OUR first sight of Asia was the coasts directly across the sea east of Greece, which in the old Greek times were called Ionia. The evening before we had sailed from Athens, and all night long we had been steering among the famous islands in the body of water which is often named on the the maps the Grecian Archipelago," but which the old Greeks used to style "the Ægean Sea." In the morning we had stopped for an hour at "Scio's rocky isle," one of the seven places which laid claim to be the birthplace of Homer, an island famous in history, and mentioned also in the voyages of Paul by the no of Chios. Soon after we sailed from Chios, we saw some blue mountains rising across our course in the east. What country is that? What mountains are those? In reply we were told that these mountains were in the Vilayet (province) of Smyrna, and that we were nearing the coast of Asia! [9]

      How the news stirred us! The boys, David, Will and Bayard, fairly leaped and shouted with excitement, and I confess that I shared their enthusiasm. Asia! The great, mysterious quarter of the earth which was the birthplace of the religions of mankind; the first home of man; the scene of Bible story; the birthplace of our Savior, his apostles, and all the prophets! The very word Asia seemed like an enchantment, and the deep blue sky above, "the wine colored sea" below, and the dim mountains lighted by the morning sun added to the spell.

      Soon our prow was turned towards the shores, but they parted and our ship swept in between the bold headlands that guard the entrance to the noble Bay of Smyrna, which pierces thirty or forty miles into the heart of the continent. Before long we were passing the Turkish forts which guard the harbor, and a little after midday our anchor was cast, a half mile from shore, in front of the wharves, among the crowded shipping of the greatest commercial port of Western Asia. Since this was our first experience of an Asiatic city, we studied it intently as we approached, and were delighted with its appearance from the harbor. Crowded down to the boulevard which stretched along the water's edge, it reached for several miles along the Bay, and also pushed its way up a lofty mountain on the southeast. The white houses seemed to be agreeably intermingled with groves, [10] orchards, gardens and patches of green, while above all rose the noble top of Mount Pagus, the citadel of ancient Smyrna, ornamented by trees and crowned by crumbling ruins.

      "Well," said Bayard, " that is a fine-looking city. If this is Asia it is not so bad, after all. What is the population of Smyrna?"

      Mr. Crunden, who was standing near, replied that it had about 200,000 people. Of these nearly seventy thousand were Greek Christians, three or four thousand Armenian Christians, about ten thousand Jews, and five thousand Europeans brought here by trade. The balance of the population, a little more than half, were Mohammedans.

      "How old a place is Smyrna? " asked Will.

      "Old enough," exclaimed David, "to be one of the Seven Churches of Asia. Have you not read the epistle to Smyrna in the second chapter of Revelation?"

      "It was already an old city in the time of John," said Mr. Crunden, "old enough to claim to be the birthplace of Homer, who lived a thousand years before Christ. We will see, before we leave, the spot on the River Meles where the house of Homer's father is said to have stood. Indeed Smyrna is older than history. No man knows when it was founded."

      "Where were the other six of the Seven Churches?" asked Bayard.

      "They were all within a radius of about a [11] hundred miles of here; Pergamos to the north; Ephesus to the south; the other four farther east in the interior. We will see the sites of some of them before we leave this part of Asia.

      Our conversation was interrupted by the approach of the boatmen who had come to carry us ashore. Three of the boats were floating a blue flag with the inscription, Henry Gaze & Son, and were conducted by men in uniform. We did not need to be told that these boats had come out to carry us ashore. Soon our valises and trunks were all transferred to them, and we were on our way through the shipping to the shore. We were landed on a well-built stone wharf, which is said to have been built by British capital, and drew up at the custom house barrier. Of course we had to pass customs inspection, and Mr. Crunden told us all to have our passports where we could get them easily, but not to show them unless he directed us to do so. No foreigner is allowed to enter Turkey without a passport, and it is dangerous to be found without one; but although we entered Turkish territory not less than six times from the sea, I never showed my passport at all. Here at Smyrna was the first entrance. Mr. Crunden stepped up to the custom house officer, spoke with him in Turkish or Arabic, then shook hands with him, and if you noticed closely you could see something glitter in their hands as they were clasped; then we were told to pass on. Our baggage was subjected only [12] to the pretense of an examination. A little backshish, put by our conductor in the right place, was a sufficient explanation. Unless the backshish is paid, they usually make trouble over the passport, though correct in every respect.

