Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1897-02-04

long and sharp at both ends, and at
both ends it is boarded over, to pre-
vent shipping seas, with varnished
planks, crossed at the top with little
crowning rails Of gilt carving, very
dainty and very smart. The cradle
where lay, my back against where
the cockswain would be seated in an
American gig, was lined with red
cushions and white lambskins.
There were two boatmen, because
the Sweet Waters, where we were to
land, was far up the Bosporus, and
it was tolerably hard work, even
for them, brawny and accustomed
to rowing as they were.
Antonio, my scoundrel of guide,
held forth on the white minarets,
looking ghostlike in the moonlight
and on the dark cypress trees, throw
ing their heavy shaking shadows
athwart the phosphorescent water.
He bade me observe how the caique.
jee (boatman) fastens his oars by
leather loops to pegs on the sides Of
the boat, which had no rowlocks-a
simple plan that prevents them ever
being lost unless they break in some
of the whirling and impetuous cur
rents of the Bosporus. Every time
I looked the boatmen laughed with
all their teeth and said afirmatively,
Bono, Johnny" upon which call
ed out authoritatively, "Chapuki"
(Quick, quickly and to which they
invariably replied by saying, "Ya.
wash, yawash, meaning: mo hur-
ry. ALI in good time"
Antonio, as we progressed, grad
ually transferred his conversation
from myself to the boatmen. AT
that time knew very little of their
sweet sounding jargon, and natural
ly feeling uninterested I closed my
eyes and sunk into a reverie, to be
aroused therefrom by one of the
boatmen using a Turkish phrase, the
meaning of which was known to me,
in tones of the deepest disgust.
Their fierce and furtive glances, to-
gether with the frequent use of that
one phrase, which might be trans
lated thus, Dog Of an infidel," con-
tirmed sudden suspicion that Twas
in serious scrape. I was 80 seated
that, although my face was not seen
by them, could discern their fea-
lures and gestures plainly.
"Chapuk!' l cried imperiously,
knowing that it is generally best to
show no white feather.
''Yawash, yawashl" replied the
|, boatmen defiantly.
t'No hurry, sare," !" said Antonio,
lighting his chibouk and putting
away complacently.
How regretted having left the
Pera hotel at that unseemly hour to
see a parcel Of Crcassian ragamuf-
fins, who were perhaps not worth
seeing! How roundly I swore that
if it were permitted me to issue
scathless from that scrape would
never be out after dark again in
Turkey!
Past the Maiden's tower. sort of
legendary lighthouse that stands on
a rock at the entrance Of the Golden
Horn opposite Scutan; past long
lines of vessels and rows of dark red
wooden houses with broad fiat roofs
and cellarlike lighthouses past plane
trees and Expresses, silent caiques
and coffee houses, with here and
there dead lump of carrion bob
bing like a float in the moonlight,
swollen and horrible, we reached
at last the Sweet Water meadows,
where the deserted caiques were
gathered thick as carriages round
the door Of the Theatre Francois.
had a mind to make those two
villainous boatmen row me back
again, because, as we were near one
of the sultan's tinselly Italian pal
aces, neither they nor the audaciouf
Albanian dare attempt violence just
then, but unfortunately l was trou
bled with a weakness called pride
| which troublesome iltirmity
should advise my readers, if eve,
they are placed in similar circum
stances, to conquer right away. AL
though l felt I thereby placed my
life in jeopardy, l could not for thu
life of mo take the certain way O.
escape that offered itself and deter
mined to pursue at all hazards th'
object for which had set out.
The two boatmen jumped on land
and drawing the caique almost higl
and dry so that we should not we
our feet stood with ready palm
held out to receive their pay. I CAV
few piasters. to each, and then a,
animated conversation ensued be
tween my dragoman and them, con
Quoted in Turkish, and in which tn
constant repetition Of the phrase be
fore translated again occurred.
"Dey will wait, sare, said th
Albanian at it's conclusion.
"All right" l returned, affectin
more GOODNESS than I felt, for I ha
no arms with me bigger than per
knife, and l had seen them produc
during the palaver bright, ugly lool
ing knives from their voluminou
sleeves. "Chapuk! / want to &c
hack coon ~