Turkey. Two years ago it was said 'no lady should try to go there,'
but brother Stocking thought not so now; and I was willing to follow
where he led, especially as a former pupil had recently settled
there. We must be out over night, but we thought best not to spend
it in a tent, on account of the cold. Near sunset we came to Mawana,
a village of mud huts. We went to the house of the head man, who
joyfully welcomed us to his house. It consisted of a single low
room, inhabited by at least a score of men, women, and children.
They came in one by one, but already the hens had found their
resting place, evidently no strangers there. Several lambs had been
brought into their corner, and three or four calves, each had his
couch of grass. Our horses had been arranged for the night on the
other side of a partition wall, some three feet high. When all were
within, the coarse bread and sour milk were brought out for supper.
Then Mr. Stocking read from the Bible, and talked, and prayed with
the numerous family, and the women sat around me, while I tried to
do them good, till about ten o'clock. At that time, the mother of
the family rose, saying, 'Now we will settle it.' I listened to hear
the settlement of some family quarrel, but to my surprise her
meaning was, 'We will settle where to lie down for the night;' and
as I looked over the room I thought, surely some little skill in
settling is needed, if we are all to sleep here. But soon she took
out three of the children to an empty manger, where she put new hay,
and quickly settled them; they were covered with an old rug, and at
once fell fast asleep. She then returned, saying, 'Now there is room
for our guests,' and brought a piece of cotton cloth, which she said
was _all_ for me. In a short time, one and another was fast
asleep. They lay on mats, without either bed or pillow, and the
divers breathing or snoring of men, and calves, and lambs was soon
heard, all mingled together.