Chapter II

The Bosphorus—The commissionnaires—Nothing
like the Hôtel de Luxembourg—Perdrix aux
truffes—Baksheesh—Officials in the custom-house—A
rickety old carriage—A Turkish Café Chantant—A
vocalist—Sultan Abdul Aziz—His kismet—We are all
under the influence of destiny—"Great Sultan, rest in
peace!"—Did Sultan Abdul Aziz really kill himself?—The
popular belief—He had agreed to sell the fleet to
Russia—A Russian force to garrison Constantinople—Two
of the secret police—The other verse—The audience—Too
much liberty in Constantinople—English newspapers,
hostile to Turkey, sold at every bookstall—An English
army of occupation in Constantinople—No gold;
nothing but paper—Trade paralyzed—In search of a
servant—A Mohammedan servant; his costume—A coachman
to a Pacha—Buffaloes as a means of locomotion—Mr.
Schuyler—Mr. Gallenga—Our consul at Belgrade—Mr.
Sala—The stations along the Russian line crowded with
troops—Mr. McGahan very popular with the Christians—The
Turkish newspapers—A ruse on the part of England—An
English officer—A strategic position—Some influential
Armenians—"We have no wish to become Russian
subjects"—The Catholics in Poland—Similar treatment
required for all sects—The word of a Christian in a
court of law—An Armenian priest—From Scutari to Kars—The
road blocked by snow—The dread of being seen speaking to
a European 12

CHAPTER III.

The porter at the hotel—A little persuasive
force—Trains in Turkey are not very punctual—Two
Englishmen—Snipe-shooting—The railroad takes a
circuitous course—Krupp guns—The Christians are
too much for the Turks in a bargain—Hadem Kui—No
horse waiting—The station-master—A lanky, overgrown
lad—Buyuk Checkmedge and Kara Bournu—A branch railway
required—A station-master's salary—The horse—Attacked
by a dog—The defence of Constantinople—A song in
which the Turks delighted—Good-looking Hungarian
girls—The handsome Italian—"I am not a barrel"—The
song about the Turcos—Spontaneous combustion—A special
Correspondent—Algeria is not Turkey, but it does not
much signify 27

CHAPTER IV.

Osman—Five horses for sale—An industrious man—A
cemetery—A wall-eyed Turk—A little black—"He
ain't got no shoulders"—A horse with a sore back—A
roarer—The blind beggars hear him coming—A Turkish
horseshoe—Provisions for the journey—A prince belonging
to the Russian Embassy in the hospital—A prince a
boot-cleaner—Osman's relatives—The Hôtel Royal—A
stirrup-cup—Osman's religious scruples—The boat for
Scutari—Shipping our horses—Jealous husbands—A Turk's
seraglio—Was it a Torpedo?—The panels of the Bey's
carriage—An explosion of cartridges—Readjusting the
luggage—A torrent of expletives 39

CHAPTER V.

Scutari—The resting-place of departed Turks—A frightened
horse—Obadiah—Tea and sugar in the mud—A _rahvan_,
or ambler—A runaway steed—Osman always praying
whenever there is work to be done—The grave-digger—The
Hammall—Radford—Through the swamp—The Khan at Moltape—A
_mungo_ 54

CHAPTER VI.

The proprietor of the establishment—_Lingua
franca_—Gold, not paper—Gold a charm to the Greek—No
rooms—The Onbashee—His costume—The guard-house—A queer
place—"_At gitdi!_ the horse has gone!"—The Pacha
at Scutari—The corporal's demeanour when offered a
tip—A beautiful country—The bay of Ismid—A goose
plump as a Georgian woman—A Zaptieh—The chief of
the telegraph department in Ismid—A grievance—The
appearance of Ismid—Washing-day—The Pacha of Ismid—Mr.
Gladstone—"Gladstone is what you call a Liberal, is he
not?"—The Turkish debt—Russian agents bring about the
massacres of Christians 63

CHAPTER VII.

An Armenian Bishop—An economical
refreshment—Ramazan—Smoking in the streets—The Turkish
Government is not so bad—The Koran and a Christian
witness—A telegram from the Pacha at Scutari—A
post-horse to Sabanja—Two Zaptieh—Turkish swords—A
horse lost—Four feet of mud—An ox-cart upset in the
mud—Woe-begone drivers—A priest during the Carlist
war—Turks and Christians have an extreme dislike to the
dread ordeal—Circassian Bashi Bazouks—Women ravished and
then butchered by the Russians—Sabanja—Scenery—There was
to have been a railway—A mule under difficulties 75

CHAPTER VIII.

