CHAPTER X.

IBREEZ. THE GREAT PLAIN. DEVLEH.

Start for Ibreez—Extreme beauty of Landscape—A Picturesque Karamanian Lane—Number and Tameness of the Nightingales—The River of Ibreez—The Mukhtar’s House—Great Source under Red Precipices—Hamathite Inscriptions and Bas-relief—Our Armenian Guide—A would-be Soldier—A ruined Christian Hermitage—Ali Aga’s Unwelcome Guests—Valuing the Dîme—Bitter Complaint of Peasants—The Ushirjis discuss the Stream with me—Their Legend of its Origin—Description of the Bas-relief and Inscriptions—Ibreez visited by Otter in 1737—In 1840 by Moltke and Fischer—Cruel Oppression of the People—Yet they submit—Fish of the Ibreez River—A Night Walk through the Lanes of Eregli—Price of Provisions in Eregli—Prices in former Days—Baron de Tott—The Asper—Para—Cost of entertaining Man and Horse at Van two centuries ago—Price of a Horse in 1705—A Cheap Entertainment—Cost of a Ship of War in 1750—in 1657—in 1820—Rent in Khans of Constantinople two Centuries ago—Visitors—An Armenian Priest—Magnificence of Flowers on the Great Plain—Dreary District round Devleh—Suffering and Loss of the Villagers during the Famine 245-269