Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-06-07

Inc touOWlng graphic description OF lit
tie town in Asiatic Turkey, called Karaourgan,
was written for the London News by a special
correspondent with the Turkish army:
A person fresh from Europe would scarce
ly venture beyond the door of my present
quarters but to me. by contrast, it seems a
very palace As there is Just now total alb
sence of military news, 1 shall try to give
some idea of my surroundings and accommo-
dation. The place is a type of large class,
for every village within a hundred miles ex-
actly resembles it. Kaaourgan is situated in a
rocky gorge, through which flows the torrent
like Chan See. The village occupies the right
bank, and climbs to the summit Of the rocky
slope. some three hundred feet high Seen
from n little distance it resembles one Of those
scoria heaps one sees around iron smelling
works Here and there a couple of feet of
dry stone wall, and caye-like entrance sug-
gest the possibility of the existence of human
dwellings. Between these dwellings the spaces
are carpeted with an elastic layer of dung and
Offal five or six feet thick. Huge ungainly
bufaloes, with bodies like bisons and the eye
of an octopus, low and moan, standing mid
leg deep in the filthy paths. Turbaned men
are perched here and there like storks on the
house tops-pulling their boards and giving
the whole place singular appearance. Calves,
dogs and fowls wander promiscuously among
the chimney-pots, aud now and then n dark
eyed olive-faced woman comes stealing shyly
by her face half averted from the gaze of
the Giaour partly concealed by the folds of
her linen head-dress. As the roof-tops have
their share of dung and ofial as well as the
streets, and as their undulatons are not more
accentuated than the Irregularities of the lat
ter, it is woll-nigh impossible to distinguish
between them.
This morning entered the village. descend
ing the slope of the gorge. l knew from ex-
perience the difficulty of confning oneself to
the pathway. and kept careful lookout for
chimneys, the only beacons by which one can
judge whether he is on a road. While thus
vigilantly steering my way. and believing that
l was going all right, felt my horse suddenly
sink beneath me. and in another instant We
were enveloped in a cloud of dust and splin-
tiers. We had both fallen through the roof of
house into an apartment where a family
were at breakfast Over and over again my
horse had put his foot through the earthen
roof of a house. while believed was in the
middle Of the highway. My dwelling, seen
from the outside. is a crude earth-heap. You
stoop low. enter the hole-like door. and find
yourself in a gloomy interior some forty feet
in length. 1t is divided into two compart-
ments by low boarded partition four feet
high. That next the door is devoted to horses
aud buhaloes, the inner space affords accom-
| mediation to travellers. A little terrace of
| beaten earth six inches above the floor. hanks
| both sides of the room. 1t is covered with
| coarse rush mating. and constitutes a seat by
day, bed by night. Two spare holes in the
roof admit light and air. The diet is emil
nently simple-honey milk, and unleavened
! bread in the form and of the consistency of IA
/ shoemaker's apron, with an occasional egg is
| all that the larier affords There is another
! pOuestiilH err,-.tly r,riZa1 bv tho inhabitants
| but which l could never appreciate. 1t is
| thick sour milk from which the watery por-
| tiOn has been strained. No coffee no tea. no
meat. The absence of meat surprises me,
! for there are immense herds of buffaloes, OK
| en-. sheep and goats feeding over pastures
| have rarely seen equaled. There is no expor-
tation of cattle, aud l find it difficult to ex-
/ plain what is done with the vast surplus of
/ kline.
l write this letter lying on the 'divan ="
| From time to time a melancholy OK walks in
and looks at me with large mournful eyes.
| A playful bull calf is standing beside me, and
/ have Just defeated him in an attempt to
place his big. splay muddy foot in the mid
die of my paper as an initiatory step TO settle
down beside me on the divan. Ny attention
is triply divided-frst, by My work second
ly, by the cows and playful goats thirdly
by the black beetles, who take advantage of
an unguarded moment to walk into my ink
stand. Then there is my host, who is essen
tally praying man. Not content with the
orthodox prayers four times day, he takes
advantage of every spare moment to repeat
his orisons. A pot of water is put on the fire.
While it is heating out comes the praying
carpet, and the red-turbaned, blue-trousered
man is prostrating himself with unctuous
| groans. 1t is not easy TO write under The cir
cumstances but do my best.