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—
I PAY OFF IGHSAN 355
well why the Consul found such Infinite satisfaction
in his bodyguard and servant.
Soon after arriving in Adana it seemed that I must
return to Constantinople at once, with small prospect
of resuming my journey for another two months.
With great reluctance, therefore, I paid Ighsau off,
though hoping to engage him again when I should
come back. The morning he left for Kaisariyeh the
old man came to the house to say farewell once more,
and show me the trifles he had bought for his wife
a poor, gay, little box, with scissors and needles and
the like, and a small packet of chocolates—and then
his own provision of dates and pasderma packed in
tobacco tins of my discarding. He showed me, too,
how he carried his gold in three small balls of dough
or moistened bread, tied cunningly into different parts
of his clothing,—there was to be no clinking of the
magic metal to announce his riches as he went back
through the mountains. In the way he showed his
purchases was something simple and artless, something
of the pleasure of one, I thought, who has been
able to buy unusual presents ; but when he kissed
my hands and broke into tears I detected that his
unusual interest in trifles had to do with saying goodbye
and the end of his service. I saw him go with
unfeigned regret and a strange consciousness of personal
loss, for in ten weeks the old man had won
more than my liking ; I felt for him, indeed, as I now
recognised, the affectionate respect that one might
have for a friend. He had all the admirable Turkish
qualities, and few of any opposite sort. He was faithful
in all things ; not only brave but self-sacrificing too ;
and his word was a pledge ; and often when I observed
his patience and dignity and even good- temper, I felt
that I had more to learn from him than he from me.
Ighsan had been gone only a day when I heard
that I need not return for another six weeks, but
by this time he was out of reach. I had to find
another man, and now sought the aid of Ibrahim,
who produced a friend named Mustapha, an Adana