Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-06

valley, The spectators rapidly disperse
but the soldiers remain to see their sovereign
safely back in his palace.
HOW THE SULTAN LOOKS.
And 80 we saw the Sultan Abdul Hamid
Khan II. the thirty-fourth consecutive
ruler of the family of Osman. He is 4S
with the eye of falcon and hair of raven
hue. Gentleness is depicted in his features,
yet withal he has careworn look, as though
the affairs of State, or of his numerous
harem weighed heavily upon him.
A certain French woman living here,
lately called upon the wife of the American
Consul General, and told her if she knew of
any American ladies wishing to visit a
harem, she could take a party of five at any
time for $40. So it came about that a party
OF hve ladies, guests at the Hotel Bysance,
sent for this woman and arranged to 60 with
her the next afternoon. They were in
structed with great care how they we're to
act, told that they would be expected to
smoke cigarettes, etc., and the impression
left with them generally that they were ex-
tremely fortunate in having an opportunity
to inspect real out-and-out harem. One OF
my duties that evening after dinner was to
instruct the five aforesaid ladies as to the
proper way to light, hold and smoke cigar
ette. So next afternoon saw them leave
the hotel in carriages; they were in great
glee; visions OF luxurious oriental man
sions; of costly furniture; Persian rugs;
Damasans curtains; of veritable hours, re-
cllning in voluptuous abandon on elegant
divans, filled their minds. They were
going to tell me all, SO could write it for
the newspapers.
A GIGANTIC SELL.
That evening at dinner they were silent.
Later, had to resort to the pumping pro-
cess. At last they decided they would tell
all as protection to others, they said. AZ
ter getting on the way they were told sick
ness had suddenly occurred in the family of
the Pasha, to whose house they were to be
taken, but they could 60 to the harem of a
wealthy merchant; it was just as good, said
their conductress. To the merchants house
they went; to find it one of painful plain
ness, looking even as though the wolf might
be at the door. They were asked indeed to
smoke cigarettes and were treated to the
favorlte confection, Turkish delight. And
the hareml 1t consisted of the merchants
first wife, sample of Shakespeare Seventh
Ages of men. She was sans one eye and
entirely sans teeth. Then there was wife
number two and last, almost as old, and two
passably fair daughters, and the merchant
had been dead 10 these 20 yearsl
This is an o'er true tale. Let other
American ladies visiting Constantinople
bear it in memory. The party returned dis
gusted and with well-grounded suspicious
that their 500 was divided between their
conductress and the widows OF the hsrem.
ON THE SWEET WATERS.
The Sunday afternoon resort of the Turks
is sequesteret spot about six miles from the
city, called the Sweet Waters. Reaching
the Sweet Waters about o'clock, we found
great difficulty in proceeding on account of
the large number of boats like our own
crowding the little stream. They were
nearly all freighted alike. The priceless
eargoes they carried were the beauties of the
And no wonder they were enjoying them
selves. 1t is the one day of the week on
which they get an outing.
Finally we made landing, and for an
hour or more walked up and down the
banks among this interesting company.
Their thin yasmak or veil or W lite gauze
does not hide their features as does the black
one of the Egyptian, or the horrId spotted
one of the women of Jerusalsm. They spoke
not to us, yet they conversed with those
wonderful eyes. To come here weekly, at
tended by their eunuchs, and breathe the
fresh air, is the sole diversion OF these poor
creatures. Having slipped some Turkish
coffee at bazaar, we returned to our boat,
and in the gathering twilight. in the midst
of regular fotilla of caiques, with the
sweet, weird music of Turkish melodies and
the sounds of castinets, zithers and guitars
waited to our ears. feeling we were on sweet
waters, indeed, we made our way down the
Golden Horn to our wharf on the Bosporus,
and sought our hotel to dream perchance
- of fairyland.
THOMAS L. WHITE, NJ. D.