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98 BY DESERT WAYS TO BAGHDAD
Finding it impossible to dissuade us, the Vali then
leads the way to the Council chamber, and makes
X sit in the Presidential chair, where, he informs us,
no one but the Vali has ever sat. He tells X she
is now the Vali Pasha, this is her house, and he
is at her commands.
X promptly seizes the opportunity, and asks for
favour to be extended to a friend we had met
in the course of our travels, who had been banished
from Adana owing to having incurred the Vali's
displeasure.
VALI. Because he was kind to you I will pardon
him. He may come back if it will please the ladies.
X. We are much obliged to your Excellency.
VALI. Many people have spoken to me for him,
but I would not listen ; but to please the ladies I will
now forgive him.
VALI. Will it please the ladies to dine with me
to-morrow ?
X. We thank your Excellency, it would give us
much pleasure. But we must apologise for our clothes ;
we are travelling, and have no suitable dresses for
dining with your Excellency.
VALI (waves his hand). The ladies must not mention
it. I can see by their appearance how noble they
are, and their clothes are therefore of no significance.
X. We will now say goodbye, and we thank your
Excellency for all his kindness.
VALI. It is I that am indebted for your presence.
Will you send my love to his Excellency your father ?
for he also is a Pasha, and we are brothers.
ROYAL PROGRESS 99
From Adana our next stage was to Aintab. Our
luggage had now all to be conveyed on pack-mules,
for we were going over tracks where wheels could
not pass. This made our party seem larger, for
we needed three mules for the baggage, and they
were accompanied by three muleteers, who also
looked after our horses and the mules ridden by
our men. Our escort here consisted of four Zaptiehs
and a Captain. This was the lowest number to which
we had been able to reduce the fifteen men the
Vali had pressed upon us. Nominally, they received
no pay from us, but the " baksheesh " which we were
expected to give them no doubt compensated for
the arrears of pay from which the Turkish soldier
invariably suffers.
••••••
We had parted with Constantin at Adana. He
was not very suitable for really rough camping work,
and we had asked the missionaries at Adana to
recommend us a less civilised person, who would
be more competent in tight places. Through them
we engaged an Armenian, Arten by name. He
could only speak Turkish, so we were now entirely
thrown on our own resources as to Turkish con
versation. X, however, had acquired quite enough
of the language to be intelligible to Hassan, who
interpreted our wants to the others.
We had hardly left Adana before incessant heavy
rains came on, which turned the tracks into impassable
mud swamps. We struggled on as far as Hamidieh
where we sought refuge in the house of an Austrian
widow who ran a large cotton mill in the place.
M