steamer or captain over the same route two successive trips. In time
of war both captains and ships are liable 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 caïque, 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 Hôtel 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.