"
_Author_. "Do you intend to go back?"
_Dervish_. "I am in the hands of Allah Talaa. These good Bosniacs here
have built me this house, and given me this garden. They love me, and
I love them."
_Author_. "I am anxious to see the mosque, and mount the minaret if it
be permitted, but I do not know the custom of the place. A Frank
enters mosques in Constantinople, Cairo, and Aleppo."
_Dervish_. "You are mistaken; the mosques of Aleppo are shut to
Franks."
_Author_. "Pardon me; Franks are excluded from the mosque of Zekerieh
in Aleppo, but not from the Osmanieh, and the Adelieh."
_Dervish_. "There is the Muezzin; I dare say he will make no
difficulty."
The Muezzin, anxious for his backshish, made no scruple; and now some
Moslems entered, and kissed the hand of the Dervish. When the
conversation became general, one of them told me, in a low tone, that
he gave all that he got in charity, and was much liked. The Dervish
cut some flowers, and presented each of us with one.
The Muezzin now looked at his watch, and gave me a wink, expressive of
the approach of the time for evening prayer; so I followed him into
the church, which had bare white-washed walls with nothing to remark;
and then taking my hand, he led me up the dark and dismal spiral
staircase to the top of the minaret; on emerging on the balcony of
which, we had a general view of the town and environs.
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