      While we passed the customs barrier so well, we saw right here evidence that all were not so successful. In a kind of cage near where we were standing was a man whose dress and appearance showed that he was a native of the country, in chains! Whether he had been smuggling, had refused to pay backshish, was the victim of a brutal government, or a malefactor, we were unable to learn, but his sullen look showed that he was not satisfied with his treatment. The next day the boys saw the same man, still bound, mounted on a camel, and being carried out of the city. We would have liked very much to learn what became of the poor fellow. We knew so much of the arbitrary, lawless and cruel ways of the Turks that we could easily picture his fate as a very sad one.

      How strange everything appeared! There was not an omnibus, or a baggage-wagon to be seen. We could easily walk to our hotel, but what was to be done with our baggage? That was soon settled in the Oriental fashion. A string of men appeared, each with a rope, and a sort of cushion on his back. Then valises and trunks were piled on one of these porters until he seemed to have [13] almost a dray load. They were bound together with the rope; it was then placed over his forehead, and off he trudged under a load that you would suppose a a mule could hardly carry. Indeed, these porters carry all the burdens in the Asiatic cities. There is no room for drays or wagons in the narrow streets. It is astonishing what weights the men have accustomed themselves to bear. I have seen them carrying hogsheads of sugar, bales of goods, building stones, and I was told that a single man would sometimes carry six hundred pounds. After what I saw it was not hard to believe the story.

      "Street cars, as sure as I am alive!" exclaimed Will, as we stepped out of the custom house on our way. He was right. A wide space is left between the houses and the sea, a kind of pleasure park more than a hundred feet wide, made lay filling up the shallows next the shore, planted in places with trees, and along it a street car line runs for two or three miles. Indeed on this water front the appearance was more that of Europe than Asia. The Europeans have their homes here; the houses are well-built, and the hotels patronized by travelers are all near the sea. Ours, the Hotel de Ville, overlooked the boulevard as well as the Bay, and furnished us very pleasant quarters.

      When, however, in the afternoon we started out with a guide from the hotel to see the city, and plunged into its recesses, we soon lost the pleasant [14] impressions which had been made by the view from the deck of the steamer, and by the water front. After one leaves the first street he finds himself in an Oriental city. As this was the first Asiatic city we had visited, we were surprised by the narrow streets, only eight or ten feet wide, roughly paved, so unclean that we had to watch our steps, beset with yellow, ugly, half-starved dogs, which refuse to get out of your way, and over which you have to step, and crowded with ill-favored, sickly-looking, half-clad people. I had never seen so filthy a city before. There are no sewers, and no cess-pools. Garbage and all kinds of refuse are cast into the narrow streets, and suffered to remain until devoured by the dogs or washed away by the rains. We did not wonder, after seeing the condition of the streets, to hear than an epidemic sickness called by the natives the denge, was prevailing in Smyrna, and that many thousands of the people were prostrated by it. We rather wondered that they could live at all while so neglecting sanitary laws.

      We saw many strange sights. It was something new to us to meet groups of Turkish women whose faces, except the nose and eyes, were covered with thick, unbecoming veils. The faces hidden may have been very beautiful, but the dress and veils were so ungraceful that it was much easier to fancy them hideous. As we came near the Fig Market, we were forced to give way to a camel [15] train which had come in from the country laden with dried figs. A man on a donkey rode before, with the halter of the first camel attached to his donkey; then still another camel attached to the first, and so on until more than a dozen made up the train, all keeping step to the bells which hung on their pack-saddle. The beasts and their great loads so filled the narrow streets that we had to crowd to the wall. We stopped to look at the fig market, to which the dried figs are brought in for hundreds of miles by the camel trains. Here they are assorted into different sizes, packed in boxes, and shipped into all parts of the world. We were told there that a cargo was then being made up to ship to Boston on a ship which was in the harbor. The trade at Smyrna in dried figs, raisins and other dried fruits is very extensive, this being the center of one of the finest fruit regions in the world. Some of the grapes here have no seeds, and the raisins made from them are seedless.

