i^)h^^t^tay /S^^^^. jS. GIt^L'(i) dOUt^NSy THROUGH £Ul^Op£, £:©ypT THE HOLY LAND. ♦ >9< * i'rinted for the arthor. Publishing House of the M. E Church, South. J, D. Barbee, Agent, Nashville, Tenn. Copypighted, 1889, ly lienomoy Groen. TO My dear father and Mother, WHO so KINDLY GAVE ME THE TRIP, THIS VOLUME IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED. (3) INTRODUCTION. My niet'e, Lenamay Gi-een, has written a book of trav- els that will be read. A book just like it has never been published before. A girl of eighteen kept a journal of her tour through Europe, Egypt, and the Holy Land, without a dream of authorship. Some of her home let- ters took air through the newspapers, and now every- body wants the journal printed. Relatives, friends, publishers, and the daily press have all urged the print- ing of this volume. Here it is, beautifully illustrated and handsomely bound. INIiss Green was with me abroad for nearly twelve months. After her graduation at the Columbia Athen^um she had read up for the trip, and entered upon it with a glow of enthusiasm. She was an unflagging traveler and sight-seer, and never failed to record her impressions. They were the im- pressions of an intelligent and thouglitful girl, as you will plainly perceive by reading this book. INIiss Green accompanied my family everywhere, and while I was looking at objects with a pair of old eyes she kept a pair of young eyes very wide open. Read this hand- some volume, and see if she did not ! Miss Green is the daughter of Rev. William M. Green, D.D. R. A. Young. (5) CONTENTS. PAGE Introduction *^ CHAPrEl* I. Nashville to New York— The Voyage 11 Chapter II. From Queenstown to Killarney 19 Chapter III. Limerick— Dublin— Portrush—GlasgOAv 27 Chapter IV. Trosachs— Stirling— Edinburgh 35 Chapter V. London ^^ Chapter VI. From London to Brighton 56 Chapter VII. Paris ' ^^ Chapter VIII. Marseilles — Mediterranean Sea 82 Chapter IX. Alexandria 90 Chapter X. Cairo — Pyramids 97 Chapter XL Heliopolis — Cairo 109 (7) 8 Cot)fents. Chapter XII. iA,iK Steamer " Kaliainanior" — Jaffa — Ji'rusah'iu 1 Hi ClIAITKU XIII. Jericho — Deak'on 74 Sceiif on tJu' Nik- 102 Tlie Sphinx 105 One of Our Donkeys 112 JerasakMH 122 Lei^ei-s OutsitUi Jerusak'Ui 124 Api)roa('liing the Mof^qne of Omar 126 Ford of the Jordan 136 Betldehem 138 Jews' Waihng-place 145 A Honse-top in the Eai^t 147 Conptantinoj)!? 162 The Acroi)olis 168 Pompeii 178 The Tolisenm 194 Ix'anint? Tower at Pi^a 216 Venice 226 Bridge of Siglis 228 Scene in Venice 232 Dutch Wind-mill 287 Bear-pit 336 Swiss View 342 St. Paul'H Cathedral 364 Windsor Castle 3()8 Warwick Castle 376 Shakespeare's Birthplace 378 (10) R GIRVS JOURNEY. \f\f>T^^ I. NASHVILLE TO NEW YORK— THE VOYAGE. WEKE you ever playfully told, " Go to Jer- icho?" and did you ever think seriously of the long journey over land and sea to that strange old city that wcrs and is not? Now I propose to tell how I, a girl of eighteen, fresh from school, eager for the novelty and excitement of travel, sailed awaj^, away, into the far-off Orient, terminating my journey at the Dead Sea and the site of ancient Jericho. I was so fortunate as to join a party which consisted of Pr. K. A. Young and wife and their daughters, Mary Green and Susie Hunt- er; to be augmented later by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Eastman, of Nashville, Tenn. I shall not weary you with a description of our part- ing with the host of friends gathered one sul- (11) 12 A Girl '.s Jonnu'ij, try afternoon in August at the Union Depot in Nashville to bid us good-by. If such a thing had been possible, enough good wishes fol- lowed us to float our ship, the " Umbria." The hist farewell being spoken, our train steamed out into the night, and we were fairly on our way, leaving home and fi'iends behind. Next morning we passed through Cincinnati, and the following day reached Washington City in time for breakfast Of course we took in the sights of the capital, though most of the party had visited it before. Evening found us — tired, hungry, and dusty — wending our way to the Grand Central Ho- tel, in New York City. We were thankful to rest, even with the never-ceasing roar of Broad- way sounding in our ears. The next two days were spent in sight-see- ing and shopping in the great metropolis. AVe girls staid up nenrly all the night be- fore sailing, puzzling over the problem of how to make a large valise bold as much as a small trunk. Perseverance conquered, and we went to sleep at last with the satisfaction of know- R6C Nashville to New York— The Voyage. 13 ing that all the necessary articles had been packed, and every thing made ready for the voyage. Our trunks had to go into the hold of the vessel, so would be of no use to us until we landed. Several friends were at the wharf to see us off, and went with us on an exploring expedi- tion through the steamer, from engine-room to promenade deck. It was a wonderful sight, and we were highly entertained. On Saturday afternoon, just before the vessel started, the scene was most exciting. Hun- dreds of people were there, shouting and wav- ing farewells — some laughing, others crying, and a few seemingly indifferent. At three o'clock we moved off, and getting out our glasses enjoyed the splendid view of the city and harbor as they slowly faded from sight. How we had dreaded the voyage! We girls had made up our minds to be seasick in spite of the perfect weather with which we were favored. The ocean was calm as a lake, and everybody staid on deck from morning until time for retiring at night. 14 A Girl's JoiD'Hey. After breakfast on Sunday Captain McMick- in read ])i-ayL'rs in tlie dining-saloon, and the rest of the day was spent by the passengers in lounging about, dozing, talking, reading, and occasionally i)romenading up and down the decks. After dinner we three girls were taking a "constitutional" on the promenade deck, when the sound of music was heard in the distance. On searching around we discovered that it came from below, and immediately descended to the lower deck, where we saw a number of steerage passengers gathered together singing hymns. In the midst of them, with a baby on her lap, was Ellen Terry, the great English actress, who was returning from a pleasure- trip to America. She was leading the songs with her clear, sweet soprano, and as the familiar tunes rolled out over the water we found ourselves joining in, and were benefited and cheered by the simple home-music. The sailors sung too, many of them perched upon the railing, and often applauded when a favor- ite song was rendered; some of them had fine Nashville to New York — The Voyage. 15 voices and seemed to enjoy the music im- mensely, singing lustily, and evidently with their whole souls. After becoming accustomed to the routine on shipboard we found that a sea- voyage could be pleasant after all. Our steamer, the " Um- bria," was elegantly furnished, and had all the conveniences desired. There were five stories, or decks, to the vessel — first and low- est, the hold; then the main deck; above that the saloon deck, where the dining-saloon and our state-rooms were; next, the upper deck; and highest of all, the promenade deck, where we spent the time during the day in our steam- er chairs. One of the young lady passengers called us girls "the nuns," because we were always so covered and bundled up in hoods, veils, cloaks, jackets, etc. Though it was August, the sea- breezes were quite cool, and we did not feel uncomfortable under all our wraps. One morning everybody on deck was looking rather sleepy and stupid, and every thing was quiet and still when somebody cried: "A whale! 16 A Girl 's Journey. a whale!" You should have seen how those shawls, rugs, veils, glasses, books, and cloaks were dashed aside as wo rushed excitedly to the railing to see the wonder. Two whales kindly came up and 8jx)uted for our amuse- ment, and I think there was more than one passenger who, besides being glad of a sight of these monsters of the deep, secretly exulted that here at last was an item for the journals, which, on account of the tedium of ocean life, were becoming rather monotonous. We also saw several porpoises and some sea-gulls. One evening we had a concert in the dining- hall, given by the passengers and sailors for the benefit of the "Liverpool Seamen's Or- phanage." Henry Irving, the actor, who was also one of our fellow-passengers, served as chairman, and Miss Terry, dressed in quite a picturesque tea-gown, took up a collection in the captain's hat. The principal features of the entertainment were some mandolin solos, a song by one of the sailors, and the funniest music that I ever heard on a bagpipe; it was so jolly and ridiculous that the whole audience Nashville to New York — The Voijage. 17 applauded and laughed until their sides ached. Then, too, Mr. Irving gave us a very amusing little speech and recitation combined. Our walks on the promenade deck were quite a rest, and we managed to get a good deal of fun out of them, owing to the fact that some- times the wind was so strong it was difficult to keep on our feet, and several amusing en- counters resulted. We "nuns" were dashing frantically along one day, trying to "make time," when, turning a corner rather suddenly, I was precipitated into the arms of an aston- ished youth, who was so much amazed at my extraordinary caper that he did not even in- quire what was the matter. Of course I was very much embarrassed, and, after begging his pardon, retreated as hastily as I came. An- other time I nearly ran over the captain, which would indeed have been a sad catastrophe. One day Susie and I went down to see the sailors, who while off duty were at their games. Two of them had their hands and feet tied to a stick, which was passed under their knees, and each tried to push or kick the other out of the 2 18 A Girl '.s Journey. riug. Sometimes they rolled over and over, and when they got on their backs, as they did occasionally, it was difficult for them to get righted. They laughed and sliouted like a lot of school-boys, and did not seem to l>e the least out of humor with each other. A favorite game with the passengers was quoits. Though we had l)een so fortunate on oar voy- age, having almost entirely escaped the dread- ed seasickness, and though w^e had been fa- vored with fine weather, we were not grieved when at the end of six days and thirteen hours the time came to pack up and make ready for leaving the steamer. The glasses were brought out, and w^e strained our eyes to catch a first glimpse of the shores of Erin. ©HAFT'S^ H. FROM QUEENSTOWN TO KILLARNEY. AT about seven o'clock Saturday morning land was sighted, and at eleven we left the "Umbria" for a little steam-tug, which con- veyed lis and our baggage to the shore in about an hour and a half. How grand the old ship looked as she steamed off into the ocean again, all the passengers and crew waving and shout- ing to us from the decks! We felt quite small and insignificant in our tiny tug by the side of that iron monster. From the vessel the shores of Ireland seemed cut up iuto small squares and patches no larger than one of our gardens at home. These little plots, we discovered on apiDroaching nearer, were farms, beautifully cultivated, and divided from each other by hedges or stone walls, very few fences of any kind being used. We should have known with- out being told that this was the Emerald Isle, (19) 20 A Gh'Vs Journci/. for it was (jreen, (jreen, everywhere; so restful and refreshing to the eyes after the monotony of the ocean. The lirst person we met on shore was an old Irishwoman who handed each of us a sprig of shamrock, and in return demanded a penny, which was very willingly given. We had some fun at the custom-house. The officer was quite a pleasant-looking young fel- low, and, when we gravely informed him that our valises contained neither spirits nor tobac- co, told us that it was not necessary to open our sachels— merely glanced into the trunks, and ornamented every thing with the useful lit- tle chalk-mark; but we saw him going through one man's trunk, examining bundles and boxes very carefully. AVe went by rail from Queenstown to Cork, passing on the way the castle of "Groat," wliich nieu.ns foil r pence. This castle was built by an old lady who paid her workmen in sup- plies; and she managed so well that the build- ing really cost only four \wuce in money. At the station in Queenstown we were con- From Queenstoivn to Killarneij. 21 stantly amused by tlie shrill little whistles on the locomotives. They sounded like toy whis- tles, and we girls could but laugh when w^e heard them. The cars also were much smaller than we were accustomed to at home. In our carriage, or coupe, as they call the railway cars, were an Irish gentleman and his two daughters who lived at Queenstown. We saw their residence as we passed along, and it was quite a pretty place. They were very pleasant people, and told us some interesting things about the country. After changing cars at Mallow and passing through miles of beautiful green country we reached Killarney late in the afternoon, and drove out to the Victoria Royal Hotel, which is situated so as to command a lovely view of the low^er lake. The turf was studded with beds of gorgeous flowers, and sloped gently down to the water's edge. One end of the dining-room was of glass, re- vealing a fairy-like scene consisting of the lit- tle islands of the lake, and the purple haze of the mountains in the background. 22 A GirVs Journeu. How still every thing was! and how queer and old-fashioned the furnishings of the house! We examined our rooms with a great deal of interest. The beds were very high and very " fat," with ruffles around the bottom. We had to climb into them from a chair. There were old-fashioned dressing-cases, also ruffled; and the queerest of window-shades, chests of draw- ers, bell-ropes, and curtains. We dressed for the seven o'clock dinner by candle-light — our first experience with this mode of illumination, and Susie claimed the exclusive privilege of using the snufPers. I must describe our initiatory faUc-dliote meal in Europe. At each place were three or four glasses, a number of knives, forks, and spoons, several plates — two or three, I believe — and a dark-looking roll, or bun, wrapped up in a naj)kin. Soup was served first, then the fish, and next a little greasy cake with a small fish in the middle of it; after that some kind of fowl, exactly what I could not decide. This 'was followed by a course of ham, potatoes, veal, and some green things that looked like From Queensfown to Kilhrney. 23 (jrasshoppers, but which proved to be French beans. For dessert we had something on the order of ginger-pudding, only it was bitter, and some rice covered with sauce that looked and tasted more like red ink than any thing I could think of. I only tried one morsel, and found I did not want that. Next, cheese and crackers; but as I did not recognize what they were, or know how to get them out of the dish, that course was allowed to pass. We finished on fruit— tiny apples and plums. I cannot say that I enjoyed all nine courses, but managed to exist until breakfast. The table extended the whole length of the room, with pots of ferns and coleus -plants down the center. The silver was old-fashioned and dumpy, and the table linen spotless, glos- sy, and real Irish. Everybody was served at once in a dignified and stately manner, and al- together I do not know that I ever felt quite so solemn and subdued. I would not have laughed aloud for any amount, and thus run the risk of being glared at by those august Irish and English dames. 24 A Girl 's Journey, After dinner we found a London Times in the drawing - room, and read with interest an account of the dreadful Cliarleston earth- quake, which had occurred while we were on the ocean. Next morning, after a ten-o'clock breakfast, we put on heavy wraps, as the wind was quite cool, and wandered down to the lake, the beau- ty of which I cannot describe. On our return a ride was suggested, and we ladies got into an Irish jaunting-car — a jolly little vehicle, hold- ing four persons and a driver, with the backs of the seats together. We drove out to Eoss Island, where are the ruins of Eoss Castle, an old gray stone building, partly tumbled down, and overgrown with ivy. The whole of the county (Kerry) is owned by the Earl of Kenmare, whose new country mansion we saw during our drive. Mary G. said the prettiest things she saw were the tiny donkeys; they were " so cute and sleepy looking." Very often one of them would be drawing a cart on which was piled a whole Irish family and all their marketing. From Qneenstown to Killariiei/. 25 Auotlier curiosity was the monkey puzzle- trees. They had one long trunk like a mon- key's tail, with a lot of little tails branching out from the sides and curling up at the ends. We asked our guide, or driver, if they had any corn in that country. At first he did not seem to understand, but when we said **l7idian corn," he replied: "Yes, I have seen some in the Earl of Kenmare's green-house." He had never heard of sweet potatoes. We girls became so much amused at the stillness and solemnity of every thing in the drawing-room after dinner that we all, with one accord, rushed precipitately from the room and dashed upstairs to have our laugh out, and thus prevent an undignified explosion be- fore all the grand company. It was so nice to go to sleep at night on a soft bed that did not toss us from side to side; to have plenty of room to walk around; not to be disturbed by the roar of the steamer's machinery, and to awake in the morning and look out of a window that was something larger than a dinner-plate. 26 A GirVs Journey. As it was raining on Monday, we concluded not to prolong our stay at Killarney, as there would be no chance for excursions on the lake. They say there that their rainy spells gener- ally last al)out ten days, and that they have "three or four of them a month." No wonder Ireland is so green! ©HAF'TE^ HI. LIMERICK— DUBLIN— PORTRUSH— GLASGOW. RAIN fell nearly all the time we vrere in Lim- erick, so our impressions of tlie place were decidedly damp. The principal point of inter- est was the old cathedral of St. Mary. As the chimes are rung only on Sunday, we did not hear them; but we went through the church, seeing many ancient tombs and monuments. It was very cold that first night in Limerick; and after sitting on the floor, writing up our journals by the dim light of one solitary candle, we hurried to bed in order to get warm. It was raining as usual next morning; but we set out, equipped with cloaks and umbrel- las, to see something of the city. After wan- dering around, peeping into several churches, and trying to protect ourselves from the beg- gars (horrible-looking creatures who blessed us (27) 28 A Girl 's Jour net/. if we gave them a penny, and cursed us with equal vehemence if we did not), we found our way into quite a pretty little park, from which place the rain drove us back to the hotel. Just before leaving for the station we bought some Irish point-lace handkerchiefs from a poor, wretched-looking old Avoman, who said she had been working in lace for thirty -six years. They were very pretty, with a row of shamrock leaves worked round the border, and an Irish harp in each corner. Leaving Limerick in the rain, we passed on to Dublin. By the way our train stopped at a little station called Kildare, of which "sweet Jenny," in the song, was "the flower." I felt tempted to stop awhile in this quiet, shady little nook, but there was no time for tarrying. In Dublin we were delightfully quartered at the Gresham Hotel. After dinner we walked up Sackville Street, past the O'Brien, Bright, Nelson, O'Connell, and King William monu- ments, also Trinity College and the old Par- Limerick — Dublin — Portrush — Glasgoiv. 29 liament building, now used as the Bank of Ireland. On the way back we bought some Irish can- dy, which I did not think equal to American confectionery. In our rooms that night we felt quite rich, with tiro candles for illumination and a set of steps from which to climb into bed. On Wednesday we "did the town," as our English friends would say. First we went to St. Patrick's Cathedral, where, besides many old tombs and statues, is the slab which marks the last resting-place of Dean Swift and his Stella. Each of us sat in a chair made from the roof of the old church said to have been built by St. Patrick himself. They gave us a drink of cool water from St. Patrick's well, which is inside the building. After a delight- ful drive through Phoenix Park we visited the Zoological Gardens, and then went to see the tomb of that great Irish patriot, Daniel O'Con- nell ; also drove past the house where Thomas Moore Avas born. Phosnix Park is quite large, but it seemed to me rather bare and sunny. I 30 A Girl '.s Journey. think that more English oaks would improve it. After an early breakfast our line of march was resumed — this time toward Portrush by the way of Londonderry and Coleraine. The country looked much the same as the south of Ireland, except that a little more care and thrift were displayed in its cultivation. The hotel at Portrush was new, and kept something on the American plan. We had chicken for dinner — the first since leaving home. Bright and early next morning w^e took a car and drove out eight miles to the Giant's Cause- way. The road, for some distance, lay along the sea-shore, and the views from different points were beautiful. Getting out of the car on the way, we w^alked down to the great rock where is the "Wishing Arch." Another curi- osity w^as the " Devil's Punch-bowl," but as I rolled head-foremost down a small hill on the way to it, my recollections of liis Satanic maj- esty's drinking-vessel are rather vague and confused. Limerick — Dublin — Portrush — Glasgow, 31 Leaving the car at the Causeway Hotel, we secured a guide, and clambered down over the rocks into a small boat, so as to take our first view from the water. Some of the party, how- ever, did not like the rolling and plunging of our little craft, so we rowed ashore and walked round another way. I was rather disappointed at the first view, but the nearer we approached the more wonderful it became, and I felt fully repaid for all the rough climbing and "tum- bling " that I had undergone. We were shown, besides the three Causeways — the Little, the Middle, and the Great — the "Lady's Fan," the "Organ," the largest and smallest pillars, and "Prince Arthur's Chair; " were given three sips of water from an old well, and then each of us made a wish while sitting in what is called the "Wishing Chair." My wish really came true. I need not tell exactly what it was, but think a good guesser would come to the conclusion that it had some- thing to do with letters from " the other side." After buying books of views from an old woman eighty years old, and stopping for a 32 A Girl 's Journey. moment to see a man put a white mouse into a cap, and shake out an Irish potato, we climbed into the car and drove back to Portrush. We had a splendid view of Dunluce Castle, the oldest ruin in Ireland. It is built on an isl- find, and connected with the main-land by a natuial bridge only eighteen inches wide. While passing through Belfast in the after- noon we tried to get a glimpse of the rioters (called " patriots " in America), but every thing on our route was quiet and peaceful. Crossing the Irish Sea on a boat called the " Grampus," we arrived at Glasgow, Scotland, about five o'clock in the morning. First, a good nap, followed by breakfast at half-past twelve, and we were ready for sight-seeing. It was raining in the afternoon, so we took a cab and drove round the city. The residence streets were especially handsome, and the bus- iness thoroughfares, as dark came on, were quite brilliant with gas and electricity. When we ladies rose from the dinner-table that evening every gentleman in the dining- room arose too, and remained standing until Limerick — Dublin — Portrtish — Glasgoiv. 33 we had passed out. It was an act of courtesy we had never seen before, and impressed us favorably with Scotch manners. As we actually had gas in our bed-rooms, we girls wanted to sit up nearly all night in order to enjoy the novelty of it. It was so cool that fires were pleasant necessities. The next day (Sunday) we started out to attend religious service, and I think even if we had not so in- tended would have drifted to church with the current, for the whole population seemed to be surging in great waves to the various places of worship. We heard Dr. Burns preach, but his accent was so queer that it was difficult to understand him. The music was grand, and just before the service closed they sung a familiar hymn, in which we all joined heartily. It was a Pres- byterian Church, of course, but the order of worship was not like that of the Presbyterians at home. Many of the streets were so steep that walk- ing was rather a climbing exercise. The street- cars had seats on top, with stairs to go up. 3 34 A Girl *s Journey. One morning we had Highland mutton and Scotch herring for breakfast. In the center of the table was "a dish fit for a king" to look upon— a bowl of beautiful Scotch heather. TROSACHS— STIRLING— EDINBURGH. LEAVING Glasgow Monday morning, we rode for a short distance along the banks of the Clyde, where a great deal of ship-build- ing was going on. Many steamers were in the docks for repairs, and others were in proc- ess of construction. Leaving the train at Balloch pier, we boarded a little steamer which carried us across Loch Lomond to Inversnaid, a dis- tance of twenty-one miles. From the lake there was a fine view of the rugged old mountain, Ben Lomond, of poetic fame. The scenery on all sides was beautiful ^much like that of the Hudson Eiver. We were welcomed on landing by the melodious strains of a bagpipe, the first we had heard on Scottish soil. On leaving the vessel we climbed into a long coach, or Tally-ho, and (35) 36 A GirVs Jouniei/. went dashing through the Trosachs in fine style. Several barefooted, little boy beggars followed our coach nearly all the ^vay up the mountain, pleading for " a penny, gentlemen, please, sir, if you please," and to attract our attention threw bunches of heather into the carriage. We sjoent half an hour at Stronaclacher, where Loch Katrine can be seen to the best advantage; and such a lovely little toy-lake as it is! Susie and I brought away with us some ferns and wild flowers tliat we gathered from near the edge of the water. How delighted we were when our next steamer drew up to the pier and we found it to be the " Bob Boy," the tiniest thing to be called a steamer we had ever seen! Neverthe- less, it carried us bravely across tlie loch, past the beautiful little isle of Ellen," and on to the other side. Entering another coach, we went wliirling over the mountains again, only stopping long *"LadyoftheLuke.' Trosachs — Stirluuj — Edinhunjh. 