To Spare My Dinner My Host Took Me Out A Visiting Almost Every
Day, Just Before The Dinner Hour; And
That he might know how far it
would be prudent to incur expence on my account, he permitted one of
His
friends to search my pockets, and was cruelly disappointed when he found
that my purse did not contain more than four or five piastres. My horse,
for the maintenance of which I had agreed with my host, was fed with
straw, until I told them that I should take care of it myself, when they
were obliged to deliver its daily portion of barley into my own hands.
Such was the liberality which I experienced in return for the medical
advice and medicines which they received without hesitation from me upon
demanding them. Their minds seemed intent only upon money, except among
the lovers there was no other subject of conversation, and instead of
the Arab virtues, of honour, frankness, and hospitality, there appeared
to be no other motive of action among them than the pursuit of gain. The
person of a Frank may be safe among them, but his baggage will be
exposed to close search, and whatever strikes the fancy of a powerful
man, will be asked of him in such a manner, that it is adviseable to
give up the object at once. I had fortunately hidden my compass in my
girdle, but a thermometer which they found in my pocket, attracted
general notice; if I had explained to them the use I meant to make of
it, it would have confirmed the suspicion already hinted to me by one of
them, that I intended to poison their springs. I pretended that the
thermometer was a surgical instrument, which being put into the blood of
an open wound served to shew whether the wound was dangerous or not. It
is not more from the behaviour of the Turkmans towards myself, that I
formed my opinion of their character, than from their conduct towards
each other. They are constantly upon their guard against robbers and
thieves of their own tribe; they cheat each other in the most trifling
affairs, and like most of the Aleppo merchants, make use of the most
awful oaths and imprecations to conceal their falsehood. If they have
one good quality it is their tolerance in religious matters, which
proves, on the other hand, how little they care about them.
[p.642] The men marry at fourteen or fifteen, the girls at thirteen.
Excepting Hayder Aga, and some of his brothers, there are very few who
have more than one wife. They celebrate their marriage feasts with great
pomp. The young men play upon those occasions at a running game much
resembling the “jeu de barre,” known on the continent of Europe. Their
music then consists in drums and trumpets, only, for the Turkmans, are
not so fond of music as the Aleppines and the Arabs, nor did I ever meet
among them with any of the story-tellers, who are so frequent amongst
the Arabs of the desert.
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