
140. Jaffa—Full Page....................................[...371]
141. Our Dragoman, Ali Soloman,.........................[...374]
141. “Backsheesh,”.......................................[...376]
143. Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives—Full Page.......[...377]
144. Ancient Arch; Portion of the Haram Wall,............[...380]
145. A Street in Jerusalem,.............................[...381]
146. Arched Street and Fountain, Jerusalem,..............[...382]
147. Jdrindpal Street of Jerusalem—Full Page............[...383]
148. The Golden Gate, Jerusalem,........................[...386]
149. Interior of the Golden Gate,........................[...387]
150. Site of the Temple, Jerusalem,......................[...388]
151. Ancient Signet Ring,................................[...389]
152. Ancient Signet Ring,................................[...389]
153. Exploring the Substructions,........................[...390]
154. Underground—Beneath the City of Jerusalem..........[...391]
155. The Valley of Jehoshapliat,.........................[...393]
156. Wailing Place of the Jews, Jerusalem,...............[...394]
157. Walls of the Church of the Presentation—Full Page..[...395]
158. Bethlehem—Full Page...............................[...399]
159. Chinch of the Nativity, Bethlehem—Full Page........[...405]
160. Monastery of Mar Saba—Full Page....................[...409]
161. A Formidable Escort,................................[...414]
162. Bathing Place of the Pilgrims on the Jordan.........[...417]
163. The “Doubter’s” Mishap,.............................[...420]
164. The Mount of Olives—Full Page......................[...423]
165. Pool of Hezekiah,...................................[...426]
166. West Door, Church of the Holy Sepulchre.............[...427]
167. Church of the Holy Sepulchre—Full Page.............[...429]
168. The Fountain of the Virgin,.........................[...433]
169. Doubter’—Sixpence,”................................[...436]
170. Jaffa Orange Seller,................................[...438]
171. Tail Piece,.........................................[...439]
172. Water Bearers at the Railway Station, Cairo,........[...447]
173. Praying in the Streets of Cairo,....................[...448]
174. Cairo—Full Page....................................[...449]
175. Massacre of the Mamalukes—Full Page................[...455]
176. Ismail Pasha, Khedive of Egypt,.....................[...458]
177. A Tough One,........................................[...459]
178. Head Piece..........................................[...468]
179. Tombs of the Sultans—Cairo—Full Page...............[...469]
180. “O Ye Thirsty,”.....................................[...472]
181. Children Bread Sellers in the Streets of Cairo,....[...473]
182. Mosque of the Sultan Hassan, at Cairo—Full Page....[...475]
183. Young Street Arabs of Cairo,........................[...477]
184. Shoe Peddler in the Bazaar,.........................[...479]
185. Latticed Windows—Cairo,............................[...480]
186. An Auctioneer in the Bazaars,.......................[...485]
187. A Syce,............................................[...489]
188. Donkey Drivers of Cairo—Full Page..................[...491]
189. Not up to the Dodge,................................[...494]
190. An Egyptian Eunuch,.................................[...496]
191. An Arab School—Full Page...........................[...503]
192. Ceremony of the Doseh,..............................[...510]
193. A Shadoof for Drawing Water from the Nile..........[...515]
194. Climbing the Pyramid,...............................[...518]
195. The Ascent of the Judge,............................[...520]
196. An Arab Feat,......................................[...522]
197. The Sphinx and the Great Pyramid of Gizeh...........[...523]
198. A Nile Boat.........................................[...530]
199. The Serapeum—Memphis—Full Page.............[...........537]
200. Landing Place at Beni-Soef—Full Page..............[...545]
201. Sugar Cane Seller at Minieh,.......................[...549]
202. An Inconvenient Position,...........................[...552]
203. Siout—Upper Egypt—Full Page.......................[...555]
204. “Nargeeleh,”........................................[...557]
205. Siout Egg Merchant,.................................[...558]
206. Egyptian Gamblers,..................................[...559]
207. “Aoz, Eh?”..........................................[...663]
208. “Dusting” for “Backsheesh,”.........................[...566]
209. An Egyptian Ghawazee,...............................[...569]
210. Ghawazee and Musicians,.............................[...570]
211. An Egyptian Musician,...............................[...574]
212. Egyptian Water Carriers Filling their Jars..........[...575]
213. Ruins of the Temple of Denderah, Upper Egypt........[...579]
214. Entrance to the Temple of Luxor.....................[...587]
215. The Memnonlum and the Ruined Statue.................[...593]
216. Sitting Colossi,....................................[...595]
217. A Fresh One.........................................[...599]
218. Interior of a Harem.................................[...601]
219. A Murderous Assault,................................[...607]
220. A Nubian Belle,.....................................[...609]
221. A Nubian Lady.......................................[...610]
222. An Egyptian Sakfdeh, Drawing Water from the Nile....[...611]
213. All Affectionate Beast..............................[...613]
214. Luxuries of Camel Riding............................[...615]
225. Egyptian God Osiris.................................[...617]
226. Egyptian Goddess Isis...............................[...618]
227. Island of Phike, or Sacred Island—Full Page........[...619]
218. Sacred Lotus of the Egyptians—Full Page............[...627]
219. Modern Egyptian Gristmill...........................[...630]
230. A Nubian Warrior....................................[...632]
231. Papyrus of the Egyptians—Full Page.................[...633]
231. Biting the Dust.....................................[...641]
233. Women of Cairo—Full Page...........................[...655]
234. Bread Seller in the Streets of Cairo................[...659]
235. A Lady of the Harem.................................[...662]
236. An Egyptian Barber..................................[...665]
237. Alexandria—Full Page...............................[...671]
238. Court of a House in Egypt,..........................[...673]
239. A Bedouin Encampment near Cairo,....................[...675]
240. The Madonna Tree,...................................[...676]
241. Boot Blacks of Cairo,...............................[...679]
242. Mosque of Sultan Berkook, and Fountain of Ismail....[...682]
243. Modern Egyptian Oven,...............................[...683]
244. Palace of the Viceroy, near Alexandria—Full Page...[...689]

CHAP I—STEAMER LIFE ON THE ATLANTIC.

Leaving Home—Our Pilgrimage Begun—Sights and Scenes on Deck—“Life on the Ocean Wave”—Out at Sea—The Traveller’s Little World—Feeling Queer Inside!—Delights of Sea-Sickness—Reminiscences of a Jolly Old Boy—What Became of the Judge—Bringing up his Liver!—Too Big for his Berth—Sleeping in a Second-Hand Coffin—A Race with a Lemon—The Leg of Mutton Dance—Eccentric Conduct of a Boiled Turkey—Too Much Sauce!—“Dressing” the Judge’s Trowsers—Alone at Sea—A Funny Conspiracy—Fate of a Timid Man—Confidence Betrayed—The Young Man from the Country—His Wisdom and his Woes—Drinking Petroleum—The Judge Turns Joker—Who Owns the Ocean Steamers.......[...033]

CHAP II—SCENES IN VIENNA.—DOWN THE DANUBE.

On English Ground—The Road to the East—Life in the Austrian Capital—Fun and Festivity—Visit to the Big Beer-Garden—Effects of Champagne—Animated Conversation—How Twenty Thousand Dollars were Spent—The Man with the Torn Vest—Headaches at a Discount—Yankees in a Row—A Pugnacious Russian—“Quits,” but not Satisfied—Challenging an American—The Fashionable World—Down the Danube—Scenes on the River—I low Austrian Cigars are Made—An Imperial Tobacco Dealer—The Rattle of Wagram—Castle of l’resburg—We Enter Hungary—An Evening in a Wine Cellar—Want of a Little Soap—Night Scene on the Danube,........[...048]

CHAP III—LIFE AMONG THE MAGYARS.

A City of Renown—Overwhelmed by the Moods—Lying in Clover—What I Saw in the Hungarian Capital—“The Poor Folks’ Bath”—Rather Warm Quarters—Life Among the Magyars—The “Miffs” of an Imperial Couple—Her Majesty’s Choice—A Model Captain—Charles Matthews and the Row-cry Roy—Facts and Fancies of a Snoring Match—The “Judge” and the “Doubter”—The Man who Wouldn’t Relieve—Who were the “Hamals,” and What They Did—People in Strange Garments—Raggy Breeches versus glop—The Fortress of Belgrade—Servin, and What I Saw of Its People— The Assassination of Prince Milochi—Rather Bad for Poetry,........[...063]

CHAP IV—NEARING THE ORIENT.—“BACKSHEESH!”