37 enough at the Trosachs Hotel to get nicely warmed np with Scotch broth: so ravenously hungry was I that notliing ever tasted better. Our ride carried us past numerous small lochs, and over the " Brigg of Turk." We also had a fine view of Ben Venue aud Benledi. The spot where Bob Boy planted the fiery cross was pointed out, as was also the place where Boderick and Fitz James fought the duel. Leaving the coach at Callander, the train carried us to Stirling, where we were glad enough to rest our weary bodies and think over the delightful experiences of the day. Starting out early next morning to see something of Stirling, we drove first to the castle. Stationed at the entrance were sev- eral sentinels dressed in the regular High- land costume- kilts, plaids, and all. They looked rather cool with such short skirts, and bare legs. Passing over the draw-bridge, we entered a winding passage and saw what is called the "Lion's Den;" also the room where James II. assassinated the Earl of Douglas. Then we had a magnificent view from the Trosachs — Stirling — Edin b urgh. 39 ramparts, and sat on the step where Mary Queen of Scots once rested, and looked at the scenery through a small round opening in the wall. Going down to the old Greyfriars' Church, built in 1494, we saw the place where James VI. was crowned, and where John Knox preached the coronation sermon; we then hurried to the station just in time to catch the train for Edinburgh. Our hotel there was the Royal, on Prince's Street. Starting out sight-seeing almost immediately, we climbed up to the old castle, where they showed us a great many interesting relics. The regalia of Scotland dazzled our eyes with its magnificence. We entered Queen Mary's chamber, where James VI. was born— quite a small, plain-looking room— and then visited Margaret's chapel, the oldest building and the smallest chapel in Scotland. We examined with great interest Mons Meg, the monster cannon which was burst in firing a salute upon some special occasioQ, 40 A Git-rs Jon r mi/. Holyrood Palace was our next stopping- place, and there we were shown the rooms of Lord Darnley and Queen Mary, with the same old furniture tliey used ranged round the walls. Such a funny old bed, such queer, slim chairs, and such faded coverings! We girls stole a peep at our bangs in the curious little mirror in Queen Mary's dressing-case. They showed us the famous blood-stains on the floor, and then we went down and saw the ruins of the old abbey. In the distance could be seen the Frith of Forth, tumbling and glistening in the sunlight. Not far from our hotel, on Prince's Street, was the magnificent Scott monument, stand- ing in a little park. Mary Green and I con- cluded to attempt the ascent; so up we toiled, up and up, until we could look down on eight-story houses. It seemed to me we would never reach the top, and the little winding stairs were so narrow and steep that I scratched my hands on the walls, and took every step in constant terror of tumbling back the next. We were fully rewarded, how- i Trosachs — Sthihu) — Edinb urgh. 41 ever, by the view from the summit, for the panorama of beautiful Edinburgh spread out before us was a sight worth climbing many steps to see. Next day was spent at the Exposition, where there were so many wonderful things to be seen that a full description would be impos- sible. There was a street ai-ranged to represent Old Edinburgh, with all sorts of funny little stalls and booths, where they sold a variety of queer things. The shop-keepers were dressed in the styles of a hundred years ago, and spoke such a strange old Scotch dialect that even the Scotch people themselves could not understand the language, and laughed at it as much as we did. Going back to our hotel we girls begged to be allowed to ride on top . of the street-car, and, permission being granted, we clambered up and had fine fun from our elevated posi- tion. We left Edinburgh next day, and reached Melrose by twelve o'clock. How we enjoyed 42 A GirVs Journey. the grand old abbey! such a quiet, restful place after the whirl and hurry of a great city! We examined the different chapels, the strange in- scriptions, and the beautiful arches and pillars that have escaped destruction. Before the place where the high altar stood is a stone which covers a casket containing the heart of Robert Bruce, and on the right is the grave of Michael Scott, the wizard. I could not help wishing all the time that Oliver Cromwell and the rest of the destroyers had turned their at- tention to something else, and left the fine old abbey in its former beauty and splendor. It is really sad to see the ruin and devastation of those rude hands. Next we drove out to Abbotsford, Scott's charming home. Having seen its beauty, I am not surprised that he loved it so much. They conducted us first into the great hall; next to his study, Avliere this wonderful genias toiled for so many years; then through the library, drawing-room, and armory. On Sir AValter's desk was a box made of wood from the Spanish Armada, and beside it his well- TrosachsStirlinc/— Edinburgh. 43 worn chair. Among other curiosities scattered through the different rooms were Scott's last suit of clothes, his sword, purse, Burns's drink- ing-glass, Eob Eoy's sword, a very beautiful ebony cabinet, fifteen chairs presented by George IV., and Queen Mary's jewelry -box, with the cross which she held when executed. The gentle ripple of the Tweed came in at the library windows, and looking around we saw twenty thousand volumes collected by the great author. The paper on the walls of the drawing-room was very curious — being hand- painted, and supposed to have been the work of Chinese artists. We drove back to Melrose, and lunched at the Abbey Hotel; then took the train for Ap- pleby, which we found to be a sleepy little country town. We lodged at a regular old- fashioned English Inn, the King's Head, and the reader may be sure w^e enjoyed this new experience. Our dinner was served in a cheer- ful little coffee-room, all to ourselves, and we had the freshest batter, nicest honey, whitest bread, and the richest yellow cream we had 44 A Girl *s Journeij. Been since leaving Tennessee. It really tasted like a good home-supper. AVe were up bright and early next morning, and took a long walk around the place before the dew was off the grass, tilled our lungs with fresh country air, and felt prepared to plunge into all the smoke and fog that even London might have in store for us. LONDON. R WHOLE day was consumed in making the trip from Appleby to London; consequent- ly we were glad to reach the end of our jour- ney, and secure nice rooms at the Inns of Court Hotel, which, as may be supposed from the name, has always been a favorite stopping- place for lawyers. What great rejoicing there was next morn- ing when Uncle Robert returned from Cook's office with our mail -the first since leaving home ! Five letters, besides papers, fell to my share, and with a voracious appetite for news I immediately sat down to devour them. AVhen every thing had been read, reread, and dis- cussed, we started for a walk, passed down Fleet Street, and, being attracted to St. Paul's Cathedral by the chimes, were just in time for the evening service, and heard some very sweet (45) 46 A Girl '.s Journey. music by fifty little choristers. Then we went over the churcli, and looked at the various monuments and inscriptions, which were of the usual type. On going to our rooms at night it was cus- tomary to stop at a little table in the hall, and take with us one of the candles placed there. We girls discovered that here was a good op- portunity to get more light, so occasionally we helped ourselves generously, and made a rush for our rooms in order to escape the vigilant eye of the chambermaid. However, this was only done when dark necessity compelled. The weather was all we could have wished, and we had not a chance, as yet, to decide how we liked a London fog. A very peaceful Sabbath was spent in at- tending service at St. Paul's in the morning, and driving home by the Parliament Houses, Westminster Abbey, Somerset House, along the Thames Embankment, and up Fleet Street and the Strand. Next morning we started out sight-seeing in earnest, making Westminster Abbey our first London. 4:7 stopping - place after having seen Charing Cross, Trafalgar Square, the old Bank of En- gland, and many other interesting things and places. I shall leave to the guide-books and learned travelers an enumeration of all the tombs and monuments with which the old ab- bey is filled, and only add that we spent several hours w^andering within its gloomy w^alls, and then managed to make our way out through the crowds which were constantly pouring in. While waiting before the American Ex- change who should come up but Misses Emma and Lillie Morrow, of Miss Ford's party— all of Nashville . They accepted an invitation to dine with us in the evening, and we had quite a pleasant time talking over our various expe- riences and the latest home news. I was afraid that during our stay in London I would injure my eyes trying to look at both sides of the street at once, to say nothing of occasional glimpses before and behind. As loyal Methodists, of course we visited City Eoad Chapel, and saw the house where John Wesley lived, his pulpit, desk, and chair. 48 A Girl 's Journey. We were allowed to gather as souvenirs some little sprigs of green from tbe grave of the great founder. Across from City lload is Bunhill Fields Cemetery, where, besides the graves of Bunyan, De Foe, and Isaac Watts, is that of Susanna, the mother of the Wesleys. On Tuesday morning we took a long drive through Hyde Park to the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens. This monument is erected on the site of the first World's Fair. The lower part ol it is beautiful, but the gen- eral effect is rather spoiled by the gilding and gaudy colors on its top. At the corners are marble pieces representing Europe, Asia, Af- rica, and America. These are finely executecj and if not presumptuous we would suggest that Victoria made a mistake in not having the whole monument constructed of white marble and ornamented with fewer glaring colors. Driving along Piccadilly, we saw the Roths- child mansion and the houses of the Dukes of Devonshire and Cambridge. Among the palaces seen on that same morning were Buck- London, 49 ingliam, St. James, and the residences of the Prince of Wales and his brother, the Duke of Connaught, who was at that time absent in India. The Queen was not at Buckingham; in fact, it was said that she rarely spent more than five days there during the year. The Prince of Wales was entertaining the King of Portugal at the royal palace. Our next " lion " was the old Tower of Lon- don. Going first to the jewel-room, we feasted our eyes on the most magnificent regalia in the world. More conspicuous than any thing else was the crown, valued at £1,000,000. Placed all around this were the various orbs, diadems, maces, scepters, royal plate, and oth- er beautiful works of art in gold and precious stones. We were shown a model of that great diamond, the Koh-i-noor— the original being worn in a brooch by the queen. I could have spent hours gazing at these glittering treas- ures, but we were obliged to make the most of our time, so passed on to the armory. Here were displayed all kinds of weapons, and many 4 50 A Girl 's Journey. curious suits of armor from Eugland, France, India, China, and numbers of different places. There was a figure on horseback which rep- resented Queen Elizabeth as she appeared when on her way to St. Paul's to give thanks after the destruction of the great Armada. In the center of the court of the Tower was a brass tablet marking the spot where the scaffold stood on which Lady Jane Grey, Anne Boleyn, and Catherine Howard were beheaded. Com- ing down the narrow stairs, we passed the place where the two poor little princes were buried after having been so cruelly murdered. That evening we met some very pleasant people in the drawing-room of the hotel. One young fellow, who had the appearance and pronunciation of a dude, joined in the conver- sation^ and we were much amused at some of his remarks, which were invariably prefaced and punctuated with such decidedly English expressions as "awfully jolly," " awfully nice," "awfully narsty," "beastly," "darn't you knaw," and others of like character. He in- quired if we \^re from Canada, and did not London. 51 seem at all complimented when somebody asked i£ he were a FrenchmcDi. Wednesday we spent at the Japanese vil- lage, and a charming day it was. A whole colony of Japanese live there, working at their different trades, keeping house, and seemingly as contented and happy as if in their native country. They were dressed in the national costumes, and chatted merrily with each other in their own language. We watched the process of hair-dressing, which was very curious, and then walked around and bought some little straw boxes of Japanese sweets from a queer-looking old woman. We fell completely in love with two cunning little Japanese children, who trotted about on their tiny wooden shoes, and did not seem to be afraid of anybody. In a bamboo cage was a small Japanese dog with a turned-up nose. He was quite gentle, and kindly allowed us to pat him on the head as much as we liked. After attending two entertainments, and see- ing some very wonderful umbrella feats, wire- walking, and screen-balancing, besides hearing 52 .1 Girl's Journey. some strange Japanese music, and watching some of the ladies go through with their na- tive dances, we reluctantly took our leave. I think Mary Green really wanted to carry oflf one of those tiny Japs. Next day we went shopping, and I am sure we must have walked many miles, for we did not get back to lunch until two o'clock. One china-store that we visited was particu- larly beautiful. There was a very large room full of fine glass-ware of every description. The roof was of stained glass, and it seemed as though we had wandered into fairy-land. The walls were lined with mirrors, and the cut-glass chandeliers, which were suspended from the ceiling, were reflected and re-reflect- ed in glittering splendor. Here and there twinkled little colored fairy - lights, and Ave scarcely dared to move for fear this dazzling, sparkling bubble wdiich enveloped us would burst and leave only a little soap in our eyes. After lunch we visited Madame Tussaud's wax-works. Here we found ourselves face to face with all the heroes and heroines of an- London. 56 cient and modern times— Napoleon Bonaparte, nearly all the kings and queens of England; Victoria, with her whole family, surrounded by her court; our own George Washington, Garfield, John Wesley, Byron, Burns, Shakes- peare, and hundreds of others. We watched the life-like breathing of the sleeping beauty, and could hardly persuade ourselves that she was not alive. Uncle Kobert walked up and put his hand on the shoulder of a policeman stationed near the door, and said something to him. Imagine his surprise when he found he had been talking to a man of wax! Passing on to another room, Susie and I climbed into Napoleon's coach, and had its various conveniences explained to us. Then we went down into the Chamber of Horrors, and saw enough murderers, thieves, and. other terrible characters to supply us with bad dreams for a whole month. The next day was spent in the Zoological Garden, said to be the largest in the world. While standing before one of the monkey- cages Susie got too close, and in an instant 54 A GirVs Jonrney. one of the monkeys had reached out and snatched every i)article of trimming from her hat, and, screaming with delight, went climb- ing up into the top of the cage with his prize streaming out behind him. Susie's face, when she discovered her loss, was a picture, and the little boys who were standing around fairly roared and shrieked with amusement. "What fun those monkeys did have with that ribbon! They dressed up in it, fought over it, pulled it to pieces, and altogether had such a thor- oughly good time that we told the keeper not to take it away from them, as he offered to do. Another amusing sight was watching "Old Sallie," the orang-outang, put on a kid glove. She knew just how to smooth down the fin- gers, and seemed to be intensely interested in having it fit exactly right. Before leaving we girls took a ride on a big elephant, also on a camel. I prefer the gait of the elephant. It does not jerk one quite so hard. We had our courier, Mr. Dattari, an Italian from Florence, to dine with us that evening, and found him to be quite an elegant gentle- London. _^ man. His conversation was interesting, and he spoke good English. We had by this time become very much at home in London, and found our way around to different placeB without any trouble whatever. I wish I had time to tell of all the wonderful places visited and the people we met, but must hurry on, lest we tarry too long in the great metropolis. FROM LONDON TO BRIGHTON. ON Saturday we decided to make an excur- sion, selecting Sydenham as the most de- sirable place to visit. It was only a short ride from London, and the weather was fine. Leav- ing the train, we walked around the Crystal Palace for some time, looking at the statuary, fountains, beautiful tropical plants, works of art, and various fancy things in the booths. After lunch we went into the music-hall and heard a grand organ recital, then took our places before the stand and beheld the mys- terious trick of the " vanishing lady." Some Japanese performers came on, and entertained us highly with their dexterous feats. Next on the programme were some wonderful aerial per- formances, which fairly made our heads swim. By this time they were beginning to light up, and when the great building was fully il- (56) From London to Brighton, 57 luminated with thousands and thousands of colored lights, it seemed an enchanted place, while the splashing of the fountains and the sounds of exquisite music did not dispel the illusion. We turned away with reluctance, deciding this to have been a day running over with pleasure. Sunday was damp and rainy, but we went to church in spite of the weather— drove across the river to the Tabernacle to hear Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers in the world, de- liver one of his best sermons. I felt quite at home when the immense congregation of five thousand people sung a hymn to Duke Street without an organ, and every stanza lined. The second prayer was grand, followed by the ser- mon — plain and simple enough for any child to understand — perfectly practical, with no flowery flights, and so earnestly and forcibly delivered that, as Susie said, "You had to listen whether you wanted to or not." The minister did not have on a gown, — this was a great comfort to us and him-and he did not read his sermon. 58 A Girl 's Journey. Monday was spent at the British Museum, and the simple act of seeing was no light un- dertaking. We were interested in the ancient manuscripts, books in old type, and many other curious things; but I will be honest enough to confess that the broken-nosed, legless, armless, headless, and oftentimes bodiless pieces of stat- uary had little beauty or attraction for me; in fact, proved to be rather what our English friends would call '' an awful bore, don't you know! " My taste very evidently needed cul- tivation in that direction. Mr. Arthur Marks, of Tennessee, called on our party in the evening. Of course we were glad to meet somebody from home. Next day we visited the National Art Gal- lery, and saw hundreds of the treasured works of the old masters. I was most pleased with Murillo's " Holy Family." Then we went to the Kensington Museum and the Indian Exhibit, where there were more pictures, statues, old carriages, lovely china and porcelain, Indian ornaments, exquisite em- broidery, beautiful brocades, Chinese pagodas, From London to Brighton. 59 ivory boxes, carved chairs, queer-looking mu- sical instruments, besides countless thousands of other things that I cannot remember. Another excursion was planned for the next day, this time up to old York, in the north country. As we walked into the dining-room of the hotel in York that evening I heard a gentleman whisper: "They are Americans." I should like to know how he knew it, for I do not think we had even spoken. As soon as breakfast was over next morn- ing, we took an open carriage and drove around York — or rather into York, for our hotel was outside the walls of the old city proper. We saw the castle, many curious houses with pro- jecting upper stories that almost met across the narrow streets, the Lord Mayor's mansion, and last, but not least, the old Minster, for which the place is famous. The " Five Sis- ters " window excited our admiration, and we spent an hour wandering about the church looking at its massive architecture and curious relics. We then took the train for Cambridge, and 60 A Girl *s Journey. were driven over the town, saw its seventeen colleges — the principal one of which is Trin- ity, its beautiful grounds shaded with grand old English oaks— and reached the station just an hour too soon, the hungriest crowd in Great Britain. Uncle Robert was sent out on a foraging expedition, and came back with some sandwiches. These were soon devoured, and he went for more. Another supply dis- appeared as quickly as the first. The third time he returned with a bag of cold boiled eggs. We finished these and called for more. There were no more, so we ordered that some be cooked, and, as they were only just done when the train came, we got into the carriage and continued our feast on hot eggs instead of cold ones. Reaching London rather late, we spent the night at the St. Pancras Hotel, which is said to be one of the finest in Europe. A visit to the Indian and Colonial Exhibi- tion occupied the next day, where much of in- terest was to be seen. Old London was represented, and we drank From London to Brighton. 61 water from a fountain in one of its narrow streets. Wandering into the garden, we sat down to listen to the music, and asked a waiter for some^lemonade. He brought us four bot- tles, and poured their contents into our glasses. It tasted something like hard cider, but more like inferior soda-water. We concluded that the old English did not know how to make good lemonade. One very interesting sight of the Exhibition was a perfect representation of an African jungle, with the tigers, lions, wild boars, monkeys, undergrowth, and all complete. We staid until after dark to see the grand illuminations. Just as the clock chimed the half-hour past six all the grounds burst into light. The tops of the buildings were outlined with tiny, twinkling globes; also the monuments, shrubs, trees, flower-beds, and every conceivable place that could hold a light. The whole was made more brilliant by electricity, while a fountain in the center of the lake sparkled and rippled with all the col- ors of the rainbow. Susie and I decided to take a rest-day, so 62 A GirVs Journey. on Saturday, \vliile Aunt Anna and Mary G. went shopping, we remained at the hotel and spent the time reading, writing, practicing, and lounging. On Sunday morning Dr. Parker preached at the City Temple. I was forcibly reminded, all during his discourse, of Henry Irving, the actor. Their voices were alike, and they had much the same manner and gestures. There was too much elocutionary effort in the ser- mon for me, and it contained very few striking thoughts, but was replete with pretty words. As I was sealing a letter in our room that night, Mary G. rushed in and announced that Mr. and Mrs. Charles Eastman were down- stairs. We hurried to the drawing-room, and sure enough there they w^ere— had come over on the " Umbria," been through a storm, and landed at Liverpool the day before. They en- gaged rooms at the " Inns of Court," and at dinner next day we had the whole party assem- bled, with the addition of Miss Macklin, a young lady Tvho came over on the steamer with Mr. and Mrs. Eastman. From London to Brighton. 63 We ladies spent the next day in going through Whitley's immense store. I could have squandered a large fortune there with but little effort, and could have furnished a whole house, from a pug-dog to a piano. Next day we made an excursion up the Thames to Carlyle's house, No. 24 Cheyne Eow, Chelsea, a very plain, unpretending dom- icile. Here the great author lived for nearly twenty-five years, and here also was the scene of poor Mrs. Carlyle's perplexing household cares. There were placards in the windows announcing that it was " to let." Then we went down the river past Somerset House, Lambeth Castle, and the Tower, under old London Bridge, past the docks and wharves, and on to Greenwich, to visit the Observatory. Just think of it! From there we rode back almost the whole way to our hotel, a distance of fifteen miles, on a street-car! Another long rest-day, as the weather was bad, and we got on the train and ran down to Brighton. First we visited the Pavilion, which was occupied by Queen Victoria during her 64 A GirVs Journey. early married life. Then we went down to the beach and walked out to the end of the new chain-pier. The fishermen were there mending their sails, with nets spread on the sands to dry. Susie and I had '* lots" of fun running races with the breakers. It was while walking along the chain-pier that Uncle Eob- ert asked an old confectionery woman " which one of his daughters most resembled him ? " Her answer was: " The two other young ladies look like their mother, but this one," point- ing to me, " is exactly like her father, sir." We were much amused at the way she had tangled our relationship. After driving for some time along the beach, meeting numbers of handsome turn-outs, we turned our faces Londonward again, and that night marked down in our journals another red-letter day. On Friday the clerk of the weather con- cluded to give us some variety, so we were fa- vored with a genuine London fog. At half- past nine we ate breakfast by gas-light, and were ol)liged to light tlie candles in our rooms. Susie and I did not go out, and at twelve o'clock From London to Br{(jhto)i. 65 we could not see to read at the drawing-room windows without the gas, and all the street- lamps were lighted. I was glad to have seen a genuine London fog, but one was enough. The fog is of a peculiar color — a kind of green- ish, grayish yellow — and seems almost thick enough to cut with a knife. That night we girls had a feast in our room. We spread a towel over the table, made lem- onade in the glasses on the wash-stand, and stirred it with the handles of our tooth-brushes. The chambermaid brought us some ice; we begged the sugar from one of the waiters; laid out our store of sweets — consisting of candy, apples, a pear, and a little butter-scotch — and secured enough extra candles to have a grand illumiiiation. I heard one of the three com- plaining next morning that she did not feel very well, but the other two were all right. The time for leaving England having drawn near, we began packing in earnest, as the trunks were to be left in London until our re- turn eight months hence. Our valises were well stuffed, and it took a great deal of strap- 5 66 A Girl 's JoKrnri/. ping and squeezing before we could close them. On Sunday we rested, after hearing Dr. Shorr preach in a very energetic manner at the Wesleyan Chapel. Next morning, when we started from the hotel, all the waiters, porters, chambermaids, "boots," and clerks that we had ever even looked at were assembled to see us off; and such smiles, bows, and farewells! We re- turned their adieus with shillmc/s, and, giving ourselves entirely into our courier's charge, stepped into the waiting cabs, were driven to the station, and continued our journey to the far East. From this time forward we became " Cookies," as Cook's tourists are called in Eu- rope, and surely nothing that 'could have been desired to make our trip comfortable and pleas- ant was left undone. AVe were relieved of all care and resix)nsibility, our mail was forwarded regularly and safely, and the whole burden of travel made as easy and delightful as possible. PARIS. ON the way from London to Dover we passed through Canterbury, famous for its cathedral, where Thomas k Becket was murdered in 1170, and also for the association of the quaint old tales of Chaucer. We had been dreading the crossing of the English Channel, and it was with fear and trembling that we stepped on board the " Pe- trel." However, the sky was blue, the water calm, and every thing so charming, that our little vessel proved not to be a "sk>rmy pe- trel," and carried us across as gently and smoothly as could have been desired. Nobody was seasick except Susie, and she had only a slight attack. As soon as a landing was made at Calais, what a jabbering and confusion greeted our ears! The porters were shouting and yelling (67) 68 A GirVs Journey. iu Frencli, and I realized forcibly, for the first time, that I was '*a strauger iu a strange land." Another long journey on the train, a farci- cal examination of the baggage, and we were at last iu beautiful Paris, rattling along its brilliantly lighted streets in cabs. None of our party si:)oke any of the foreign languages, so we left all the arrangements about rooms, etc., to our courier, Mr. Dattari, and he proved himself thoroughly competent to take care of us. I could have slept till noon the next day, if Uncle Eobert had not waked us early, in order to make ready and start out sight-see- ing. It seemed strange not to be able to read the signs and advertisements, and not to under- stand what the people were saying as they passed us on the streets. Of course we went first to the Palace of the Louvre, which is a great museum of beautiful things of art. A great many copyists were at work before the grand old masterpieces of ..iSSik Paris. 