Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-04-16
THE BOSPHORUS,
sweet Waters of rEIr-I-.,


sweet Waters of Turkey.
II. Il an article in the April number of
JI1lpplncott's Magazine, Mr. Edwin De
y Leon ~ tnus describes some scenes in
Ii you select the Asiatic Sweet Wa.
tiers Tor your visit, you go down to the
Whaff at 'Tophane, where the rival
peatmen (calquejees) raise as Iond |
din, and make as fierce fight for vour
person and piasters as you ever e,co1n-
tered on your arrival in New York in
Europeans steamer from. rival hack |
drivers or hotel I" touters." Pulled
pushed, and showed about in ali dirao,
tons as Hereby as ever was the body
OF Patroceus In the Iliad, when Greek
and Trojan contended for possession OIL
1t, you are at last. hustled into q
calque, and deposited in the bottom
on SOFT cushions, your back sup
ported by the end of the boat, your
face to the two boatmen. The caioue
is gayl yrornamented and pretty to look
at, but 1t IS the crankiest and tickliest
OF all nautical inventions-more re-
sembling Canadian birch-bark canoe
than any other craft you are acquainted
With. Admlrlng the view, you partial
ly rise up and lean your elbow on the
side of the boat A warning cry from
your boatman and sudden dip of your
frau bark, which almost upsets you
head foremost to feed the fishes of the
Bosphorus, admonish you to sit quietly,
and you can scarcely venture to stir
again during the long row. The caique
is long and very narrow, and sharp at
both ends-pointed in fact. 1t is
boarded over at these ends to prevent
shipping seas. These planks are pref
tily vanished, with gilded rails, which
give the boat gay look. The men
row vigorously, and the ffail skif
SKINS along the water at a rate of
| speed equal to an express train. But
the boat is the chief indication of the
| rapidity Of our progress, so smoothly
do We glide along. One pecul arity Of
the caique is that there are no row.
locks for the oars, which are held by a
loop of leather fastened on the boat.
Allthe senses are soothed and stepped
in Elysium during this rapid transit.
The eye lazily runs over the squat
looking red houses with fiat roofs
which line the shore, to rest on the
dark cypress trees which fill the inter-
vening spaces, with the gilded bal
comics of some pleasure palace Of Sui
tan or high Turk catching the sight
occasionally. Caiques similar to your
own are dartiDg about in all directions,
following, passing, or meeting you,
until at length you reach your destina-
ton, indicated by the crowd of caiques
tied up there, like cabs on a grand opera
night waiting for their customers.
Those of high Turkish functionaries or
foreign ambassadors are very different
from yours-as different as coach and
four from a common cab. Many of
| these have twelve rowers, all. III fancy
unlforms-red fezzes and jackets en-
broidered with gold-while the larger
caiques are profusely and extensively
ornamented. Stepping ashore, you
see long line of carriages drawn up
| ID several rows, and of every conceiv-
able variety-from the Turkish ARABIA
to the most sh-looking Partisan
coupe gilded and adorned IN a style
to make French lorette stare with
amazement at lagishness of expendi-
! ture exceeding her own. -r.-
~ ne Ialr ones TO WnOm U0eSe- car
r1ages belong may be seen in the dis
tance squatting down on rugs spread
out beneath the trees, and sIpping cof-
fee or sherbet while listenting to musi-
clans or story tellers. You stroll to-
ward them as near as their attendant
guardians-grim lookingblack eunuchs
armed to the teeth, and quite ready to
use those arms with very little provo
cation on the persons of any "dogs of
/ infidels who may interfere or seem to
interfere with their fair charges-will
permit You see bundles Of the
gayest colored silks, which are worn
by women whose wells are as thin as
gossamer, and generally permit very
fair view of their charms, not only of
face but of bust as we'll The bold
black-eyes- of the-eaged bird flash out
unshrinkingly on the strangers, who
inspire curiosity, and not always aver
sion, if the language of those eyes be
interpreted accordingly TO the western
code. In fact the women seem to take
a malicious pleasure in annoying their
guards by encouraging such advances
as can be made by the mute language
of looks and signs. 49,.