Among the Fleas—The Mystery of the Redclothes—A Cool Explanation— Under the Spray—What Became of the Dragon—A Queer Story about Flics—What Is an “Araba?”—Conversation without Words—Changing Shirts in Public—The Iron Gate—Scene at the Custom-House—Official Obstinacy—The “Sick Man”—Scenes in the Orient—The Mysteries of the Quarantine—How we Dodged the Turks—The Turk and his Rosary—Pity the Poor Israelite!—Why an Unlucky Jewess was Whipped—The Secret of the Turkish Loan—How the Money is Spent—Ten Million Dollars Gone!—What is “Backsheesh?”........[...078]

CHAP V—THROUGH THE CRIMEA.—IN AND AROUND SEVASTOPOL.

A Visit to the Crimea—The Porter with the Big Books—The Danger of Siberia—Our Entry into Sevastopol—Terrible Reminiscences of the Crimean War—How we Shirked the Cemetery—The Great Dock Yard of Sevastopol—We Visit a Remarkable Gunboat—What we Saw Below-Deck—The Story that our landlord Told—An Enterprising Tartar—The “Doubter” Offers an Opinion—How the “Judge” Stole a Newspaper—Adventures by the Way—The “Doubter” gets into Trouble—We Fly to the Rescue—Eccentricities of a Selfish Man—We Rise and Depart,........[...093]

CHAP VI—ACROSS THE BLACK SEA.

A Visit to a Russian Police Office—Smith, and What he Did—A Bad Lot of Passports—A Race after a Governor in a Drosky—-More “Backsheesh”—Delicate Administration of a Bribe—An Obliging Subordinate—Attempt at a Swindle—Scraping an Acquaintance—High Life on the Black Sea—Muscovite Ladies—Sunrise on the Euxine—Worshipping the Sun—Stamboul—Passing Quarantine—On the Bosphorus—A Magnificent Spectacle—The Castle of Europe—Palaces and Villas—Domes and Minarets—The Golden Horn—In Front of Constantinople—Rapacity of Boatmen—Turkish Thieves—Streets of the City,........[...110]

CHAP VII—CONSTANTINOPLE.—THE CITY OF DOGS.

Human Camels—Canine Colors—The Dogs of Istamboul—Their Appearance and Moral Character—How the Turks Regard Them—“Inshallah”—Constantinopolitan Dogsologies—An Oriental Dog-Fight—Sagacious Brutes—Cultivating Canine Society—“Standing Treat” among the Curs—Four-Footed Campaigns—Dog-Districts—The Hostile Armies—A Brilliant Strategic Move—-Charge of the Light (Dog) Brigade—Advance of the Chef de garbage—The “Army of the West” in Retreat—The “Doubter’s” Misha—Full Details of a Coat’s Detailing—An Israelite in whom there was Guile—No More Sandwiches for Me, Sir-r-r,........[...123]

CHAP VIII—TURKISH CURIOSITY SHOPS.—SIGHTS AND SCENES IN THE BAZAARS.

Locomotion in Constantinople—Horses, Donkeys, Shanks’ Mare and Sedan Chairs—Turkish Street Cars—Women in Public—The Veiled Queens of Seraglios—The Drugs of the Orient—Henna and its Uses—Ottar of Roses, Musk and Bergamot—Shawls and Silks of Price—The Treasures of Ormus and of Ind—The Workers in Precious Metals—Vases of Gold and Platters of Silver—An Aureole of Gems—Loot for Soldiers and Swag for Burglars—The Weapons of Ancient Islam—Blades of Damascus and Swords of Mecca—A Wonderful Collection—Old Clothes and New Truck—A Seedy Moslem Swindler—An Exorbitant “Backsheesh”—What Happened to the Judge—A Dispenser of Justice in the Lockup,.......[...135]

CHAP IX—LIFE IN THE HAREM.—MYSTERIES OF THE SERAGLIO.

The Great Moslem Fast—Nights of Feasting and Days of Fasting—The Injunction of Mahomet—The Ravenous Mussulman—An Hotel Swindle—A Stranger and they Took Him In—“Too Thin, Too Thin”—Greek Wine—Going Out in a Blaze of Glory—Thunder, Smoke, and Flame—The Approach of the Sultan—How he Looked—A Peep at the Ladies of the Harem—The Veiled Queens—The Sultan’s Mother—The Empress Eugenie at the Seraglio—Insult Offered to Eugenie—A Queen in Tears—A Question of Court Etiquette—Murdering Christians,........[...145]

CHAP X—THE MOSQUES.—FAITH AND SUPERSTITIONS OF THE MUSSULMANS.

Among the Mosques—Their Special Uses—Greek Burglars, their Capture and Execution—A “Firman,” What Is It—A Turkish Dragoman—A Relic of Ancient Byzantium—Its Name and Origin—Taking a Portrait—Turkish Superstitions—Worshipping in St. Sophia—Moslem Fanatics—Counting The Minarets—What Came of a Wet Pair of Boots—The Judge in a Tight Place—The “Doubter” Commits Sacrilege—Uncovering a Sarcophagus—Attacked by the Priests—Barefooted Worshippers—Teachings of the Koran—Cleanliness and Temperance—Why Turkish Women Do Not Go to the Mosques—Why Good Mussulmans Never Get Drunk,........[...153]

CHAP XI—WHIRLING AND HOWLING DERVISHES.—WHO AND WHAT THEY ARE.

The Dervishes of Constantinople, What Are They?—How they Live and What they Do—Unclean and Devout Beggars—Where they Bury their Dead—Opening their Circus—Removing the “Doubter’s” Boots—An Amusing Situation—Clearing the Floor—Human Top-Spinning—Dropping into Jelly-Bags—A Pliable Lot of Living Corpses—The Howling Dervishes—Where and How they Live—A House Full of Madmen—A Shrieking Chant—“La Hah il Allah”—Stirring Up the Wild Beasts—Spectators Joining in the Chorus—Horrible Superstitious Rites—Treading on Sick Children—Reaching Paradise by Bodily Tortures—A Sad Disappointment—The Founder of the Sect, and who he Was—Pulling Teeth as a Proof of Sanctity,........[...166]

CHAP XII—GOOD-BYE, CONSTANTINOPLE!—ADVENTURES BY THE WAY.

Far-Away Moses, the Famous Guide—His Numerous Brothers—His Shop in the Great Bazaar—An Evening at the “Foreign Club”—Dreaming of Polyglots and the Tower of Babel—More “Backsheesh”—Passing the Custom House—How they Protect Home Manufactures—Standing Up for One’s Own Country—“Honesty ish te Besht Bolicy”—Borrowing Money at Twenty per Cent.—The Start from Constantinople—A Hint to Travellers—Sleeping in Public on the Stage—Interviewing the Purser—A Satisfactory Arrangement—Baron Bruck and his Career—Unwelcome Intruders—Classic Ground—One Trifling Peculiarity,.......***

CHAP XIII—SYRA, THE MARBLE ISLAND.—LIFE IN AN ATHENIAN HOTEL.

In sight of Syra—Active Trade in one Fish—A town all Built of Marble—The “Doubter” Expresses his Sentiments—Gustave’s Adventure—Walking on One’s Ear—“A little more beer, boy!”—The Pirates’ Retreat—Extraordinary Politeness in a Cafe—A lesson for American Barkeepers—In the Stamboul’s Cabin—“Blowing great guns”—A Tale of a Tub—Honey and Marble—Standing in the City of Demosthenes—The Battle of the Rival Hotels—Profanity in an Unknown Tongue—Out-generaling Inn-keepers—Tricks on Travellers—Useful Knowledge for Foreign Travel,........[...187]

CHAP XIV—ATHENS, ANCIENT AND MODERN.—SIGHTS AND SCENES IN THE GRECIAN CAPITAL.

First Impressions of Athens—Opinion of the “Doubter”—“Not Worth Damming”—The Oldest Inhabitant of Athens—Celebrated Ruins—Reminiscences of Greek Grammar—A “Big Injun” on Greek—Drinking Beer on Sacred Soil—A Toper-graphical Survey—The Acropolis—What Is It?—The Temple of Jupiter Olympus—Seven Hundred Years in Building—A Young Englishman in a Scrape—Sunset from the Acropolis—Byron’s Glorious Lines—The Parthenon and its Surroundings—Foundations of the Ancient Citadel—Excavations of Antiquarians—Greek Art—An Important Discovery—The Line of Beauty,........[...197]

CHAP XV—ROUND ABOUT ATHENS.—THE COUNTRY OF THE BRIGANDS.

Mars’ Hill, the Place where St. Paul Preached on the Unknown God—The Prison of Socrates—The Country of the Brigands—Escorted by Greek Soldiers—Captures by the Brigands—How they Treat Captives—Extorting Ransoms—Buying Coins and Relics—Swindling Travellers—Among the Ruins—Strange Contrasts—“Chaffing” the Guide—Position of the Persian and Grecian Hosts—Xerxes’ Throne—“The King Sate on the Rocky Brow”—Making the Ascent by Proxy—“I No Go ze Mountain”—The Battle of Marathon—A Survivor of the Battle—How the Victory was Won,........[...213]

CHAP XVI—THE GLORY OF ATHENS.—ITS SIGHTS, SCENES, RUINS, AND RELICS.