69 painting, and some of their efforts were fine. The decorations of the walls and ceilings of the palace were magnificent, and the great glittering halls stretched out in seemingly endless perspective. One very attractive feat- ure was a set of thirty immense paintings by Murillo, representing different scenes in the life of Maria de' Medici. We came out tired and hungry, and glad to find a cake-shop where lunch could be obtained. On our return to the hotel in the afternoon, we lost our way for a little while, but it did not take long to find it again. At the St. Petersburg Hotel, where we were stopping, the dining-room ceiling was made of glass, and several evenings at dinner we thought we heard it raining. Finally, conclud- ing it was a little peculiar that it should rain every day just at that time, we investigated and discovered that the water was from an ar- tificial fountain, arranged so as to trickle on the glass roof, and that our rain was counter- feit; but it was pleasant music to eat by, for all that. 70 A GirVs Journi'if. AVe found in Paris one of our Nasliville young ladies, Miss Nannie Seawell, who had also come over on the "Umbria" with Mr. and Mrs. Eastman. She was studying art, and was very much interested in lier work. Sln' and Mrs. Trezevant called un our party at the hotel once or twice. We joined one of Cook's excursion parties, and rode around the city in an immense wag- on or stage, large enough to accommodate twenty-five or thirty persons. AYe had a reg- ular rah't de ithice to point out objects and buildings of note, and saw so much to inter- est and entertain us that it would be impos- sible to tell the half of it; so I will simply mention a few of the most prominent places visited, without attempting minute descrip- tions of any. First we passed the Place and Column Vendome. This old column w^as made of can- non captured in war by the French. Then we went down the Eue de Rivoli, a fine arcad- ed street, passed the gardens of the Tuileries, to the mint, and into the beautiful little Sainte Paris. 71 Cliapelle, where is some of the richest and most gorgeous stained glass in the world. We were cod ducted up into the Palace of Justice, and to the Louvre again, where we noticed a great many things we had missed the day before, among them the statuary and royal apartments. The Venus de Milo of course attracts a great deal of attention here; but, to be honest, I did not admire the face or form of this celebrated statue as much as I did some of the others, which may have been the result, on my part, of an uncultivated taste. Lunching at a little hotel near by, we had wine for the first time ; but I do not think the party, as a whole, enjoyed it. After visiting St. Sulpice Church, we went to the Luxem- bourg Gallery. It is here that the works of modern artists are shown, and some of us agreed that the "new masters" had, according to our judgment, improved in many respects upon the old ones. Next we were shown the Gobelin tapestry, and even the gentlemen of our party went into ecstasies over its beauty. 72 A Gh-rs Jounif'i/. It was all done by hand, from tho \vrong or under side, and could not l)o distinguished from the most exquisite oil paintings unless examined closely. I would not have believed that any thing made of threads could have been so beautiful. None of the Avork is for sale, but is owned by the Government, and only given away as royal presents. We were conducted through the Pantheon, where Victor Hugo, Voltaire, and other great literary men and unbelievers are buried, vis- ited the handsome church of St. Steven, and then went (O horrors!) to the Morgue. There were two bodies exposed, both old men. The sight was so revolting that we left as quickly as possible, fervently hoping we would not dream of suicides. Our sight-seeing for that day was ended by a visit to the grand Cathedral of Notre Dame. It would be folly for me to attempt a descrip- tion of this celebrated building, bo I will pass it by without comment, as a "tale that has been (often) told." One morning, while we were at breakfast, Paris. 73 a colored lady and gentleman of "African descent" walked into tlie dining-room and placed themselves at one of the tables near us. They remained at the hotel several days, and we saw them often on the streets, driving around in a stylish turn-out, behind a pair of spirited horses, with a white driver. They were from the Gold Coast of Africa, and spoke both English and French fluently. Our rooms were very nicely furnished, with large mirrors over the mantels and in the wardrobes, pretty lace curtains at the windows and over the beds, with handsome brass clocks in each apartment; but alas! no soap. Fort- unately, we were supplied, so it did not matter. The working-men looked very queer with long blue frocks exactly like shirts, worn in the place of coats, while the women sported peculiar-looking bonnets or head-dresses; the costumes of the bonnes, or nurse-maids, were quite picturesque, with flowing ribbons, long cloaks, and snow-white aprons. The second day's excursion carried us iSrst to the Church of the Madeleine; but as prep- 74 A Girl '« Journey. aratioijs were being made for a funeral we could not enter the building. Tlie Place de la Concorde and the Obelisk of Luxor were interesting, as were also the Champs Elysees and the Palace of Industry. TOMB OF NAPOLEON. "VYe viewed the panorama of the battle of Champigny, and then passed the grandest triumphal arch in the world, that of Napo- leon I. Entering the Palace of Trocadero, we climbed into the tower, from which elevation Paris. 75 we had a very fine view of Paris, making the descent on the largest "lift," or elevator, in the world — Edoux's. We were delighted with the splendor of Napoleon's tomb, and went through Hotel des Invalides, which has accommodations for six thousand soldiers, though occupied by only three hundred and thirty at the time of our visit. After lunching at one of the restaurants in the Palais Royal, we visited the Church St. Eustache, saw the Halles Centrales, the Bou- levard de Sebastopol, Place and Statue de la Republique, and halted before the Column of July, which marks the place where the old Bastile, of so many terrible associations, once stood. The column is very high, and on top is a figure of Liberty. Walking through the celebrated cemetery, Fere la Chaise, we gathered a pebble from the grave of Abelard and Heloise, and some ivy-leaves from the tombs of Marshal Ney and Racine. Passing on through the poorer quarters of 76 A Girl 's Joiirmy. Paris, we reached the Park of Buttes Chau- mont, a charming place; crossed a rather shaky little supensiou bridge, aud had a beautiful view of the lake. As we drove off some one in the cafe played on the piano, "God Save the Queen," and then "Yankee Doodle." The latter was greeted with applause from the Americans, while some of us would not have objected to a rendition of "Dixie." We also passed the residence of President Grevy, and a very beautiful place it was. In front of all the cafe's, out on the pavements, were small tables and chairs, where in pleas- ant weather great numbers of people sat, eat- ing ices, drinking wine and coffee, while en- gaged in most animated conversation. Starting out on Friday to take our third excursion, we found a five-in-hand awaiting us, and, although it was raining, our party numbered fifteen. After passing the Church of St. Augustine, we drove through the Bois de Boulogne, which contains seven artificial lakes, a lovely cascade, and several very fine avenues. Paris. 77 Mary Green aud I were the only ones of our seven who cared to walk through the town of St. Cloud, but we felt fully repaid after seeing the park and ruins of the old palace which was occupied by the French kings and queens from 1500 to 1870, when it was destroyed by the Communists. The old fountains were still beautiful, and we brought way with us from beneath the trees some buckeyes, " for luck." Meeting the carriage on the opposite side of the park, we drove to the Grand Trianon, built by Louis XIY. for Madame de Maintenon. Here we were shown the private apartments of Napoleon and Josephine, also the rooms prepared for Queen Victoria when she spent a night there. They were all very magnificent, and full of rare and costly articles. Instead of taking a regular lunch we de- cided to purchase some fruit, so stepped into a shop where were displayed some fine pears. The shop-keeper could not speak English, and we did not understand French, so had to point and gesticulate very energetically before we could make ourselves understood. Finally, 78 A Girl 's Journey. though, we learned the price, procured the fruit, paid for it, and left in triumph. In the afternoon we had quite a pleasant trip out to Versailles, the grandest palace in the world. The grounds were superb, and we wandered around them for some time lost in wonder and admiration. There were ten thou- sand statues and one hundred and sixty-three fountains, all of which were kept in perfect order. It costs about $200,000 for the fount- ains to play three-quarters of an hour, so, as might be supposed, there is not more than one day in the year when they can be seen in all their splendor. The royal apartments were magnificent beyond description. A lace spread on the bed of Louis XIV. was made by the ladies of France, and valued at several millions of francs. (A franc is about twenty cents of our money). The grand ball-room was gorgeous, the walls being covered with immense mirrors, the ceil- ing exquisitely painted, and the floor waxed to such a degree that walking on it was rather a precarious exercise. Paris. 79 Oil the way back to the city we stopped at the famous Sevres porcelain-manufactory. In the show-rooms was a quantity of liandsome ware, among other things several vases valued at more than thirty thousand francs. We no- ticed copies in porcelain of a great many of the fine paintings we had seen in the Louvre. On our return Mary G. and I sat on the seat with the driver, and felt very high up in the world, being almost on a level with the second stories of the houses. As we passed along the children on the pavement cried out: " Yive I'Amerique! " How did they know we were Americans? We afterward went into the Grand Opera House, the most magnificent one in the world, I suppose. Its beauty and splendor are far beyond my powers of description, and must be seen to be appreciated. Saturday we ladies spent the day shopping at the Bon Marche, and were a tired company when the experience was over. Sunday morning there was service at the Madeleine, and such performances I had never 80 .1 Girl 'x Journey. seen in a clmrcli before! The priests were dressed like circus -performers; some with white gowns and red skirts, others with red gowns, a few with yellow stripes down their backs, and still others all in white. They marched around, swinging incense, chanting, and carrying liglited candles. Of course it was all strange and even foolish to us, but the music was fine, and we enjoyed it greatly. The next two days were spent shopping in the Magazin du Louvre, the shops of the Palais Koyal, at the Bon Marclie, up and down the Eue de Pdvoli, and in various parts of the city. We found a great many pretty novelties in the shops, besides meeting with an occasional amusing experience. At one place we attempted to trade with a jolly-look- ing old Frenchwoman who could not speak a word of English, but w^ere compelled to leave after vainly attempting to make her understand that we wanted a certain pair of lorgnettes, set a certain way, and to be ready on a certain day. She finally gave it up, and so did we, and left her shaking her fat sides with laughter. Paris. 81 I felt very proud one day at dinner when I asked the waiter in French for some sugar, and he actually understood and brought it to me. That was the first time I had tried to speak the language. Our last impressions of Paris were more pleasant than the first, as the weather was more propitious, and we were only persuaded to make preparations for departure by the promise of a return and a longer stay next time. 6 MARSEILLES— MEDITERRANEAN SEA. FROM Paris to Marseilles was an all-night's journey, and our party of seven found the little compartment in the train rather crowd- ed, as it was intended for only eight persons, while our hand baggage occupied the space of at least two. After we had been in the coupe several hours Uncle Robert, who had been asleep, awoke suddenly, suffering from thirst. There was no water within reach, and he determined, when we stopped at the next station, to get out and find some. We all begged him not to risk it, as the train only waited three minutes, and there was danger of his being left. Some of us even laid violent hands on the skirts of his coat to keep him in; but all to no purpose. He was frantic from thirst, and rushed out, de- manding of the Frenchmen standing by: " Wa- (82) Marseilles — Mediterranean Sea. 83 ter! I want some water, I must have some wa- ter!" Tliey had no idea what he meant, and the case was becoming desperate, when, fortu- nately, a man who understood English passed by, appreciated the state of affairs, and brought him a glass of water just before the train moved off. It was one of the most amusing scenes I ever witnessed, and we laughed until we were tired at his energetic efforts to satisfy his thirst. After passing through some beautiful por- tions of Southern France and enjoying the glimpses of fine scenery from the car windows we reached the hotel at Marseilles at 11 A.M. As soon as we had removed the dust and dirt of travel, taken our lunch, and rested a little we entered an omnibus and rode to Notre Dame Church, which stands on quite an emi- nence just outside the city. Our vehicle was drawn by three horses driven tandem, while a little boy ran along to whip the front one as we ascended the hill. The drivers made a very peculiar sound when they wanted their horses to go faster. 84 A Girl 's Journey. and we girls amused ourselves trying to imi- tate them. A number of beggars followed us all the way up, pleading most pitoously for sous. After admiring the catliedral, which is a line building, but interesting principally from its historical associations, being built, it is said, on the site of an ancient temple of Diana, we enjoyed a magnificent view of the city, spread out below us, and reaching down to the shores of the ''beautiful blue Mediterranean." On the way back to the hotel we passed through the flower-market, and I bought a large bunch of tuberoses and violets for three sous (three cents). We had by this time learned the English and French money sys- tems thoroughly, though I always had to translate the price of an article into dollars and cents before I could tell its real value. We spent two days in Marseilles; but dur- ing that short time saw much that interested and entertained us. It is a queer old city, with a strange and quaint population. The houses nearly all have tiled roofs, and the Marseilles— Mediterranecm Sea. 85 people seem to live mostly in the open air. Many of the streets have two rows of trees down the middle, with a shady walk between and drives on either side for vehicles. Our hotel was one of the finest we had seen, the dining-saloon being especially handsome. We feasted on delicipns grapes, and tried fresh figs, but one taste of the latter was suffi- cient for us. On Thursday morning all the baggage, steamer chairs, rugs, etc., were carried down to the "Sindh," where we soon followed, en- tertaining ourselves while waiting for the ves- sel to start by watching the bustling, hurrying crowd on the wharf. We had no friends to bid good-by, so spent the time observing the farewells of the other passengers. The ship was crowded, every berth being taken. I was surprised to see so many people on their way to Egypt. We soon had our luggage arranged in the state-rooms, and "went to housekeeping" for the voyage. The wind blew quite fiercely all day, and 86 A GirVs Journey. the steamer rolled and tossed so violently that at dinner the cases for the dishes had to be put on the table. Susie and I staid up on the deck for a long time, watching Mr. Dattari, who was trying to promenade up and down in spite of the pitch- ing of the vessel. We had as yet no thought of being seasick; however, when we sat down to the table a little later and tried to eat, the commotion became a personal matter, and we beat an ignominious retreat to our state-rooms. How old Neptune did tumble us about that night! I never re- alized before what it was to be a foot-ball. The weather next morning was lovely, and we began to feel that there was yet some small pleasure left in life. There were a number of children on board, and it seemed strange to hear the little " tots " jabbering to each oth- er in French. None of the servants or officers spoke English, and I do not know how we could have managed without our courier to in- terpret for us. At night we entertained ourselves with mu- Marseilles^Mediierranem Sea. 87 sic, and sometimes quite a little audience would gather round aa we sung one o£ the familiar home-tunes, or some of the jolly ne- aro melodies. The latter pleased Mr. Dattari especially, as he had never heard them before; and he would ask again and again for " Down by the Eiver " and " Reeling on a Eock." We did not dare sing "Home, Sweet Home," but came out strong on "America." There were two Sisters of Charity on board, and a couple of priests in robes, who were con- tinually walking up and down tlie deck telling their beads and repeating their prayers. My seat at the table was next to the leading opera singer at Cairo. She tried to converse with me, but as I could not understand her French, nor she my English, we had to give it up. On Saturday we passed through the Strait of Messina, and had a good view of Italy on one side and Sicily on the other, with glimpses of JEtna and Stromboli. One of the passengers-Dr. Pierce, of Bal- timore-was very ill for some days, and every- 88 A GirVs Jouniey. body thought lie was going to die. He was not only seasick, but had other serious trouble. Our whole hearts went out in sympathy to him, as he was alone so far away from home. Uncle Eobert did all he could for him, and Ave were rejoiced at last to hear he was better. On Sunday there was no service in the sa- loon, so the time was spent in reading, talking, and singing. One evening the sailors, who were off duty, got up what they called a caravan^ and a funny show it was. First came a curious kind of an- imal ringing a bell; then an Arab on a rick- ety-looking camel; next, what we took to be an ostrich, and after it a giraffe. An accordion, a drum, a bell, and a pair of cymbals fur- nished the music, while the beasts themselves howled, squealed, roared, shrieked, growled, and bellowed. Altogether it was a most amus- ing spectacle, and the little boys on board were wild with delight. We met some very pleasant English people among the passengers, and the last day of the voyage one of the young gentlemen told our Marseilles — Mediterranean Sea. 89 fortunes. He was very kind in his prognosti- cations, and gave ns no cause for complaint as to what the future might have in store for us. Early on Tuesday morning we awoke and saw through our port-holes the light-house on the coast of Egypt. How delighted we were to see land again, and what rapid packing we did so as to hurry up on deck! The trip had lasted five days and a half, and we were quite willing to leave the steamer and venture forth to see and enjoy the sights of this strange land. ALEXANDRIA. AFTER passing through two harbors, the steamer anchored just outside of Alexan- dria; and, as soon as the police had come on board, up came the Arabs like cats over the sides of the vessel, and such confusion can- not be imagined. They were dressed in all sorts of costumes, made in various ways and representing all the colors of the rainbow. Their trousers were so loose and baggy that they looked like skirts, and on their heads were either gorgeous turbans or the regular red fez with long black tassels. They climbed into and spread over the ship like a lot of chattering monkeys, screaming, quarreling, fighting, pushing one another's boats, and each trying to make a greater racket than his neighbor. It was by far the most excit- ing scene I ever witnessed, and by its nov- (90) Alexandria. 91 elty aud noise made an impression that yet remains. Cook's boat was in waiting with our boat- men and dragoman, and they rowed us ashore. We were glad to step on firm ground once more, though it Avas a whole day before we were entirely free from the rolling motion of the vessel. Our party was conducted in open carriages to the hotel, the Khedevial, where the land- lady handed to Aunt Anna a bunch of beau- tiful roses. It is a very pretty and ancient custom, of theirs to present flowers to a guest on entering the house. We divided the bou- quet, and wore it to breakfast. Some one on the steamer had remarked that we were "approaching a country where every thing smells but the flowers." The first part of this assertion we were easily induced to be- lieve before reaching the hotel; but one whiff of those delicious roses was enough to dis- prove the slur contained in the latter part. Our rooms were large, airy, and cool, with lofty ceilings, high windows, and neat, white 92 A Girl 's Journey. beds, each canopied with dainty lace and snowy curtains. Our windows looked out on the garden or yard of the hotel; and, if my arms had been just a little longer, I could have gathered ripe dates from the palm-trees nodding their heads almost within the room. There were bananas hanging on the trees, and the most beautiful jessamines, roses, and other flowers blooming in great profusion along the walks. After a light lunch of fruits, and a refresh- ing nap, we dressed and went down to the eight o'clock dinner, which was well served and greatly enjoyed. It was here that I tried for the first time my favorite fruit — dates, fresh and delicious, just gathered, and having rather a different flavor from the pressed fruit which we get in America. The rest of the party did not share my appreciation, so passed the dish over to me, and I left it al- most empty. The last course was Egyptian coffee — a delightful beverage, served in tiny cups not much larger than a thimble. Just after the fruit was put on the table Alexandria. 