The sun., 1908-05-10

Of simple courtesy and good fellowship,
He began business by producing his olga.
| rette case and treating US to = thimbleful
| Of luxurious Turkish coffee as genially ~
an Irish host would produce his decanter
| Llngulstically we got on amicably though
hazlly by means Of an exchange OF abomlna-
bly, bad French and bad Arabic, for the Gov.
vernon had little French and no English.
The duties Of hospitality completed We
stepped across the street into a Crypt
where Alexander and myeeh surrendered
our sticks 10 the soldiers before an orihce
was unlocked for us at the bottom OF q
heavy iron barred gate, through which We
had TO stoop to squeeze ourselves as into
some subterranean shrine. We found our
selves locked In between the iron gate
through which We had been admitted
and second iron gate, a yard In front,
which opened into the prison courtyard.
Here the misfortunes entailed on poor
humanity from the days Of Babel down by
the confusion Of tongues began TO over
take US, As We presently discovered the
Governor, the dragoman and myself got
entangled in hopeless riddle OF misunder-
standings In three languages. II never once
occurred 10 me that the visit was TO be
otherwise than an ordered inspection OF
ranges Of cells and private interviews with
meek prisoners, covering under the eye
Of the Governors mere commonplace
ceremonial Of the Irish or English order,
with Of course, an element OF Oriental
backsheesh thrown In. There seemed to
be some hesitation about unlocking the
second gate, and Alexander, with length
Of face did not in the least understand At
the moment, asked me II ] really desired
10 60 In. why, certainly was the reply
What on earth else did we come for?'
The little wicket 10 the inner gate was
thereupon unlocked and the Governor
was the first to step into the prison court
yard Immediately followed. Alexander
crawled through IT, with a countenance
lengthier than ever, but with the expression
Of resignation with which the Oriental
accents the maddest freaks Of English
eccentricitydor as 10 expecting the Oriental
to master the difference between English
and Irish" however humiliaung TO our
national pride may be the confess on, you
ght as we'll expect him 10 understand
the controversy whether the main street Of
Dublin ought TO be called '0Connell
street" or 'Sackville street'), The lock
Of the little wicket then Immediately clicked.
and we stood in the open courtyard with
the two iron gates 10 freedom locked behind
us. But" I said. TO the best Of my two
langua Gee why should not the lady come
in, too?" For my wife had been left in the
space between the two iron gates. where
they had introduced a chair for her com
fort The Governor shook his head
mysteriously and Alexander turned up his
surprised ewes to heaven. | at once came
TO the conclusion that the difficulty was the
universal Oriental one az 10 the equality
Of vomankind in the assemblies of men.
The Turkish penal law affords 10 each
prisoner three small loaves Of bread per
day with water to wash them down 1.-THE
loaves. | mean, not their faces, for water
in Jerusalem is a commodity too precious
TO be nut 10 such spendthHft uses). But,
In addition. the prisoner can make a tiny
peculium bv his own prison labor, and Ia
permitted further to receive food or money
from his friends outsde-a development OF
Turkish prison barbahty which might be
copied with advantage by more sanctimoni-
Gus professors Of prison philanthropy
nearer home. We came, therefore, pro-
vided with a supply Of 70 francs in medii-
diehs and 4metallics' 10 distribute in back
sheesh as q humble tribute OF sympathy
from one who was Maud ipndTus mali In the
matter OF the dscomforts OF prison life.
These ! proposed TO distribute in modest
doles at our leisure, as we strolled from
cell to cell and heard the individual stories
Of sorrow.
But the Governor, the dragoman and
myself we're no sooner landed inside the
locked griles than from all sides there poured
in upon us a horde Of savaRes about as un-
desirable looking as ever glared upon you
from a chamber Of horrors-with the
additional draw back Of being hungry flesh
and blood instead Of wax. We we're, in
fact, in the midst Of 100 Of the choicest
bandits and assassns Of the Turkish Empire,