The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-05-05

put to you in the most matter of fact
way, by the man who keeps all the
provisions, whether you would have
anything to eat. We said "that
considering all the circumstances we
should rather think we would. "
"Very WE'LL" he says, "only you
will have to pay extra for it"
allows that?" n
The fellow drew from his pocket our
tickets that we had given up and in
the blank space where these magnani-
nous steamboats, companies of the
Mediterranean specify the number Of
meals allowed each passenger on the
voyage the clerk had written four
when he knew that at least we should
require seven, and in case of delay
from ten to twenty, to keep us alive
to the journeys end, and there was
nothing to do but pay for them. We
thought it was because we were
Americans that we had been victim
lied. But we were considerably COM
forted when we were informed by a
young Tunisian that they served
everybody in the same way. It's
only their way of doing business.
He told us we must be on the lookout
next time and see that the full allow
ance of meals was placed on our
ticket. And so we did. And this
time they very generously allowed us
meals enough to have made twice the
journey, and charged us extra for
them, Of course these are matters
OF little Importance, and perhaps not
worthy of mention, and l should not
have spoken of them except to give
you fair idea of the business honor
and honesty of these eastern people.
You can easily imagine what must be
the moral status and the business
dealings of people to whom the
word of any Englishman or American
is more valuable than their own
sacred oaths. Who say, "We know
that is true, because an American
says it, and an American never lies"
1t was a stormy morning in the
latter part of October, that having
sailed from Alexandretta, in the north
of Syria, (where we first reached the
coast after our visit to Marash), hav-
ing passed by Tripoli, where we dis
charged some prisoners, among whom
was Greek Priest, arrested and
condemned to a term Of years i'm
prisonment for having given shelter
and food to Brigands, who probably
demanded it at the muzzle of the
pistol and the poor fellow could not
do otherwise, we dropped anchor at
daylight in the harbor of Beiront.
High overhead and behind the city
was the mountain range of Lebanon.
The rain was pouring in torrents as
we looked from the port hole of our
stateroom and saw between us and
the shore a fleet of perhaps SO row.
boats manned by Arabs and all head
ed toward us-but dancing on the
waves and seeming to rest on their
oars. Soon, at given signal, every
oar struck into the water, every wild
Arab set up yell. The boats
jumped from the water and shot
head foremost down through the
waves filling the air with dashing
spray. 1t was race OF half a mile,
clashing oars and humping boats,
shouts of triumph and yells of rage,
white rags and red rags huttering in
the wind, and all bearing down on
our steamer. Before we could get
our clothes on, there were three hotel
runners and guides to Palestine in
our stateroom and more outside that
would have come in if there had been
room. We made bargain with one
of them to keep the rest away, and
in about an hour and half we had
landed, found our hotel, engaged our
guide, or Dragoman, for Palestine,
selected the horses, and arranged to
start next morning The matter Of
selecting the horses is one upon which
| should dwell more particularly if l
had not been brought up in the Puri.
fan fachion fn concider anyth;no