      Next we picked our way over the dogs, among the camels, through crowded groups of men, around pools of filth, until we reached the eastern outskirts, and then walked out on the great road that leads to the interior. We paused at the River Meles, a clear, beautiful stream, crossed by a stone bridge, interesting to us because it has always been connected with the name of Homer, who was called the "Melesinian Bard." There is reason to believe that he was born and brought up [16] on the banks of this river, and until within a few centuries a monument stood to mark the spot where the house had been where the great poet had lived. The place was shown to us where it stood, not far from the bridge, and greatly interested all among us who were admirers of the Iliad and Odyssey.

      When after our late dinner we spoke of going out into the city and taking a look at the streets by night, Mr. Crunden, our landlord, and some Englishmen who had quarters at the hotel, all united to warn us against it. The gas lights were found only along the front; the interior of the city was not lighted at all and was in total darkness; it was; dangerous, even for residents, to go along these dark streets after night. Only a few days before a physician who was called to make a visit to a patient only three or four blocks from where he lived was beset, knocked down, and robbed. The only safe part at night, they said, was along the well-lighted boulevard in front. These warnings reminded us very forcibly that we were in Asia, and hence there appears nothing on these pages concerning "the night scenes in Smyrna."

      Before we left the city we took a long walk through to its southeast suburbs, and then made the ascent of Mount Pagus, which rises more than a thousand feet above the plain. Our path led through the Greek and Armenian quarters, in which we saw many women on the streets, [17] without veils, as is the custom of Christian lands. Soon we were beyond the streets and begin the ascent of the mountain. We found this no easy work, and were glad when Mr. Crunden paused at a small stone house and shop by the road, where two men in turbans, oriental attire, but with black faces, were sitting on a bench in front. He saluted them and engaged in a conversation in Arabic which was afterwards translated to us. Mr. Crunden first said: "God be with you, my brothers."

      They extended their hands to him, and one of them said: "God be with you, my great brother."

      "Where are you from?" said Mr. Crunden

      "From the Soudan."

      "What part of the Soudan?"

      "From Berber."

      "How long since you left there?"

      "Ten years."

      "What made you leave your home and come here?"

      "We were carried off as slaves, but are now free."

      There was in our company a colored man, a Methodist Episcopal Presiding Elder, from Atlanta, Georgia, who looked, otherwise than in dress, very much like these dark children of Africa. Mr. Crunden brought him forward, and said to them, "This is a learned man who speaks of God. He was once a slave also."

      "God is great," was their reply, as they shook [18] hands warmly with their colored brother. Then they shook hands with each of us, and we passed on much interested in this exhibition of the manners of the East.

      When we reached the top of Mount Pagus we felt well-repaid for the fatigue of the ascent. The whole city lay at our feet. The noble Bay with all its coasts was visible to the point where it opened into the sea, forty miles away. Wide extended plains, reaching, along the shore, or among the mountains, came into view, and we could see that they were planted with orchards, vineyards and gardens. Quite a number of smaller towns ware visible along the shores or in the valleys. The top of the mountain was covered with old ruins, for here the first city of Smyrna was built, perhaps several thousand years ago, and from thence crowded down into the plain by the sea. Here, too, upon this almost inaccessible height, the citadel had stood until modern times.

      We descended the west slope of the mountain, a different way from that in which we had gone up. Our path led us by an ancient tomb upon its side, shaded by tall cypress trees, on which were hung rags, ribbons, handkerchiefs, rings, pieces of iron, etc.

      "What place is this?"

      This is the tomb of Polycarp, who suffered martyrdom about the middle of the second century. He is accounted a saint by Mohammedans [19] as well as Christians, and they fancy that if they will over a prayer at his tomb, and hang some object here, he will intercede for them."

      "Please tell us the story of his death," said the boys.

      Then Mr. Crunden said: "He was a noble Christian man, who had been trained to preach by the Apostle John. He had charge of the church of Smyrna, and lived to be nearly ninety years old, when a great persecution arose. He was warned to flee, since he was a very prominent man, and could have escaped had he sought to do so, but was seized and brought before the Roman governor. When Polycarp refused to swear by the fortunes of Caesar, he condemned him to be thrown to the wild beasts, but then told him that if he would worship the image of the Roman emperor he would let him go. Polycarp replied: 'Eighty and six years I have lived and grown old in the service of Christ. In his service I will die.' His answer made the governor angry, and he ordered him to be burned to death. This was done in the stadium, which was located near where we are now standing. He died rejoicing in Christ, and his name has been honored ever since in Smyrna. Greek Christians, Armenians, Catholics and even Mohammedans all look upon him as the patron saint of the city."

