"It is wonderful!" exclaimed our host. "Only think! A whole nation of Hodjas—schoolmasters! No wonder that the English people are so clever. It would never do for us Turks," he added.
"Why not?"
"Because it would make our poor people dissatisfied to find that they knew as much as their masters, but were only receiving a servant's wages. Does it not make your lower orders dissatisfied?" he inquired.
"No, because their masters know something beyond reading and writing."
"You English are a marvellous nation," said the Pacha; "but, I should not be surprised if one day you had a revolution. Why, some of our Pachas cannot write, and yet they get on very well. All your labourers being able to read and write—this is a miracle!"
I said farewell to my host, and to our hospitable Consul, who had done his best to dissuade me from the journey. The following morning we started for Van.
It was a windy day. The postman who was carrying the Van letter-bag did not much fancy the march.
"It will be all right for a few hours," he remarked; "but if it is like this to-morrow, we shall not be able to pass the mountains."
I now learnt that, owing to the wind and snow, the track was sometimes blocked for days together, the path too was slippery, and there were precipices on either side.
Presently we met a caravan of camels from Persia—the huge beasts were covered with icicles, owing to the extreme cold. The men who accompanied the caravan were clad in sheepskins, and wore high black hats. The track was very narrow, not being more than twelve inches broad; on either side of it there were five feet of snow. The camels had to make way for the postman, who preceded us. With a crack from his whip, he sent the foremost of them off the track, and breast-deep in the drift. The other camels, more than a hundred in number, followed in their leader's wake. There was one mule left in the path; on approaching, we found that he bore two ladies. They were the wives of the Persian merchant, and were seated in large baskets—a pannier being slung on either side of their animal.