The prophet Isaiah said truly, "The ass
knoweth his owner, and the ox his master's crib; but Israel doth not
know, my people doth not consider."
THE PERSIAN LADIES.--They wrap themselves up in a large dark blue
wrapper, and in this dress they walk out where they please. No one who
meets them can tell who they are.
And where do these women go? Chiefly to the bath, where they spend much
of their time drinking coffee and smoking. There too they try to make
themselves handsome by blackening their eyebrows and dyeing their hair.
Sometimes the ladies walk to the burial-grounds, and wander about for
hours among the graves. When they are at home they employ themselves in
making pillau and sherbet. Pillau is made of rice and butter; sherbet is
made of juice mixed with water.
The ladies have a sitting-room to themselves. One side of it is all
lattice-work, and this makes it cool. At night they spread their carpets
on the floor to sleep upon, and in the day they keep them in a
lumber-room.
PERSIAN INNS.--They are very uncomfortable places. There are a great many
small cells made of mud, built all round a large court. These cells are
quite empty, and paved with stone. The only comfortable room is over the
door-way of the court, and the first travellers who arrive are sure to
settle in the room over the door-way.
Once an English traveller arrived at a Persian inn with his two servants.
All three were very ill and in great pain, from having travelled far over
burning plains and steep mountains.
Pages:
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56