le to naval duty. As we passed
the island of Lissa the captain pointed out the scene of a naval
engagement between the Austrians and Italians in 1866, in which he had
participated. The salary of these officers is only about a thousand
dollars a year.

[Illustration: TURKISH LADY.]

We embarked with our baggage in a caique, which is much like an open
gondola, only lighter and narrower, and generally painted in light
colors, yellow being the favorite one, and were soon landed at the
custom-house. A franc satisfied the Turk in attendance that our
baggage was all right, and it was immediately transferred to the back
of an _ammale_, or carrier. These men take the places of horses and
carts with us. A sort of pack-saddle is fastened on their backs,
and the weights they carry are astonishing. Our ammale picked up a
medium-sized trunk as if it was a mere feather: on top of this was
put a hat-box, and with a bag in one hand he marched briskly off as
if only enjoying a morning constitutional. We made our way through
the dirty streets and narrow alleys to the Hotel de Byzance in the
European quarter. This is a very comfortable hotel, kept in French
style, and most of the attendants speak French. Our chamber_maid_,
however, is a _man_, a most remarkable old specimen in a Turco-Greek
dress--long blue stockings and Turkish slippers, very baggy white
trousers, a blue jacket, white turban twisted around his fez cap and
a voluminous shawl about his waist. His long moustache is quite gray,
but his black eyes are keen as a hawk's, and as he moves quickly and
silently about my room, arranging and dusting, I fancy how he would
look in the same capacity in our house at home.

Our hotel stands in the Rue de Pera, the principal street of the
European quarter, and as it is narrow the lights from the shops make
it safe and agreeable to walk out in the evening. This is one of
the few streets accessible to carriages, though in some parts it is
difficult for two to pass each other. Most of the shops are French and
display Paris finery, but the most attractive are the fruit-shops with
their open fronts, so you take in their inviting contents at a glance.
Broad low counters occupy most of the floor, with a narrow passage
leading between from the street to the back part of the shop, and
counters and shelves are covered with tempting fruits and nuts. Orange
boughs with the fruit on decorate the front and ceiling of the shop,
and over all presides a