Year: 1870

chinks of the doorway, and who,
for some reason or other, never ap-
pears on deck. But this is surmise
only there are any number of fem ale
servants--one of them being tall
negress, dressed in white; the other
women who are perpetually trotting
to and fro from one saloon to
another, and whose faces can scarce
ly be seen under the blue cotton
shawls, which they keep folded close
over their faces. The service be
tween the harem and the outer
world is conducted by three body
servants. The highest in dignity IS
a black eunuch--very tall and hid
eously ugly, with protruding under
jaw, a nose fattened to his face, and
immense blubber lips, who spends
his time perpetually in one saloon
or in another, but only waits upon
the ladies, in the way of bringing
food or lighting their pipes, as
matter of favor and condescension.
Next in rank comes a good looking
young fellow, with trim mustache,
who acts as a sort of major domo
and valet to the Pasha, who is on
the best of terms with all the ladies,
and is always talking with them
though he never enters the saloons
at any rate, when anybody is look
ing And last, not least, there is
wretched little scrub Of any age be-
tween 10 and 90. sort of Turkish
''Smike," who acts as nursemaid to
all the children, is bullied by all the
nurses, cuTed by the eunuch, and
run off his legs by everybody, till I
wonder sometimes that he does not
make hole in the water and betake
himself to better world. Possibly
on shore his life is not so hard as it
is on board ship, where all his mis-
tresses are cross, bored and out of
temper. I hope so, at any rate, for
the credit of human nature. But.
even with the assistance of his male
attendants, the life Of the Pasha is
by no means an easy one. There is
always something going wrong in
some one of the cabins, and the
podgy little man has to puff down
from the deck scores Of times du-
ling the day to- set things Alright
below stairs. The steward tells me
that during the voyages in the Le-
want he has never travelled with a
party of Turkish ladies who were
quiet or we'll Depend
upon it, the days are not always
halcyon days even for Pasha Of
many tails. All through the morn
ing the cabin is in state of perpet-
ual worry and confusion. Some ar
ticle Of toilet is wanted, or on ex
cursion has to be made to some
body else's cabin, or the pipe has
gone out, Or the contents of the
water jugs exhausted, or the beds
have to be made, or the breakfast
has not appeared in due order, OR
the children are crying; and for one
cause or another there is q perpet-
ual rapping at the doors, a jibbering
and rustling all the midday hours.
There is an end to everything, even
to scoldingwoman's tongue; toward
midday, when the heat is sitting,
there is. sort of siesta on board
the boat; and when the MONDAY
sleep is over, the Pasha quits the
saloon where the chief wives are as
sembled, and comes forth in the
glory Of his green robes and turban,
has his narghile brought upon deck,
squats upon the carpet and smokes
placidly. Then after a little time,
the ladies of the harem come up, es-
corted by servants, laden with folds
of shawls; and after much arranging
and rearranging Of pillows and cush-
ions, they, too, seat themselves
apart in sort Of circle, within the
range of the Pasha's eyes, and
smoke cigaretts, or even chibouks,
and drink coffee and use their eyes
freely.