93 candles were brought in and set before the gentlemen, who lighted their cigarettes and puffed away very comfortably before leaving their seats. The waiters were Arabs dressed in the native costume; and there were so many strange things to see and get accus- tomed to about the hotel that we were kept continually interested and entertained. After dinner Mrs. Eastman and Aunt Anna took a walk, bringing back with them some Egyptian candy, which was very good, tasting something like our taffy, but covered over with small seeds or nuts, which had a strange but pleasant flavor. While in the drawing-room we heard quite a commotion out on the street. On going to the door we found it was caused by a proces- sion of pilgrims returning from Mecca. They were women, and therefore rode in closed carriages. A band was playing, and a great many of the Arabs were carrying torches, and fairly making night hideous with their howl- ing and shrieking. Susie and I found a good piano, and spent 94 A GirVs Journey. a delightful evening practicing duets, and some of our old pieces — that is, as many as we could remember without notes. We discov- ered that Mr. Dattari was quite a musician, and his playing contributed much to the pleasure of the evenings. He was also very in- telligent, conversed well, and was full of fun, exerting himself in every possible way to add to our enjoyment. After breakfast next morning we drove in open carriages out to Pompey's Pillar. Our courier had intended going Avith us, for al- though he had been in Alexandria frequently — and in fact lived there for awhile — he had never visited this celebrated old monument, which w^as such a wonder to us. Business prevented his going even this time, so we went under the care of the dragoman, Calipha, whose duty it was to conduct us about and act as regular guide. The sun was very hot, but the Arabs were lying around on the pavements, streets, any- where and everywhere, fast asleep, and evi- dently enjoying the heat. Alexandria, 95 Pompey's Pillar was a rough-looking old column of some kind of brownish-gray gran- ite. We brought away several pieces of stone like the material of the monument, which we bought of the Arabs. The beggars were so numerous and annoy- ing that our dragoman had to beat them back with a stick, as they really seemed about to press up and catch hold of us in their earnest demands for money. A little baby in its mother's arms that could only speak one word would hold out its tiny hand and piteously wail: ''Backsheesh!'' Next we visited a Mohammedan cemetery, where the bodies were all buried in a stand- ing position, with their faces toward the east. The monuments were very peculiar, and al- together it was a dreary, desolate place. After driving through the grounds of the khedive's palace we walked through several of the bazaars, and Mr. Eastman bought him a fez, which was pronounced very becoming. After lunch and a good rest we took a drive out to the garden of a rich Greek named An- 96 A Girl's Journey. toniacles, where a great many beautiful flow- ers and shrubs we had never seen before were kept fresh and green by means of irrigation. We met the owner of the garden taking a walk; our dragoman introduced us, and through his interpretation we had quite a pleasant little chat. '" It was cool and bracing in Alexandria after sundown, and we enjoyed very much the drive along the canal on our return to the city. Just at six o'clock all true Mohammedans say their prayers, and we saw a man out on the road drop down on his knees with his face toward Mecca, and go through with his devo- tions. Having about exhausted the sights of this our first Oriental city, we packed the valises and made ready to leave, with the unanimous conclusion that this part of our trip was al- most as strange and wonderful as being trans- ported bodily into the midst of some marvel- ous scene of the "Arabian Nights." CAIRO— PYRAMIDS. FEOM Alexandria to Cairo was a hot, disa- greeable trip. The dust poured in upon us; our hair and clothes soon changed color, and at several stations we were obliged to get out of the car and use the clothes-brush most en- ergetically. We lunched on the train, and reached our destination at about two o'clock in the after- noon, realizing then as we had never before the blessings of a good bath and plenty of ice- water, especially when we remembered that it was fresh from the mysterious Nile. The scene at the station was quite an excit- ing one, as we elbowed our way through a crowd of noisy Arabs. There were several men — policemen, evidently — carrying whips, which they did not hesitate to use on the rab- ble. 7 A G'nVs Jotinicij. We stopped at Sheplieard's Hotel, where every thing was delightfully arranged, the broad stone veranda in front being especially pleasant, as from it could be seen the never- ending panorama of the streets, on which something novel and interesting was always going on. After dinner we went for a walk, and such queer sights and sounds as greeted us on every side! At one place we passed a hall where a man was telling stories to a company of peo- ple, as in the ^'Arabian Nights." I think we would have stopped to listen if there had been the least chance of understanding what Avas said. We found at the hotel two of our steamer acquaintances, Sir Edward and Lady Lech- mere, an English baronet and his wife, who were in Egypt looking after a hospital for the blind, which they had established. The first thing next morning was a visit to the old Mosque of Cairo. It was the dirtiest, most dilapidated building imaginable, but we were not permitted to enter until we had put Cairo — P(jrami(h. 99 on straw sandals })rovided for the purpose, as the sole of the shoe is considered unclean. In spite of the sacredness of the place it was very amusing to see our efforts to walk in these slippers. Mine were large enough for a grown man, and I could not step very high without losing one, so was compelled to slide most of the time. Next we visited the Grand Mosque, erected by Mehemet Ali, who is buried in the build- ing. It was very handsome, the walls l>eing lined with pure alabaster, the ceiling hung with crystal lamps burning richly-scented oil, and the floor spread with gorgeous Persian rugs. A number of devotees were there bow- ing their heads to the ground, and going through various forms required by their mode of worship. We bought, as souvenirs, some little pieces of alabaster like the material of the inside walls. Then we went through old Cairo, where most of the Arabs live. Comj^aratively speak- ing, I had never seen dirt, poverty, and wretch- edness before. 100 A GirVs Journeii. We had quite a picturesque-looking drago- roan to conduct us around. His name was Abrahim, and he dressecl in gorgeous Turkish suits, s])orting a different one every day; long, ^^^Q^y trousers of some colored silk material, a gay little embroidered jacket, the regulation fez, soft slippers turned up at the toes, and over all, which eclipsed all, an ordinary Euro- pean overcoat! In the afternoon we went to see the " howl- ing dervishes." I never before heard such a dreadful din. They ranted and shrieked, sway- ing their bodies back and forth, gradually in- creasing the motion until exhausted. A cage of wild beasts could not have excelled them in vocal effort. Strange that any human being could imagine such performances to be divine worship! Before entering the room Abrahim warned us not even to smile, as it w^ould offend them greatly; and of course we were careful. One man played on a thundering sort of tambour- ine, while all the rest— about thirty — howled and danced. At the upper windows could be Cairo — Pyramids, 101 seen the poor women peeping in — not being allowed to come inside during the service. Leaving these lunatics, we crossed over the Nile in a little boat to the Island of Ehoda, ;ind were shown the place where Moses was found in the bulrushes. We also went into a Coptic Church, said to have been built on the spot where the Holy Family lived while in Egypt. From the Citadel we had a fine view of Cairo, and in the distance ten of the pyramids and the river Nile. We drove for some time along the fashion- able promenade, bitt as most of the )iohs had gone to the races only a few of them were vis- ible. We visited an Arabic school Avliere the pu- pils sat round on the floor, all jabbering at the same time, while the old, hliiul teacher heard each one spell in turn. They were dirty lit- tle fellows, dressed in a single garment, but seemed to be as full of mischief as the better- clad boys in our own American schools. One bright little urchin with big black eyes handed (102) Cairo — Pijramids. 103 us a spelling-book and then read for us in Arabic. As Ave passed out through the hall, which was a sort of cellar — the school-room being a basement-room — we were assailed on all sides by the small beggars shouting, *' Back- sheesh, backsJieesh ! " a cry that we were des- tined to hear many times before leaving this land of ruins, idleness, and idlers. Saturday had been selected for our trip to the Pyramids, so early in the morning we w^ere ready and eager to start. We four young peo- ple were in one carriage, with the married couples in another, and the drive was delight- ful. The road w^as cool and shady, with trees meeting across nearly ail the way, only the wind was a little chilly. Some English troops were to go into camp near the Pyramids, and we overtook thou- sands of them (for they moved very slowly) all marching in the same direction as our party. There were infantrj^ and cavalry, also artillery on the backs of camels. We would have had trouble in passing them if it had not been for the kindness of Captain Lewis, of the "Buffs," 104 A GirVs Journey. oue of our fellow-passengers on the " Sindb," who sent a runner ahead and had the way cleared for us; otherwise we would have been obliged to turn back and postpone the trip until some other day. The great stone masses were in full view long before we came to them, and we girls were incredulous when Mr. Dattari informed us that there was still an hour's ride before reaching the base. It seemed only a few hun- dred yards away. We found, however, that he was correct. I was much surprised, upon a near approach, to find the pyramids all rough and jagged; great rock steps, four or five feet high, and the surface broken and rugged in many places. All of us except Uncle Eobert and Aunt Anna ascended as far as the first opening, and it took two Arabs to push and one to pull each of us up. We girls were wild to climb to the top, as we had gotten along so nicely thus far; but the wiser heads thought it not prudent, so we re- luctantly came down. However, we had been Cairo— Pyramids. 105 np high enough to feel the "inspiration of e\. evation " Mr. Dattari went to the top in oar stead, and waved his handkerchief from the summit, -looking like a tiny pigmy "flourish- ing a postage-stamp." Think of the base of the great Cheops cov- ering thhieen acres, with height correspond- ing, and you can form some idea of its im- mense size. THE SPHISX. We walked over to the Sphinx, and went down into a temple containing some huge blocks of granite. The sand was quite tire- 106 A GlrVs Journey. some to wade througli, aud we wei'e hot aud tired by the time the luncliing- place was reached. Mrs. Eastman rode on a donkey,,and was escorted by Dr. Mahmoud, of the tribe of Bed- ouins who live about the Pyramids, while the sheik gravely escorted Aunt Anna. Mr. Dat- tari came to our assistance when needed, and the gentlemen took care of themselves. AYe sat quite awed for some time beneath the quiet gaze of the grand aud silent Sphinx. I cannot imagine any thing more majestic than the solemn expression of that stony face, the eyes looking out into space, calm and patient, watching still as they have been watching for so many centuries past. Workmen had been excavating around the lower j)art of the Sphinx, and much more of it was visible than is usually shown in the pict- ures — the paws, breast, and shoulders being above ground. There is space enough between the forefeet to build a temple, while the body stretches out to the length of more than one hundred and forty feet. Cairo — Pyramids, 107 We luiiclied in a little building erected for the use of the Prince of Wales when he visited there. Freshly-made Arabic coffee, cold meats, rolls, fruits, nuts, and all sorts of dainties were served, besides a quantity of dates which had been kindly provided for me. In the afternoon we returned to Cairo, and visited the Boulack Museum, Avhere are lots of old things dug up from the ruius — such as mummies, statues, coins, and curios of various kinds. We saw the mummy of Bameses 11. , which had been recently excavated. Then we went down to the river to see a da- habeah, and boarded one of Cook's new Nile steamers — a very neat, trim little craft. Mr. Dattari showed us a boat that was wrecked during the expedition under Chinese Gordon, he being on board at the time. That evening we had some "Turkish de- light," a kind of candy that tasted something like our marsli mallow drops; also a large bunch of superb roses, and quantities of white star jessamine of delicious fragrance. You will be surprised to hear that the best 108 A GirVs Journey. fare we found auywhere and the most beauti- fully served was right there in Cairo. The waiters dressed in rich Oriental costumes; the cooking was French, and some of the dishes so artistically ornamented that it seemed a pity to cut into them. The water was kept cool in long-necked earthen jars, and tasted better than any we had drank elsewhere; in fact, every thing was charmingly arranged, and nothing left undone that would contribute to the comfort and con- venience of the guests. HELIOPOLIS— CAIRO. AS there was no service to attend on Sunday, we drove out to Heliopolis, the site of the ancient Temple of the Sun, and the place where Moses was educated. We assembled at the foot of the only re- maining obelisk, and Uncle Robert gave a short but very instructive lecture on the history of the place. From here the "Needle" was sent that is now in Central Park, New York; also those in London, Paris, Berlin, and Ptome. We stopped at the Virgin's Tree, beneath the shade of which the Holy Family is said to have rested on their journey to Egypt. They gave us some very pretty bunches of flowers from the little garden near by, and we had -quite a lively time hopping out of the way of the small lizards, which were running around in the sun over the gravel walks. ri09^ 110 A Girl 's Journcij. We waded tlirougli the sand to an ostrich- farm, and found it ([uite an interesting place. There were ostriches of all sizes, and the eggs were as large as our heads. We saw some of the feathers after they had been dressed, also those in their natural state on the bird. From a little observatory on the farm we could look far out across the desert and see the place where the children of Israel passed on their journey to the "promised land." Returning to the hotel, in the afternoon we saw the khedive pass by. I brought my glasses to bear upon him, and had a good look at his face. His complexion was quite dark, and he was dressed in a black suit with red fez, and rode in an open carriage attended by sixteen horse-guards. In front of the vehicle ran the two sais^ who always precede the car- riages of ricli and titled people. They were picturesque-looking Arabs, and carried short wands in their hands. They ran along in front of the fleet Arabian horses as lightly and easily as if they had wings. , Mr. Dattari gave each of us a little curiosity HeliopoUs — Cairo. Ill that he had obtained on one of his trips up the Nile. Mine was a ring of some dark-looking metal, with a blue stone in it, which came off the finger of a real mummy. The others were curious little idols and images. Next day we went shoi^ping in the bazaars. The dragoman went with us to do the bargain- ing, and sometimes I was really afraid he and the sliop-keeper would come to blows in their excitement and eagerness to jew each other. At the scent-bazaar we bought some attar of roses, and then looked at silks, carpets, slip- pers, brass, and many beautiful things. The dragoman never allowed us to pay more than half the price first asked for an article, as the salesman invariably left at least that much margin for falling. Some of the streets, or passages, were very narrow, and the shops so small that the dealer could sit in the middle of the floor and r6ach most of his goods which were piled around on the shelves. It seemed so queer to go shopping and do our trading sitting on the counter swinging ai2) Heliopolis — Cairo, 113 our feet over into the street; but that was really the way we did, as the floor of the shop was the only counter and situated immediately on the thoroughfares. Very often we had to press close up against the wall in order to let the clumsy camels pass by, and a great many times actually caught hold of the sleepy little donkeys and pushed them out of our way. After lunch we had a juggler perform for us on the veranda. He was very clever, and did many wonderful tricks. Next we visited the China-bazaar, and the shop-keeper served us with Arabic coffee between the bargains. On the way back we stopped at the garden of Esbikiah, heard some queer Egyptian mu- sic, and saw a banyan-tree, which was a small forest in itself, and looked much as represent- ed in pictures of it we had seen. That night all of us except Uncle Eobert and Aunt Anna went out on a regular "lark" — a donkey-ride by moonlight — and what a jolly time we did have! It was not quite as awe-inspiring an experience as the sight of the 8 114 A GirVs Jonrneij. Spliiux or Pyramids, but was equally enjoya- ble, combiuiug as it did the ludicrous and the serious, the latter quality being confined exclu- sively to the donkeys. My donkey was the smallest of the number, but what he lacked in size he made up in spirit and pluck, managing to keep to the front most of tire time. Each lady had a little donkey-boy to run along and heat, at times assisting the progress of his steed by a vigorous twist of the tail. The bridles were covered with bangles, or bells, and our cavalcade kept up a merry jingling as we dashed along the quiet road by the side of the Nile, with the moon peeping at us through the tall, shadowy palm-trees, its light beautifully reflected from the shining water below. My donkey's name was *' Yankee Doodle," while the others of the party gloried in the ap- pellations of "Mrs. Langtry," "The Flying Dutchman," "Maccaroni," "Abraham Lin- coln," "Blondin," " The Gladiator," and "Just Like Me." The last was a gay little white fel- low ridden by our courier. We returned to the city in fine style, aiid HelioiMs— Cairo. 115 my doukey-boy was so ambitious to excel in speed that by vigorous twists, thumps, and punches he hurried his steed into a gallop, and, though sure he was running away, I held on with both hands and enjoyed it until we brought up with a flourish on the pavement in front of the hotel, far ahead of the rest, out of breath, but supremely happy. The next day we went shopping again, and purchased as souvenirs sandal-wood boxes, scented fans, gayly worked tire-screens, and bottles of scent. It was in Cairo at Shepheard's Hotel that we made the acquaintance of "Mops," a chub- by little English pug-dog, whose chief accom- plishment was sitting up on his hind legs and holding a lighted cigar in his mouth. I do not think I ever saw a dog with so much flesh. He was almost as broad as long, and was a source of much amusement to the guests. Our packing was done with regret, for we were reluctant to leave " Grand Cairo; " but it was necessary to get back to Alexandria in time to catch the steamer for Jaffa. ©HAPTEt^ ;xi!. STEAMER '• RAHAMANIER "—JAFFA— JERUSALEM. WE all rather dreaded going on the water again; but there was nothing else to be done, so we left Alexandria Wednesday morn- ing for the steamer. The vessel was an Egyp- tian one, the " Rahamanier," but every thing was clean and comfortable. There were only two first-class passengers besides our party, consequently we had quite a sociable time in the cabin. The ladies were a little seasick, but as the voyage was to be short we made up our minds to endure it patiently "for a season." Mr. Dattari helped us to pass away much of the time very pleasantly, by telli-ng some of his experiences and adventures while associ- ated with Gordon, up the Soudan. He was an ardent admirer of the brave and gallant officer, and related many incidents connected witn him on that memorable expedition. (116) The ''Rahamank>r''—Jatf'((~-Jernmli'iu. 117 Most of the time we were in sight of land, and did not suffer in any great degree from that lonely feeling of being "completely at sea." The first morning we went on deck it was raining, something unusual in that climate. At eleven o'clock Jaffa was sighted, but the anchor was not cast until one. The ship was riding the waves some dis- tance out from shore, not being able to ap- proach nearer on account of the dangerous rocks in the harbor. It was raining steadily as we descended the steps at the side of the vessel, where, waiting until a wave lifted the row-boat in position, each of us in turn was seized by two Arabs and dropped into it, where we sat serious and silent, holding on with a grip like that of grim death itself. The small craft was almost upset by every billow that struck it, and some of the ladies were badly frightened, and screamed lustily every time a big wave washed overboard. Strange to say, I was not at all scared, as I thought that was the natural- way to land at 118 .1 G'nd^s Journeij. Jaffa, and did not realize that this was es- pecially dangerous weather. The little boat carried us as close to the sliore as the rocks would allow, and here another mode of trans- portation was i)rovided— this time on the shoulders of stalwart Arabs. Two of them conveyed Aunt Anna safely over, another shouldered Uncle Eobert, and while watch- ing them I was suddenly seized by a big fellow, who walked off through the water with me, evidently minding my weight little more than that of a baby. I had to hold on tight, though, for I did not care to be dropped into the Mediterranean just then. The rest of the party were conveyed in like manner, while the Ajabs brought the baggage, and we were all landed safely, with brand-new ex- periences to laugh at, or shudder over, ac- cording to the constitution of the individual, and with the conviction that the oldest harbor in the world must certainly be the worst We walked through more muddy little streets and alleys, saw more dirt, smelled more smells, than ever before in our lives, and The ^^Rahamanier'" — Jaffa — Jerusalem. 119 finally reached the carriages, wet and bedrag- gled, but glad to step on something dry and firm once more. Our hotel was the "Jerusalem," and quite a primitive sort of place it was. On the read- ing-table was a newspaper of 1870, and some books and periodicals about as ancient. We enjoyed the dinner, though, having fasted since morning, and being thoroughly pre- pared to appreciate any thing in the shape of food. We had with us a young Scotchman, Mr. Carmichael, one of Cook's ship-builders. He had been a fellow-passenger on the " Rahama- nier," and we learned he was to accompany our party to Jerusalem next morning. We did not have much chance to explore Jaffa that afternoon, for, besides being very tired, we found a package of mail awaiting us, which was more interesting just then than any thing else could possibly have been. I am sure you will be sorry to learn that, after all our excitement and fatigue, we got very little sleep that night; I fairly burn when 120 4 GirVs Journey. I think of the reason, but as it is an unpleas- ant subject I leave it to your imagination. Our uneasy slumbers were broken into next morning at the unearthly hour of three o'clock, as it was necessary to make a very early start in order to reach Jerusalem before late in the night. It was dark, cool, pouring down rain, and dreadfully muddy ; so w^e were glad to find that we were to make the journey in close carriages. Our party numbered nine besides the drivers, and there were three horses to each vehicle. The baggage w^as to follow on donkeys. When w^e had ridden a short distance out of the town, the carriage in front stuck fast in the mud, and the horses either Avould not or could not pull it out; so w^e "svaited there in the dark and rain wdiile the horses were changed and the vehicle hauled out of the mire. The procession started again, and we managed very well until we reached a hill, and then both conveyances stuck, and all of us had to get out and walk to the top through the mud. That performance had to be gone Tlic '^Jialiamanicr'" — JcJ/'a — Jenisaleni. 121 through with every time we came to a very steep place during the day. "We hmched at a little caravansary on the way, and also rest- ed for awhile at Eamleh, passed through the valley of Sharon, and Ajalon, and saw the house where Tabitha was raised from the dead by Peter. It was our desire to come in sight of the Holy City before dark, but the hills of Judea were rather too much for us, and it was very late before the end of the journey was reached. The carriages were left outside the Jaffa gate, as no vehicles can enter the city, and we walked through the narrow, rugged streets to the Mediterranean Hotel. Our baggage had been delayed, and we did not get it until three o'clock. Some of it was quite damp from the rain. AYe found among the guests at the hotel our former fellow-travelers. Sir Edward and Lady Lechmere. They expected to take the same tour through the Holy Land that had been planned for us. The whole of the following morning was de- (122) TJie '' Baliamauh'r'' — Jciffd — Jerusalem. 123 voted to much needed rest, as we were by this time somewhat wearied and worn. Sight-seeing was began in earnest, however, after lunch. We first visited the Church of the Holy Sepulclie?\ Here a small taper was handed to each of the party to furnish light through the various dark chapels and j^as- sages. The Armenians were holding some kind of service in their special chapel, and we stopped for a few minutes to listen to their weird chanting; then went into the sepnlcher itself, the door of which is built very low, so that every one who enters must bend the knee. AVe put our hands into the crevice of the rock where the cross once rested, and saw the place where our Lord's mother stood weeping for her son. We then visited Mount Zion and the palace of Caiaphas where Jesus was tried and where Peter denied his Lord. The guide pointed out the place where King David was buried, and we had a good view of Mount Moriah, Mount Nebo, and the Mount of Olives. ^ ^^.Ir^^o. LEPEIIS OUTSIDE JERUSALEM. (1-4) The ''BcfJiamanier''— Jaffa— Jerusalem. 125 Tlie streets are narrow, crooked, and very dirty — sometimes in steps like a stair-way, crowded with dogs, donkeys, camels, and Ar- abs. It was hard for us to realize that Y\'e ft'-ere in "the City of David, beautiful for sit- aation." On our return we passed many lepers, who begged in a heart-rending way for " backsheesh^ madam, backsheesh.'' They were so repulsive we disliked to get close enough to drop the coppers into their little tin cups. They are not permitted to come inside the city gates, and it was really pathetic to see them crouch- ing along by the road-side in all their poverty and wretchedness. At the Jerusalem Hotel there was a pleas- ant party of people from Louisville, Ky. We felt as though they were almost kin to us, com- ing from so near home. . On Sunday we went to the grand Mosque of Omar, which occupies a part of what was once the area of King Solomon's Temple. The building is very magnificent, with a wealth of rich mosaics, handsome stained glass, and 126 A Girl '« Journey. beautiful ornamentations of various kinds. In the center of it is the rock on which Abraham was about to offer up Isaac. AIMMiO.\( JUNG THE MOSQUE OF OMAR. The Moslems believe that Mohammed as- cended to heaven from this rock, and that it tried to follow him, but an angel caught hold of it and held it back. They aver that the rock is now suspended in the air. "We certain- The ''Rahamatuer''— Jaffa— Jermalem. 127 ly did go down under it, but could not accept the tradition concerning it. We passed along the Via Dolorosa, and saw the Pool of Bethesda, while the Pool of Hez- ekiah was just back of our hotel. In the afternoon we rode on donkeys to the top of the Mount of Olives. Aunt Anna went in state, seated in a palanquin — a sort of sedan- chair swung between two mules. The road up the mount was steep and rocky, but we had a fine view of the city from the minaret on its summit. We went into the Church of the Ascension, and were shown a foot-print, which the Mo- hammedans say was made by our Saviour. Our way then led for some distance through the bed of the brook Kidron, and off on a hill was pointed out the tree on which Judas Is- cariot hanged himself. Passing through St. Stephen's Gate, we vis- ited the Tomb of the Virgin, where small ta- pers were furnished us again. Inside the sep- ulcher is a magnificent image of the Virgin richly ornamented with many costly jewels. 