      Our way back led us through the Turkish quarter of the city, which did not differ much from the [20] Greek and Armenian quarters which we had traversed on our way to the foot of Mount Pagus, save in fact that the mosques abounded, and all the women we met were heavily veiled. One old mosque is called that of St. John, and tradition reports it to have been the Christian Church building in Smyrna at the time the Apostle John was among the Seven Churches. This, however, is very doubtful. It was about sunset, and we met hundreds of women and girls whom we supposed to be returning home from some of the factories in which they worked. They presented a curious appearance, with only their noses and their sparkling black eyes exposed to our view. We noticed, however, that some of the younger and more handsome were very careless about their veils, and seemed not at all displeased that the group of "Franks" whom they met should see their pretty face.

      There was no city in this part of the world which had so much interest for us as Ephesus. It was the seat, not only of one of the Seven Churches, but was visited many times by Paul. He planted the church and labored for a long tine there, undergoing great dangers and trials for Christ. In his touching address to the Ephesians elders, found in the twentieth chapter of Acts, he says, "Remember, that for the space of three years I [21] ceased not to warn every one, night and day, with tears." There is no account in his ministry of him staying so long at any other place as at Ephesus. These things, entirely apart from the interesting history of the city in old Grecian times, filled us with a desire to visit the site where it once stood.

      Early in the morning we left our hotel for a walk along the Quay to the station of the Smyrna and Aidan railway, on which Mr. Crunden had engaged a special train to carry us out to Agasalouk, a small town not far from the site of Ephesus. Two railroads have been built from Smyrna far into the interior, one reaching out to the east, and the other, the one we were ready to take, extending to the south and southeast. It seemed strange to observe how the modern and ancient world appeared to meet along the wharves of Smyrna. In the harbor were steamships of various nations; along the Quay a street car line was running; a mile from our hotel was a railroad station where we were to take a special train for a ride to Ephesus; yet on our way thither we were constantly meeting the long camel trains, surging into the city with fruits, provisions, firewood, or perhaps with bales of goods from some far off town among the mountains. Whet could the East have done without the camel? It can live on what other animals reject. The thorns of the desert make it a dainty meal. It can march for days [22] over the desert without water, carrying a load of many hundred pounds. Hence, as far back as history goes, the long camel trains have conveyed back and forth the commerce of Asia, and still carry it, from the Mediterranean and Red Seas to China.

      There were over thirty members in our party. Several English gentlemen whom we met in Smyrna had obtained permission to join it, and it required a train of five or six coaches, of the style that is used all over Europe and in the last, to furnish accommodation. It was our first ride out of sight of the sea into the country districts of Asia, and we were eager to see for ourselves the appearance of the farms and the farmers. We rolled away from the Bay, then turned to, the southeast up the River Meles, along the eastern base of Mt. Pagus, along a valley that was rich in gardens, orchards and vineyards. Gradually the orchards and vineyards gave way to wheat-fields which stretched over a wide valley between the mountains. Yet, after we had been tarried twenty-five or thirty miles from Smyrna, we seemed most of the time to be rolling through a wilderness. Not a farm-house was to be seen, and except for a few buildings at the stations, not a village.

      "Why," exclaimed Will, "this is like riding through New Mexico and Arizona. I supposed that this old country was settled up. If to four [23] or five hundred thousand people who migrate every year to the United States would turn this way, they would find more room."

      "There are more people living through here than you suppose," said Mr. Crunden. "The villages are back from the railroad, hidden in the edge of the mountains. The people all live there who cultivate these grain fields. Their towns were built, long before the railroad, where they could easily defend them, and they still cling to the places where their fathers lived before them. You will not find farm-houses in Asia. The farmers live in farm villages."

      After a time we passed out of the valley which we had been ascending into another, where we found a small river flowing in the direction in which we journeyed. We were told that this was the River Cayster, and knew at once that we were approaching Ephesus, which was built at the mouth of this river. On the abrupt mountains which were on our right we noticed many ruins of old castles and fortifications which belonged to a period when this region was far more flourishing than now. Then appeared old ruins on the plain, towers, walls, and the arches of ancient aqueducts, sure indications that we were now nearing the site of some great ancient city. About ten o'clock our train came to a pause in a small town, said to be fifty miles from Smyrna, the name of which we were told was Agasalouk, this station of [24] Ephesus. It was not an inviting place; there were only three or four decent houses; yet there was a population of several hundred, and the station is a considerable shipping point for country produce.