Camels—The Sakaria—Geiweh—Yakoob Khan—Kashgar—The
Greeks in league with the Tzar—The Kara Su—A strategic
position—Terekli—Bashi Bazouks firing at a target—The
river Goonook—A black slave—Gondokoro—Abou Saood—How
to become rich—Set a slave to catch a slave—_Sharab_
makes one gay—Mudurlu—Absence of shops—_Toujours
poulet_—English manufactures in Anatolia—A Circassian
Zaptieh—A precipice—A baggage-horse upset 86

CHAPTER IX.

Nalihan—Armenian, Turkish, and Circassian visitors—The
state of the roads—Will there be war?—The Imaum—The
Servians—A bellicose old farmer—The Armenians friends
with the Russians—Sunnites and Shiites—Scenery near
Nalihan—Alatai river—A Turkish counterpane—Turkish
beds—Osman's _Yorgan_—Osman's wife—A girl with eyes
like a hare, and plump as a turkey—The farmer's nuptial
couch—An uncultivated district—An old Khan—A refuge for
travellers—An invalid soldier—A Christian would have let
me die like a dog—The votaries of Christianity in the
East 95

CHAPTER X.

Radford and Osman—The quarrel—Do the Roossians
kiss each other?—Bei Bazar—The pig tobacco—Osman's
honesty—Forage for five horses—It is a good sign in
a horse to be always hungry—The Tchechmet river—The
Mudir at Istanos—The Cadi's mule—The tradition about
Istanos—Caverns formerly inhabited by marauders—A
chasm—The entrance to the caverns—A levee of the
inhabitants—No newspapers in the villages—An Armenian
priest—The furniture of the room—Has the Conference
commenced?—What is it all about?—Russia is strong and
we are weak—The other Powers are afraid of Russia—Will
England be our ally?—Are the Christians tortured?—Here
we get on very well with the Mussulmans—The pack-saddle 104

CHAPTER XI.

One lives and learns even from Turks—The Mudir's two
sons—They like your nation—They remember the Crimean
War—Suleiman Effendi—The Vice-Consul—The town of
Angora was to be illuminated—The telegram about the
Constitution—What does the Constitution mean?—Suleiman
Effendi on education, and on religious matters—So many
roads to heaven—American missionaries—The massacres in
Bulgaria—The intrigues of Russia—The Circassians hate
the Russians—Circassian women butchered and ravished by
the Russians—An English priest—The impalement story—The
Vice-Consul's wife—A piano in Angora—Turkish ladies—A
visit to the Pacha—The audience-room—The Pacha's
son—Only one cannon in Angora—Twenty-five thousand men
gone to the war—The clerk—The Bey's library—The new
Constitution—The Bey's opinion about it—Turkey requires
roads and railways—The only carriage in Angora 116

CHAPTER XII.

The Pacha's carriage—The coachman an Irishman—Christmas
day in Angora—The celebrities of the town—A society
of thieves—Fire in Sivrisa—The Turks and the
Armenians—So-called fanaticism—Ten Pachas in Angora
in four years—Cases of litigation—Arrears—The firman
of November, 1875—The famine in Angora—Deaths during
the famine—The goats died—A Mohammedan divine—The
Russian Ambassador and the secret societies—The English
newspapers and the Bulgarian atrocities—A Turk values
his nose quite as much as a Christian—Suleiman Effendi's
wife—The Turkish law about property—A dinner with a
Turkish gentleman—A mixture of nationalities—My host and
his digestion—Spirits refresh the stomach—The Prophet
and the old woman in Mecca—There are no old women in
heaven 129

CHAPTER XIII.

The band—Turkish melodies—Turkish music like a
Turkish dinner; it is a series of surprises—Turkish
etiquette at dinner—The pack-horse is lame—The people
ask for many liras—The Postmaster is in bed—The
chief of the police—Horse-copers in Aleppo—The
fair sex in that city—A test for lovers—We burn our
fingers soon enough after marriage—Domestic life in
the harems in Angora—The immorality in Yuzgat—Mr.
Gasparini—Turkish hospitality—Armenians dress like
Turks—Christian women—Great harmony between Turks and
Christians—Armenian testimony doubtful—The prison
at Sivas—Hearsay evidence—A Turkish veterinary
surgeon—Horse-dealers—Two pounds offered for the
horse—History of the Ottoman Empire—The Bey's
present—Generosity of the Turks—The devil is not so
black as he is painted 139

CHAPTER XIV.

