his course, so that twice in
the day he might shine upon the cavern. The name of the dog, "Kit Mehr,"
has always appeared in the traditions of the Mussulmans, but I believe
no name has been preserved for him in the Christian story. This dog,
having consumed three hundred years in standing erect, growling and
guarding his masters' slumbers, was for his faithfulness considered
worthy of translation to heaven. He was admitted to that beatitude in
company with Abraham's ram, Balaam's ass, the foal upon which Jesus rode
into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and Mohammed's mare upon which he
ascended to heaven.

What says Alcoran?--"When the youths betook them to the cave they said,
'O our Lord! grant us mercy from before thee, and order for us our
affairs aright!' ... And thou wouldst have deemed them awake, though
they were sleeping; and we turned them to the right and to the left; and
in the entrance lay their dog with paws outstretched. Hadst thou come
suddenly upon them thou wouldst surely have turned thy back on them in
flight, and have been filled with fear of them.... Some say, 'There
were three, their dog the fourth;' others say, 'Five, their dog the
sixth,' guessing at the secret; others say, 'Seven, and their dog the
eighth.' Say, 'My Lord best knoweth the number: none save a few shall
know them.' Therefore be clear in thy discussions about them, and ask
not any Christian concerning them. Haply, my Lord will guide me that I
may come near to the truth of this story with correctness.... And they
tarried in this cave three hundred years, and nine years over."

Half an hour brought us back to Aiasulouk and the mosque of Sultan
Selim. Here everything seemed still more quiet than when we left. Even
the storks were sitting or standing in a meditative posture, not one
flying about. The railway porters and some rayahs were lying on the
platform in the enjoyment of their midday slumbers, their heads and
faces carefully wrapped up in their capotes, while their bare, bronzed
shanks and huge feet, in shapeless red shoes, projected in what seemed
absurd disproportion to the rest of their bodies. I must make an
exception. There was one wide-awake individual awaiting us, the owner of
the horses. He was no sooner paid for the hire of his animals than,
tying them fast, he went into the miserable little cafe; and we found
the animals still made fast, still saddled, unwatered and unfed, when we
took the evening train, the owner being descr