Year: 1875

Alexatz having asked the Turk II he were bound TO
Bosnia, no looked At him for moment aud then
swcred "Bana Luka" /" Upon this he was turning
away when AlexAtz inquired OF him IL he we're familiar
with things the interior OF the vl6iet He
that he had never been there before; that he knew
absolutely nothing about or persons savo
that ho had heard OF some dsafection.
Upon this Alexatz, in quality OF good servian,
entered !n:o a glowing description OF the cruees
which the Bosnans described themselves having
dured. The Judge listened without moving muscle of
his face until Alexaz had finished whom he lifted up
his arms saying 1T not true All these are stories
invented by people who are desrous or overthrowing
the government" Then he dropped his arms list
lessly again and relapsed into kind or revere Find
ing that he knew little and was SO hard headed
were about TO retire, when, rounding point in the
stream under q cliff which stood group Of
Bosnian soldery gazing inently boat the noise
OF whose approach had alarmed them This seemed to
bring him OF his reverie and he talked for few
minutes about the fertility or the country when in
stantly change came over him; he left us without
word; solcmnly took mat which his domestic handed
him. and turning his back to and his face 10 the
east and stripping of his Shoes began 10 pray. He
was perhaps twenty minutes at his devotons repeat
edly kneeng and bowing his head to the deck and
naming prostrate for long time At last he rose
calmly, resumed his shoes and returned to





think it dangerous policy to send into tho midst of
people judges who do not know their language, and
who compelled to depend upon interpreter for
the justice of their decisions His that God
guided the heart OF pious judge and would not allow
him to 60 astray. OF course it seemed hardly worth
while to contradict this but Alexatz next asked the
venerable Turk If he had heard OF the in which
the judges at Bana Luka innocenty tortured foreign
business man. whom they had arrested there for al
legged completely in the insurrection. The Judge re-
plying with faint SMILE II express his in
credulity IN the negative, Aexatz informed him that
the man was tortured with an iron band which
placed about his head and nearly murdered before
his tormentors could be persuaded that he really
innocent Tho Judge blew thick cloud of smoke and
observed that should receive such statements with
the disdain which they merted and added that even
had the judges consented the torture it must have
been done for good Thereafter fell to
talking popular government which tho Turk con-
sdered absolute fallacy No nation could prosper
unless the power the hands of man, he said
For the people he appeared to entertain profound con-
tempt perhaps justified by the experience he had had
with the lower classes of his own countrymen


| TURKS


without intending tho least dsrespect II almost
impossible refrain from laughing at the numerous
adventures which the venerable Mussulman encoun-
tered in the of his prayers He went regularly
to his mat five times day, but often disturbed
by the sailors who hauling ropes, and who,
one occasion hopelessly nanged him, while he with
his forehead the ground lost In the wilderness
of Mohammedan prayer so happened, too, that his
hours of prayer the those OF the captain
and for meals and the latter generally
gagged in popping corks and in eating the forbidden
flesh of the swine just lime the Judge raised his
hands to heaven. After few efforts to find
quiet place deck in which to pray happy thought
struck the Turk Thereafter he spread his mat upon
the cabin hatchway, and thus escaped intrusion The
| last time l him At prayer his pic
turesquely sober ngure mounted on the
hatchway, stood out In strong relief against
the moonlit sky, and the dark formsi OF
group OF insurgents who scornfully watching
him at his deyotions lent piquAncy to the scene.


We passed Schabatz, pretty town in Servia after
variety of adventures the sand banks, which At
this of the year show their ugly backs in the
Save channel and bright morning came to
Brska pronounce Bur-r-rskal in Bosnia Here for
the FIRST time found regular Turkish troops in
goody number, and large force OF the Bosnian
Mussulmans each armed with rife, and with three
four knives and pistols his SASH Brska Is large
ana well built town, the quarter inhabited by the
Christians bearing comparison with any place on the
Austrian shore. The Turkish quarter Is narrow OF
and Ill Of smell; thero nothing graceful


except the pretty towers Of the mnarcts Here the
Christians were very much alarmed at the reports OF
events further up the river and leaving in large
numbers There among those voluntary exies
many families Of wealth and culture all speaking the
servan language, and differing whit from
the servians Of Servia They complained
bitterly OF the domineering spirit mani
tested lattcrly by the Mussulmans. Instances
without number were recounted, showing the tyrann-
cal manner in which the spirit Of maintained
by the dominant religious party. The Christians had
succeeded erecting very large ana beautiful church
At Brska The Mussulmans made no objection until q
chime OF bells arrived from Vienna for the church.
when they forbade the placing Of the bells in the
steeple saying that they would perhaps be changing
when the faithful were called to prayer from the nina
rets and that that could not be allowed They also
used very oppressive In closing and forbid
ding Christian schools and showed by their general
demeanor that they ready, at short notice, to
enter upon war Of determination In the country
Brska the day before my visit, several families
had been massacred and the children had been carved
in pieces by Turkish yataghans The Christian clergy
In all the country round feared for their lives, and
never went out unless accompanied by numerous
friends In Brska the Mohammedans were enraged
against the Christians claiming that they melted
the poor and ignorant rayahs in the fields to rebellion
sNether Turks Christians TRANQUILITY night
in Brska" said a lady to Alexatz 'our life, there.
FORE the past few weeks has been continual torture
These, like all the other intelligent persons whom
met, lamented the complete lack OF proper weapons
among the rayahs "Do you suppose" said Of
the ladies', with little fash Of sectional PRIDE 'that
there would be 1900 refugees from Bosnia in that
country (pointing TO the Austrian shore) H. the
had guns and pistols to defend their homes with ?"
people that 400 years has been accustomed have
weapons because lis cruel masters occrec,
prepare itself to fight in day, If It has
offered 1t; but when cannot get tho OF de-
fenco its heplessness is doubly to be pted.
The who down from the noun
tains at the outbreak OF this insurrecton
to tight for their liberties literally "armod
with staves," which OF the chief products Of
| Var favuo NJ haHn