"This is Eyub; the word means Job, who was an Arabian general buried here twelve hundred years ago," said Dimitri, as the party landed. "The firman will admit us to the mosque."
On their return the Maud followed the other shore, and made another landing at a place to which Dimitri gave a name which no one could remember ten minutes, from which they proceeded to a Turkish cemetery, which was full of interest to them. The sad-looking cypress grew in great numbers on the grounds, as in the miles of burial-places in and about the city. The most of the sail back was alongside the part of the city called Stambool.
The excursion was continued through the Bosporus to the Black Sea; and on the way the guides, Dimitri in the standing-room and Munif on the forecastle, pointed out all the castles and other objects of interest. They talked all the time, and the commander related some of his own experience in this part of the world. The Bosporus is about seventeen miles long. The Maud stood out a short distance into the Black Sea, which seemed to justify its name, for the little steamer began to jump on the billows so that the ladies soon saw enough of it.
The excursionists took a late lunch, and then proceeded to Stambool in the Maud, landing at a point quite near the Seraglio. They visited the Mosque of St. Sophia, or Ayia Sofia as the Turks call it. A wall, in which are three gates, extends across the peninsula from the Sea of Marmora to the Golden Horn. The principal one is the imperial gate, called the Sublime Porte, which has given its name to the Turkish government.
The party visited the Mosque of Solomon the Magnificent and of Achmet the next day. Another day was given to the walls and the Mosque of Sultan Bajazet. In the courtyard of the latter are immense flocks of doves, or pigeons, or they are there as soon as the grain is distributed. Birds and beasts fare better at the hands of the Mohammedans than men and women who become their enemies on account of religion or politics.
A piece of money was given to an old Turk who sat near a chest, and he scattered a quantity of grain, precisely as the same thing is done in the square of St. Mark at Venice. Thousands of pigeons alighted on the pavement, and the food was soon all gone. More money was given by various members of the party; and the birds settled two or three deep all over the court, crowding, scrambling, and fighting for the grain. They had their fill that day. They were very tame, and some of them ate out of the hands of the excursionists.
On the Sundays the ship was at Constantinople the Maud visited the shore to convey the party to church at the English embassy. Services were always held for the whole ship's company and the passengers in the cabin or on deck, consisting of singing, Scripture reading, prayer, and a sermon selected and read by the commander. On the second Mohammedan Sunday the party witnessed the services of the Howling Dervishes, which they regarded as a very disagreeable exhibition, though it was not prepared for them.
The Bazaar was extremely interesting to the ladies and not much less to the others. Many purchases were made of silks, rugs, and attar of roses, besides curious trinkets and useful articles, for all of them had money enough. A ride in carriages was taken to the Palace of the Sweet Waters,—the one in Europe, for there is another in Asia; but the ideas of Oriental splendor were not realized in the buildings or the waters. Scott declared that there were more and finer palaces on the Hudson than on the Bosporus. There were plenty of buildings at home that could "discount" anything they had seen in the Orient.
The party were kept very busy during the two weeks spent in Constantinople, though the sights they saw are not fully described in this volume.[1] By this time they began to feel that they had seen quite enough of this phase of the Orient; and they were looking forward with the most pleasurable anticipations to a change of scene, especially to the islands of the Archipelago and to Greece, which were the next regions to be visited. The Maud was regarded as an excellent investment by Captain Ringgold and Mr. Woolridge, for she had proved to be exceedingly convenient in visiting the sights of the city of the Sultan.
Nothing had been seen or heard of Ali-Noury Pacha till the day before the Guardian-Mother sailed from the Golden Horn. The company then landed for a visit to the Rue de Pera to purchase a supply of photographs. The guides had been dismissed the day before; and they preferred to do their shopping without any assistance, as the latter generally implies a commission to be collected afterwards by the guide, and is included in the price paid.