128 A GirVs Journey. We went into the Garden of Gethsemane — a quiet, peaceful place, now in possession of the monks. It is well kept, with walks and beds of bright flowers. There remain some of the same old olive-trees that witnessed the ag- ony of our Saviour on "that doleful night be- fore his death." The monks presented the ladies with bou- quets from the sacred spot, which were pressed and brought home as most valuable souvenirs. On the Mount of Olives we went down into a kind of subterranean hall, where there were twelve stone niches in the wall. This place was discovered by a duchess, and it was her belief that the apostles used to pray there. Above ground around the sides of the court were thirty -two stone tablets on which tlie Lord's Prayer is written in as many different languages. Keturning to the hotel, we passed the Pool of Siloam and the Virgin's Pool; also the place just outside the gate where St. Stephen was stoned. Our donkeys were not so good as those in The ''Hahauianiir''— Jaffa— Jerusalem. 129 Cairo, but the principal aunoyance was the donkey-boys, who got up dissensions among themselves as to whose donkey should have the best place, and all our appeals for "peace" were in vain. Mr. Oilman, the American Consul to Jeru- salem, and his son were stopping at our hotel, and we found them very agreeable gentlemen. They were of considerable assistance to us several times, kindly offering the protection of a guard to attend us through the streets of the city, where it was dangerous for strangers to venture alone. The tops of the houses were all flat, and easy to walk upon. One night we went up on the roof, and had a splendid view of the Mount of Olives, with the full moon rising over its crest, forming a precious memory for the years to come. 9 JERICHO— DEAD SEA— RIVER JORDAN. AFTEK a pleasant stay of several days in Jerusalem, we prepared to take up our line of march in an easterly direction toward our final destination, and to really " go to Jer- icho." I am not an artist, or I would give a sketch of our party as we stood just outside the Jaffa gate, mounted and equipped for the journey. First came the guard, a swarthy Arab of splen- did plnjsique^ dressed in his native picturesque costume and fairly bristling with warlike weap- ons as he skillfully reined in his fleet charger of the desert; next, Mr. Dattari, who also rode a fiery, mettlesome steed; following him, mounted on horseback, the dragoman, we three girls, Mr. and Mrs. Eastman, and Uncle Robert; after them the cooks and waiters (we had to carry provisions and cooking utensils, (130)" Jericho— Dead Sea — Biver Jordan. 131 there being no hotel at Jericho), who rode or drove cute little donkeys which trotted along complacently beneath their heavy loads of dishes, pans, edibles, etc. Aunt Anna brought up the rear in fine style, seated in a palan- quin, and attended by two or three Arabs. I must not forget to tell something of my horse, which I sincerely hope is the only one of his particular kind in existence. His bones were scantily covered with flesh, and his gait, which was simply excruciating, resembled that of a camel, as he seemed to put forward both feet on one side at the same time. The road, over the mountains most of the way, was very steep and rugged. In and out we wound among the hills, our procession ad- vancing slowly in single file, the horses care- fully placing their feet in the tracks worn by the steeds of former ages, while the sun poured its rays upon us in a perfect deluge of heat. My noble (?) charger, showing a decided preference for the rear, soon dropped behind; and by no expostulations— beating or thump- ing, administered by myself and other mem- 132 A Girl's Journey. bers of the party — could he be induced to re- sign his position. I came very near wearing out both my patience and umbrella in ineffect- ual attempts to make him " get up." We threaded the narrcnv pass where the Bible tells us a man once " fell among thieves," but felt safe enough when, looking forward, we saw our dusky guard and his warlike outfit. Lunch was served at the same inn to which the Good Samaritan carried the wounded man, leaving him comforted and cared for. The inn, or khan, is a sorry-looking ruin now, hav- ing little to recommend it save sacred asso- ciation. When our destination was finally reached, an hour or two before the sun went down, I looked around for Jericho, but failed to see any thing that had even the ai)pearance of the remains of a citij. Scarcely more was to be seen than the spot where the ancient city stood, and the only buildings within sight were the Greek convent and a little lodging - house, whither we turned our weary horses and sought shelter from the scorching rays of the afternoon sun. Jericho — Dead Sea — Iliter Joidan. 133 A person not accustomed to riding cannot well c4iduie a whole day's journey on such a steed as mine without feeling stiff, to say the least of it. I was more than stiff — hot, sore, sleepy, hungry, and exhausted, both in body and mind. For several days I felt as though 1 had " been through a grist-mill," and upon lying down seemed as if coming unjointed every time I turned. A good nap and a savory dinner did much toward restoring failing spirits, and we spent a pleasant evening with traveling acquaintances who had preceded us. The Lechmere party had ridden on donkeys, and were, if possible, more fatigued than we. It w^as a beautiful moonlight night, and w'e enjoyed it wandering about in the grove of lemon, banana, and citron trees surrounding the inn. We ate some sweet lemons, wdiicli were rather insipid, being a fruit between the lemon and the orange, and also tried a fresh citron, much better, according to my taste, than the preserved fruit. We gathered the fragrant white star jessamine, and I was appointed a 134 A Girl 's Jouniey. committee of one to pick a banana otf one of the trees, which Mary Green tasted to see if it was good. She did not want a second bite, as it was rcnj (jrecti. Sitting on the little pi- azza, we sung and chatted until time to retire. After we Americans had sung one of our na- tional hymns the Englishmen present removed their hats and gave us " God Save the Queen." There were not bed -rooms enough to "go round," so a numl^er of the gentlemen had to camj^ out in sitting and dining rooms. Next morning an early start was made, and after a ride of several hours over the plains we reached the Dead Sea, and rested for awhile on its quiet shore. I had expected to find this a dreary, desolate place, but it was one of the prettiest sheets of water I had ever seen— clear as crystal, and perfectly calm and smooth. We gathered some beautiful pebbles from the beach, and dipped our hands into and even tasted the water, which was as bitter as quinine. The gentlemen of the other party, so they afterward told us, went bathing in the sen, and Jericho — Dead Sea — River Jordan. 135 as a result of the buoyancy of the water Sir Edward Lechmere came very near being drowned, but was fortunately pulled out in time by young Mr. Clark, to whom the baio- net presented a gold snuff-box as a token of gratitude for his ready assistance. Mr. Gil- man joined us just before noon, and he still wore the crust of salt resulting from his briny bath. Eiding to the river Jordan, which flows into the northern extremity of the Dead Sea, lunch was spread beneath the tamarind-trees growing along its banks. We bathed our faces and hands in the sacred stream, cut riding- whips from a thicket near by, and dij^ped them into the river three times to bring home as mementos, and filled two canteens with the water. No doubt my old horse could tell something of the fate of my sacred switch, since I Avore it into shreds trying to induce him to quicken his steps as we returned to Jerusalem. The Jordan is a cold, swift, muddy stream, seemingly about sixty or seventy feet wide at (136) Jericho — Dead Sea — Iiirer Jordan. 137 the Pilgrim's Bathing-place, from which point we viewed it. We girls sung with great gusto that old revival hymn, "On Jordan's stormy banks I stand," though the banks were any thing else than stormy at that time. The end of the third day after leaving Je- rusalem found us winding our way slowly and wearily back, each one longing as anxiously as did ever Crusader of old for a first glimpse of the walls of the City of David. What a welcome sight it was! and how charming the view as we gazed upon it from the oijposite hills and remembered that we were nearing the end of the long day's journey, and had at last really been "to Jericho! " We felt liter- ally the inspiration of the beautiful stanza: Jerusalem, my happy home ! Name ever dear to me ! When shall my labors have an end, In joy, and peace, and thee ? (138) JERUSALEM—BETHLEHEM— JAFFA. WE felt sufficiently refreshed next morning to resume our sight-seeing, and decided on Bethlehem as the next place of interest to be visited. This small town is situated on a ridge or hill about six miles from Jerusalem, and contains nearly three thousand inhabit- ants, all of whom are Christians. The drive out was quite pleasant, and among other places passed on the way w^as Kachel's Tomb, where we gathered handfuls^ of pretty pink crocuses, that looked fresh and spring-like, peeping up from the stony ground about the old ruin. From the village itself we had a fine view of the fields of Boaz, where Euth gleaned in the olden time. It was with feelings of reverence that we visited the Church of the Nativity, below (139) 140 A Girl 's Jotirney. which were shown the grotto, with a silver star in the floor marking the birthplace of our Saviour, the spot where the infant Jesus lay in the manger, and the tomb and chapel of St. Jerome. It is sad that this place, made sa- cred to all Christians by its holy associations, should necessarily be guarded by Turkish sol- diers in order to keep down dissensions and prevent pilfering and disfiguration by pil- grims of different nationalities and creeds. The cave or grotto underneath the building is hung with handsome tapestries and gold and silver lamps, while the light above the star is never allowed to go out. We had lunch at a Latin convent connect- ed with the church, and they gave us to drink some of the native wine, which was rather too sour for our untutored taste. After buying some exquisite pieces of mother-of-pearl and carved wood-work we en- tered the vehicles and returned to the city. ■? The carving on sea-shells was prettier in Bethlehem than any we had seen elsewhere. On the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem— Bethlehem— Jaffa. 141 in the little village of Bethany, we visited what remains of the house of Mary and Mar- tha, saw the tomb of Lazarus, and watered our horses from the stream which flows from the Apostles' Fountain. One day a shopping expedition was pro- posed, and a number of us sallied forth in search of something to buy. The principal things were of olive-wood, carved in all imag- inable shapes, from a tiny needle-case to imi- tation books filled with cards of pressed flow- ers, and collections of fine views of celebrated places around, besides fancy articles of vari- ous kinds. Young Mr. Oilman brought us some "sheik- bread," that had been presented to his father, the Consul. It did not look or taste much like bread; was made of flour, honey, currants, and several other things that I could not make out, and dried or cooked in the sun. I should have to be ravenously hungry before I could persuade myself to eat such a doubtful-look- ing compound. Uncle Kobert had been introduced to Fa- 142 A Girl 's Journey. ther Stephanos, a Greek monk, and he came to the hotel one morning to show us some of the interesting sights of the wonderful old city. He conducted us first to the Greek Hospital, where "we were introduced to the head physician, and invited into his private sitting-room. Soon a servant brought in a large silver tray, on which were some goblets of water, two little stands, one filled with spoons, the other empty, and a glass of jelly. It was handed first to Mr. Eastman, but he, not knowing how to proceed, declined to par- take. Mrs. Eastman came next, and she asked Father Stephanos what to do. He told her to "take some jelly in one of the spoons, eat it, place the spoon in the empty stand, and drink a glass of w^ater." We all very gravely followed her example, and Mr. Eastman tried again. The Arabic coffee was then served in tiny cups, and after a short conversation with the doctor w^e bowed our- selves out. We were shown through the dif- ferent w^ards, and saw where the natives, pil- grims, monks, and nuns were all taken care of, Jerusalem — Bethleliem — Jaffa. 143 free of charge. Every thing was as clean as could be, and the patients comfortable and well cared for. Father Stephanos accompanied us to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and this time we had a much better view of it than before, from the balcony round the inside of the dome. We also visited a school, where the Arabic children are taught to speak Greek. They sung very sweetly, and allowed us to look over their copy-books. The teacher did not speak English, and all our conversation had to be carried on through an interpreter. Next the Father went with us to call on the Greek Patriarch, who is one of the four heads of the Greek Church, as the Pope is the one head of the Church of Kome. As he was quite a distinguished somebody, we counted that visit as "a feather in our caps." We were solemnly ushered into a magnificent apart- ment, and awaited the appearance of the ven- erable man. After a short time he came in, sweeping along in his rich, heavy robes, and seated himself on a kind of raised platform 144 A G irl 's Jou rn ey. or throne. AVe were introduced, and as the Patriarch did not speak our language Father Stephanos had to act as interpreter again. After some conversation refresh- ments were brought in on a massive silver waiter, the jelly this time being served in ex- quisite little silver stands, inlaid with gems, while the spoons were of gold, and the goblets of rare and beautiful workmanship. Some small glasses of "liqiieio;'' red and amber, were brought in, which tasted very much like cordial. After drinking coffee from delicate China cups, seemingly as frail as egg-shells, w^e made our adieus, and w^alked through a lemon-grove out into the gardens. Here the Patriarch had ordered bouquets prepared for each of the ladies, and we departed with very pleasant impressions of our distinguished host. We passed on to the Greek convent, and entered the refectory, where the boys were at dinner. One of the number was reading aloud to the rest from a large book, which rest- ed on a stand at one end of the room. fcliSlV^^ J^ -]?^»^f=*i3=^ 10 (145) 146 A GirVs JoufHcy. Father Stephanos showed us his own room, and then accompanied us to the nunnery. Here we were conducted into the cell of a nun almost eighty yoars of age. The room was so small, and the ceiling so low, that it would barely accomnjodate our party. The old lady sold jewelry which she made of hair. It was a mystery how anybody could live and work in so cramped a place. After lunch our dragoman took us to the Jews' Wailing-place, where we witnessed the poor creatures' grief, which seemed to be really sincere. They cried and moaned, beat- ing their heads against the rocks in the wall of the temple, and kissing again and again the stones (which have been worn quite smooth in places), some of them reading passages from Lamentations, and others kneeling in silent prayer. It seemed almost sacrilegious to watch them, and after standing for a few moments in silence we quietly withdrew. We took a walk out to the Tombs of the Kings, and returned through the Russian Con- sul's grounds, where was pointed out an im- Jenisalem — Beth lehem — Jaffa, 147 meiise pillar of stone, which is thought to have been intended for use in the building of Solomon's Temple, but was broken in the at- tempt to excavate ii, and has never been re- moved. A IIOLSE-TtU' IN' TIIK EA.ST. A very striking feature in the view of the city from the outside was the number of little 148 A Girl *s Journey. rouDcl domes scattered over the flat roofs of the houses, and we were frequently reminded of what Mark Twain said of Jerusalem: "It was the knobbiest city in the world except Constantinople, and looked as if it might have been roofed from center to circumference with inverted saucers." Before sunrise next morning we were up, bade a long farewell to Jerusalem, and turned our faces toward Jaffa and the sea. AYe Avere fa- vored with more pleasant weather on this trip than when on that road before, consequently made the journey in a much shorter time. Our drive during the morning was unevent- ful, except that an Arab made an unsuccessful attempt to pick Uncle Robert's pocket. After dinner, however, as we were driving across the plain of Sharon something did happen. Aunt Anna and Mrs. Eastman were in a carriage in front of the rest of us, when suddenly Mr. Dattari saw smoke coming from their direc- tion. He immediately jumped down and ran forward to stop the vehicle. When the la- dies alighted it was discovered that the cush- Jerusalem — Beth lehem — Jaffa. 149 ion on which they had been sitting was on fire. Mrs. Eastman tumbled out in such haste that she bruised her arm a little, and Aunt Anna found a hole burned in her dress, but no seri- ous damage was done. Fortunately, there was a heavy woolen shawl folded on the seat be- hind, which probably saved them from a seri- ous accident. The only way the flames could be accounted for was that some sparks from the driver's cigarette must have blown in and burned their way through. We stopped for a moment at Abraham's Fountain, and our courier killed one of the many lizards running about in all directions. We came in sight of Jaffa before the sun was down, and found there would be plenty of time for a walk before dark. Our guide con- ducted us to an orange-grove, where the trees were loaded with fruit, and gave us permission to gather and eat as much as we wanted. After having a good deal of fun playing ball with the oranges we bought a large basket of them for about twenty cents, and came away with hands and pockets full. 150 A Girl *s Journeij. Next morning we took a walk in the garden of a German baron, where were a great many beautiful flowers; and the rest of the time was spent in writing letters, resting, and lounging. While standing just outside the hotel mak- ing some inquiries of our dragoman, an Egyp- tian woman, who happened to be a friend of Abrahim's, came by. She stopped to si)eak to him, and we crowded around to examine her costume, which consisted of a long flowing robe, loose slippers, or sandals, close-fitting head-dress, and a veil of thick black material, which covered half her face below the eyes, and was heavily weighted with rows of coins. She was very good-natured, and seemed to be as much interested in us as we were in her. Some one asked if she would sell her veil, but she shook her head emphatically, that being probably her most valuable possession. At half-past twelve every thing was ready, and we climbed into the little boats and were rowed out to the steamer "Ceres," which was anchored just within the harbor. STEAMER " CERES "-BEYROOT-SMYRNA. JHEEE being just eight in our party, and 1 no other first-class passengers, we had things all our own way on board the " Ceres." Captain Florio and all the officers seemed to consider us as honored guests, and exerted themselves to make our voyage as delightful as possible. It was like a trip on a private yacht, with the weather as calm and beautiful as could be desired. Our state-rooms were on deck, giving us plenty of space and fresh air. Nobody was seasick, nobody was bored, and everybody felt completely at home, while the fare was excellent. We rose at nine or ten o'clock in the morning, were served with a substantial breakfast, and enjoyed greatly the variety of fruits which always accompanied it. I feasted again on fresh dates, and from morn- ing until night we did nothing but have a good (151) 152 A Girl's Journey. time. Every evening after dinner we either gathered on deck and sung and chatted in the moonlight or went down into the saloon and read, wrote, talked, and played games. We found a number of books piled away on a shelf, and brought them out to read. Captain Flo- rio, who had taken quite a fancy to the young people of the party, especially " Mees Suzee," as he called her, hunted up several games for our amusement, and, although he spoke very little English, condescended to play dominos and tripoli with us, evidently enjoying it as much as we did. There were a great many Turks on board — second and third class passengers — who staid on the lower decks. We felt very sorry for the poor things, especially one night when it rained. They had no state-rooms, and were camping out on the deck, wdth blankets and mattresses, until they were kindly allowed to come inside the saloon out of the rain. The captain called our courier "the bad boy," because he was so full of mischief, and seemed to take great delight in teasing him. Steamer " Ceres ''—Beijroot—Sithjrna. 153 One evening at dinner, when Mr. Dattari com- plained of being cold, the captain rushed off to his state-room and came back with a flam- ing red blanket, in which he wrapped " the bad boy " head and ears, much to the amuse- ment of the rest of us. The "Ceres" dropped anchor at Beyroot, on the Syrian coast, early Monday morning, and by ten o'clock we were in the ship's boat rowing ashore for a short visit. How strange and queer every thing looked! How the peo- ple stared at us! and how the beggars did beg! We drove out some distance toward the mountains of Lebanon, the highest peaks of which were covered with snow. After a pleas- ant walk through the garden of Eustum Pasha, ex-governor of Lebanon, we ate ripe bananas off the trees and were allowed to gather all the flowers we wanted. We stopped for a little while at the Bellvue Hotel, and then went through the silver and silk bazaars. The ladies of our party were always keen for bargains, and often had amusing experi- 154 A Girl 's Journey. ences. AVe would enter a little silk-shop and the salesman would hurry to unfold his goods, while Mr. Dattari and the dragoman stood by ready to interpret — Aunt Anna and Mrs. East- man very much interested, Mary G. a little less so, and Susie and 1 still less, for we two were never very fond of shopping. Uncle Robert and Mr. Eastman would get chairs and sit down in the street I would sit for awhile on the low counter listening to the trading, and then go and sit on Uncle Robert's knee and have a laugh at the bargainers. One day I was occupying my favorite perch, and we two ^yere having a merry conversation all to ourselves, when, happening to look around, I found myself the center of attrac- tion for a crowd of little street Arabs and loafers who had gathered about, and were gaz- ing at me in open-mouthed astonishment, as though looking at a circus. I retired in some confusion, but not before the party had a good laugh at my embarrassment. In Bey root we met Dr. Pierce, the gentle- man who was so ill on the " Sindh," and were steamer " Ceres ''—Beyroot^Smyrna. 155 glad to find that he had almost entirely re- covered his health and strength, having been for several weeks in the hospital at Jaffa. One very curious thing I noticed here was the use of prickly -pear plants for hedges. They grow to a height of from seven to ten feet, and have great gnarled trunks and branches like the limbs of a tree. The bloom, or fruit, which is very peculiar-looking, grows out from the edge of the leaves, and in some localities is used for food. Next day we awoke to find the ship anchored before the town of Larnica, on the island of Cyprus. We went ashore and exhausted the sights in about an hour and a half. The trip from the steamer to the shore was delightful; the ocean was perfectly calm, and, though I suppose the water must have been a great many feet deep, the bottom could be seen distinctly. On Thursday we stopped at Rhodes, but as the vessel left before daylight none of us were awake. During the day we cited a number of islands— Patmos, Samos, and others. 156 A Girl \s Journey. Two porpoises made their appearance near the steamer. One of them jumped clear out of the water, so that wo had a good look at him. After dinner one evening Susie and I walked a mile — sixty -one times up and down the deck. Our party composed a " happy family," and we would have been sony if any other first- class passengers had come on board to break into the little circle. The next stopping-place was Smyrna, the island of rugs and figs, where the vessel was anchored for several delightful days. We were rowed in a small boat out to one of the large Italian men-of-war lying in the harbor. The officers received us politely, and as one of them was an acquaintance of our courier he was especially kind in showing us around, even taking us into his own cabin, which was quite a snug and complete little affair. Every thing on board was scrupulous- ly neat, and all seemed to move on like clock- work. Steamer '^Ceres'' — Beyroot — Smyrna. 157 Afterward we weut on shore, saw the Smyr- na rugs, and invested in figs and candy. The figs were especially nice and unusually low in price, while the rugs were not reroarkable either for beauty or cheapness. Our steamer w^as quite close to the shore, and the scene on the long street near the wharf was as animated as that on Broadway, New York, with hundreds of queer-looking people going up and down in strangely - fashioned costumes. We never tired watching them load the vessels. Our ship took on a quantity of cot- ton and six hundred boxes of lemons, besides many other tropical products. On Saturday morning the first thing we heard was the firing of one hundred and one salutes from the Italian men-of-war in the harbor, in honor of the birthday of Margue- rite, Queen of Italy. We went up on the cap- tain's bridge, and from there had a fine view of the scene. All the great Italian vessels — eleven of them — were beautifully decorated with various colored flags, and a pretty sight 158 A Girl's Jouni< ij. they made! That night there was a ball on the largest man-of-war, with three immense electric lights in the ])ow, which illuminated the whole harbor, lighting the way for the guests. I never saw more brilliant and pow- erful lights, and cannot describe how bright and beautiful they made every thing. Numbers of peddlers were constantly com- ing on board to sell figs. AA^e supi)lied our- selves abundantly, though already had as many at the table as we could eat. Sunday was a quiet, uneventful day, the steamer only stopping for a little while at Te- nedos. We were anchored a short time at Mitylene, and in the afternoon passed through the Dardanelles and steamed up the Sea of Marmora. Among the second-class passengers was a beautiful girl, one of the wives, I suppose, of a fierce-looking old Turk. She w^as anxious to make friends wdtli us ; talked a great deal, and seemed puzzled that we could not under- stand. The Turkish ladies must never let a man see their faces, and when the gentlemen steamer " Ceres " — Beyroot — Smyrna. 