The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-03-03
FOREIGN NOTES.
IS CAMP, Jan. 20, Is

IS CAMP, Jan. 20, 1881.
Our tent is pitched on a high hill
Just north of the river Martha, and
overlooking the broad plain of Keira.
Mustapha is smoking, and Pat, like
myself. is writing letter home. But
he is writing to his sweetheart, away
off in Ireland, and from the evident
difficulty which he is laboring under,
| think he will soon give up and come
to me for help.
One hundred and thirty.five miles
from Adrianople and not a sign of
snow or winter, except the distant
SNOW capped peaks of the Balkans,
which makes one think of the white
minarcts of Stamboul. Our journey
so far has been replete with interest.
Everything is 50 strange and full of
novelty, that my note book is full and
l will transcribe it for your mutual
benefit.
Jan. live started from Adrain-
ople this morning, with Il bright sky
and everything suspicious for our
trip. Once outside of the city our
horses settled their gait into steady
jog which last till noon. Soon after
starting we met on the road peasant
"going to town" with produce. He
was cheery-looking fellow, and
seemed to expect to find ready mar.
ket. His wagon was nothing more
than huge rack mounted on wheels,
in which the produce was piled indis-
criminately. We called ana reia,
(good day. and passed on. We were
soon treated to sight, which, though
l had read of it, ! had never wit
messed.
In one of the small fields that
bounded the road side, noticed wO.
men engaged in blowing the ground
and making it ready for the spring
planting. They did not seem to feel
oppressed, but chatted quite cheerily
with their Lords and masters" who
We're reclining on the ground. smok-
ing.
All this seemed so strange to me,
that asked Mustapha for an expla-
nation, which he gave in such tone
of disgust, that CLEARLY showed his
hatred to the Turkish nation.
He SAID (what he told me l have
amply verified since) that the peasant
women did nothing but toll. in fact
were capable of doing nothing else.
That their ordinary work was to cut
wood, take care of the cattle, keep
the fields and the house in order, and
do any other little chores their hus.
bands were too lazy to do. The men
hunted and fished, rode races, gam
blcd and robbed any weaker brother.
Their great passion WAS tinery and
they would deck themselves in gaudy
rainient and parade the streets Of the
village showing off.
After learning all this and then OBJ
serving it, could not but wonder
that Turkey has held together so
long as q nation; and the only solu-
ton could find to it was, that relig-
ion was the great and only bond that
binds the Sultan and his people to-
gether, as was clearly shown in the
Russo-Turko war when nothing
reused the peasantry but the thought
that the Mohammedon religion was
being attacked by the "Christian
dogs" We camped this evening on
the outskirt of IA small village whose
inhabitants poured out and gazed on
us with great curiosity.
Jan. l5.-The day dawned cloudy
and with indications of storm, but
the sun soon broke the masses of
clouds and shone brightly over valley,
hill and mountain. At noon we
stopped for dinner at the village of
Leafia, where we met the Pasha
Ildremin, governor of this province,
1.-THE province of Saphia.) He gave
us hearty welcome, and invited me
to witness the punishment of two
criminals that afternoon. Gladly &C.
cepted and ordered our horses put up
for the rest of the day. Precisely at
three we repaired to the public square
i, e. large open space where justice
is administered monthly by the Pasha,
and found large crowd assembled to