The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1901-07-17

10 sleep and l am sure there are som,
of us who will not forget this treatment
for many day. In addition TO the over
supply of first cabin passengers every
nook and conner was filled with Russian
pilgrims returning from Jerusalem.
While they bore the stains of travel and
evidently belonged to the poorer peasant
class, they were not bad looking lot.
Their religious services each evening
showed deep sincerity and earnestness
that was touching. The weather was
rather rough and the sea choppy so that
many Of our party were rendered bOrS dc
combat. We were sailing too pear land
to be pleasant. At Tripoli, where there
is successful mission, we had intended
TO land, but the sea was running too high
for the small boats by which the landing
is made. Afler lying by few hours we
hoisted anchor and went on up the coast
to Mersina, the seaport of Tarsus and
the birthplace OF the Apostle Paul. Here
we intended to land and visit Tarsus,
which is some thirty or forty miles in
land, and is reached by narrow gauge
railroad. When we cast anchor about
two miles from the shore it was raining
and the sea was rough and only very
few of The party felt like taking an extra
shake up in a small boat by which we
had to land. Their stomachs were still
off color from the rough ride up the coast.
n half dozen of us however went on
shore and called on our consular agent
there and found him courteous gentle
man. He came from Louisiana and is
chief engineer of the railroad. From him
we learned that this road would be ex-
tended quite distance inland perhaps
some day to connect with the road that
now reaches out from Constantinople to-
ward the interior of Asia Minor.
He also spoke of the difficulty and
danger of travelling in the interior of
Turkey unless accompanied by a guide
and soldier. These railroads will soon
revolutionize the country and bring in
ner Turkey in touch with the world and
break up those bands of outlaws and cut
throats that now infest the mountainous
districts. This is apparent already where
railroads have been constructed. Tarsus
is only a small place with no other i'm
pertance to tourists than its connection
with Paul.
Mersina was an interesting little place
and we spent several hours wandering
around through the rain visiting their
shops, bazaars, ana places of business.
Ripe cherries were in the markets, also
otLer small fruits. The people we're
Turks, but courteous. l saw their pro-
cess of bread making and baking. There
was nothing private about it. 1t was done
in little shop on the corner with two
sides open so that all could see. The boy
who was running the shop would break
of a batch ofdough, flatten it ont some
on board, and then by a skillml manip-
ulatlon of tossing ii from one hand to the
other would spread it out as thin as a pie
crust. He would then place it in an oven,
heated with charcoal, for few minutes.
1t looked pretty good. The crowd of ma.
tives standing about were buying and
eating it fresh from the oven. / did not
indulge.
Leaving Mersina we skirted the south
ern coast of Asia Minor keeping the
shore in sight all the way. A most mag
nihcent scene was witnessed along there
which l am sure shall never forget.
We were sailing along in a perfect sea
with the soft, balmy atmosphere of early
summer when suddenly, to our right, a
long range of mountains rose up before
us with their tops covered with snow. A
little further on three ranges were disoOy-
cred each higher than the other as they
stood back from the sea. The sun was
shining brightly and as it touched these
snow-capped mountain tops they reflect
ed back the light with a brilliancy daz-
zline to the eyes. The constantly chang
ing outline of the mountain tops against
the summer sky, the long white weaths
of misty clouds that sometimes floated
along their sides or settled on their heads
like a silver crown, lower down their
sides green with the verdure of early
spring and the valleys containing small
villages with orchards and grain fields
about them, and with their feet washed
with the pure waters of the blue Medit-
erranean all combined to make up a pic
ture so sublime in its beauty aud effects
that one can scarce expect to see it re-
peated in life time.
Our way took us by the Island of
Rhodes, associated in history with ancient
Greece and at whose port once stood tha t
huge Colossal statue of Apollos, one of
the seven wonders of the world. Here
Paul stopped on one of his missionary
journeys, past the island of Coos, also of
biblical mention, the island of Patmos
where the Apostle John was exiled "for
the word of God and for the testimony of
Jesus Christ" 1t would have been a
pleasure to land here and look over the
dreary barren island where once this be-
loved disciple lived and where the last
great revelation to man was given. The
island looked to be of volcanic origin and
uninhabited, but we were told that a
monastery stands on the top bearing the
name OF John the Divine" Chios is a
beautiful island, well cultivated and
prosperous looking. The city, bearing
the same name is regularly laid out with
some good streets and is surrounded
with fine orchards. 1t has some good
stores. While it has good harbor made
by stone walls extending out quite dis
tance into the sea for some reason we an
chored outside. AS darkness was fast
approaching only "A feV of tha nart,, land