A TURKISH QUARANTINE

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVII, Issue 7917, 14 June 1902, Page 4 (Supplement)

A TURKISH QUARANTINE

(By G. O. "West in the People's Friend.) ! It was the afternoon of Wednesday, April 10th, in. the year of grace nineteen and on*. The glorious sun o: Lgypi jiitpassed its zenith, the sky was a clear b.ue. ind the land of the Pharaohs stmcd a U-in-land of brightness and sunshine to our b-.nd o£ pilgrims one week out from the: • smoky atmosphere of jrrKt- iiniaiied doing Port Cjttid, tnat polis of iigvpt, where the Wat and tut.Jiast are hopelessly commingled, and wu=rc Oriental magnificence and laziness and vie; are jostled by Western progress and where the Suez Canal brings together on one narrow atrip the commerce ot tne nations, and gathers on its banks tti-e sens all the earth. Tired and sasisiUi Wc t ? «• -- resting on the broad verandah ot tne .uo.e. Continental, when one of our party, wnti a face of doleful length, wine up .md tu.u us that a case of buboruc p.agce had tecH discovered in Alexandria, and a two li-iy* quarantine had been imposed on oil £*-} P--We must, therefore, go to bi-yrout l.uu atav there for forty-eight hours, n >'•=;■ too We had b.-en Looking lyrv.ard for weeks to being in Jerusalem tutGreek Easter ceremonns. But tuia meaui a. run of seventy milts beyond Jatfa, « ~"- u we were to take train for Jernscuon, anu - two days' experience of t,™» Whit that might mean we did n>inaw, but, canny Scots a* mwt as ut "to had oor (loots" about its being anj tu.>._ Terr pleasant. However, by eight o au. when oor boat was to sail, we had ?eo> sued oar spirits and set out, TmJrt. tha best of u. novel experience. : ' 1 " we awoke next morning vre. felt 1 ) ttr " paid for the extra sail. We had already passed Jaffa, and were now in sight of the coasts of byr:a r.ud Palestine. We passed close enough to tinjraish the promontory ot -Mount Larmc-, tke Bay of Acre, Mount Hermon, it--Mountains of Galilee, Mount Lebanon lu towns of Tyre and ISidon, the Bivrf- Litim. —tie ancient Leontes —and late, in tat auernaoa came in sight of the red sands on die bTthe harbor of Beyrout. At nu & swung round the pronto, * and cat anchor In the Bay 01 the outer harbor of Ifeyrout. I-/- ' - narrow bodv of water, alwa: ,nde ftt 'the mouth, surrounded on t^ic south ease, and north by the Lcbttn.it Mountains, and thus_ sp:endiU> from all but west windsXbe town lies on the south and >aii of the harbor. It fa* a papaituwn <-l 120,000, and is quite Oriental in .ipp--ance The houses are all square ,nt * • £££' deep veranduhs, a large numb=r o. Uttical windows, reddish tuUa w •- Kg!, « h « sl " i ; c .« crowned by bouses and vlU ''=-~- . hi;[ the bright, clear sun the etty tli - Tillages showed most beautnuliiv, au. the bunches of obves in tne held- an« ieaa about the houses in the - . • a picture of rare , - Wr rU i A» W»n as we bad cas. -nca „p the yeliow flae, the symW .--r Ztl and .waited the will .he w* weT® now ia his Ejoterner * — r»ever . .... , L -_ that can be done tooni.TP'W, ■xuk antine officials l,V1 " 1 ' ; j' u Vou4l i.v Earlv next morning we _«re - ifo? steward for - f e inspection m, du.au •» ke said in his It^n Sg, and ti» coastline, aiffa, atood cut in bo.;l aloagskle thf landing ai.a V %Za,nZ a steep hillside ti> a long. K?o a l.nre ,h £ .t ana "• i e ♦-ib'.e behind wt'.ich sit Ikd m bdot. >« £ o ts,iil,K-k. centleman, ot mtdiLe age. tab djOUOW «« n "^ b , k fear a. E run nit >1 s vie llTcompWxi. n «■ Jd m ncn S He was the d'Ktor. hayE i_ Turtnh o clerfc. il= <>f OUT V*™** a running hr« qu«itu>n-i. spend oar tpiarantine on laiwi * W« ot the accom-

imitation provided —-sheds, fit only for herding cattle, and promptly replied—"On b-ard." "Wit-nee did we come from, and v.-hwere >vc ■:">s ? e hiving an-.-w-.-p-.-d questions and pven our nanus : tid (,:her de:a!ls, he filled out for each of u~ a document. This irave in;- i:jin;s. the length of quarantine, i'.t ii. ni's; important of oil, the amount of bJck.-'hitsh to bs levied, ten piastres a piece