Leave Angora—The Effendi wants a turkey—A very
old cock—The cooking-pot—An Armenian woman on
horseback—Baggage upset in the river—Cartridges in
the water—Osman castigating the delinquent—Delayed on
the road—Asra Yuzgat—How the inhabitants build their
houses—The Caimacan—His house—His servants undress
him—He goes to bed—All the cartridges spoiled 153

CHAPTER XV.

The Kizil Ermak—No bridge in the neighbourhood—How
to cross the river—The triangular-shaped barge—The
current—Can my brother swim?—How to embark the
horses—Osman's expostulation—Bandaging the horse's
eyes—Yakshagan—Fresh post-horses—An uncivil
official—Madeh—Silver-mines—Water in the pits—Proper
machinery wanted—Engineers required—Kowakoli—Vines—How
to preserve grapes—Sugar very dear—A farmer—The Angora
famine—The late Sultan—Russian assessors—We do not
wish to be tortured to change our religion—Allah is
always on the side of justice—Sekili—The pace of a
_Rahvan_—Marble hovels—Hospitality—Foreign settlers—A
Kurdish encampment—The tax-collectors—The wealth of the
Kurdish Sheiks—The Delidsche Ermak—Fording the river—A
district abounding in salt—Turkoman girls—The many
languages spoken in Anatolia—A lunch under difficulties 163

CHAPTER XVI.

A victim to the famine—Daili—A conversation with some
Turkomans—The massacre of the Teke Turkomans by the
Russians—Women violated—Little boys and girls abused
and murdered—The Muscovite is a beast—Should not you
like to cut the throats of all the Russians?—What
is the best way to get rid of a wasp's nest?—A war
of extermination—Yuzgat—A cavalcade of horsemen—Mr.
Vankovitch—The telegram—Our reception—Old friends of
the Crimea—Some visitors—Things have altered for the
better—The Christians at Yuzgat—Armenians and Turks
dine together—Mr. Vankovitch's experiences—The Polish
insurrection—General Muravieff—Brutality to the women at
Vilna 177

CHAPTER XVII.

M. Perrot—Armenian customs—Man and wife—We keep
our wives for ourselves—My host's niece—Law about
divorce—Shutting up the wives—Turkish husbands—How to
get a divorce—Marrying a divorced woman—Population of
Yuzgat—Crime—Mines in neighbourhood—Tax paid in lieu of
military service—The Circassians—Their promise to the
Turkish Government—Tax on land; on house-property; on
corn—Cattle—Collectors of taxes—Jealousy about religious
matters—Dissensions amongst Christians—American
Missionaries—A loyal address—The market—A bazaar two
stories high—A walk through the town—Gipsy women—An
elderly dame—Obstreperous young ladies—The old woman
dances 187

CHAPTER XVIII.

The Mosque—The interior of the building—The lamps
of different-coloured crystal—The Turks engaged
in prayer—Comparison between Christians and
Mussulmans—Daravish Bey—A wonderful shot—_Djerrid_—A
strange request—The chase—A Bosnian lady—Her costume—A
side-saddle—Even their women go out hunting—Daravish
Bey dressed for the chase—A long shot—The price of a
horse's forage—Most servants rob their masters—A Russian
officer—The Armenian schools—The girls' school—Perhaps
you would like to ask the boys some questions?—An
amateur setter of questions—Mr. Marillier of Harrow
school—A sum—The schoolboys of Yuzgat—A half-holiday 199

CHAPTER XIX.

A visit to some Greeks—The Turkish administration—The
impalement story—The law equally bad for Turks
and Christians—Peculiarity about the Armenians and
Greeks in Yuzgat—The outskirts of the town—An immense
crowd—Women clad in long white sheets—Throwing the
Djerrid—The game—We rode better in our time—A marriage
procession—Women riding donkeys—The head of the
Mohammedan religion at Yuzgat—The respective merits
of the Turkish and Christian faith—Allah is very kind
to all true believers—What is the good of insuring?—An
Armenian church—A raised platform enclosed by trellis
work—The occupants of the gallery—The women will
stare at the men—Ladies distract the attention of the
congregation—The Pole's house—A cheap servant 211