The Opera at Athens—Handsome Greeks—The King and Queen—A Lovely Trio—Losing a Heart—Byron’s “Maid of Athens”—How She Looked—Her House and History—The Acropolis by Moonlight—Waking the Guard—A Sham Permit—“Backsheesh”—The Parthenon by Night—Greek Gypsies—Among the Curiosity Shops—Dr. Schliemann and his Trojan Discoveries—The Gold and Silver Vases of King Priam—Where they were Found—Relics of the Sack of Troy—Curious Workmanship—Some Account of the Excavations—We Leave Athens—A Queer Steamer—“Pay or Go to Prison”—End of Our Steamship Adventure,........[...225]

CHAP XVII—ADVENTURES IN QUARANTINE.—RHODES AND ITS MARVELS.

Missing our Steamer—A Serious Dilemma—A Study of Faces—Making a Row and What Came of It—Under the Yellow Flag—Adventures of a Quarantined Traveller—Escaping the Plague—Mal-de-Mer—A Laughable Incident—Getting on our Sea-Legs—Custom-House Troubles—The Potency of “Backsheesh”—Oriental Fashions in New York—“Doing” a Custom-House Inspector—A Curious Tradition—The “Lamb” as a Trade Mark—The Temple of Diana—One of the “Seven Wonders”—Singular Discoveries—A Horde of Scoundrels—The Island of Rhodes—The Colossus—A Wonderful City—The Knights of St. John—Their Exploits—Surrendering to the Turks,........[...236]

CHAP XVIII—SYRIA, THE LAND OF THE SUN.—DRAGOMEN, GUIDES, AND COURIERS.

A Rough Night on Shipboard—A Sea-Sick Turk—What he Said—Rum and Petroleum—Meditations on Turkish Hash—The Camel, his Tricks and Uses—A Knowing Brute—How he Shirks a Burden—George Smith, the Assyrian Savan—Beyrout—Its Antiquities and Wonders—Going on Shore—The Dragoman and his Office—Eastern Guides and their Character—Travelling on Horseback in Syria—The Road to Damascus—An Unexpected Trouble—Paying Fare by Weight—Disadvantages of a Heavy “Party”—A Trial of Wits—Waking up the Judge—Telling White Lies—The “Doubter’s” Predicament,........[...252]

CHAP XIX—THE GROVES OF LEBANON.—A NIGHT AMONG THE ARABS.

“The Sights” of Beyrout—Excursion to Dog River—An Obstinate Carriage-Owner—How he was “Euchred”—Moral of this Incident—Off for Damascus—Ascending Mt. Lebanon—An Arab Driver—Cultivating “Kalil”, our Jehu—The Cedars of Lebanon—A Grove as Old as Solomon’s Temple—A Wonderful Old City—The Temple of the Sun—Mystery of Tadmor—Cyclopean Masonry—Monstrous Monoliths—Their Dimensions—The “Doubter’s” Doubts and their Solution—Sleeping in an Arab House—What we Saw There—Divans as Couches—A Dangerous Valley—The Robber’s Haunt,........[...264]

CHAP XX—DAMASCUS.—THE GARDEN CITY OF THE EAST.

Dimitri and his Hotel—Court-Yards and Fountain—How People Live in Damascus—Parlors, Bed-Rooms and Boudoirs—A Bet and its Decision—The “Doubter and his Donkey”—The Street called “Straight”—Bab-Shurky—Spots Famous in History—Shaking Hands across a Street—Scene of St. raid’s Conversion—The Window of Escape—Tombs of Mohammed’s Wives—The “Doubter” Figuring on Probabilities—An Unexpected Upset—Visiting the Leper’s Hospital—A Frightful Spectacle—The Great Mosque—View from the Minaret—The Bazaars and Curiosity Shops—Making a Trade—A Case of Fraud,........[...278]

CHAP XXI—SYRIAN LIFE.—DEALERS IN HUMAN FLESH.—WE TRY “ZE LUXURIES OF ZE BATH.”

In the Slave-Market—A Dealer in Human Flesh—A Stealthy Trade—Examining Female Slaves—Serfdom in Syria—Inside Views of a Syrian Household—Jewish Houses—An Oriental Song—Smoking with the Ladies—Syrian Customs—A Famous Arab Chief—Visiting Abd-el-Kader’s House—The City of the Caliphs—Taking a Bath—Mohammed and his Trowsers—A New Species of Cushion—The Bath-House—Disrobing—Securing our Valuables—Muslem Honesty—Sitting Down in a Hot Place—Gustave’s Misadventure—Undergoing a Shampoo—Rubbed to a Jelly—The Couch of Repose—A Delicious Sensation—“All ze Luxuries,”........[...290]

CHAP XXII—TRAVELLING IN A CARAVAN.—SIGHTS ON THE WAY.

Turning our Faces Eastward—The Land of the Sun—Palmyra, Bagdad, and Babylon—The Desert in Summer and Winter—A Dangerous Road—The Robbers of the Wilderness—Ruins in the Desert—A City of Wonders—The Haunts of the Bedouins—Engaging an Escort—The Start for Palmyra—On a Dromedary’s Back—The Environs of Damascus—A Bed on the Sand—“Every One to his Taste”—A Knavish Governor—Winking at Robbery—In the Desert—On the great Caravan Track—Caravansaries, What Are they?—The High Road to India—An Arab Fountain,........[...300]

CHAP XXIII—TENT-LIFE AMONG THE BEDOUINS—THE WARRIORS OF THE DESERT.

Among the Bedouins—A Genuine Son of the Desert—High-Toned Robbers—A Sample of Bedouin Hospitality—Etiquette in an Arab Encampment—A Case of Insult—Tent-Life and its Freedom—A Nation of Cavalry-Warriors—Bedouin Dress, Manners and Customs—Their Horses and Weapons—A Singular Custom—A Caricature Steed and his Rider—Arab Scare-Crows—On the Road to Palmyra—A Mountain of Ruins—The Grand Colonnade—The Temple of the Sun—A Building Half a Mile in Circumference—An Earthquake, and What It Did—The City of the Caliphs,........[...307]

CHAP XXIV—ADVENTURES IN THE MOUNTAINS OF SYRIA.

“Doing” Syria—The “Short” and the “Long” Route—How to Choose Them—Engaging a Dragoman—Farewell to Damascus—Preying on Travellers—The Wonderful Rivers of Syria—Crossing the Desert—A Picture of Desolation—Scene of St. Paul’s Conversion—A Striking Contrast—Ancient Ruins and Modern Hovels—A Night with the Bedouins—A Hard Road to Travel—A Glorious View—The “Doubter’s” Mischance—The Lizard in the Boot—A Ludicrous Scene—Gustave’s New Joke—Mollifying a Native—The Massacre at Hasbeiya—Treachery of a Turkish Colonel—Scene of Christ’s Labors—In the Holy Land,........[...318]

CHAP XXV.—“FROM DAN TO BEERSHEBA”—JOURNEYING THROUGH THE HOLY LAND.

Our First Morning in Palestine—Breaking Camp at Banias—“From Dan to Beersheba”—Explanation of the Phrase—The Cup of the Hills—The Golden Calf of Jeroboam—Story of Vishnu and his Idol—An Incident and its Moral—The Battle-fields of Joshua—A Singular Species of Plough—The “Doubter” in a Quandary—Joseph’s Pit—The Sea of Galilee—Fishing with Poisoned Bait—Capernaum and its Ruins—Scene of Christ’s Miracles—The Birthplace of Mary Magdalen—A Horde of Beggars—A Pitiful Spectacle—The Robber’s Cave—Herod and his Strategy—The Jews of Tiberias—A Seedy Crowd—Ruins of the Ancient City—The Spot where Christ Fed the Multitude,........[...329]

CHAP XXVI—IN THE HEART OF PALESTINE.

Bathing in the Sea of Galilee—Standing on Holy Ground—How the “Doubter” was Unhorsed—A Second Absalom—Lunching on the Summit of Tabor—Saracenic Vengeance—A Reminiscence of the Crusades—A Magnificent Sight—Discussing “Backsheesh” with the Natives—The “Doubter” as a Cashier—The Grotto of the Holy Family—Mary’s House—The House of Loretto—The Story of the Miracle—The Monk and the “Doubter”—Dean Stanley’s Explanation—Joseph’s Tool Chest—The “Doubter’s” Demand—The Witch of Endor “At Home”—Blood-Revenge—A Pertinacious Feud—Saul and the Witch,........[...341]

CHAP XXVII—THE LAND OF THE PHILISTINES.—SAMARIA AND ITS PEOPLE.