Wlien v.-- paid this we were conducted bv a ii ;r half-fed villains, in dirty, white I'r.rkWx orv.-'< with yellow trimmings, through sa-vvral sheds into a long, low narrow room. whire our basiage was piled up in u pyramid in the middle of the floor. Two burly Turks pumped vigorously at a r-prnver. and n third sprinkled the outside (•£' the bai-jase carefully with clean, cold v.-it■ v. -<-■ we a'.i agreed. Anything eiie u (•alii have cost moiiry, and as the whole w.'.t- a i)-T.;;;itti!:V-p:ann-d device to ixcw.-c ni'iiry from the unwaiy travellers f,, r t!u- coffers of the Saltan, nothing that anything would be employed. When Lijniinz" s.-hore w; were adv.sed to take :ni2 hux.s* witii us as a matter of form. We wk af little as we could, mine con--;-':n" of a holdall, containing an old coat "ui a\vJtu£s bro-h. After this "thorough .IL-tafictii.-a" 7 had taken pines. a swarm of Turks picked ;:p the s|>rir.!: : -d articles very "inirerlr. acd •.-.rri-r.i them out into the suniVht. and v.--.- f "I'.'Wcil. As .soon as each -ct h ; -i piece >i..-.vn. he turned and steed, dicing t">r hi- tip. his all-important backsheesh. \Y-_- wire so calls-sd at the wiiole proceed. : n"S and the cravitv and dignity with which :hev were supervised by our stately friend ti;e* doctor, that- the poor menia.s fared b;:;er t'ufn they deserved at our hands. i.o i kiiiir about lis we lound that we were • 0 an enclosure, confining shout an acre r.r.d a half, surrounded by high palings about enough to serve w> a hen-run, but v.hich were intended co keep 'those in quarantine from attempting to get away. Oar lcwas strewn on the grass in trout of "two long benches, placed under a fine old fii: tree, covered with beautifully Lreen leaves and ripening fruit. There were two other similar trees in the en-t-iosr.re. aid it was covered with a rich of and weeds, with here and there a bri_h- red poppy. We were allowed it; ttro'l about, and as we had been for some time <.ti board ship we giadjy availed ourselves o? the opportunity. Along the side ' f the enclosure ran a long row of" flat-roofed, poor looking structures, the living place of the soldiers and .attendants, and on '-tie e?st side were the r.milar structures intended for those in quarantine. In the centre was a small square structure with dome-iike r. of surmounted by llie crescent. This. "Tie of the soldiers who dogged "ur foO'-~teps told us, was a weii or grave .-.f a saint. One of our party suggested that : t wl< where those who had the temerity :o »rv life in the sheds took their last rest. Tiii-i'w's nr.her a cruel insinnation. A m'ii iii'-iht live through it, but .he would i:*|tiirt" "s.m- vigorous treatment afterv ,_i

\'y,~ \ IU - :tn nate ieadin;: somewhere ulu.«!<•:•! .1 through it. Immediately a <-ii>:rit~ : f ■_iic * itr.ll ytlis wt-nc lip fri»m liolf .1 i!iiztu liillri. r.t I>'.;u-.s. \\ o did ' lf,i mu u i TtuUijh -»r Arabic, or whatever f- w;-...';;ud tvi'lwd on. Then a burly, 'iirk-bro-.v : d. tu-rci-looking felloe started

wildly. and pointing b -r!* ;■» :'t-- Liter side <>i che crittr- We •••"rJ aci riW Tnrkish tl;-.'. and. c-nelud-:.rUsui .il-:rtLt>-n was the better part of v,'.!: r. wl».:ck. Or:,, after a :.< th.-r of oar Miow-passen-sum..- into the enclosure Inngkiti;; nr-tit-dlv .'•! iii ? howiin.: tuul xliut;ity. Wi.ei! \vt- wcr? ii.il out we were lift in the :M'i'ilK xtttiiiirut for about luiif an hour, in 1 t'it ii millv marchid back again to • i-ir livitt-s un ier" the calm and dignified >ru>ervi>i' n "i tbs doctor. Having paid „art -n pi;>.-tr«» |>er day ami bsen demised, «e thonijut th-.- f'-rce <' V( -' r > but no. In I'.c .ift«tri:»»n ;he doctor and a. horde of It.s ..mllitt*. with the sprayer, came »n board, •>.!:■! more <-!saii water all over our l rt*l from tire captain >om<» - ii:: 1 pi* I- 1' for - on.^b>ard. "VVt ~w«re t't.-n told that nothing must r UK- to c:r 1-IV-.- the ship t.ili live o'clock in lb.* evenire "i :ii ■ next 'lay. But as - .1.1 ;w>- tit- >un n,<v nsxt morning we were >.*.vakinect by th; pat'ling up of anchors and shorn*' of ilia sailers on b~ard. AVe n :iv jm-Ut.,' into the inner harbor to uni.Kid. Orr "captain had used the magic h ck-lite-h. swl our way was clear. AU thv ions swarms of heavy, clumsyro "kina frti-llit b<xus, or ratter scows, plied back and forth bitwetn our ship and the roist takin- iway our cargo. To provide •uitab'e docking facilities costs more than otiarantine theds, and does not give such quick return. The quarantine doctor is ,aid to bare cleared £ISOO ] M t year from

the levies made un the name of health from the different vefcseis detained in the port. It is wonderful how the boatmen manage their baits, driving the clumsy, heavilyladen craft over the ■water with surprising speed by slow sweeps of the long oars, which thev ply standing on tlie edge of the boat. They chatter and shout in the shrillest of gutturals, and as often as not are engaged in angry -wrangles with one another. Their ang&T flashes up in a/ moment, and th£v shout -and scold and gesticulate wildly;" but in another moment it is all over, tir.d they ate laughing and chaffiing each ot her as "if nothing had happened. Despite ail the going and coming to and from the shore, the yellow flag still -flew from our topmast, and we were not even allowed a boat to go away from the ship. Three or four Turks came on board, and a fat, comf.Ttable-looking official lay all day in a rowboat with two attendants watching

At four a'clock we were surprised to «e the water alive with boats coming, lite ft swarm ol flies, from every .direction to. wards our ship, and looking up we saw tlie yellow flag slowly sliding down from its Vard;irm, and we sent up a rousing cheer. In a. moment the decks were swarming with ait kinds of picturesquely-dressed natives selling oranges, candies, fruits, cards, trinkets, and everything which the fertile brain of the wiiy Oriental could imagine woukl act as a means of extracting backsheesh from the Westerner. It was. a nosiy crowd, and full of interest; but soon our decks were cleared, and we were Tinder weigh down the coast for Jaffa. The fortyeight hours' farce was over. The Turk had made a good round sum. We had lost two days, and there was still a case of plague at Alexandria.