159 of our party came near this demure maiden always quickly lowered her veil. However, they did get a good view of her face one even- ing through the window. Now that this charming voyage was so nearly ended, the weather began to change, and next morning the rain was pouring down in torrents. We managed, however, between showers, to get a view of "Cospoli," as the Turks call Constantinople, and I am sure there never was a finer approach to any place. The city rolls ui3ward in a gentle sweep from the harbor, until the eye, gradually mounting the ascension, rests with delight on the graceful minarets crowning the glorious whole. We could not but hope that the enchantment would not be wholly dissipated by a nearer view. CONSTANTINOPLE— ATHENS. ALONG, muddy, disagreeable walk through various narrow, dirty streets, with part of the way on an under-ground railroad, brought us at length to the Hotel d'Angleterre, where we found quite a number of letters and papers awaiting us, which we enjoyed to the fullest extent, gathered round a comfortable fire in the reading-room. Our apartments were beautiful, and quite Oriental in their furnishings — broad, easy, sat- in-covered divans against the walls, inviting repose, with soft, downy cushions and pillows ; pretty little gilt chairs upholstered in blue; handsome mirrors; large easy-chairs, and the curtained recess of the window, made still more inviting by a cushioned seat all round, reached by two or three short steps, making a cozy nook for reading, if we had time for it. (160) Con stantinople — Athens. 161 It was raining next day, but our party was not to be daunted by the weather. We donned gossamers and rubbers, and, heavily armed with umbrellas, made our way to Seraglio Point, out on the Golden Horn, where the old wives of the sultan are kept after his Majesty tires of them. Putting on slippers, we went through the grand Mosque of St. Sophia, taking our first view from the gallery. In this mosque were eight immense columns of porphyry, brought from Baalbec, also some pillars from the Tem- ple of Diana, and the verd-antique was espe- cially handsome. There were several boys sit- ting around on the floor, and our dragoman told us they were studying for the priesthood. We went next to the Pigeon Mosque, which was rather a battered-up-looking old building. Each of us threw a cupfal of grain into the air, and down came the pigeons, hundreds and hundreds of them, from all directions to feast noisily upon the scattered kernels. After a visit to the Tomb of Soliman the Magnificent, we went to the mosque which 11 (162) Constant hiople — Athens. 163 bears his name. From the minaret a priest, or muezzin, could be heard calling the faith- ful to prayers, proclaiming in a loud and mo- notonous tone: "There is no God but one God, and Mohammed is his prophet! Come to prayers! " Inside the building numbers of people were kneeling on prayer-rugs and bow- ing their foreheads to the floor, each with his face turned to a niche in the wall in the direc- tion of Mecca. We walked through the old drug -bazaar, where it seemed to me every kind of herb, powder, and medicine on earth was offered for sale. Another interesting place was the Cistern of Constantine, with the thousand and one columns. It is a dark, gloomy sort of cavern reached by a flight of much-worn steps, and is now used by the silk-spinners, the dampness l>eing advantageous in the working of that material. In the silk-bazaars we came across quite a celebrated character (Mark Twain's "Far- away Moses "), a venerable-looking old fellow, 164 A GirVii Jonnuij. who was so sharp at a bargain that we had to guard carefully every particular, and make it a point to pay him about one-fourth the price de- manded for an article. AVhile walking through the bazaars we were accosted on all sides by the shi>p-men, who would even run out into the street and beg us to stop just for a mom.ent and look at their goods. I never saw a more bewilderingly entertaining place, and could have spent days examining th6 curious things in the shops — beautiful embroidered scarfs, table-covers, rugs, fine hammered brass, and more curios tlian I could enumerate. Among other souvenirs purchased was a tiny sheathed dagger, set with red and blue stones, to be worn as a brooch, the whole thing not more than three and a half inches long. We also bought some curious bracelets of scented wood, with amber pendants, which were intended simply as playthings, the scent of the wood being greatly strengthened by the warmth of the hands. One afternoon we boarded a steamer at the Consta)ifinoj)le —AtJieiis. 1G5 bridge, and took a trip up the Bospliorus as far as the Black Sea. All along the shores were hundreds of summer residences of rich Turks and Christians. The white-marble pal- ace of the late Sultan was j)ointed out to us, jast on the edge of the Avater, while in the rear, on a rise, could be seen the palace of the pres- ent Sultan. On our return to the hotel one of the first persons we met was Captain Florio, of the "C^res." We gave him a hearty greeting, but he could not be persuaded to remain and dine with us; consequently we saw but little of him. The next day being Thanksgiving, we girls concluded to spend it quietly in-doors, espe- cially as the weather was still damp and disa- greeable. By this time our wardrobes had become a little the worse for wear, and we be- thought ourselves of that famous and necessary "■ stitch in time." Friday is the Mohammedan Sabbath, and on that day most of them attend service at some one of the mosques. We drove out a short distance to see the 166 A Girl 's Journey. Sultau as lie went to prayers. The whole city seemed to bo moving in that direction, and it was some hours before we caught a glimj^se of him. There were thousands and thousands of soldiers in the retinue, many of them Nubians, positively frightful-looking, being as black as soot, and carrying glittering battle-axes. Most of the other troops were in the regular Turk- ish uniform. His Highness rode in an open victoria drawn by two beautiful horses. He wore a simple suit of black cloth, and was not dressed half as fine as the driver, who sported a magnificent livery of red velvet and gold. The body-guard was mounted on white horses, and kept very close to the carriage of the sul- tan, who had a rather troubled, uneasy expres- sion on his face. They say that he is afraid to venture outside the palace grounds, and would not go to the mosque on Fridays if the people did not require it. Constantinople might very appropriately be called "Dog Town," as these animals abound on all the streets, against the walls, and on the pavements, and are so lazy that we had to walk Constantinople — Athens. 167 over or around tliem. They are a miserable- looking set of curs, making night hideous with their howls. However, they are a sanitary blessing to the city, being thorough scaven- gers, each set having its particular beat, or territory, not allowing any outside dog to leave his own limit, and seeming to know by intui- tion when their rights are invaded. That afternoon we bade adieu to Constanti- nople, and went on board the steamer " Heli- os," on which we had engaged passage to Athens. The whole party, except Mr. Eastman, left the table seasick. Uncle Robert excusing him- self on the ground that the fish was not cooked exactly to suit him. I cannot be expected to give a very pleasant account of the voyage, which, fortunately, was a short one, the vessel dropping anchor at Piraeus, the ancient port of Athens, on Sunday morning. Open carriages conveyed us over the inter- vening five miles, and we were all eagerness to get the mail, for we felt sure there must be a quantity awaiting us in Athens. Our courier (16b; Constanfinojjie — Athens. 169 hail come by rail, so was half an hour ahead of us, and when we reached the hotel met us with a doleful face, and handed out only three letters! How our countenances and spirits dropped as we were conducted, a sad and dis- appointed company, to our rooms! When these were reached I happened to glance at the table, and there, ranged round the edge, were numbers and numbers of letters — a regu- lar banquet of them. Letters for everybody, with papers in abundance! We then had lunch, and our spirits ascended. The first thing to be seen in Athens was the Acropolis, so up we climbed and feasted our eyes on the lovely view. The Parthenon is simply fascinating. I caught myself watching it whenever it was in sight while in Athens, and it is a wonder I did not stumble and fall trying to view it over my shoulder from various parts of the city. It is hard to realize the charm that lurks about this old ruin. The open-air Theater of Bacchus on one side of the Acropolis was pointed out, and the guide told us that it once accommodated thirty thou- 170 A Girl 's Journey. sand people. It was here that the " Clouds " was played, which caused the condemnation of Socrates. We also saw a smaller theater, the "Odeum," which was built by a rich Ro- man in honor of his wife. It was formerly roofed over, but now there are only the ruins of the seats and outer walls. From the Acropolis we had a magnificent view of Athens and the surrounding country, while in the distance could be seen the place where the battle of Salamis was fought. Among other ruins on this celebrated emi- nence are those of a lovely little building called the "Temple of Victory," the image being uithout icings. The reason the Athenians represented the goddess minus wings was that she might not fly away from them. Just below the Acropolis is Mars' Hill, where St. Paul made his famous address to the " men of Athens." We climbed to the top, and one of our party read aloud the 17th chapter of Acts. After lunch we drove out to the place where the Pan-Athenian games were celebrated; then saw what is left of the Jupiter Olympus. After Constant 'mopJc — Athens. 171 visiting the grotto said to have been the prison of Socrates, we stood on the famous rock from which Demosthenes delivered the Philippics. The Temple of Theseus is the best preserved of all those that are called ruins, and it was there that they showed us the stone tablets with the laws of Solon written on them. Our hotel was just across the square from the palace of King George of Greece, and every morning about ten o'clock a fine band played under the window of the room in which his Majesty happened to be. We often went up to hear the music, and one morning took a long walk through the palace gardens. The trees were loaded with oranges and mandarins — a kind of fruit something like the orange, but smaller and with a more brittle peel. The gi-ounds were bright with flowers, many of them varieties new and entirely strange to us. It was all so quiet and peaceful, with the wind rustling gently through the trees, that it was dijficult to realize we were not far out in the country instead of being in the heart of a great city. 172 A Girl *s Journey. There were numbers of soldiers in Athens, and it was a fine sight to see them promenad- ing up and down the broad, shady walks with their glittering swords and gay uniforms. The Greek costume was very joretty, and reminded me of that worn by the Scotch. The short skirt, instead of being plaid, was white, and made very full, apparently having twenty or thirty yards of goods gathered into it. This was worn over tights, with the feet clad in pointed slippers tipped with pompons. The sleeveless jackets were handsomely embroid- ered, and on the head were worn red caps with long black tassels hanging from them. Nearly every thing in the city was made of white marble — the door and window sills and even some of the curb-stones being of this ma- terial. It was the most strikingly ivhife place I ever saw, and its glitter dazzled our eyes after the diuginess of Constantinople. Having visited the museums, which were exceedingly attractive, we went to the Hall of Science. This building was also of white marble, heavily decorated within and without Constant iiiople— Athens. 173 with gilding and mosaics, but was so brilliant in the sunshine that we could not look at it longer than a few moments at a time. It was built at the expense of a rich Greek. We took in the bazaars, where we found many curious things, and went out on the steam-tram to Falero, the summer resort of the Athenians, where we had quite a pleasant time gathering shells and pebbles on the beach, returning after dark to the city. On Sunday we attended service at a great cathedral. What the priest said was "all Greek " to us, and as there were no seats we had to stand. The singing was very queer, and the service altogether incomprehensible. In the afternoon we left Athens, not with- out regret, and boarded the steamer " Yenus," which was to carry us to Brindisi. CORFU— BRINDISI— NAPLES— POMPEII. THE weather being too cool to allow much time spent on deck, it Avas a rather monot- onous voyage from Athens to Brindisi. How- ever, we passed the two days pleasantly loung- ing in the cabin. I had heard and read all my life of glorious sunsetSjbut had never imagined that any thing could be half so beautiful as the one we saw on Tuesday evening. We were all down in the saloon reading and talking, when Mr. Dattari called for lis to come up on deck. I went immediately, and shall always be glad I did not wait a moment, for the sun went down so quickly we could almost see it drop. The ship was in a kind of strait or pass, with the mountains towering up on all sides. At first the whole scene was flooded with rose- colored light, and away off in the distance (174) Corfu — Brindisi — Naples — Pompeii. 175 could be seen the snow-covered peaks, while the water seemed a liquid, ever-changing rain- bow. The sea was calm, and whei:e the prow of our vessel glided through it the shining waves flowed out on either side like the long, graceful folds of a curtain, caught up in the centre, and each fold sparkling and glistening with a different color. As the great, rosy sun dropped lower and lower the mountains changed from deep pink to a dark, rich pur- ple, and their shadows stretched farther and farther out over the water, which continued to reflect all the colors in the sky. It was a sight to think about, dream of, and remember always, but one not possible to de- scribe in human language. That sunset was worth going to Europe to see, and then and there I felt fully repaid for all the fatigue and discomforts of travel by that one glimpse into what a possible heaven might be. The "Yenus" landed us at Corfu, where we were accompanied by a sanitary officer to another steamer, which was beautifully fitted up, and altogether a charming place for tired 176 A Girl's Journey. and hungry travelers. Mr. Dattari said: "Of course it is nice, for it is an Italian steamer." After a very refreshing night's rest we were landed safely at Brindisi, whore our courier's time expired, but he kindly consent- ed to take charge of us a little farther, so that we might become somewhat accustomed to Italian ways and manners before being thrown entirely on our own resources. Here it was we began to realize that w^e lind reached the land of music. The first thing we heard at Brindisi w^as an excellent band, and before we left the hotel three hand organs played for us under the windows. We boarded the train and ran along the Adriatic all day as far as Foggia; there changed cars and went straight across the peninsula. As the moon was full, we had a fine view of the Apennines while crossing over them. Reaching Naples at ten o'clock that night, we drove to the Hotel D'Etrangers, which was delightfully situated on the bay, with Vesuvius smoking away in the distance, and Corfu — Brindisi — Naples — Pompeii. 177 were very much impressed with our first view, by moonlight, of this formidable old mountain. Next day tlie weather was so threatening that we postponed our visit to Pompeii, and went instead to the museum, where the things excavated from Pompeii and Herculaneum are exhibited. Some of it was very interest- ing, and we were highly entertained, but we had seen so many museums (about fifteen, I believe) that we girls were hardly as enthusi- astic as we might have been. AVe were tired of old headless and armless statues, and as for broken pottery, we had seen enough to fill up a small lake! Mary Green said she "had seen mummies until she was mum,'^ and as for pictures, the supply seemed inexhaust- ible! However, we managed to get a good deal of information as well as fun out of it all, while some of the rest were going into rapt- ures over the old things. We were careful not to miss any thing really important, but museums are all very much alike, and after the great "British Museum" the others seem just a little tame, 12 Corfu —Brhidisl — Naples — Pompeii 179 The afternoon was spent in-doors, where we entertained ourselves watching the storm. Such a fury the waves were in as they dashed their snowy spray high into the air, and lashed and beat themselves against the rugged walls of the old Egg Castle, which stood on a point projecting out into the water just within sight of our window^s! We congratulated ourselves upon being safe on land just then, instead of at the mercy of that angry sea. The w^ater possessed a strange fascination for me, and I never missed an opportunity of Avatching the breakers and listening to their weird music. That night Mr. Dattari left us, as it was necessary for him to go on to Florence. It was a sad leave-taking, for we knew how much we would miss him, as he had been, besides a most efficient courier, a cheery, intelligent traveling companion. We parted with mutual regret, and with the hope of meeting again be- fore our return to America. Next day the snn shone beautifully, giving us at last an opportunity to visit the ruins of Pompeii. The ride on the cars was pleasant, 180 A Girl 's Jonrney. partly along the sea-shore, with a view of Vesuvius unobscured by the clouds and mist of the preceding day; there he was, in all his glory, calmly pulling out smoke, and looking as quiet and innocent as any ordinary little hill. On arriving at Pompeii the first thing to be seen was the museum, which contained many curious things dug from the buried city. There were several human bodies, seemingly petrified, with the faces terribly drawn and contorted by the sufferings endured by the poor creatures; also a dog, a chicken, and numbers of skeletons, statues, paintings, household utensils, etc. The streets of the city were, most of them, about as wide as an ordinary hall-way, and in the flag-stones were still to be seen the ruts worn by cart-wheels more than eighteen hun- dred years ago. At the corner of each street there was in those days a gong, which the driver sounded as a signal to other drivers to wait until he had driven out, as the streets were not wide enough for two vehicles to pass each other. Co);fH--Brm(lm--Nc(pI('s— Pompeii 181 We visited the houses of Diomede, Sallust, and tlie Dauciug Faun, besides peeping into various temples, public buildings, chemists' shops, confectioneries, butchers' stalls, bakers' establishments, etc. The mosaics were beau- tiful. One that especially attracted my atten- tion was the figure of a large dog, lying just inside the front door of one of the houses, and written under it this inscription: "Beware of the dog." .We climbed up into the ruins of the old theater, and, seating ourselves in the "pea- nut gallery," as Susie called it, had a fine view of the city— a sad but wonderful sight. On our return we passed the village built on the spot where Herculaneum is buried, but the excavations there do not amount to much. Sunday was anotlier disagreeable day, but we managed to attend service three times- first at the cathedral, the most brilliantly colored church we had seen, and then at a smaller and less pretentious building. We stopped for a short while at St. Paul's, just across the square from the palace, the 182 A Gh'VH Journey. place where the kings of Naples formerly wor- shiped. The sei-vices were all conducted in Latin and Italian, so we did not feel much benefited, be- ing still hiDujry for a real (English) gospel sermon. Monday morning we drove around the city, stopping first at a private chapel (St Severi), where was some fine statuary. Among other pieces was The Veiled Christ, and a veiled fig- ure of Modesty, both of which we admired greatly. Next we drove to the Monastery of St. Mar- tin, or San Martino, as they call it. This is now used as a museum, and is an interesting place, full of fine Venetian-glass mirrors, can- delabra, and table-ware; tortoise-shell cabi- nets and boxes, queer old china, pictures on silk, and a bewildering variety of beautiful and curious things. The chapel was magnifi- cent. The walls were of the most exquisite mosaics, the floor of marble of different kinds and colors, and the ceiling elaborately fres- coed. The altar was of fine marble and pre- Corfu— Brindisi— Naples-— rompeii. 183 cious stones, among wliicli were several pieces of lapis lazuli, and some immense amethysts. On the ceiling of one of the side-chapels was a picture of some one of the saints, which was peculiar in that the feet of the figure were al- ways turned toward the visitor, or seemed to be, in whatever part of the room he might stand. It was a queer effect in perspective. The whole structure was a mass of gold and rare stones, and was the most elaborate thing of the kind we had seen. In the afternoon we ladies went shopping, and had some funny times trying to make the clerks understand what we wanted. Some of the party talked very loud, as though the peo- ple were deaf, and when that failed they took refuge in signs. In the shops w^ere a great many beautiful articles carved out of lava, coral jewelry, shell-work, and many things of tortoise-shell. A pleasant drive was taken out to the tomb of Virgil, and from there we had a fine view of the far-famed Bay of Naples, the most beau- tiful, I suppose, in all the world. We were so 184 A Girl 's Journey, charmed with its loveliness that we were re- luctant to descend the long flight of steps to the city again. The tomb of Italy's great poet is in a quiet, shady place on the top of a hill, and the grave is marked by a simple slab. We gathered some laurel-leaves from a small tree, and also found some tiny oranges growing near by. Next day we made an excursion out to Vir- gil's country, visited Lake Avernus, and went into the Sibyl's Cave, which has been explored to the distance of three miles. We walked in until a little passage was reached, branching off from the main one, when our guide took the lead, Mr. Eastman following another guide, while Mary Green and I brought up the rear, the rest of the party going round another way. After proceeding for a short distance along this passage, which was so nar- row there was scarcely room for us to walk, the guide in front motioned for me to get on his back. I looked down and discovered that we had reached water. While I was protest- ing against this strange mode of locomotion, Corfu — Brindisi — Naples — Pompeii. 185 the light iu front disappeared, and we were left in total darkness. Finally, the man picked me up and waded iu. I thought Mary Green was being left there entirely alone, and she thought so too, so we both set up a tremen- dous yell, and I tell you we made those old rocks ring. By this time the water was up to the man's waist, and I was terrified almost be- yond expression. After awhile we reached a room called the Sibyl's Chamber, and there, perched on a rock shelf — the water in the room being two or three feet deep — I was delighted to find Mr. Eastman, who had preceded us. Soon Mrs. Eastman came riding in on a man- steedy and the guides explained the sights to us. They showed us the orifice in the wall through which the sibyl delivered the oracles written on leaves, as the students of Yirgil will remember. It seems that somebody had come and taken Mary Green back, and Mrs. Eastman conclud- ed to try it in her stead. I do not fancy rid- ing on a man's back, especially when he is wading in water above his knees in the dark. 186 A GirVs Jouniei/. The explanation of the water in the cave is that the place is below the level of the lake, and when it is full the cave is partially inun- dated. We visited Nero's baths, another sort of cave, containing a spring, the water of which was so hot that we cooked an egg in it; then went to Solfatara, a volcano said to be con- nected with Vesuvius. In one place the smoke was pouring forth, and the steam was hot enough to burn the hand; in others the ground was hot, and sounded hollow when struck. I picked up some lava that came out of the crater, also some sulphur and arsenic, which was too hot to hold in my naked hand. On the way back we saw some peasant women dance the tarantelle to the music of a tam- bourine in the Temple of Mercury, where was also a fine echo. We decided not to try to make the ascent of Vesuvius, as the mist and clouds would have obscured the view. It was a grand sight indeed to watch the old mountain after dark, when he donned his red night-cap of glowing smoke, and calmly stood Corfu— Brindisi— Naples— Pompeii. 187 guard over the beautiful city sleeping far be- low. The flowers were abundant in Naples. We saw great baskets of what with us are the rar- est hot-house plants sold for ten and twenty- cents, and you may be sure we reveled in them all the time we were there. All pleasant things must have an end, and so we bade farewell to charming. Naples, won- dering no longer that the Neapolitans say: "See Naples and die!" ROME— CHRISTMAS AVERY modern-looking railroad train car- ried us whizzing across the country and landed us finally at a decidedly modern-look- ing station, in a great, roaring city that they told us was Rome. I must confess to a lit- tle disappointment at not catching at least a glimpse of some of the " Roman antiquities " on our first view of this the once *' mistress of the world." How could this noisy, bustling place be the " Eternal City," of whose ancient grandeur I had read and studied with such absorbing interest ? Who would go to Rome to see glittering shops, street railways, elevators, and other such innovations of these latter times? We were at the Continental Hotel, and had very nice rooms up on the fifth or sixth floor. On Sunday morning we engaged cabs and (188) Borne — Christmas. 