The City of Nain—“Spoiling the Egyptians”—Ruins of an old Philistine City—Curious Strategy—The Torches in Pitchers—Kleber and the Turks—Ahab’s Palace—Tropical Picture—A Crusader’s Church—More “Backsheesh”—The Samaritans of To-day—The Mount of Blessings and the Mount of Cursings—A Despised People—A Strange Religious Belief—A Parchment Thirty-five Centuries Old—Jacob’s Well—Its Present Appearance—The Tomb of Joseph—The Scene of Jacob’s Dream—The Philistines’ Raid,........[...355]

CHAP XXVIII—FROM DAMASCUS TO JAFFA.—INCIDENTS OF THE TRIP.

Once More in Damascus—Taking the “Short Route”—Starting for Bcyrout—The Fountains of Damascus—Rain-Storm in the Anti-Lebanon—Stora and its Model Hotel—Poetical Fancies—A Compliment to Mine Host—The “Doubter” as a Rhymist—Climbing Mount Lebanon—Tropic Suns and Arctic Snows—View from the Summit—A Vision of Fairy-Land—Coming Down on the Double-Quick—In Sight of the Mediterranean—Taking Ship for Jaffa—Sidon to a Modern Tourist—Tyre—Jaffa—A Dangerous Roadstead,........[...362]

CHAP XXIX—ENGAGING A DRAGOMAN.—OUR START FOR JERUSALEM.

Views of Jaffa—A Queer-Looking City—The Oldest Inhabited Town in the World—The Massacre of Jaffa—A Stain upon the Memory of Napoleon—A Contract with a Dragoman—A Close Margin—The Value of Credentials An Honest Arab—Getting into Saddle—An American Colony—Their German Successors—The Fruits of the Country—Generous Conduct of the “Doubter”—On the Road to Jerusalem—A Night at Ramleh—In a Russian Convent—The Gauntlet of Beggars—The Pest of the Road—Begging as a Fine Art—The “Gate of the Glen”—Among the Mountain Passes—In Sight of the Holy City,........[...370]

CHAP XXX—THE LIONS OF JERUSALEM.—THE TEMPLE, THE SEPULCHRE, AND THE HOLY OF HOLIES.

First Sights in Jerusalem—Appearance of the Streets—What the “Doubter” Thought—A Change of Opinion—The Tower of David—The Street of David—Church of the Holy Sepulchre—Scenes Around It—Palace of the Knights of St. John—Via Dolorosa—Damascus Gate—Walls of the Holy City—Visiting the Temple—The Ilarem and Mosque of Omar—Visiting the Substructions—A Triple Veneration—Place of Wailing—The Quarries—Remains of an Ancient Bridge,........[...381]

CHAP XXXI—AMONG THE MONKS.

From the Gates of Jerusalem to Bethlehem—A Touching Incident—Tent-Life at Bethlehem—The Milk Grotto—Its Miraculous Character—The “Doubter” Expresses Himself—The Oldest Christian Church in the World—Quarrelsome Monks—A Deadly Fight—Remarkable Conduct of the “Doubter”—Pious Pilgrims—A Christmas Festival—A Corpulent and Hospitable Monk—A Wearisome Ceremony—The Monks in Costume—The Women of Bethlehem—A Bevy of Beauties—Under Guard—Armenian Soldiers—Travelling to Saba—Among the Monks—A Curious Convent—Armed against the Bedouins,........[...398]

CHAP XXXII—AMONG THE BEDOUINS.—TRAVELLING UNDER ESCORT, AND LIVING IN TENTS.

Sleeping under Tents—A Bedouin Encampment—A howl for “Backsheesh” —A Queer Crowd—An Illusion Dispelled—An Eccentric “Rooster”—Our Guard—A Little bit of Humbug—“Going for” the “Doubter”—A Case of Blackmail—On Guard against Robbers—A Protection from the Sheik—Thievery as a Profession—Waters without Life—A Curious Bath—A Flood of Gold—The “Doubter” in a Rain Storm—A Dangerous Ford—A Nocturnal Mishap—An Atrocious Robbery—The “Doubter” once more in Trouble—A Turkish Escort—Falling among Thieves—The Judge’s Opinion on Shrinkage—The “Doubter” in the Role of a Mummy,........[...413]

CHAP XXXIII—THE HOLY SEPULCHRE, AND SHRINE OF THE CITY OF DAVID.

A Snow-storm in Jerusalem—The “Doubter’s” Opinion of Gum-Shoes—Kicked by a Vicious Horse—An Obliging Moslem—A Guard of Turks—Bloodthirsty Christians—An Extraordinary Shrine—The Angel’s Seat—The Quarrels of the Greek and Latin Monks—A Spot of Marvels—The Soil Pressed by the Feet of Christ—Strange Traditions—The Discovery of the True Cross—The Spot where Peter Denied his Lord—The Scene of the Last Supper—What a Wealthy Jew Did—The Man who was his own Father—The “Good Thief”—Extracting Sixpence from the “Doubter”—A Pertinacious Guide—Trying to Elude Pursuit—A Claim for Damages—Loading Up with Oranges—Talking in Four Languages,........[...425]

CHAP XXXIV—THE LAND OF PHARAOH.—THROUGH THE EGYPTIAN DESERT.

In Sight of Egypt—A Light-house looming through the Fog—On the Soil of the Pharaohs—An Invasion of Boatmen—Scenes in the Streets of Port Said—Encore de “Backsheesh”—The Great Suez Canal—Negotiations with a Cobbler—A Ludicrous Situation—A Bootless Customer—Egyptian Jugglers—Going through the Market—A Disagreeable Spectacle—A Pocket Steamer—Drinking to Absent Friends—On the “Raging Canawl”—Sleeping on Deck—A Sunrise in the Desert—On the Summit of the Isthmus—An Onslaught by Arab Baggage-smashers,........[...440]

CHAP XXXV—IN AND AROUND THE CITY OF THE CALIPHS.

A Costly Breakfast—Ismailia—The Palace of the Khedive—On an Egyptian Railroad Train—Rolling Through the Desert—The Delta of the Nile, What Is It?—The Garden of Egypt—Cairo—The Mighty Pyramids—Life at an Egyptian Hotel—Sights of the Capital—Cairo of To-Day—Occidental Progress and Oriental Conservatism—Burglaries and Other Modern Improvements—Cosmopolitan Costumes—A Harem Taking an Airing—A Daring Robbery—The Battle-Field of the Pyramids—Slaughter of the Mamelukes—Singular Escape of Emir Bey,........[...446]

CHAP XXXVI—AN INTERVIEW WITH THE KHEDIVE.—LIFE IN THE CITY OF THE NILE.

The Khedive, who is he?—A Hard-worked Pasha—His Personal Habits—My Interview with Him—Adventures of an Old Hat—Arranging Ourselves for a Royal Reception—An Eastern Monarch in a European Dress—An Unimpeachable Costume—A Fluent Talker—Bedouin Reporters—A Carriage from the Harem—Two Pair of Bright Eyes—Unveiling the Women—A Talk with a Couple of Pigmies—A Nation of Dwarf-Warriors—My Impressions of the Khedive,.........[...457]

CHAP XXXVII—STREET LIFE IN CAIRO.

Cairo, Old and New—A Visit to the Ancient City—The Nilometer, what is it? Measuring the Rise of the Nile—Moses in the Bulrushes—Tombs of the Caliphs—An Egyptian Funeral—Curious Customs—“Crowding the Mourners”—Water-carriers and their Ways—A Noisy Tobacco-vender—Glimpses of the Arabian Nights—Among the Bazaars—Street Scenes in Cairo—A Cavalcade of Donkeys—Hoaxing a Donkey-boy—Amusing Spectacle—Putting Up a Ride at Auction—An Arab Story—A Nation of Liars, and why?—Mosques of Cairo—Stones from the Great Pyramid,........[...468]

CHAP XXXVIII—THE BAZAARS OF CAIRO.—EGYPTIAN CURIOSITY SHOPS.

More about the Bazaars—how they Sell Goods in Cairo—Furniture, Fleas, and Filth—Trading in Pipe-stems and Coffee-pots—A Queer Collection of Bric-a-Brac—Driving Close Bargains—A Specimen of Yankee Shrewdness—A Miniature Blacksmith Shop—A Cloud of Perfumes—Gems, Guns, and Damascus Blades—An Arabian Auction—At the Egyptian Opera—The Dancing Girls of Cairo—The Ladies from the Harem—A Scanty Costume—The Ballet of the “Prodigal Son”—The Ladies of the Opera and their Life,........[...478]

CHAP XXXIX—ADVENTURES WITH A DONKEY.—A DAY AT THE RACES.