      A telegram which had been sent before us had brought together a collection of horses gathered from the farmers in the neighborhood for our use. They looked half-starved, ill-used, and broken down by neglect and overwork. The saddles were Turkish, very dilapidated and very uncomfortable. Sorry as the outfit looked, it was the best that the country could produce, and we were thankful that we were relieved of the necessity of a long, wearisome walk of several miles to the ruins. Yet, when we were mounted on our Rozinantes, we presented a very ludicrous appearance indeed. There were some who had hardly ever mounted a horse in their lives, and did not know how to guide one, nor how to stick to their uncomfortable saddles. One gentleman, a Methodist preacher, got frightened, gave up the ride, and went back to Agasalouk without seeing the site of Ephesus at all. All the rest, however, persevered, and seemed to enjoy the fun their extraordinary appearance made for the rest of the company. It was our first experience on horseback in the East, and between the broken down horses, the strange saddles, the awkward riders, and the shouts of the villagers who accompanied on foot to watch over [25] the safety of their horses, the day made an impression that I can never forget.

      A ride of about two miles to the northwest brought us to a hill which rose three or four hundred feet above the plain, which we learned was Mount Prion, one of the hills on and around which the ancient city of Ephesus was built. We had not yet reached the city walls, which were farther on, but ascended the hill-side to see certain objects which would have had more interest for us had we believed more fully the stories we were told about them. The first was a gloomy cave, running some distance into the hill, which we dismounted and entered, and heard the story that it was the cave of "The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus." My readers have heard the legend of the seven young men, persecuted in the old Pagan days because they were Christians, who fled to this cave for refuge. Their enemies blocked up the mouth with stones and left them to starve, but they fell asleep, slept one hundred and fifty years, and then waked up, when the stones were removed, for some cause, from the mouth of the cave. They supposed they had slept only a night, but found, to their astonishment, that Paganism was overthrown, and Ephesus was a Christian city. Another place that we were shown was a tomb cut out of the rock; of the hill which was said to be "the grave of St. Luke," and another was pointed out as the tomb of John the Apostle. [26] Though this was very uncertain, it might possibly be the grave of the beloved John, for his last days were passed at Ephesus. Still another excavation was pointed out which was said to be the first Christian Church of Ephesus. We could easily believe that the Christians of Ephesus met in such a place in times of persecution, for we know that often the early church worshiped in caves, catacombs, in the darkness of the night, anywhere and at anytime they could escape interruption from their enemies.

      Mounting again, we rode along the southern base of Mount Prion, through a cemetery in which were still found many stone sarcophagi, that is, coffins which had been cut out of blocks of stone, and at last we passed through the "Magnesian Gate" of Ephesus, and then we knew that we were within the city. On every hand were heaps of stones which marked the sites of ancient buildings, and we could see the outlines of the walls climbing the heights of Mount Prion find Mount Coressus, as we turned into the valley which separated these two hills of the ancient city. As we rode through this valley we paused at a ruin of considerable magnitude which we were told was "the School of one Tyrannus," in which Paul preached so long. Of this we could not be certain, but we were soon to visit sites that we knew were connected with history of Paul.

      Passing around Mount Prion, on the slope next [27] to the sea, the side where the greater part of the city must once have lain, we came to the ruins of a great ancient theater, built in the style of all the Grecian theatres of ancient times. The marble seats, arranged in a semi-circle, rising above one another on the hillside, still remain, and show how vast a building it was in Paul's tine. It is estimated that it would seat at least thirty thousand people. If you will read the nineteenth chapter of Acts, you will find that Paul's preaching, which had continued for about three years, had wrought wonderful effect in the city. The people destroyed their books of magic, and the trade of the silversmiths who made silver shrines of Diana, began to fall off. This had been a great and profitable industry in Ephesus. The Temple of Diana, of which I will speak more fully below, was then probably the most splendid temple in the world. The ancients called it one of the "Seven Wonders of the World." Hundreds of thousands of people came to visit it, and every one wished to carry off some relic of the temple. These were provided by Demetrius and his fellow workmen. When, however, Paul's preaching had such a powerful effect on the people they became frightened and raised the cry, "Our craft is in danger." Then, to stir up the people of Ephesus who were so proud of this temple, they added, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians." By their efforts and their cries they brought a great crowd to this very [28] theatre, where we are now, who raged for two hours, shouting, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" You should read the whole account in Acts.

