Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1897-03-04

heard, even IN Pcra, but the OCCASION
al howl of street dog that some
bitten watchman had beaten with bis
stall; dervishos had ceased their holy
waltzing and their dcmoniac howline
priests had left their lofty minarets
tor the night; the Sultan had sunk
into u trance; the bazaars, where no.
tions Of all Nations are sold, were
barred and bolted up; the coffee shops
had quenchcd their charcoal fires; the
beggars on the bridge had dragged
home their stumps and sores, the sol
diers Of tho Porte we're in their bar.
racks, dreaming of n revolt; viziers
laid their uneasy heads on silken pill
lows; tho "sick mans" dying city
was dead asleep, and it made one
sleepy to feel even near six hundred
thousand sleepers. Human nature is
im!tatiye; when it sees eating it
wants to eat, and when 1t sees sleep.
png 1T wants to sleep. Besides did /
not know that my countrymcn in
Pera were wavering in their allegiance
to tho pleasant king OF midnight, and
were half OF them yawnlng and
stretching over billiards and dominocs,
and looking with alright at the two
up lifted clock hands. Turks, VINO
have no amusements, 60 to bed early.
| was sitting ut the window Of my
bedroom, medltatIve Ono boot of,
and one boot on-wonderlng If there
was ever 4 minute, day or night, since
Constantine was placed in his porphyry
tomb, that some Wild dog had not
barkei IN Pera, when a tap came Mt
my door. | put my boot on, and
badc the visitor open the door.
1t was AutonIc, my dragoman or
courier, whom | had hired that DAY,
and thus he spoke:
"MonsieUr, sarc,- nous ayons-we
ave got the tareman for the night.
E'irman. vou must know, is al Asl-
attic word, sigultylng, IN this instance,
n passport.
"Oh, have you, All right, Antonio
/ am ready. said ], buttoning up my
coat to the last button, and adjusting
my hat before the mirror.
"Nera good. returned my Albanian
guide, who, by the way. had the most
villalnous lace Imaginable; "colne on,
sare."
That irman, the Sultan's gracious
permission- gracious, but expensive
cost me 30 plasters, or about
twenty eight dollars.
Be 1t known unto vou, reader, thai
ever so many CIrcassiaus. recently
whipped Ey TIE Russians IN spite o
their devoted courage and the genius
of their 1eader, Schamyl, had bee-
offered q few plasters per diem TO IotI
the army Of the Porte, had accepteo
the offer readily, knowing that Iur
kew was the natural enemy OF the lan'
Of vermin and steppes, and had beer
apprised on arriving at Siam ooul, 81
tor many hungry davs OF forced marc n
mo over countries innocent OF bridge
and Of roads that the Porte was una
ble to pav the native troops, let aloa'
foreign ones. That was enough 1
make the hungry Clrcassians angry
WIS i not? \ little way beyond IA
valley Of the Sweet Waters, which |
,,lace Of fashionable resort. equlva
lent or thereabouts, 70 our Ientfa
park those soldiers OF hundred pa
triotlc battles had located their cam
on5 were mutterinr dlscontent IN
usv that was very dlsagreeaole to Il
r,r.;sh Government. 1t was IN orde
;, ses them that Antonio and LEI
the Pera Hotel at eleven ciocA
night. !,
Escaping being torn to pieces Z
.he ,ival boatmen of Tophana,
tnmbled down into the cradle 81 nte
caiquc, which, because i IS ra'5eF
boat I will describe. L IS Ions. a
sharp ut both ends, |ani at both ends