Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1897-02-04
With clouds, was starless and gloomy.

WILL ClOut1S, WIS 5tdTle1s3S duU KlOOIHy.
The dragnman led the way, stealing
on with 1.-the, sure step and watt
ing clouds of perfume from his Chi
bouk. Trying to divest myself Of
the. conviction that was about to
become the victim of an already
concocted plot, bringing forth
whole array Of arguments to justify
that attempt, and yet peering nerv-
ously into the darkness right and
left, anon in the direction Of the Al
banian and then shrinkingly behind
me, I followed without a protest in
his footsteps, just as lamb goes to
the slaughter house.
He carried lamp such as all drag
omans carry In the nighttime, and
suddenly bethinking myself of this
I asked him to light it.
Presently, sare," he said. 1--WE
shall come into plenty light soon"
To the best of my belief we had
now gone about half mile. Once
or twice I fancied I heard football
In our rear and with contraction
of the heart half turned to face an
anticipated assailant, but nothing
emerged from the darkness, and I
resumed my Journey, perturbed and
painfully suspicious. The clouds
suddenly thinned before the watery
moon, and the irregular walls of an
old tumble down ruin, formerly
mosque of much repute, but now
playhouse for all the little Turks in
the villages roundabout, loomed di-
rectly before us, the defile ending
abruptly at the mouth of rude
road on the right.
The Albanian proposed lighting
the lamp in this ruin, as on account
Of q gusty wind it would be difficult
to light 1t outside.
thought his proposal rather un-
called for, since we had the moon,
but acquiesced quietly and followed
him into the mosque, which had
been built up in that semioriental
Byzantine style that, back through
Venice, spread throughout Europe,
even in Canute Of England's time.
was interested in this relic Of an
other age and momentarily forgot
my suspicious. Antonio stepped into
a vault which was still almost en-
tire and which had once In all prob
ability been the refectory where the
dervishes, or priests, partook mod
erately of food. He opened the door
Of the gaudy lantern, which would
have reminded you of Aladdin's,
and striking a match lit the wick.
"You wait. Ne fill chibouk,"
said he, setting the lantern down.
was seized from behind and
thrown violently to the ground,
falling with my hip on sharp stone
that made me lame for weeks after.
I turned round without rising. be-
ing then unable, ON account Of the
wound I had received, and saw one
stalwart assailant cover me with a
gun and the other behind him grasp
the hilt Of a disagresable knife.
Antonio held the lamp aloft and
seemed to regard the whole affair
as a capital joke.
The boatman with the gun spoke
fiercely in Turkish, and the Albani-
an, turning to me, said: "Want
money, sare. Give 'em money, you
go safe."
It was very unpleasant looking up
the muzzle Of that gun and feeling
that the slightest movement might
endanger my life, but I am an
American and disiked the cavalier
manner Of those Turkish dogs.
was just about to defy them to dc
their worst when I heard the tread
Of men outside. shouted out fol-
i help at the top of my voice, and siz
Turkish soldiers, headed by an Off.
Ger. came into the ruin at trot and
halted at the entrance Of the vault
covering us all with their match
locks.
i That villainous Albanian, as soor
! as he saw how quickly the tables
:; were turned, ran forward and com
menced fierce denunciation of hi
accomplices.
4 "1nglis subjek9" asked the Turk
ish officer, turning to me.
The English, you must know, hav.
80 bullied and brow beaten the Turk
that they would rather allow al
English murderer to go scot fre,
4 than come into collision with them
:. American subject, I answered
succeeding in painful attempt Il
rise. Then made him understand
by suitable gestures that the Alba
nian and the two boatmen were al
alike culpable, and they were pres
} emily deprived of their knives an,
the gun, each one Of them places
! between two men and marched of
: toward the spot where we had land
ed.
Outside the ruin the road was full
Of Turkish soldiers, all going in th
direction of the Circassian encamI
. ment for the purpose of overawin
that brave and turbulent people.
Judges are very corrupt in Tu,
key. The Albanian contrived
: bribe himself out of the clutches O