acrossasiaminoro00chiluoft

my soul!— cried Mehmet, jumping
180 ACROSS ASIA MINOR ON FOOT
with animals at rest under its
broken walls, a forlorn
monument of a race scarcely remembered in its own
land.
Evening came on when we were still a long way
from my destination, the hospital of the American
mission at Talas. For a couple of hours Talas, a
detached suburb of Kaisarij^^eh, five or six miles from
the city, had been visible on its high bluif, with Ali
Dagh close behind. To reach Talas we were to turn
off somewhere on our left, but no sign of a road
appeared, and Mehmet held on steadily towards Kaisariyeh,
whose minarets and Seljuk tombs and cloud
of blue evening smoke rose before us under the sunset
sky. Just before darkness fell it became evident we
had gone too far this way. A belated peasant said
that we should have turned off at a point several
miles behind, and have gone boldly through the
vineyards, that being the custom, for no road as
such existed there ; we now would have to go almost
to Kaisariyeh, and then take the main road to
Talas.
" Jannam ! "—
from his seat in fiery anguish on getting this information.
Here was night upon him, some five miles
still to go, and a Jchan to find for himself; for the
point of all his anxiety was to set ofi" early on the
morrow for Sivas.
"Ride, efiendi ! Ride! ride!" he exclaimed, striking
his whip -handle on the footboard in the vehemence
of his request.
So I got into the araha, and at a headlong pace
he drove across the plain for Talas, where lights
were beginning to shine. He urged his horses up
the steep winding road which climbs several hundred
feet to the American hospital, and lost no time in
discharging me and my baggage at the doctor's
hospitable door. He pocketed his fare in haste, and
before the door had closed was rattling down the
road to find shelter in the Turkish quarter, and snatch