A “Syce” what is he?—A Man with a Queer Dress and Large Calves—A Gorgeous Turnout—An Escort of Eunuchs—Veiled Beauties—A Flirtation and it Consequences—The Tale of a Dropped Handkerchief—The Donkey as a National Beast—A Tricky Brute and an Agile Driver—An Upset in the Mud—Astonishing the Natives—A Specimen of Arabic Wit—Going to the Races—The Grand Stand—A Dromedary Race—An Aristocratic Camel—The Arrival of the Khedive—Starting Up the Dromedaries—Cutting an Empress,........[...488]

CHAP XL—THE PASHA AND HIS PRIESTS—EGYPTIAN LANGUAGE—SCHOOLS AND RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES.

Egypt and her Relations with Turkey—The Army and Navy—Egyptian History Boiled Down—The Reigning Family—Wonderful Relics—Mohammed Ali as a Ruler—The Pasha and the Priests—Ordering a Wedding—Married on Short Notice—Gratifying the Empress Eugenie—An Arab School-room—A College with Nine Thousand Students—A Jaw-Breaking Language—How to Indite an Epistle in Arabic—The Caravan to Mecca—Going on a Pilgrimage—A Horrible Ceremony—Trampling on Dervishes—The “Bride of the Nile”—Extraordinary Customs,........[...499]

CHAP XLI—THE GREAT PYRAMIDS—IN THE KINGS’ BURIAL CHAMBERS.

A Visit to the great Pyramids—A Fellah not a Fellow—Sakkiehs and Shadoofs—A File of Camels and Donkeys—A Striking Spectacle—A Horde of Arabs—Troublesome Customers—The great Pyramid—How we Climbed It—A Giant Stairway—Dimensions Extraordinary—The Lost Arts—Standing on the Summit—The Judge’s Predicament—Arab Cormorants—What we Saw from the Top of the great Pyramid—Wonderful Contrasts—Performance of an Arabian Acrobat—A Race down the Pyramid Stairs—A Perilous Descent—Penetrating the Interior—The King’s Chamber—A Dusty Receptacle of Coffins—The Sphinx—A Mysterious Statue,........[...513]

CHAP XLII—A VOYAGE UP THE NILE.—THE MYSTERIES OF EGYPTIAN ART AND WORSHIP.

Up the Nile in a Sail-Boat—Starting for the Cataracts—Advantages of a Dragoman—A Tricky Lot—Frauds on Travellers—Our Party—Rather Cosmopolitan—Getting Ahead of Mr. Cook—Our Little Game, and How it Worked—A Bath with Spectators—Decidedly Cool—Getting Aground—A Picturesque Landscape—Last Glimpse of the Pyramids—Spending Night on Shore—Among the Ruins of Memphis—The Wonders of Egyptian Art—What Marrielte Bey Discovered—Laying Bare a Mysterious Sepulchre—Ancient Egyptian Worship—Sacred Bulls and Beetles—A History Written in Stone—Bricks Made by the Israelites,........[...529]

CHAP XLIII—LIFE ON THE BANKS OF THE NILE.—COPTS, JUGGLERS, AND THIEVES.—AMUSING EXPERIENCES.

Through an Arab Village—Creating a Sensation—The “Doubter” Alarmed—The Professor Perpetrates a Hoax—The Egyptian Saratoga—An Oriental Post-office—A Queer Town—Specimens of Ancient Art—A Wooden Statue Three Thousand Years Old—A Coptic Convent—“Backsheesh, Howadji!”—Carrying Money in their Mouths—Sturdy Beggars—An Expert Swimmer—The Copts, who are they? Skilful Swindlers—Sugar Mills on the Banks of the Nile—Egyptian Jugglers—A Snake-Charmer—Adroit Thieves—A Melancholy Experience in Donkey-riding,.......[...542]

CHAP XLIV—ADVENTURES IN UPPER EGYPT.—FUN AND FROLIC WITH THE NATIVES.

Siout, the Capital of Upper Egypt—The Pasha’s Palace—An Egyptian Market Day—A Swift Boat—Going the rounds on a Donkey—Town Scenes—The Bazaars—Buying a Donkey—Tinkers, Peddlers, and Cobblers at work—A Curiosity Shop—Three Card Monte in the Land of the Pharaohs—Fighting the Tiger—The Professor takes a Hand—An Ignominious Defeat—A Doleful Tale—A River where the Wind is always Fair—The Temple and Tablet of Abydos—“Backsheesh” as a Medicine—Arab Villages in an Inundation—The Garden of the Valley—Fun with the Natives—A constant resource for a Practical Joker—Scrambling for Money—A Severe Joke,.........[...554]

CHAP XLV—THE DANCING GIRLS OF KENEH.—THE TREASURES OF DENDERAH.

The Dates and Dancing Girls of Keneh—The Alma and the Ghawazee—The Dalilahs of Cairo—Going to the Dance Hall—An Outlandish Orchestra—The Drapery of the Dancers—The Cairo Wriggle—Curious Posturing—A Weird Scene-Dress and Undress—Miracles of Motion—A Fête at the German Consulate—Models for Painters and Sculptors—Arab and Nubian Nymphs—The Temple of Denderah—History Hewn in Stone—Cleopatra and her Portrait—The Fatal Asp—A Bit of Doggerel—The Coins of Old Egypt—The Professor’s Bargain—Digging for Treasure—Arrival at Luxor—Taking in Strangers,.........[...568]

CHAP XLVI—LUXOR, THE CITY OF GIANTS—AMONG THE MUMMIES OF ANCIENT THEBES.

Luxor on the Site of Ancient Thebes—A City with a Hundred Gates—Enjoying a Consul’s Hospitality—An American Citizen of African Descent—A Dignified Rhinoceros—Karnak—A City of Wonders—Promenading in an Avenue of Sphinxes—A Gigantic Temple—Monster Obelisks—A Story in Stone—A Statue Weighing Nine Hundred Tons—The Sitting Colossi—A Singing Statue—Mysteries of Priestcraft—Lunching in the Tomb of Rameses—A Wonderful Treasure—How They Made Mummies—A Curious Process—The “Doubter” and the Mummy Sellers—The Judge Comes to Grief,........[...585]

CHAP XLVII—A VISIT TO A HAREM IN UPPER EGYPT.—LIFE AMONG THE NUBIANS.

A Visit to a Harem—Among the Daughters of the Nile—How they Looked and What was Done—Painted Eyelids—The Use of Henna—A Minute Inspection of Garments—Mustapha Agar “At Home”—Arab Astonishment—A Dinner a l’Arabe—Fingers vs. Forks—An Array of Queer Dishes—Novel Refreshment—Dancing Girls—Truck and Decker at Luxor—More “Ghawazee,” Pipes and Coffee—“A Love of a Donkey”—Song of Arabs—Arab Cruelty—A Nation of Stoics—Endurance of Pain—Among the Nubians—Ostriches, Arrows and Battle-Axes—A Nubian Dress—A Very Small Dressmaker’s Bill—A Scanty Wardrobe,........[...600]

CHAP XLVIII—CAMEL-RIDING.—ADVENTURES AMONG THE NUBIANS.

How they made the Royal Coffins—Splitting Blocks of Stones with Wooden Wedges—An Ingenious Device—A Ride on a Camel—A Beast indulging in Familiarities—Lunching on Trowsers—Mounting in the Saddle—Curious Sensation—An Interesting Brute—A Camel Solo—Sitting in a Dish—Camel-Riding in a Gymnastic Point of View—Secondary Effects—Nubian Ferry-Boats—P. T. and his Paint-Pot—Labors of an Enthusiastic American—Mr. Tucker on his Travels—“A Human Donkey”—Visiting the Cataract—Paying Toll to a Sheik—The Professor and his Camel—Crocodiles of the Nile—Starting Back to Cairo,.......[...612]

CHAP XLIX—IN THE SLAVE COUNTRY—SIR SAMUEL W. BAKER’S EXPEDITION.

The Egyptian Slave Trade—How carried on—An Army of Kidnappers—A Slave King—Frightful Scenes—Sir Samuel Baker’s Expedition—A Shrewd Move—Breech-loaders as Civilizing Agents—A Missionary Outfit—Starting for the Slave Country—Reluctant Allies—The “Forty Thieves”—Running against a Snag—The Sacred Egyptian Flower—The Lotos-Eaters, Who were They?—The New York Lotophagi—The Papyrus or Vegetable Paper—Capturing a Cargo of Slaves—The Plague of Flies—A few more “likely Niggers”—Marrying by Wholesale—A Fight with the Natives—The Result of the Expedition,........[...623]

CHAP L—SUNSET IN THE ORIENT.—VOYAGING DOWN THE NILE.