ANCIENT THEATRE AT EPHESUS.

      From this point, on the side of Fount Prion, there was a fine view of the plain and hills where the city once stood. I stood and looked with deep interest over the site. There was not a single inhabited house on the site of the ancient city. There was a complete desolation. The only living beings that I could see, besides our own company, were the dwellers in two tents the plain towards the sea, who were pasturing their flocks where the [29] city once stood. As I looked upon the desert around me, where once was a mighty metropolis, the mart of this part of the world, and saw that even the harbor had been filled up until it had become a marsh, there flashed upon me the words of Christ, addressed to the church in this city, found in Rev. 2:4,5: "Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember, therefore, from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else, I will come quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent."

      From this interesting spot we rode to the "stadium," another feature of all the ancient Greek cities. Perhaps it might have been at Ephesus that the figures drawn from the race course in 1 Cor. 9:24-27, and Heb. 12:1 were suggested to Paul. In the stadium the Greeks engaged in various athletic exercises, but probably that which excited the greatest enthusiasm was the foot race. The stadium, a space of ground smoothed and leveled, more than six hundred feet long, lay at the foot of the eastern slope of Mount Prion, so that the spectators could overlook the races and games from the mountain side.

      Now to the Temple of Diana of the Ephesians! It stood without the ancient city walls nearer the village of Agasalouk, and hence we took it on our return. Mr. Crunden was particular to tell us that it was claimed by its founder that an image of [30] the goddess Diana had fallen from heaven, though most suppose now that it was only a meteoric stone; that in very early times the temple had become very fatuous, but the first temple was destroyed by fire on the night that Alexander the Great was born. It was then rebuilt in a still none splendid manner than before, but on so great a scale that it was two hundred years before it was completed. This temple, which was the glory of Ephesus when Paul first visited the city, was probably the most splendid building in all Asia. It was four hundred and fifty feet long, two hundred and twenty wide, and occupied more than two acres of ground. It had one hundred and twenty-nine columns, the gifts of kings, it was said, and was filled with statues and pictures by the great artists of ancient Greece. From the time float Christianity took a deep root in the East, the temple began to lose its renown. Roman emperors plundered it; a part of its columns were carried to Constantinople, and finally the Goths, when they swept down upon Asia, burned it.

      We found its site covered with fragments of marble slabs and columns, and a deep excavation showed how it had been worked like a mine for remains of its former splendor. This work had been done mostly by Prof. Wood of Great Britain, who had removed the most interesting portion of the ruins to the British museum. Afterwards, when we were in London, we studied these with [31] far greater interest than we could have done had we not ourselves gone over and examined the place where the great temple of Diana of the Ephesians once stood.

      When we returned to Agasalouk we were ready for a hearty meal which had been prepared for us in the principal house of the village, and after giving a closer examination to the old aqueduct which carried water through here to the ancient Ephesus, the scream of the locomotive called us all aboard, and we started to return to Smyrna. It was with a longing look that we bade adieu to the ruins of a city where we knew that the Apostles Paul and John and the Evangelist Timothy had long labored.

      The steamer on which we embarked at Smyrna was named the Sindh, a ship belonging to a great French line which runs its vessels all over the Mediterranean Sea, through the Suez Canal to India, and also to South America. It was well managed, our state-rooms were large and airy, the table excellent, and every thing kept neat as a pin. As we were to make it our home for nine days, we felt happy to find such pleasant accommodations.

      We found among our passengers a large number of Mohammedans, who were either journeying [32] from Constantinople and Smyrna to other cities of Turkey in Asia, and in Egypt, or were making a pilgrimage to Mecca. A few of them were first cabin passengers who dined at our table, but most of them occupied the after-part of the upper deck, where they ate, slept, smoked and prayed, under the great awning which was stretched over them. They were chiefly men, but there were a few veiled women, and children enough to make an interesting feature.

