The Ship-Dwellers: A Story of a Happy CruisePaine, Albert Bigelow
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The Ship-Dwellers: A Story of a Happy Cruise
Paine, Albert Bigelow
Middle East -- Description and travel
It is said that one Greek is equal to three Turks, and I believe it. The
poorest Greek we saw was too much for two Americans, and we were beset
and besieged and literally borne down and swamped by a rising tide of
bags. We bought at many prices and in many places; we piled the carriage
full and fled away at last when they were going to dump upon us a
collection of costumes and firearms and draperies that would have
required a flat-car.
We were breathing easier when the Blue Elephant pulled us into another
narrow street, and behold! it was another street of bags. Dear me! how
could we explain that we had enough bags and wanted to see other things?
I would almost have given four hundred dollars to have been able to
tell him that I wanted to visit the old Byzantine structure we had
passed that morning--the one with all the little shoemakers
down-stairs--but the thing was impossible. I must buy some more bags,
there was no help for it. So I did buy some more, and I picked out a
place where a man spoke enough English to give the Blue Elephant a fresh
start, which brought us at last to the old Byzantine building and the
little shoemakers.
Then we saw the street of a hundred clanking sounds--anyway we called it
that, for they made all kinds of copper vessels in there--and we got out
and told the Blue Elephant to wait, for the place was very narrow; but
we couldn't lose him, seeing he was always on our heels, ready to whirl
us away somewhere, anywhere, in his crazy, fitty fashion. We had to let
him do it, now, for we had used up all the interpreters we could find;
besides, we didn't care, any more.
Still, when it got to be near luncheon-time we did begin to wonder where
the party had gone. It did not matter greatly, we could lunch anywhere,
but we were curious to know whether we should ever see them or the ship
again, and when we mentioned the matter to the Blue Elephant he merely
grinned and whipped up his horses and capered across another square. But
presently I realized that some sort of procession was passing and that
he had turned into it. Then it was all just like dreams I've had, for it
was our own procession, and we were calmly going along in it, and right
away were being personally conducted through a remarkable church where
the king and queen go, and sit in golden chairs. Alice in Wonderland
could hardly have had a more surprising adventure.
* * * * *
Our party being free after luncheon, Laura and I engaged Lykabettos on
our own account and drove out to the Bay of Salamis, where Xerxes made
his great mistake in the matter of fleets.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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