An Egyptian Sunset—A Gorgeous Spectacle—The Sky that bends above the Nile—Singular Atmospheric Phenomena—A Picture for an Artist—Shadows from History—Napoleon and the Pyramids—Our Voyage Back to Cairo—Scenes by the Way—“Cook’s Tourists”—An Amusing Sight—Night-Fall on the Nile—A Flame of Rockets—“What does it Mean?”—The Marriage of the Khedive’s Son—Feminine Disappointment—Jumping Ashore—Aboard of Donkeys—Gustave’s Somersault—Practical Sympathy—In the Pasha’s Garden—A Magnificent Sight—The Wedding Pageant—Elbowing an Arab Crowd—A Pyrotechnic Shower,.......[...637]

CHAP LI—THE WEDDING OF THE KHEDIVE’S SON.—ENJOYING A MONARCH’S HOSPITALITY.

High Jinks in the Egyptian Capital—Dancing Horses—Arabian Blooded Steeds—Treading the “Light Fantastic Toe”—Bedouin Riders—The Mysterious Cage—Egyptian Prima Donnas—A Spice of the Arabian Nights—A Silken Palace—Headquarters of the Khedive—Thoughtless Intruders upon Royalty—A Glimpse of the Princes Royal—The Heir of the Throne of Egypt—His Appearance, Dress, and Character—A Cordial Invitation—Partaking of the Khedive’s Hospitality—A Turkish Comedy—A Free Lunch—End of the Festival,..........***

CHAP LII—WOMEN AMONG THE MOHAMMEDANS.—LIFE IN THE HAREM.

Polygamy Among the Turks and Arabs—A Full-Stocked Harem—Unveiling the Women—Romantic Adventure—A Brief Flirtation—The “Light of the Harem”—Love at First Sight—how Egyptian Women Dress—Some Hints to the Ladies—Wearing Trowsers—Robes, Caftans, and Peaked Shoes—Rainbow Colors—How they Dress their Hair—Crowned with Coins—A Walking Jewelry Shop—The Pretty Egyptienne Orange Girl—Street Costume—Paris Fashions in the Khedive’s Harem—Beauties Riding Donkeys Man Fashion—How they Go Shopping—Animated Bales of Dry Goods—Black Eyes in a Bundle of Silks—Marriage Brokers—How they Dispose of their Daughters in the East—A Turkish Courtship—A Donkey Driver Gives an Opinion—The Wedding and the Honeymoon—Divorces in Egypt—An Easy Process—Many-Wived Men,........[...650]

CHAP LIII—WINTER ON THE NILE.—THE KHAMSEEN AND ITS EFFECTS.—BEDOUIN LIFE.

Winter in Egypt—A soft and balmy air—A Rainstorm on the Nile—An Asylum for Invalids—The Month of Flowers—The “Khamseen,” What is it?—A blast as from a Furnace—Singular effects of the South Wind—A Sun like Copper and a Sky like Brass—A cloud of Sand—Eating Dirt—Fleeing from the Khamseen—How the Laboring Classes Live—Hungry but not Cold—Oriental Houses—An Excursion to Heliopolis—Habits of the Bedouins—A Fastidious People—Life in a Bedouin Encampment—Among the Obelisks—How they were brought Five Hundred Miles—The Madonna-Tree,.........[...667]

CHAP LIV—LAST DAYS IN EGYPT.

The Last Stroll around the Mooskee—Talking to the Donkey-Boys and Dragomen—A Queer Lot—A Pertinacious Customer—The Judge’s Expedient—A Little Humbug—Rich American Tourists “in a Horn”—The Dragoman’s Salutation “Sing Sing!”—Getting Rid of a Nuisance—Buying Keepsakes—Out of the Desert into a Garden—Curiosities for Farmers—A Mohammedan Festival—Curious Sights—Snake Charmers—How they do it—Music-Loving Reptiles—On an Egyptian Railroad—Pompey’s Pillar—A Ludicrous Accident—Alexandria, its Sights and Scenes—Climbing Pompey’s Pillar—A Daring Sailor—An Arab Swindle—Going on Board the Steamer—Farewell to Egypt,.........[...678]

BACKSHEESH.

“B A C K S H E E S H.”

CHAPTER I—STEAMER-LIFE ON THE ATLANTIC.

Leaving Home—Our Pilgrimage Begun—Sights and Scenes on Deck—“Life on the Ocean Wave”—Out at Sea—The Traveller’s Little World—Feeling Queer Inside!—Delights of Sea-sickness—Reminiscences of a Jolly Old Boy—What became of the Judge—Bringing up his Liver!—Too Big for his Berth—Sleeping in a Second-hand Coffin—A Race with a Lemon—The Leg of Mutton Dance—Eccentric Conduct of a Boiled Turkey—Too Much Sauce!—“Dressing” the Judge’s Trowsers—Alone at Sea—A Funny Conspiracy—Fate of a Timid Man—Confidence Betrayed—The Young Man from the Country—His Wisdom and his Woes—Drinking Petroleum—The Judge Turns Joker—Who Owns the Ocean Steamers.

NEVER have I sailed out of New-York harbor on a finer day than when, in the spring of 1873, I started on that pilgrimage of which this book is to be the record.

It was late in April, the sky was clear, and the atmosphere had that balmy softness which we find in the tropics much oftener than in more northern latitudes. Looking up the Hudson and down the widening estuary toward Staten Island, one could see a delicate haze that skirted the horizon and faintly mellowed the lines that otherwise might have presented a suggestion of harshness. The picturesque life of the harbor was at its fullest activity; ocean and river steamers were moving here and there, and white-winged ships coming home from long voyages or going out to battle with the winds and waves, were in the grasp of powerful tugs that fumed and fretted as they ploughed the waters with their helpless charges. Thousands of smaller craft dotted and stippled the beautiful bay which is the pride and glory of the commercial metropolis of America; and the forest of masts hanging over the wharves at the city’s edge spread its leafless limbs in liberal profusion.

There was the usual crowd of friends to bid farewell to our passengers; and the parting cheer, as we steamed out from our dock, rang in our ears long after the spire of Trinity had disappeared, and the protruding front of Castle Garden had been lost in the distance. There was only the gentlest breeze to ruffle the water as we pushed oceanward and caught sight of the blue line of sea and sky that formed the eastern horizon. We watched the sun declining in the west, bringing the Highlands of Neversink into bold relief; our steady progress left the land each moment more and more indistinct, till, at last, day and land faded away together. We were out on the ocean, and the world was become to us small indeed.

An Atlantic trip is not considered in these days a very serious affair. There are persons who persist in speaking of the ocean as a ferry, with no more terror than the North or East River. It may be a good joke to call it a ferry, but it is rather a solemn joke when you have been at sea a couple of weeks and have experienced a few gales.

The day we sailed the water was as smooth as a mill-pond, and it remained so for about thirty-six hours. In the room next to me there was a judge from New Jersey; a jolly, good-natured old boy, whose face was a pleasure to contemplate. The first day out, he told me he was agreeably surprised with the ocean, and that he should have brought his wife along if he had supposed it would be so comfortable.

“People do exaggerate so,” said he, “that you never know what to believe. They have told me that the ocean was terribly rough, and that I should be very sick; but I see it was all a mistake Why, I have seen it worse than this going from New York to Staten Island.”

I assured the Judge that some of the passengers might have been lying to him, and that the ocean was very much slandered. Next day it came on to blow, and by midnight we were tossing as if a lot of giants had put the ship in a blanket and were having some first-class fun. She rocked and pitched magnificently, and a liberal portion of the passengers were laid out with mal-du-mer.

And the Judge! I paid him a visit when the storm was at its worst, and his condition was such as to rouse in my breast mingled sentiments of pleasure and sorrow. He was lying on the sofa, and his right hand convulsively clutched a basin into which he was pouring the contents of his stomach.

"What a fool a man is to come to sea,” he gasped in the intervals of his wretchedness. “I was an idiot not to have gone travelling in Pennsylvania, instead of coming out here. I would give a thousand dollars to be safe back in New York.”

I endeavored to console him, but he would not be comforted. While I poured soothing words into his ear, and brandy down his throat, the ship gave an extra lurch that brought a fresh discharge from the Judge’s mouth. Something dark and solid fell into the basin, and as the Judge contemplated it, his face assumed an expression of horror.

“I will be hanged,” said he, “if I have not thrown up a piece of my liver; just look at it; everything inside of me will be up next. In fifteen minutes you can look for my toe-nails.”

He sank back fainting, but brightened up a little when I told him that what he supposed to be his liver was nothing more than a piece of corned beef which he swallowed at dinner and his stomach had failed to digest.

He grew better next day, but persisted in declaring the ocean a humbug, and said that when he once got back, nothing should tempt him to come abroad again.

People are differently affected by the ocean. Some are never sea-sick, while others can never go on the water without being laid up. I have known persons who kept their rooms an entire voyage; they went below when leaving land on one side, and did not come out again till it was sighted on the other. Women are the weaker vessels, when it comes to an ocean experience, however strong they may be in domestic griefs and family jars. In sea-sickness, they fall much sooner than men, and are slower to recover their appetites. Children recover more quickly than adults, and sometimes they are well and running about long before their parents are able to get away with a cup of tea or a cracker.