      The boys were curious to know more about their beliefs and ways. We had just left a great Mohammedan city where we had looked from the summit of Mount Pagus upon the minarets of perhaps a hundred mosques, and we had observed how different everything appeared from what we had seen in Europe. Now we were to travel for many days with a large number of people who held this strange faith, and the boys gathered around, full of questions about the Mohammedan religion. It will save space to give only the substance of the replies. "Mohammed was an Arabian, born at Mecca, about 1,300 years ago, of a noble and influential family who had long been the rulers of Mecca. Until he was about forty years odd he engaged in trade, and traveled much it in Arabia in his business, and was even as far as Damascus. He married a rich widow, and had become a wealthy man. He was about forty years of age when he proposed [33] to found a new religion. Many of the Arabians were idolaters; some had become Christians, and there were Jewish colonies in Arabia. There is no doubt but that he had become well-acquainted with the teachings of both Jews and Christians.

      "He, I suppose, felt a deep need of a religious reformation. He rejected the idolatry of his fellow Arabs, believed that there was but one God, the God revealed in the Bible, and that Abraham, Moses and Christ were all men of God."

      "Why did he not then become a Christian?" asked Will.

      "Perhaps he might have done so had he met with the pure Christian teaching of the early church, but when he came in contact with the Christians of the East in the seventh century, there had been a great change. The Virgin Mary had become an object of worship; there were images in the churches which seemed to be adored as idols, and the church had become very corrupt in practice as well as in doctrine. Hence, he looked upon Christians as idolaters, and he hated idolatry almost as much as did the Jews. He did present himself to the Jewish tribes in Arabia as another of their great prophets, and asked them to receive him, but when they refused to accept him, he put them to the sword."

      "Do you suppose Mohammed was sincere?" asked Bayard.

      "He may possibly have been in the start, but [34] he no doubt resorted to deceptions afterwards to increase his influence. He brooded over the condition of religion, prayed, and finally announced to his wife that the angel Gabriel had appeared to tell him that he was appointed the Apostle of God. She was his first convert; other relatives also accepted him, and he began to preach in public his creed: 'There is one God, and Mohammed is his Apostle.' For twelve years he only sought to make converts by persuasion, and seemed to rely only upon preaching to convert men.

      "But finally he had to flee from Mecca for his life, and seek a refuge in Medina, about two hundred and seventy miles away, where he already had many followers. This flight is called the Hegira, and is the date from whence the Mohammedans count history. It occurred in A. D. 622.

      "At this date we see a change in his character. It found Medina ready to receive him, if he would join the people there, with his followers, in a war upon Mecca, their old enemy. Hence he had a new revelation. He affirmed that he was taken to Jerusalem in a single night on a marvelous camel named Al Borak. From here he was taken by Gabriel up to the presence of God. God there commanded him to make war with the sword upon all enemies of the faith, and told him to promise to his warriors all the spoils of wants an incentive on earth, and an immediate entrance to heaven if they should be slain in battle. Mohammed not [35] only offered to his followers booty, but beauty also as an additional incentive. The captives, male and female, were to belong to the warrior, to do with them as ire willed. Such promises gathered around him a host of the wild warriors of the desert, Mecca was soon taken, and when he died, six years after, all Arabia had recognized hint as a prophet. Nor did the work then come to an end. The armies of his followers, under brave generals, attacked the decaying and effeminate countries around them, offering to the people their choice of the Koran or the payment of tribute and a condition of virtual slavery, or to be put to the sword. In a hundred and fifty years after his death, all northern Africa, all western Asia, and some provinces of Europe had been subjected to the empire of his successors."

      "Do you think Mohammedanism has done the world a harm or a good?" said David.

      "Perhaps both. It was better than the idolatry of Arabia, and in some respects better than the impure and corrupted Christianity which was prevailing in the East when it was founded. The Koran teaches many good things. It requires honesty, hospitality, alms-giving, a faithful observance of promises, and requires a strict abstinence from intoxicating liquors. All Mohammedans do not keep these requirements, but many do, and we will not probably see a drunk man in all our journeying in the East. One of the worst features [36] of the religion is its sensuality. The heaven promised is a sensual one. A harem of beautiful women is promised to the true believer. Here on earth he is limited to four wives, but is permitted to love as many female slaves in his harem as he chooses, in addition. Mohammed had nine wives when he died. The Koran always treats the women as inferiors. It seems almost doubtful whether there is any heaven for them. They are not allowed to pray in the mosques. Wives do not eat at the table with their husbands. They must be heavily veiled when they appear in public. The Koran teaches that the majority of the population of hell will be women."

