CHAPTER XII.

The Pacha's carriage—The coachman an Irishman—Christmas day in Angora—The celebrities of the town—A society of thieves—Fire in Sivrisa—The Turks and the Armenians—So-called fanaticism—Ten Pachas in Angora in four years—Cases of litigation—Arrears—The firman of November, 1875—The famine in Angora—Deaths during the famine—The goats died—A Mohammedan divine—The Russian Ambassador and the secret societies—The English newspapers and the Bulgarian atrocities—A Turk values his nose quite as much as a Christian—Suleiman Effendi's wife—The Turkish law about property—A dinner with a Turkish gentleman—A mixture of nationalities—My host and his digestion—Spirits refresh the stomach—The Prophet and the old woman in Mecca—There are no old women in heaven 129