To those who contemplate going to sea, I have a piece of advice to offer that may save them the pangs of the marine malady.

The night before you are to sail, take a blue pill—ten grains—just before going to bed, and when you get up in the morning take, the first thing, a dose of citrate of magnesia. Then eat your breakfast and go on board, and I will wager four to one, that you will not be sea-sick a moment, though the water may be as rough as an Arkansas traveller’s manners.

The above prescription was given to me several years ago, and I have rigidly followed it every time I have gone to sea since I received it. It has saved me from sea-sickness, and it has been of equal value to many others, to whom I have given it. I have published it several times for the benefit of the human race, and I think it worth giving again.

Sea-sickness is a dreadful feeling, and anything that can be expected to prevent it is worth trying. I remember the first time I was sea-sick, I wanted to be thrown overboard, and didn’t care what became of me. If the ship had sunk beneath me I should have been glad instead of sorry; and if the captain had threatened to tie me up and give me forty lashes, I should not have made the slightest opposition to the execution of his threat. If the Koh-i-noor diamond had been lying ten yards from me, and had been offered me on condition that I should pick it up, I couldn’t have stirred an inch to get it. The death of a maiden aunt, from whom I had great expectations, would have failed to elate me, and the refusal of my hand by an heiress to a million would have caused me no regret. Nothing can bring perfect despair so readily as sea-sickness, and make its victim ready and willing to die. Somebody has said that in the first hour of his sea-sickness he feared he should die; but in the second hour he was afraid he should not; and that is pretty nearly the experience of every sufferer.

You have heard of the man who wanted to thrash the fellow who wrote “A Life on the Ocean Wave.” I think there were several on board our ship who agreed with him, and would bear a hand to assist him. Somebody has written—and his head was not unlevel—

“The praises of the Ocean grand,

‘Tis very well to sing on land;

‘Tis very fine to hear them carolled

By Thomas Campbell or Childe Harold—

But sad indeed to see that Ocean,

From east to west, in wild commotion.”

Though I did not suffer from sea-sickness, I did not escape considerable annoyance and discomfort. Anybody who knows me can testify that I am not a dwarf, that I stand over six feet, and have a proportionate breadth of beam. My berth was about an inch shorter than its occupant, and when I tried to lie flat on my back I took up all the width of it. I couldn’t straighten out, because the berth was too short; I couldn’t lie on my side through fear of being rocked out; and I couldn’t lie face down, for the same reason that I couldn’t lie face up. Taken for all in all, the room was the most uncomfortable I ever slept in on board ship. When I went into my “little bed,” I felt as though I was in a second-hand coffin, originally made for a smaller man, and I dreamed of this state of things so often that I considered the night had gone wrong without such a slumbering fancy. The rolling of the ship made it awkward to put on my clothes and perform other toilet duties; and if I went through preparations for breakfast without a tumble or two, I considered myself lucky.

One morning the steward brought me a lemon. It is a very good practice at sea to swallow the juice of a lemon half an hour before breakfast, in order to clear the stomach and remove any tendencies to biliousness. He put the lemon on my sofa, and I crawled out of bed just as he retreated and closed the door.

Well; the ship made a lurch and sent me head foremost upon the sofa, as though I had been shot from a mortar. With some difficulty I picked myself up, and braced long enough to get a tumbler and make ready to squeeze the lemon. Just as I reached for it the ship went the other way, and the lemon rolled from the sofa and under the berth. I went on hands and knees in a humble attitude to reach for it; over went the ship just as I extended my arm under the berth; my body followed my arm, and my legs followed my body, and it was no easy matter to get up again. While I was getting to rights, the old craft lurched the other way, and my lemon shot across the floor like a rat pursued by a terrier, and took up a hiding-place again under the sofa.

Then I went for it with the same result as before. Just as I put my hand upon it there was a movement in the lemon-market, and the article I was pursuing traversed the floor and sought the farthest corner under the berth once more.

About five minutes we kept up that circus; sometimes I was ahead, and sometimes the lemon, and both were pretty well exhausted by the time the race was over.

At last I took him on the fly, and made a short stop; lost my balance and went down in a corner among my clothes. Then I gathered myself together and managed to cut the lemon open and to squeeze it. I lost half the juice in a lurch of the ship, just as I raised the glass to my lips; and in my hurry to save what was left I swallowed seeds enough to start a respectable lemon orchard. I think an artist could have made a series of interesting sketches had he witnessed the race between the lemon and me.

Dinner has a good deal of fear in it if the ship happens to be rolling nicely. Racks are put on the tables to keep things from falling off, and sometimes the rocking is so bad that even the racks are not altogether satisfactory. In front of you is a rack just wide enough to hold your plate, and, when you are taking soup, the edge of it is just even with the rack. If the ship makes up her mind she can tip your plate so that the soup will flow out into your lap, and after doing that she will tilt the other way and leave the side next to you quite dry. Your tumbler will assert the correctness of its name in more ways than one, unless it is very firmly placed and wedged in where it cannot fetch away.

The best way at such times is to hold your soup-plate in your hand and fasten your tumbler in the rack where the glasses are kept. Sometimes a joint of meat or a boiled turkey will leap from its plate and go off the table as easily as a live turkey could make the same movement. My friend, the Judge, caught a turkey in his lap one day, and his trowsers were so covered with oyster sauce that they might have been served up without serious trouble.

A New York matron was likewise honored with a visit of a leg of mutton, and I narrowly escaped from a dish of blanc mange that seemed determined to pay me a complimentary call. The desk where I used to write had a remarkable tendency to change its angle at every moment, and if my old desk in New York were to conduct itself thus, I should ask what it had been drinking.

Day after day we steamed along, sometimes getting a little assistance from our sails, but more frequently depending upon steam alone. Out of New York we were accompanied by a German steamer, but we soon lost sight of her in consequence of a divergence in our courses. Almost every day we saw steamers and sailing-ships, and sometimes we had three or four of them in sight. We were directly ports of England and America, and the wonder is, not that we saw so many vessels, but that so few of them came in sight. Our engines were not stopped after we left New York till we arrived at Queenstown, where our mails and some of our passengers were landed.

Time hangs heavily on one’s hands at sea. The first day out you are uneasy, if you are not sea-sick; you try to read and you can’t; you sit in one place awhile, then in another, then in another; and then you go somewhere else. You get over a page at a time; you shut and open your book a dozen times in an hour, and are as discontented as a weaning calf. You sit down to games of cards, but don’t feel like playing; you go forward and aft, and aft and forward, and really don’t know what to do on the track between the great with yourself. If the weather is fair you go on deck, and then you go below; and then on deck again. You wish yourself on shore, and you fall to counting the hours that must elapse before the voyage will end. You don’t feel like making the acquaintance of anybody, and nobody wants to make yours; and so the day goes on till you turn into your bunk and try to sleep. In the morning you rise feeling about as amiable as a bear with a sore head, though your nerves are more quiet than they were. Then you begin to make acquaintances, and in a couple of days the passengers know each other pretty fairly; enough, at any rate, for all practical purposes.

By the fourth day you have the peculiarities of everybody down to a dot; and about this time the spirit of mischief prevails. There are sure to be some waggish passengers ready for any kind of fun, and sometimes they are rather merciless in it. If there is a timid man on board they talk accident to him, and if there is a credulous man on board they fill him with yarns of the most frightful character. There was a youth on board from one of the eastern states, and he was constantly in fear lest the ship should sink. Two of the wags talked of accident till his hair stood on end and he dared not go to bed at night. At the table where the Judge and I were seated, there were two superannuated Englishmen who had been to New-York to visit some friends, and were going home without seeing anything in America outside Manhattan Island. I fear they had strange opinions of our country before they got back.

They listened to the talk, and were evidently taking notes of what they heard. Their information may be known by the following sample.

While we were at lunch one day the conversation happened to turn on petroleum. The Judge addressing one of the jokers who was known as “the Major,” said very gravely: “That was a singular practice during the war, giving each man a pint of crude petroleum to drink before going into battle.”

“Yes;” the Major replied, “but it paid very well at first, as the men fought like tigers in consequence. But we had to abandon it before the end of the war.”

“Really now, you don’t mean that your soldiers drank that abominable stuff?” said one of the astonished Britons. "Oh, yes,” said the Judge, his solemnity increasing, “they grew very fond of it, and many of them deserted when they were deprived of it.”

“Why was it given up?” asked Briton number two.