189 drove out over a very handsome bridge lined witii huge statues across the " Yellow Tiber," past the tomb of Hadrian to the giant of all the churches — " St. Peter's." After listening to some singing in one of the chapels, we wan- dered about over the superb building, wonder- ing and admiring, for its splendor far sur- passed any thing we had seen. AVe stood for some time near the bronze statue of St. Peter (which, by the way, is by many thought to be that of Jupiter Olympus, instead of that of the saint), and watched the people as they came to kiss the toe, which is al- most worn away by this childish //^J-devotion. The peasant girls, after wiping off the foot with their handkerchiefs, would press their lips and then their foreheads to it several times. I saw nearly a hundred people go through with this ceremony while standing there. Kough, common-looking men, elegant- ly-dressed ladies, small boys and girls, while occasionally a little dark-eyed baby would be held up to press its innocent lips to the toe of the statue. 190 A GirVs Jonrney. Tlio size of the building grows upon one constantly. To give some faint idea of its immensity, one of the side - chaj^els (which looks quite small and insignificant, and of which there are a great number), ITnde Eob- ert found by stepping it off to be as large as McKendree Church, in Xashville. The mar- ble-work, paintings, and statues were all so handsome that the other churches we had seen were completely thrown into the shade. On the way home a man proposed to sell me "the whole of Eome " for only half a franc (photographs, you understand), but I told him I was not in the habit of buying things on Sun- day. We w^ould never have imagined it the Sabbath-day, with the shops open, people at work, and every thing going on exactly as on other days. The stores were nothing like as handsome as those in Naples, and there did not seem to be half so much " Christmas in the air," for it was at this time only a few days until the holidays. In fact, w^e had all fallen in love with Naples, and it was hard to find another Borne — Christmas, 191 city as beautiful and bright, with its gay shops, exquisite flowers, and crowning glory of the bay. On our hotel register were the names of a number of barons, lords, and ladies — most of them, I think, belonging to the English aris- tocracy. While Mary Green and I were in the read- ing-room one morning somebody walked in and spoke to us. It i)roved to be Mr. Carmi- chael, our young Scotch friend who was with us from Jaffa to Jericho. He had juSt re- turned from a trip up the Nile, and was on his way home to Glasgow. The principal street in Rome was the Corso, about thirty feet wide, with sidewalks (when there were such conveniences) so narrow that two people could not pass comfortably. Tuesday morning we went to the Vatican, and, as Mark Twain says, "found it truly a wonderful world of curiosities." I cannot tell you half we saw— Apollo Belvidere, Michael Angelo's "Last Judgment," the finest fresco in the world, the " Transfiguration," Raphael's 192 A Girl 's Journey. last great picture, the "Laocooii," besides in- numerable other beautiful pictures and stat- ues by the world's greatest masters — enough to bewilder any ordinary mortal. A magnificent gallery was being decorated by the present pope. The ceiling was exquis- itely painted, the floor laid in all kinds and colors of lovely marbles, while the walls were an artistic study in themselves. In one place was an immense piece of lapis lazuli, as large as the top of a barrel. Just think of a palace with * more than ten thousand rooms ! We walked through miles of picture and sculpture galleries, seeing as much of it as we could, and, as our friend Mr. Gorman said, " leaving the rest for posterity." In the salon, or hall, were a great many magnificent vases and jars which had been presented to the popes by va- rious monarchs. We were delighted that evening at receiving the home mail and, besides letters and papers, some pretty Christmas cards and books, show- ing that, though so far away, we were " yet re- membered." Rome — Ch ristmas. 193 After a visit to the Baibarina Palace, where the principal thing to be seen was the cele- brated picture, " Beatrice Cenci," and to the Church of St. John Lateran, we went to see the Santa Seala, a marble stair-way, said to be the identical steps the Saviour ascended at the entrance of Pilate's house in Jerusalem. At all hours of the day numbers of devout Cath- olics may be seen climbing these stairs on their knees — nobody being allowed to walk up — saying a prayer on each step, then walking down one of the stair-ways placed on each side. The marble steps are covered with wood to keep them from being worn away, and at the top are pictures of our Saviour and the Virgin. We were much amused at the ignorance as to American manners and customs displayed in conversation by some of the English peo- ple we met at the hotel. One lady remarked very seriously that she had a friend whose son had gone over to Vii'ginia, and they were all very uneasy about him. "When we in- quired the reason, she asked: "Why, don't you suppose the Indians will kill him ? " She 13 (1!U) Borne — Christmas. 195 wanted to know " where Virginia was anyhow, and if the people there were civilized.'' She had never heard of the Mammoth Cave, and was evidently quite as ignorant of Niagara Falls. At the Church of "St. Peter in Chains," was exhibited Michael Angelo's celebrated statue of Moses, and it was indeed a grand conception. From there we drove out to the Coliseum, that wonderful old amphitheater which once accommodated betw^een eighty and one hun- dred thousand spectators, and which has since been used for so many purposes — at one time as a stronghold, then as a hospital, after that for a salt depot, a storage place for wool, and lastly as a quarry, for no less than seven large palaces in Rome have been built of stones taken from this marvelous ruin. After seeing the remains of the baths of Caracalla, which formerly had accommoda- tions for one thousand six hundred bath- ers, we passed the spot where the " rape of the Sabine women " occurred, and also went 196 A Girl 's Jourmnj. through the place where the Circus Maximus stood. We visited the Roman Forum, saw the Arches of Titus, Septimus Severus, besides the remains of the Temples of Mercury, Sat- urn, Eomulus, and the Vestal Virgins. Driv- ing back through the Corso, Ave passed the Column of Trajan, where numbers of cats could be seen sleeping in perfect security, basking in the sun; also the Column of Severus, and the fine old fountain of Trevi, which I suppose must be the largest, or one of the largest, in the world. Friday afternoon at two o'clock we attended vespers in the Church of Santa Maria Mag- giore. There was quite a long procession of priests, choir - boys carrying candles, and, greatest of all, the bishop, robed in gorgeous silks heavy with gold embroidery, and his fin- gers so loaded with jewels that I think he could not have closed his hands. As the long line filed past us, one of the priests caught the gold lace of his coat on the fastening of Susie's cloak, and the whole pro- Borne — Chrisfmas. 197 cession had to stop for liim to release himself, while Susie's face grew redder and redder. It seemed that she was unfortunate where priests and monkeys were concerned. The music was grand, and, though we could not understand the service, it was solemn and impressive. Susie and I distinguished ourselves by our purchase of Christmas goodies. We bought a lot of small things thinking they were egg kisses, but they turned out to be sandwiches; then our fruit-cake was the most remarkable piece of confectionery imaginable — tasted like tallow, and was so tough that it was impossi- ble to eat it; but the fruit, nuts, and candies were all right, and we enjoyed our feast af- ter all. On Christmas-eve we gathered around the fire in our sitting-room, and spent the time in conversation, partaking of refreshments — which we girls served in fine style in courses — and singing hymns, closing with "America." On Christmas moruing, after exchanging the merry "Christmas gift," we went through 198 A GirVs Journey. a pouring rain to St. Peter's, where we found services being conducted at nineteen of tiie twenty-four altars, with singing and prayers going on, and no one of fhciu interfering with the ofJiers. Think what the size of the church must have been! Of course the music was grand, there being two or three large pipe organs. We heard several exquisite, pure, high, soprano voices, which I was with diffi- culty persuaded to believe belonged to men and boys, there being no women in the choirs. The priests were on hand again in their magnificent robes, making a gorgeous display. In the afternoon, while Uncle Eobert and Aunt Anna were out, we girls concluded to prepare a surprise for them on their return; so cut " Merry Xmas " out of paper, pinned it on a long red veil, and hung it over the fire- place, arranged our photographs on the wall below, and festooned them with bright rib- bons, placed Christmas cards on the mantel, filled in the space with oranges, and illuminat- ed the whole with all our candles, making it look quite gay and festive; then donned our Home — Christmas. 199 "best bibs and tuckers," and gave them a hearty Christmas greeting as they came in. It was all very enjoyable, and served to remind us of otir happy home-gatherings in far-away Tennessee. On descending to the dining-room, we found it prettily decorated, and an elegant dinner of ten or twelve courses awaiting us. A very attractive dish was a fowl that looked like a pheasant; brought on with the bright plumage still in place. After it had graced the table for awhile it was removed, the feathers taken off, and the delicious meat, juicy and brown, served to the guests. The crowning piece was an immense plum-pudding enveloped in blue blazes, and suggestive of ''Merry Old England." Thus we celebrated our first and (I i)resume) our last Christmas in Eome. The next day, being Sunday, we started out to walk to the Scotch Presbyterian Church; but, failing to find it, attended service at St. Paul's, an American Episcopal chapel, where Dr. Nevin preached a very fine sermon. The church was festooned with evergreens and 200 A Girl's Journey. flowers, aud we gre»itly enjoyed the services in Englisli and the familiar hymns. In the afternoon we elbowed our way through immense throngs of people to the Church of St. John Lateran, where we again heard some fine music. Next day we took a drive outside the city walls, along the Appian Way, stopping at a house which had been excavated near the baths of Caracalla, and at the Columbarium, where the ashes of the pagans were once de- posited in urns, and these placed in niches, inside the wall. One of the rooms contained the dust of one thousand people, and looked, as its name implies, like a great x^igeon-house. Next we visited the Catacombs of St. Sebas- tian, and, supplied with little candles, walked through passage after passage lined with cav- ities containing the bones of seventy-six thou- sand Christians and martyrs. On the way back home a horse in one of tlie vehicles began to kick, and got his leg fast- ened in the harness, throwing him down. Mary Green and the other ladies in the car- Borne — Christmas. 201 riage jumped out, and Miss T., a young girl who had joined our party for the d;iy, was so much frightened that she jumped over two fences and climbed a hill without stopping, and it was some time before she could be in- duced to return. Finally, they got the horse on his feet again, and we continued on our way, returning ])y the Via Latina, stopping to examine two tombs which had been excavated, and in which the frescoes and stucco were very well preserved. On the ceiling and walls of one the whole history of the Trojan War was illustrated. In the floor was a deep well, into which the human ashes used to be thrown. We also saw an ancient sarcophagus with some bones in it. After lunch we visited the Capuchin Mon- astery, one of the greatest curiosities in all Eome. There were four rooms in a row, open- ing into each other, and all decorated with the most beautiful and artistic designs in hu- man hones — beautiful wreaths, frescoes, hang- ing baskets made of little finger and toe bones, pyramids and arches of skulls and thigh-bones, 202 A GirVsJoimmj. while ill fancy recesses were numerous grin- ning skeletons of monks, dressed in their robes and cowls, standing and lying in various positions. If I could only have lost sight of the fact that they were the bones of fellow- creatures, it would have been really beautiful. The monks were once buried in the floors of the rooms, which were filled with earth brought from the Holy Land, and, after their bodies had remained in the ground a certain length of time, were removed to make room for oth- ers, and the bones used for decorations. The Government does not allow them to be buried there now, however, and this strange custom has come to an end. Aunt Anna and Mary Green then went shopping, while Susie and I returned to the hotel, and spent the afternoon very profitably letting out dresses; for traveling had agreed with us so well that nearly all the clothes we brought with us had become distressingly tight. Our next sight-seeing was a visit to the Capitol, where in one room were the " Marble Borne — Christmas. 203 Faun," tlie "Dying Gladiator," and the ''An- tinoos;" ^v'e also went to the Palace Doria, the Farnese Palace, where are Raphael's cel- ebrated frescoes, and attended service on New- year's-day at the Church of the Jesuits, where they sung the "Te Deum " and the "Benedic- tus." In this church, over one of the altars, is placed the largest piece of lapis lazuli in the world. The whole building was brilliant with more than a thousand candles, and it w^as filled with an immense crowd of people. AYe girls carried some rosaries to St. Peter's Church, and dipped them into the holy water fount, intending them as presents for Catholic friends at home. From the highest gallery inside the cupola we looked down into the church, w^here the people walking about so far below appeared no larger than insects. We also visited the Quirinal Palace — home of Humbert, King of Italy. The royal stables w^ere magnificent, and we saw quantities of gold and silver mounted harness, splendid car- riages, and state turn-outs, besides numbers of fine horses and ponies. 204 A GirVs Jounicfj. Aunt Anna and I drove out to see an Amer- ican lady, Mrs. Porter, an aunt of my friend Miss Mamie Black, of Columbia. We found quite a little company assembled in her cozy apartments, chatting and drinking tea. After a pleasant visit we received an urgent invita- tion to attend an art reception to be given to an American girl, who had made a good rep- utation as a sculptress, and who was to exhibit on this occasion her latest piece of statuary. The Church of St. Paul's, outside the city, was one of the handsomest we saw, and as beautiful, in a good many respects, as St. Pe- ter's, with its six columns of alabaster, its su- perb altar of gold and malachite, and the aft- ernoon sun sending its slanting rays through the richly-colored windows, tinting with purple and crimson its marble pillars and highly- polished mosaic floor. AVe carried every thing we had purchased so far to one of the agencies, where they were packed to send to London; then went into sev- eral shops and saw them making Roman pearls from alabaster; in another place they were Rome — Christmas. 205 weaving lovely silk scarfs, and we brought away with ns souvenirs of each. After lunch on Tuesday we went to the Church of Aracoeli, the home of the "Bam- bino." Here are brought people who are maimed or diseased, deluded with the belief that relief is to be had by looking at or touch- ing the little wax image of the Holy Child. A tiny girl recited a long piece in Italian about the " Bambino," 'which was unintelligi- ble to us. After visiting the Church of Santa Maria, which is built over the remains of the house where the Apostle Paul lived for two years, we returned to the hotel, packed our valises, and made ready to end our sojourn of several de- lightful weeks in the Eternal City. FLORENCE. WE left Rome at twelve o'clock, and arrived iu Florence at seven. Next day it rained; consequently we only caught glimpses of "La Bella Firenze " through the windows. We had engaged board this time at a pen- sion, or private boarding-house, kept by an American lady, Madam McNamee, whose hus- band was a sculptor. The house was originally a palace, and in one of its rooms George Eliot wrote "Ro- mola." Among tlie guests were Madam Ne- vada, the sweet songstress of California, and her husband. Several of the other inmates were Americans, and it was quite a comfort to hear English spoken once more. We girls were amused and rather disgusted one day at twelve o'clock, Avhen a very young red - headed Englishman lounged into the (206) Florence, 207 drawing-room on his way to breakfast, and announced with a yawn that he " was up late at a darnce Jarxt night." We visited first the Pitti Palace, the home of King Humbert during his visits to Flor- ence; walked through its galleries of beauti- ful pictures and statues, saw the splendid mosaics, and were allowed to enter the king's private apartments, which were superbly fitted up with every imaginable luxury and conven- ience. The Duomo, or cathedral, is quite a hand- some church from the outside, with its im- mense dome, said to be larger than that of St. Peter's at Eome; but the inside seemed to me rather plain compared to some we had seen elsewhere. However, it was adorned with many fine pictures and statues by the world's greatest masters. The bronze doors of the Baptistery v%-ell deserve the compliment paid them by Michael Angelo, who said they were "fit to be the doors of paradise." It is to this Baptistery that the Italian babies are brought when only a few days old to have salt 208 A Girl 's Journey. put on their tongues, and their bodi('s anoint- ed with oil before being dipped into the bap- tismal font. Eeturning to tlie 2)e)ision one day, we found extensive preparations made for a masked ball to be given to the boarders that night. The stars and stripes were floating bravely beside the Italian colors over the staircase; and the drawing-room was cleared and canvased for dancing. We girls were cordially invited to take part, but, having no desire or inclination to do so, only j^layed the role of spectators. Madam Nevada, assisted by some of the oth- er boarders, gave a concert for the benefit of the servants, in the saloon on Sunday night. We were disappointed that she selected that time for it, as we would have enjoyed the mu- sic, but could not attend any thing of the kind on the Sabbath. Next day, at lunch, in the center of the table was an immense bouquet presented to Madam Nevada by the cook. For two or three days the rain kept us in- doors, until finally we concluded to brave the weather, and made our way to the Uflizi Pal- Florence. 209 ace, where were more fine pictures and statues, the principal one being the celebrated Venus de Medici. The churches of San Marco and Santa Creche — where are the tomb of Michael An- gelo and monuments to Dante and Alfieri, and the famous Medici Chapel — were both richly- decorated with rare marbles, as were also the churches of S. Lorenzo and S. Maria Nuovo. The Ponte Yecchio was a queer old bridge over the Arno, lined on each side with small shops, so that it really looked like a continua- tion of the street. Quantities of the most beautiful jewelry and all sorts of fascinating fancy things were temptingly displayed in these shops, and we ladies found it a charm- ing place for a walk. The National Museum, which proved to be much more interesting than most museums, and the Palazzo Vecchio, the old palace of the Medici family, were visited, and then we rode for some distance along the Arno to the Ca- cina. It was a lovely drive, and the view of Florence, nestling at the base of the snow- 14 210 A Girl's JouDU'i/. capped mountains, was one long to be pleas- antly remembered. ■¥ We enjoyed very niucli a visit to the studio of Mr. Ball, an American sculptor, who also showed us through his son-in-law's studio, Avhere were some pieces of beautiful statuary, all from original designs. Mr. Ball's "Eve" was exquisite, and he was at work on an im- mense statue of Barnum, the great circus man. We walked through the Boboli gardens in the rear of the Pitti Palace; then took anoth- er delightful drive up to San Miniato, a pict- uresque old church on a hill overlooking the city. On the ^\ ay back we came by the Piazza Michael Angel o, where there is a huge bronze statue of David by that celebrated master. One night there Avas considerable excite- ment in the pensmi, caused by tlie departure of a young lady and gentleman (who had been boarding there for some time) for Paris, where they were to be mariied. Quite a shower of rice was sent after them, followed by the cus- tomary old shoe " for luck." Florence. 211 It was hard to decide which was the more fascinating— the mosaic shops along the Lun- gano, or those of statuary on the Via Fossi. They were all very tempting, and I am sure had we been millionaires a great many more of those beautiful things would have found their way across the Atlantic. One day we witnessed a grand military fu- neral. The bier, piled high with flowers, was carried on the shoulders of men, attended by hundreds of soldiers and citizens. In the pro- cession were thirty or forty of the Misericor- dia — a company of persons who unite them- selves in a band to perform deeds of charity. They may be seen at all times on the streets of Italian cities, dressed in long brown cloaks, with pointed cov/ls on their heads, leaving only the eyes exposed, so that no one can recognize them. It is said they are often people of no- ble birth, who adopt this method of doing good — attendiug the sick, burying the dead, all un- known to the world, and even to each other. Mr. Dattari's home was in Florence, and one afternoon we walked across the Ponte Vecchio 212 A GirVs Jouniey. lip the Via Bardi to see liis residence, which we found to be a large stone house near the banks of the Arno. In the afternoon we had a deliglitful ride to Fiesole, a little village on a hill, about three miles from Florence. From this eminence there was a magnificent yiew of the city, made more charming by a glorious sunset, which verified all we had read of Italian skies and their gorgeous coloring. After seeing another statue of David at the Belle Arti, and stopping at the Church of the Annunciata, we went to the shops again and selected photographic views of the city, which we found very good, and remarkably cheap. On Sunday it was trying to snow, but we wrapped up well and went across the river to attend service at a little Scotch Presbyteri- an Chapel, the nearest thing to a Methodist Church we could find. A young Scotchman (a mere boy) preached, but the sermon was splendid. The whole service was so simple, earnest, and impressive that we gospel-hungry Americans felt greatly blessed and benefited. Florence. 213 The Italians are not well prepared for win- ter weather, and their "scaldini," or little buckets of hot coals, which they carry around on their arms to warm by, do not fill the place of sure enough fires. We were thankful for our winter clothes and wraps. In the Englisli cemetery in Florence are the graves of Elizabeth B. Browning, Walter Sav- age Landor, Theodore Parker, and the sculpt- or of the " Greek Slave," Hiram Powers. We had by this time picked up a number of Italian words and phrases, and we girls had a good deal of fun trying them on people, often with very amusing results. The language is so much like the Latin that even with my lim- ited knowledge of the latter I could under- stand a great deal that was spoken around me. The last morning of our stay in Florence I worked up my courage, and went down town a mile or two alone to make some purchases that had been neglected the day before. I did not have any adventures, but must confess to a feeling of relief when I reached the Piazza 214 A Girl 's Journey. Independeiiza ( the square ou which our pen- sion was situated) in safety on my return. The time for our sojourn in Florence had expired, and, agreeing that it was next in beau- ty to Naples, we left at noon for Pisa. PISA— GENOA— MILAN. THE journey to Pisa was a very pleasant one, tlie beautiful scenery interspersed with an occasional charming marine view. Stopping at a little station on the way, v>^e persuaded an old man standing near to gather us some pretty pink roses that were blooming out there in the January cold. I have some of the dainty beau- ties pressed and in my flow^er collection. After engaging rooms at the " Victoria," our whole party climbed the winding flight of two hundred and ninety-four steps to the top of the wonderful Leaning Tower, and were re- warded by a most beautiful view. It was just at sunset, and the whole landscape — with a distant glimpse of the sea in one direction and the snow-capped mountains in another, and the graceful Arno winding in and out below — was bathed in a soft, rosy light, making a picture ^215:) (216) LEANING TOWER AT PISA. Pisa — Genoa — Milan, 217 that will remain with us always. The leaning of the tower is more real than imaginary, as we could easily perceive upon looking down from the summit. The most slanting part is toward the base, the top seeming to lean a lit- tle the other way, as though trying to hold back. I had never thought of this tower in connection with beauty, but with its graceful, airy look it impressed me as quite a "thing of beauty," esijecially when its columns and arches were aglow with the pink and purple hues of the setting sun. We girls raced around the top several times to see how much it slanted, then sat down on the floor and wrote some short letters. I had promised a few lines to a friend from this fa- mous elevation, so hurriedly scratched them off. The Cathedral in Pisa, that contains Gali- leo's famous lamp which suggested to him the pendulum, is a superb piece of architecture, as is also the Baptistery close by. In the latter building we heard a fine echo and saw an ex- quisitely carved pulpit, said to be the hand- somest one in the world. 218 A GirVs Journei/. We also visited the old Campo Santo, and spent the remaining time in the marble-shops. Next our route took us along the shore of the Mediterranean to Genoa, " la superba,'' through the most picturesque scenery we had seen in Italy. I am sure we must have passed through thirty or forty tunnels, and the glimpses of beautiful landscapes interven- ing were indeed enchanting. We had quite an amusing time trying to eat our lunch be- tween the frequent plunges into the darkness. The shops in Genoa were filled with delicate filigree work in gold and silver, which was de- cidedly tempting, besides quantities of other pretty things. The principal sight was the Campo Santo, or cemetery, certainly the most magnificent we had yet seen. There were great stone galleries hundreds of feet long, with the queerest of tombs and monuments ranged along the walls. The poorer people were buried outside in the central court. One monument had a large figure of Father Time with his scythe, another represented the wife and children of the deceased weeping at the Pisa— Genoa— Milan. 