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294 BY DESERT WAYS TO BAGHDAD
a roll of tobacco ; "a good friend and little money.
That was what you said, wasn't it, Padishah ?"
And I reflect that there is many a true word
spoken in jest.
" Has she no friend in England," he asked X
one day, " or does she never speak in England
either?"
" Yes," said X, " she has a friend in England,
and she does not speak because she is thinking of
him."
"And you, Vali Pasha, have you also a friend
in England ? "
"Yes," I answered for X; "she has twenty-nine
friends in England, and you are only the thirtieth."
And Hassan would ride on in silence, pondering
over the strange ways of English ladies.
Amongst his other duties he had to purchase the
food, pay the muleteers and soldiers, and give tips ;
and it fell to my lot to do up the accounts with him
periodically. The unusual mental exertion required
by this he found very trying. His imperturbability
would forsake him completely. On the first occasion
he broke down altogether. " What can I do with
figures? " he said, the tears rolling down his cheeks;
" let me go back to my hills and forests; I am only
a poor hunter. She brings out her little book and
I shall not know how the piastres have gone, and
she will think I have taken her piastres," and he
laid his head on his knees and groaned aloud.
When we became better acquainted, however,
" hisab" (accounts) became a joke, though they
always caused him to perspire profusely.
AN ARMENIAN AND A TURK 295
At first my entire ignorance of the language made
our intercourse over the account-book somewhat
difficult. We would sit on the ground opposite one
another, and Hassan would fumble in the folds of
his belt until he had found his spectacles and his
account-book.
" Are you ready ? "
" Yes."
" Peki (very good), Effendim; yimurta (eggs) 2
piastres." I would write it down.
" Yasdin me ? "
" Ne yasdin me ? " (what is " yasdin me ? ").
" Yasdin me ? yasdin me ? yasdin me ? "
I have not the smallest idea what " yasdin me"
means, but I pretend to write it down and then
say :
" How many piastres was it ? "
Hassan makes a gesture of despair.
" Yasdin me ? yasdin me ? yasdin me ? " he repeats
again.
"X," I shout across the tent, " what does 'yasdin
me' mean ? I suppose it's some sort of food, only
he won't tell me how many piastres it costs."
" It means ' Have you written it ?'" said X calmly.
"Yasdin me?" repeats Hassan again.
" Yes," I answer meekly.
" Aha, now she know," says Hassan, and he mops
his forehead vigorously. " I say ' Yasdin me ' and
she says, ' How many piastres ? Aman, aman ! "
" Peki, Effendim" (very good), he goes on. " Etmek
(bread), 3 piastres. Have you written it ? "
"Yes."