“It was found’,” the Major explained, “that many of the men died of spontaneous combustion in consequence of drinking this stuff. In the case of smokers it was specially dangerous, as a man’s breath might take fire while he was lighting his pipe. One of our best regiments—the 49th Buffaloes—was almost annihilated by petroleum. It was during the ‘Seven Days’ Fight’ near Richmond. They had been in action continuously, and, for more than a week, quadruple rations of petroleum were served to them, so that they were saturated with it. On the last day of the battle, as they were drawn up in line for inspection, one of the men struck a match just for fun. His breath caught, and so did that of the man on each side of him. In half a minute the flame ran along the line, and in less time than it takes me to tell it, half the regiment were on fire. Some had presence of mind to fall on their faces when they saw the flash, and these were the only ones that were saved.”

“Dear me! how strange!”

“Yes;” the Major added, “and sometimes prisoners in the hands of the enemy were set on fire by the inhuman officers who wished to witness their terrible sufferings. We found the use of petroleum as a beverage was in various ways an injury to the army, so we gave it up.”

This wonderful story was heard with apparent confidence by our fellow travellers, and I have no doubt that it was told round British firesides in perfect good faith. The Judge and his friends talked of snow-storms a hundred feet deep, of potatoes in South Carolina as large as flour-barrels, of oysters in Texas that sing and play the piano, and of a horse in Cincinnati that could swear and chew tobacco. Wonderful adventures in all parts of the land were minutely described, and if the voyage had lasted a week longer, and the stories could all be collected and published, they could give Baron Munchausen several points and beat him. The wags described bloody encounters of men in the West, and left the impression that anywhere beyond the Hudson River a person who by accident brushes against the elbow of another is shot down immediately.

In the same spirit of mischief they tortured the timid youth till he did not know what he was about. He was not so good a subject as one with whom I crossed the Atlantic some years before; but he did very well. The principal joke played upon him was to talk of accidents when he was at hand.

The other man of whom I speak—the one of several years ago—was the victim of a regular conspiracy. Some of the passengers arranged to talk in his presence of nothing but accidents; no matter what topic they were discussing, when he came near they shifted to accidents at once. When they ran out of true stories they resorted to fiction, and the fiction was worse by far than the fact.

He—the victim—used to remain up until sent down below by the officers, and he generally slept with a life preserver beside him. One day when some boxes and cans were being thrown overboard, his tormentors got up a story that the barometer had been falling about an inch an hour, and that a terrible gale was expected. The Captain feared that we could not live through it, and had thrown out these sealed boxes, containing duplicates of the government dispatches and other important papers, in the hope that some more fortunate vessel might find them, in case we were destroyed.

Jack, as we called him, was in the greatest terror. He went below, and remained shut in his cabin for the rest of the day and evening. As no gale came, it was explained that we passed it and just avoided its track, and they pointed out a line of dark clouds on the horizon as the probable course of the gale. He was satisfied and became more cheerful, though his general terror did not cease.

When we approached the end of our voyage it was night, and it became necessary to throw up a rocket. The officer then in charge of the deck said to the jokers:

“If you want some fun with your friend, get him forward near the smoke-stack, and as close as possible to the steam-pipe. When the engine stops they will instantly let off steam, and just as it starts I will send up a couple of rockets.” They got Jack forward and engaged him in conversation. His back was about two feet from the pipe, and the same distance from the rockets. The steam was shut off from the engine and turned into the pipe with a tremendous roar. At the same instant the rockets let go with a tremendous crash that anybody who has stood near a flying rocket can appreciate, and the crowd gave a yell that would have excited the envy of a band of Indians.

Jack made one bound aft, and his friends had to run after him lest he would jump overboard.

He went into his cabin and did not come out for an hour or more. But when he did reappear, he was freshly alarmed. The steamer had been stopped for a sounding, and that noisy piece of machinery—the donkey engine—was put in operation to haul in the lead-line. All was still, until suddenly the donkey engine started with its clatter. Jack was dozing at the time, and the noise roused him. He knew that something was wrong, and with nothing on but his shirt he darted to the deck. It took some time to quiet him and persuade him to go where his scanty costume would be more appropriate. Necessarily the space on an ocean-steamer is very much restricted. The ordinary sleeping-rooms are about six feet square, or at most six feet by seven; and in this space two, or sometimes three or four, persons are expected to spend their nights and keep their superfluous garments and light baggage.

When there are few passengers each can have a room to himself; but when there is anything like a “rush,” there must be more or less doubling up. Steamship agents will give you a room to yourself on payment of half an extra fare, and many persons avail themselves of the opportunity. Others who desire seclusion, but suffer from shallowness of purse, prefer to make friends with the purser or chief steward, and thereby secure what they wish for. No general rule can be laid down for this, and I leave each man to act for himself.

Once, when I crossed the Atlantic, I exulted in finding myself alone in a room well situated in the middle of the ship. While I was rejoicing about the matter, I was thrown into consternation by the steward, who entered and said:

“There is a young man in the room close by the screw, and he doesn’t like it, and is going to ask the captain to put him in with you.”

“William,” said I solemnly—for his name was William—“William, you know how delighted I should be to have him here. But, William, do you know that I have fits, nightmare, delirium tremens, small-pox and several other maladies, and that I am the most ill-natured man on board the ship? And do you know, William, that I have half a sovereign for you if that adolescent gentleman stays away?”

William smiled, said nothing, stuck his tongue in his cheek and departed. Ten minutes later he returned, bringing a broad grin on his face as a prefix to the information:

“The young feller will stay where he is, sir, and I hope you’ll remember the half-sov’ at the end of the voyage.”

What William said about me to the occupant of the room near the screw, I am unable to say; but I observed that the youth shunned my society, and consequently fear that he had formed an unfavorable opinion. But I gave the promised money to the steward “sans peur et sans reproche.”

The dangers of the Atlantic voyage are of little moment, and no more to be dreaded than those of a journey by rail from New York to San Francisco. I refer to the unavoidable dangers, such as gales, collisions with wrecks and similar accidents that human foresight cannot prevent. Accidents like the loss of the Atlantic and the Schiller, and similar disasters, are to be attributed to the bad management, either of the company, or of the ship’s officers, or of both, and do not come under the head of unavoidable calamities. With good management on all sides, and proper inspection of ships, a journey across the ocean is as safe as a rail journey of the same length, and in some respects more so. I have been assured by men familiar with the history of steam navigation that the casualties are not more numerous in proportion to the numbers travelling, than on American railways.

The reason why an accident on the water is more dreadful than on land is twofold. In the first place, the number of persons killed or wounded in a railway accident is always a small percentage of those on the train. Take Carr’s Rock, Angola, Richmond Switch, or any other terrible disaster by rail, and the number killed was a great deal smaller than the number of those who escaped unhurt. But a marine accident may destroy the life of every one on board the ship. This has been the case on several occasions. The steamers President, City of Glasgow, Pacific, City of Boston, Tempest, United Kingdom, Ismailia, and Trojan were lost at sea, and never heard from. Two steamers on the American, and one, I believe, on the English coast, were wrecked with all on board; and one steamer was wrecked near Moville, from which only a single man escaped. Most of these steamers were lost on their eastward trips, when their passenger lists were much smaller than if they had been going westward.

Another thing that makes an ocean accident terrible, is the difficulty of escape. If you are overturned in a railway car, you fall upon solid earth, but in an accident on the ocean, you have nothing but water to stand upon—a very poor support indeed. The boats of a steamship are not sufficient to hold her passengers and crew, as a general thing, and in case of an accident on a westward trip, when the steerage is crowded with emigrants, the loss of life may be enormous. On board the steamer which carried me over the Atlantic there were eight boats, with a capacity altogether of not more than four hundred persons, under the most favorable circumstances, supposing all of them launched and the weather fine. On her westward trips she frequently carries twelve hundred steerage passengers, and her crew and cabin passenger list would probably bring the complement up to very nearly fourteen hundred. In case the steamer sinks at sea, there would be a thousand persons who could not possibly find places in the boats! There is not a ship carrying emigrants that has boat room enough for half her passengers on a westward trip, and I doubt if any of them could even carry away a fourth of their complement. When your ship goes down at sea you may consider yourself fortunate if you do not go down with her.

The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!" / or, Life and Adventures in the Orient

THE STORY TELLER OF THE DESERT“BACKSHEESH!”

or, Life and Adventures in the Orient

By Thomas W. Knox

With Descriptive And Humorous Sketches Of Sights And Scenes Over The Atlantic, Down The Danube, Through The Crimea J In Turkey, Greece, Asia-Minor, Syria, Palestine, And Egypt; Up The Nile, In Nubia, And Equatorial Africa, Etc., Etc.

Embellished with nearly Two Hundred and Fifty Illustrations, including Forty-Eight full page Engravings, principally executed in London, Paris, and New York, from Photographs and original Sketches.

With fine Steel-Plate Portrait of the Author.

Hartford, Conn; A. D. Worthington & Co., Publishers

1885

AUTHOR’S PREFACE.