The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-02
A PICNIC IN CRETE.
Visit to a Monastery and a Luncheon
of Remarkable Composition.
From the London Globe.


From the London Globe.
Crete is not exactly the most likely spot
in the world for picnic, and was ac-
cordingly somewhat surprised when a
worthy Cretan Moslem of my acquaint-
ance, DR.. T. p. MuHazade, insisted on
inviting me and the three women of my
party TO an al fresco" luncheon in the
lovely grounds of Mussulman ''tekkeh,"
or monastery, about an hour from the
ramparts of Gambia. My Cretan friend is
one of the most enlightened followers of
the Prophet, and L have known the adj
Vanced Muss ulmans of Bosnia TO play lawn
tennis like Englishmen. But stin / was
somewhat staggered when he suggested a
picnic in the Bechtachi convent-a place
within a short distance of the military cor
don, on which only the day before a man
was killed and a boy wounded by the
Turkish soldiers. AS the doctor would
however, take no refusal, l accepted his
cordial invitation, and next morning saw
us start from one of the three old Vene-
tan gateways of Gambia, some on the ap-
palling wooden saddles of the ISLAND and
the rest on our feet, over the dry river
beds which in Crete are by a polite fiction
described as roads. Our Turkish host con-
sidered il his duty as a man of Western
culture 10 walk, and arrived as fresh as
paint at his journeys end. But less pro-
gresslve Moslem of portly build and ze-
bra-striped waistcoat was severely pun
ished by the heat, and looked extremely
glad when we had reached the hospitable
gate Of the tekkeh.
The monastery In question: which is close
to the site of the famous Labyrinth of
Crosses, Is al present occupied by hun
bred families of Mussulman refugees, who
have fed from the country, which IS en-
.s,-tsa
BHght-eyed children--the Cretan children
are extremely pretty-and tall and hand
some men crowded around us, while the
women, who peered out of the upper win
dows slgnihed by gestures their immense
surprise at the golden tooth of one of our
party the like of which they had never
seen before and which they evidently re-
garded as a mark of great beauty An old
Dervish, clad in coarse white frieze, es-
corted us upstairs TO sort Of reception
room, hung with the crudest pictures inn
aginable where coffee and cigarettes were
served around.
After we had had time to inspect the de-
signs on the walls-for this monastic order
Is the only one that is allowed to have pic
lures of any living thing-we were usher
ed into the presence of the old Dervish
Safvet Bahia, who is at the head of the
monastery. The Old gentleman babe the
women of the party sit down on the di-
van to which ne was chained by ms fheu-
matism, and, while we smoked more cigar
cites, discoursed pleasantly in Greek on
men and things We next visited the ruins
of Crosses, where Arthur Evans, of the
Ashmolean at Oxford is at present nego-
tating for the purchase of piece of land,
and then took our places beneath the le-
non-trees of the convent garden, where a
long table had been spread for our enter
taiument. But first large glasses of hot
coffee, boiled with milk, We're served out
to each member OF the party, which was
soon increased by the arrival of our hosts
son-in-law elect Behar Bey, who, Won
derful to relate, had escorted his fancee
and her youthful sisters 20 the monastery.
The woman's feelings did r0t, however,
permit her to appear at the board, 80 the
women of the party had to visit her in the
harem, where she welcomed them in ex-
cellent French, and informed them that she
had read "Gl Bias" which Is not sur
prising for a Candiote, seeing that the
Alliance Franchise" has founded an ex-
cellent library In this Cretan town. On
their return, cognac was served to us all
around, our Moslem friends partaking of
Il with zest, and then young Behar, who
had good camera with him, insisted on