      "What is the number of Mohammedans?" said Will.

      "There are estimated to be about 130,000,000. The Turkish Sultan is recognized as the 'Commander of the Faithful,' or the head of the religion. Turkey, Persia' Afghanistan, Egypt and Morocco are Mohammedan governments. Besides, there are a great many millions of Mohammedans in India, China, Russian Asia and in Africa. It is thought that the numbers are increasing rapidly."

      "I have noticed," said Will, "that those who are on our ship at certain times all engage in prayer at once. Are they holding a prayer meeting?"

      "They are keeping the hours of prayer. The Koran requires every one to pray five times a day; [37] at sunrise, at noon, in the afternoon, at sunset, and before retiring. We will often see the people thus engaged before we complete our journey."

      "Yes," said Mr. Crunden, who had joined us, "that is one of the things that will strike you most forcibly. At stated hours of the day you will see a Muezzin in the top of the minaret of each mosque, and will hear him cry out in a kind of musical chant some words in a strange language. When he raises this cry the faithful, wherever they are, wash their hands and faces, spread down a mat if they are on the ground, and go through their prayers. Perhaps some of you saw this in Smyrna."

      "We did! We did!" exclaimed the boys. "We were in the bazaars about noon, and we heard this strange, loud cry, and while we were wondering what it might mean we noticed every merchant leave his pipe, rinse his hands and face, spread his mat, kneel upon it and begin to mutter words which we supposed were prayers."

      "You say," said I, "that they wash before praying. How is this done, in the deserts, or when they are traveling?"

      "The Koran provides," said Mr. Crunden, "that in such a case they may substitute sand for water. Where the washing is impossible, the will is taken for the deed, but the outward form of ablution must be gone through with."

      "I have noticed," said Bayard, "that when [38] they are at prayers they all have their faces turned the same way."

      "Yes, that is true. It is required that they turn their faces towards Mecca. We will enter a number of mosques before we return, in Damascus, Jerusalem and Cairo. You will see in them a niche that shows the direction of Mecca, so that all who pray in the mosques may turn their faces in that direction."

      "Some of those on board, I understand, are on pilgrimage to Mecca," said David. "Why do they take it?"

      "The Mohammedans claim that three cities are especially holy; Jerusalem, the city of David, Solomon and of Christ, from which Mohammed ascended to heaven; Medina, where he died and was buried; and Mecca, where he was born, where he began teaching, and where the great mosque of the Kaaba stands. Before his day the holy stone of the Kaaba was an object of superstition to the idolatrous Arabs, and was worshiped. They were accustomed to make long pilgrimages in order to see, adore and kiss it. Mohammed tried at first to stop this, but failing he yielded and made it a part of his religion. Hence, he enjoined that every devout believer must, once in his life, if able, make the journey to Mecca, march around, and pray at the Kaaba. Those who make the pilgrimage are called Hadjis, a title that they always insist shall be prefixed to their names. [39] We will observe, as we travel in the Mohammedan countries, many curious customs in which you will be interested."

      "Do the Mohammedans accept the Bible?"

      "The Koran is their Bible. It teaches that the Pentateuch, the Psalms and the Gospels are of divine authority, but that they have been so corrupted by the Christians that they cannot be relied upon in their present shape. Hence, the Koran takes the place of them all, and is to be read as the one pure and unadulterated fountain of divine truth. It is almost worshiped, so sacred do they regard it. Every chapter of it, they assert, was imparted to Mohammed by the Angel Gabriel, as the last and final revelation of the will of God."

      Here the bell rang for dinner, but David said, "Please tell me before you go whether Mohammed professed to work miracles."

      "He did not. He was willing to have his followers believe that he could work then, but he never worked one in their presence. All the wonderful appearances of the Angel Gabriel were to him alone. His night journey to Jerusalem and his ascent to heaven were seen by no man, and his followers had to take his testimony for these marvels. Indeed, from the date of the Hegira, which the Mohammedans regard the real beginning of their religion, the great argument by which his [40] followers proved the truth of the new religion was the edge of their swords." [41]

[YFBL 9-41]