Upon its arrival, the Scamandre was immediately surrounded by a
multitude of caicks filled with bearded Turks, veiled women, and various
coloured bales. Upon deck rose a deafening Babel of voices,--the sailors
swore, the women screamed, and the porters fought, until at length quiet
was restored, and one hundred and eighty-six new Mussulman passengers
came on board the steamer. Amid the caicks ranged along the sides of the
vessel, was one much more richly freighted than the rest; the traveller
to whom it belonged was a young Arab, who, standing on a pile of bales,
domineered over his boatmen by several feet. His white garments set off
to advantage his dark complexion; and a cloak of black wool, profusely
embroidered with gold lace, drew upon him the eyes of all. I had seldom,
if ever, beheld a head more beautiful or more expressive than that of
the young man. His large black eyes were full of intelligence, and in
his bearing was a natural nobility and pride. As long as the confusion,
described above, continued, he directed his boatmen to keep at a
distance, but when all were embarked, and the Scamandre was ready to
start, he hailed the vessel, and having mounted the side-ladders, gave
his hand to six veiled women in succession, whose long white dominos
prevented the spectators from even guessing at their age or beauty. The
young man, once on board, conducted his odalisques to a fore-cabin,
placed a hideous negro at the door as sentinel, and returned immediately
to the deck, where another negro presented him with a narguileh (Turkish
water-pipe).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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