219 door of bis sepulclier, while still another was a death-scene carved in marble, with the fam- ily, friends, and physician of the dying man gathered around his bed. Nearly all the tombs were decorated with gaudy wreaths and de- signs in beads and immortelles, while to many of them were attached framed likenesses of the persons buried there. Of course we visited the Municipal Palace, where they show, besides the relics of Colum- bus, of which Mark Twain gives such an amus- ing description, Paganini's violin, which was more interesting to me than any thing else in the collection. One afternoon we were hunting for the Cas- tle Doria, and happened into an immense uni- versity, where we saw some handsome stat- uary. Finally the Doria Palace was found, and after going through its various apartments and seeing a number of old chairs, frescoes, tapestry, etc., we spent the rest of the after- noon in the shops. The streets were exceedingly narrow; in fact, some of the houses did not seem to be 220 A GirVs Journey. more than a foot or two apart at the top, as the upper stories projected. We found snow in Genoa, the first real snow we had seen except on the mountain-tops, but it was not very deep. A most amusing incident occurred one day during a tram-ride through the city. Uncle Eobert happened to take a seat in the car by a window-pane that had been broken, and mended with strips of paper. Chancing to touch the glass with his elbow, there was a crash, and the whole thing fell out and was broken into fragments. The driver came run- ning in, and, seeming very much exercised over the accident, began talking to Uncle Kobert in a vehement and excited manner. We could not understand what he said, but supposed he must be demanding pay for the loss of his broken glass. The trouble was to find out the amount of the damage. We all tried to com- prehend, but it was of no use. Finally the car stopped, and the driver, rushing frantic- ally off somewhere, presently re-appeared ac- companied by a policeman, who only added to Pisa — Genoa— Milan. 221 the confusion and general bewilderment. In the meantime quite a crowd had gathered, and stepping out of the train we found ourselves the center of attraction for an interested group of spectators. Things began to look rather serious, and we were at a loss what to do, when we caught some words which sounded like " due franc,'" so with much relief Uncle Robert handed out two francs and we took ourselves away, glad enough to get out of the scrape with no greater loss. We often speak of it now, and tease Uncle Robert about the time when he came so near being arrested for dam- aging property. Mr. and Mrs. Eastman had concluded to leave us for awhile, having decided to take their trip into Switzerland at this time instead of later. They promised to join us again in Venice. We reached Milan at night, and were de- lighted with our first view of the city, the streets being brilliantly illuminated with elec- tric lights. A gentleman at the hotel in Genoa had been very kind about making suggestions as to where 222 A GirVs Journey. we should stop in Milan, and when Uncle Rob- ert exchanged cards with him, lo! he proved to be a sure enoiajli count, from Austria. When I awoke next morning and looked out of the window it seemed tliat I must still be dreaming, for there, outlined against the blue sky, Avas a more delicate, fairy-like creation in marble than I had ever imagined could be fash- ioned by the hands of man. It was Sunday, also Uncle Robert's birth- day, and Ave celebrated it by attending service at this grand cathedral, the largest and most beautiful Gothic building in the world. After walking around the outside, we went in and heard some splendid music. The ceiling was like cobweb lace — all in pure white marble — and the beautiful stained-glass windows threw their glowing colors over a lovely exhibition far beyond my power to describe. The gor- geous windows represented hundreds of scenes from the Bible, each pane of glass bearing a different picture, and the whole forming what looked to me like an immense jewel in a rich setting. Pisa— Genoa— Milan. 223 In the refectory of a convent adjoining the Church of Santa Maria clella Grazia is Leon- ardo da Vinci's celebrated fresco of the *' Last Supper" and the "Crucifixion," both rather dilapidated - looking, after more than three centuries of dampness and mutilation. Here also is the Church of Santa Ambrogio, where the kings used to be crowned with the iron crown of the Lombards, and the celebrated " Brera," a palace of " Science and Art." We girls decided to climb to the tijjtop of the cathedral. Think of going up five hun- dred and twelve steps! but we had the best possible view of the building from above, be- sides getting a bird's-eye view of the city. While out at the Campo Santo in Milan, we went into the Crematorium, and had the whole process of cremation explained to us. Just before our arrival the bodies of a count and countess had been burned, and they showed us a box of ashes, the remains of a grown per- son. It took just fifty minutes to cremate a body with gas and two hours with wood. It was not at all a rei)ulsive place; on the con- 224 A Girl's Journey. trary, every thing was neat and orderly, and it seemed to me there could not be a better way of disposing of these mortal remains of oars. After dinner we walked through the long gallery of Victor Emmanuel, a wide, glass-cov- ered passage, lined with beautiful shops and brilliantly lighted with electricity. After lunch next day we left Milan, carry- ing away with us — in memory — the cathedral; and I am sure the picture of its ethereal beau- ty will follow each member of our party through life. VENICE. WHEN our train sped over the long bridge and into the station at Venice, the " magic city " of our dreams, it was some time after dark. Instead of climbing into a cab or an omni- bus we stepped down into a gondola, and after a long ride through the silent, liquid streets, passed into the Grand Canal and were landed at the door of the Hotel Grand Britannia. Next day, however, we moved to the Victoria Hotel, which we found more comfortable and convenient. We engaged a gondola for use during our stay in Venice, nud after getting a little rested began the pleasant undertaking of seeing the "lions." After a long ride up the Grand Canal, un- der the Ponte Eialto and past numerous old 15 (225) (226) Ve7iice. 227 stone palaces, where we saw numbers of "pri- vate carriages," as Susie called them, with the gondoliers dressed in uniform, we turned into another canal and visited the Church of the Thari, where are the tombs of Titian and Ca- nova ; then on past the Palace of the Doges and the old prison, and under the famous Ponte de Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs). Our gondolier explained every thing as we went along, but we did not understand very much of what he said. Next morning we walked down to St. Mark's Square. There are a good many solid streets in Venice, though I do not suppose any of them are more than fifteen feet wide. We entered the Church of St. Mark and feasted our eyes on its lovely mosaics, of which there were forty-five thousand square feet in the ceiling alone. Much of tlie marble on the in- side was brought from Constantinople, and the Vv'hole building, with its five domes and gor- geous coloring, reminded me forcibly of an Eastern mosque. Just above the main entrance are the four (228) BRmCE OF SIGUS. Venice. 229 celebrated bi'ouze horses that traveled around so extensively before they were allowed to rest iu their present position. Just think of it! These are the only horses that many of the Venetians have ever seen, except, perhaps, one in the zoological collection in the park. The glass-work and wood-carving were re- markably beautiful here, and we enjoyed very much our visit to the glass-manufactories, where each girl had a bead made with her initials on it. The Campanile, or bell-tower, was also on St. Mark's Square, and as we v/ere fond (which is the habit of travelers) of going to the top of every thing, we climbed to the top of that, from which point we had a line view of the city. Opposite the Campanile was a clock tower, and just at twelve the numbers on the face changedj and two life-size bronze jBgures struck twelve strokes on a bell with hammers which they held in their hands. In the afternoon we were rowed out to the public garden, where an extensive exhibition building was being erected. This garden is on an island, and here the Venetians come 230 A Girl 's Journey. when they want a sight of trees, flowers, and grass. At the Cliurch of St. George, where we saw a great many of Tintoretta's pictures, Uncle Robert had a funny experience with a fat, jolly priest. The old fellow seemed very friendly and pleasant, and insisted that he " take snuff with him." Being refused several times, he kept offering his little box, until finally Uncle Robert did take a pinch, but, not being accus- tomed to that kind of refreshment, only held it in his hand. On the w^ay out, however, the box was offered again, and the priest, with many gestures and signs, begged that he take some more. This time my uncle con- cluded to follow the good father's example, so applied a generous pinch to his nasal pro- tuberance; and then — ! while he sneezed we laughed! The jolly priest laughed until his fat cheeks quivered, and we left him standing in the door holding his sides, while the last thing he heard from our party was, "Kchew, kchew, hrhcir! " from Uncle Robert, and a per- fect gale of merriment from the rest of us. Venice, 231 In the Church of Santa Maria Salute we admired the fine paintings by Titian — his " St. Mark," and others. Then we rowed again to the Piazza of St. Mark and went into the church for a few minutes to look at the mo- saics in the ceiling lighted up by the rays of the setting sun, a brilliant and beautiful spec- tacle. In the Doge's Palace is the largest oil paint- ing in the world, Tintoretta's " Glories of Par- adise," containing more than a thousand heads and covering one whole end of an immense audience-chamber. We visited the Venetian lace-school, where the girls were at work on various beautiful pat- terns. As it was not possible to enter the Royal Palace on account of its being closed for re- pairs, we crossed the Bridge of Sighs and went down into the horrible, gloomy dungeons where the poor condemned criminals used to be con- fined. We had a pleasant time feeding the pigeons on the square. The birds were so tame they (232) Venice. 233 would light on our heads and arms, and fear- lessly eat from our hands the grains of corn which we bought in packages from an old man near by. These pigeons arc considered sa- cred, and no one is allowed to harm them. I brought away a few of their feathers, which I picked up off the ground. Mr. and Mrs. Eastman arrived next day, and reported a most delightful trip through Switz- erland. We were glad to have them with us again. In the afternoon we took a walk over the Ponte Eialto — which has shops on either side like the Ponte Vecchio in Florence — to the Market, where there were a great many queer specimens of vegetables, flesh, fish, and fowls — but more than all, a remarkable variety of queer smells. We again entered our gondola, from which the top had been removed so that we could see better, 'and let our gondolier go where he pleased. He took us through some new streets out to the end of the Grand Canal, within sight of the great railroad bridge. 234 A CxirVsJounieii. AVe girls liked the narrow canals better, for we thoiiglit they " looked mure like Venice." The Grand Canal resembled too much a river or a Avide stream, with its long bridges and small craft. Once in turning a corner into a narrow street our gondola (fot stud:, and we had to back out. That was fine fun, and we enjoyed it immensely. But worse than all was the tiny steamer, that went puffing like a fussy water-bug up and down the main thor- oughfare of this romantic city of the sea. It did seem too bad that such a commonplace thing as a steamer should have found its way into Venice. On Sunday we attended an immense funeral of a countess at St. Mark's. The services were strange and interesting to us. The cas- ket, covered with wreaths of artificial flowers, was placed on a high stand in the center of the church, while all around stood men and boys robed in black, holding lighted candles. The priests, each carrying a candle, marched in and out; sung, chanted, and swung the cen- sers, while the brass band (all the musicians Venice. 2B5 being boys) played a solemn dirge. Then the casket was carried oat, preceded by the priests and four female mourners dressed in black, with scarfs on their heads instead of veils. These last each held a silken cord, one end of which was attached to the coffin. The band played a funeral march as the procession passed out of the church and down to the wa- ter, followed by an immense throng. The casket was then placed in a large gondola- hearse ornamented with white, silver, and black trimmings, and rowed by four gondo- liers in black - and - white uniforms. The mourners entered another gondola, and the whole company glided silently out of our sight. We had been told that the Cardinal held a confirmation service that afternoon, so went over to the palace and were ushered into a waiting-room. Presently an aged man came in leading a very old gentleman whom we sup- posed must be the cardinal. He spoke very little English, but we gathered from what he gaid that he thought we had come to have him 236 A Girl 's Journeij. conifirm a child, and he inquired *' whether it was a boy or a girl, and if it was well or indis- posed." AVe j5nally made him understand that we did not want t(j have anybody con- firmed, and bade him adieu. We afterward discovered that the service wo wished to at- tend had closed before our entrance. We spent the rest of the afternoon on the square, walking up and down the quay. It seemed that the whole of Venice was out en- joying the beautiful weather. A great many people were sitting at little tables eating and drinking, while the street venders were driv- ing a lively trade — offering every thing imag- inable for sale. AVe met a very pleasant gentleman at the hotel— young Mr. Carter, from Denver City — and he joined our party next day on an excur- sion to the school of San Rocco, where was some of the most elaborate wood-carving we had seen; also Titian's " Ecce Homo." There was a library carved in wood that interested me greatly. The books looked so natural that I could not resist the temptation of taking Venice. 237 down and examining one of the seemingly well-worn volumes. We went into tlie Church of the Jesuits, the interior of wliicii was dec- orated with marble mosaic in imitation of tap- estry, curtains, etc., while the floor in front of the altar was made of marble, but looked exactly as though covered with a carpet. Tin- toretta's masterpiece, the "Crucifixion," was also in the Church of San Eocco adjoining the school. We spent a great deal of time in the shops, and you may be sure that when we left our valises were the heavier by a number of lovely little souvenirs in glass, besides a collection of photographs. The time came to leave this charming place, and one morning we were awakened at the dreamy hour of half -past two, and rowed down the Grand Canal, where every thing was still and dark (the first time we had seen it so), to the railway station. Only one house was illuminated, and there seemed to be a revel of some kind going on there. Carpets were spread down the steps to the water's edge, 238 A GiyVs Joiirneij. and strains of music floated out from tlie open doors and windows, sounding softly sweet and clear to us as we glided silently by in tiie darkness. VIENNA— PRAGUE. THE scenery on the journey over the Car- nac Alps was grand, especially after dar'k when the moon had risen; so were the views going through Somering Pass, until the mists came up and enveloped all in a ghostly gar- ment of white. On one side were great cliffs, hundreds of feet high, with lights from the little villages twinkling among the gorges, while here and there were fairy-like cascades frozen into shining ice, trees laden with hoar frost, appearing as guardian specters, and over all the pure, soft snow glistening in the moon- light. We again passed through a number of tunnels, one of them being over four thou- sand five hundred feet long. The train rolled into Vienna about ten o'clock, and then we had a ride that was in decided contrast to our silent departure of the (239) 240 A GirVsJoiinmj, morning from Venice. When wo liad all climbed inside, and our baggage had been piled on top of an omnibus, the horses started off at a tearing pace over the cobble-stones, while the immense vehicle swayed from side to side, and though we spoke to each other at the tops of our voices, not a word could we hear; could not even hear our own voices, such was the din. I almost held my breath, and am not sure what else I held on to, until we finally brought up with a flourish in front of the Hotel AVandel, when it was indeed a relief to climb out with no bones broken. The weather in Austria was very cold at this time; but the people seemed to be fully prepared for it, with the houses and furnish- ings arranged so as to bid defiance to Jack Frost — double doors and windows, tall, white porcelain stoves that reminded me very forci- bly of monuments, and in which fires were kept night and day, eider-down pillowy and comforts, and beds of down to cover with. Mary Green and I used to laugh very much at Susie after she had retired and was all Vienna — Prague. 241 muffled up in the coverings. Nothing could be seen of her but the top of her head, and it looked as though she might be sleeping under a mountain of snow, while her voice sounded as if it came up out of the depths; but it was very comfortable, and we were glad enough ourselves, after a busy day of sight-seeing, to creep into these downy nests. The morning after our arrival we breakfast- ed principally on letters, as a heavy mail had arrived; then took a tram-ride round the city, which reminded us very much of Paris. The people were extremely kind and accommodat- ing, several gentlemen walking out of their way to show lis which train to take, and then instructing the drivers where to put us off. A very pleasant walk was through the courts of the Imperial Palace to the park, or the " Volksgarten," where was an exact copy of the Temple of Theseus, in Athens, containing Canova's masterpiece, an immense statue of "Theseus and the Minotaur," a superb piece of workmanship, cut out of a single block of marble. 16 242 A Girl 's Journey. The principal boulevard, " Eiiigstrasse," was a very bandsome street, on which were many of the finest buildings. The imperial sta- bles contained a great many beautiful horses, harness, carriages, etc. The prettiest of all were some black Spanish steeds, sleek and glossy as satin, with tails really dragging the ground; there were also a number of lovely white ones with luxuriant manes and tails. One of the waiters at the hotel was a curi- osity, and became quite a favorite with our party. He was a tiny little fellow, seemingly about ten years of age, dressed in regular ev- ening costume, with swallow-tail coat, long trousers, high collar, white cravat, and always had his hair combed and curled most elabo- rately. He looked like a second Tom Thumb, but knew how to wait on the table, and re- quired assistance only occasionally in lifting the very heavy dishes. When we entered the dining-room in the morning he was always standing at the door, ready to greet us with a cheery "Gooten morcfeny The chamber-maid, Madeline, amused us Vienna — Pratjne. 243 too by coming into our room at night and kissing our hands, for good-night. We soon learned that it was customary all over the city for the horses hitched to wagons, carriages, and 'busses to go tearing along like mad, while the roar of the vehicles over the cobble-stones was deafening. We also noticed a great many dogs drawing heavy loads, sometimes being harnessed to a cart piled up with hay, vegetables, or milk- cans, and frequently having as yoke-fellow a man, and occasionally a ivoman. It was rather an expensive place for shop- ping, the specialties being amber jewelry, meerschaum pipes, and carved leather-work. The churches of St. Augustine, St. Peter, and St. Stephen w^ere visited. AVorkmen were busy on the latter, though it w^as begun more than six hundred years ago. On Monday it w^as snowing, but we did not wish to lose time, so went to the Capuchin Church, in the crypt of which w^ere exhibited copper coffins covered with flowers, containing the remains of the imperial family, Mari^^ 244 A Girl's Jounipy. Theresa, her father, motlier, and children, Maximilian, and others. In the Augustine Church were silver urns, in -which were the hearts of these same royal people. A delightful drive was the one out to Schon- brunn, the summer palace of Emperor Franz Joseph. Maria Theresa once lived there, and we were shown the rooms at one time occupied by Napoleon. One was fitted up in Chinese style, with all sorts of queer little tables, jugs, screens, vases, unique hangings, mirrors, etc. The covering of a single chair was valued at ten thousand florins, and the decorations of another room at two hundred thousand florins. On the walls of one apartment were paintings executed by the children of Maria Theresa, while still another was adoi'ned with Persian pictures of copper, set in gold and framed in rose-wood. We also saw the apartments of that unfortunate prince, Rudolph, who has recently ended his career so sadly. The grounds were extensive and beautifully laid out, though at this time covered with snow. We climbed to the Gloriata, a kind of colon- Vienna — Prague. 245 nade walled in with glass, on top of a hill, and had a fine view of Vienna, and concluded it must be a charming place in summer. On Tuesday, after waiting quite a long time outside in the cold, we were admitted to the Parliament House, and heard several speeches from members of the House of Commons. It was entertaining, and, though we could not un- derstand what was said, we knew they were discussing the war question. The "beautiful blue Danube" was certainly the loveliest river we had seen, and with its wa- ters the color of turquois, the purple mountains in the rear, and the blue sky and white clouds above, proved the truth of all that had been told of its beauty. We spent Wednesday morning at the Pal- ace Belvedere (used as a picture gallery), the building in which the celebrated Congress of Vienna met that banished Napoleon to St. Helena, after the battle of Waterloo. We saw there Eembrandt's finest portrait, a like- ness of his mother, which could not be bought for three million florins. The large iron gate 246 A GlrVs Jonrneij. at the entrance to the grounds was made by hand, and was very ehiborate. It was a whole afternoon's trip from Vien- na to Prague, and not much to be seen along tlie route, except snow and pine-forests. Tlie hotel proprietor spoke very little English, and the gentlemen had a funny time trying to make arrangements with him about rooms, etc. Early next morning we went to the Rath House, to see a very curious old clock, which interested us greatly. After a few minutes it began to strike nine. A skeleton pulled the bell-roi^e and nodded his head at every stroke ; a window above opened, and the twelve apos- tles passed in succession, each stopping for a second or two at the opening; the figure of a rich man shook his head and his money-bags, a vain man looked in a mirror, a wise man held a book, while the cock crowed and clapped his wings. In one of the churches visited was the pulpit from which John Huss preached, and in the Rath House we were shown a fine painting of the great reformer before the Council of Constance. Vienna — Prague. 247 AVe also Avalked tlirougli the Students' Gate, on top of wliicli the heads of murdered Protestants were once displayed. In the old cathedral there was a superb moijument to" St. John of Nepomuck, made of ten and a half tons of Bohemian silver, ex- quisitely carved, and, inside of it, a crystal casket containing the bones of the martyr, which are taken out and displayed every fifty years. Our guide told us he had seen them. It is said that this saint was thrown off the Karlsbrucke bridge and drowned, because he would not disclose the confessions of the queen. We crossed the old bridge, and were shown the place from which he was cast down. After going through the Imperial Palace, in an apartment of which the Thirty Years' War was begun, and where Kudolph lived for two or three years, we went to an old syna- gogue in the Jews' quarter of the city, the oldest in Europe. Near it was a cemetery, equally ancient, which had not been used for a hundred years. There was not in all Egypt or Palestine any thing as dreary, desolate, and 248 A Girl *s Journey. neglected-looking as this old grave-yard, with the broken and dilapidated tomb-stones as close as they could stand, and many of the graves, we were informed, five and six deep. After seeing the house where John Huss lived, or rather what remains of it, taking a ride all over the city, and looking at its vari- ous monuments and public buildings, we re- turned to our hotel, the Swatzer Rogs (black horse), and prepared for our departure in the afternoon. DRESDEN— LEIPZIG— WITTENBERG. WE girls often amused ourselves on the long railroad journeys by "telling tales," sing- ing, and playing a game called "Animals," that we had invented for our own pleasure. The trains kept up such a roaring that we could make as much noise as we wished with- out disturbing anybody, and, being in compart- ments to ourselves, took advantage of these opportunities to exercise our lungs. Thus we whiled away the hours between Prague and Dresden, reaching the latter place in good time and securing pleasant rooms at the Hotel Weber. The next day was Sunday, and we started out to find a church somewhere. It was in- teresting to observe the queer way in which the people attended religious service. They entered the sanctuary with their hands full of (249) 250 A Girl 's Journey. bundles, knelt for a prayer or two (turning tlieir heads to see what was going on around them in the meanwhile), arose and walked out, going on with their sliopping or work just as on any other day of the week. We saw one young girl at the church repeating prayers with her skates on her arm, and in a few min- utes met her on the way to a pond where a large crowd of skaters were having a merry time, with a fine band stationed in a little stand out in the middle of the lake making music for them. Such bustle and confusion as there was at the dinner-table! We came to the conclusion that tlie Germans were a very loud, jolly sort of people, and the quantity of wine and beer they consumed was alarming. The Johanneum Museum contained a col- lection of arms, jewels, and royal robes that belonged to various kings and princes. Many of the swords, suits of armor, and trappings for the horses were richly set with precious stones, making a most gorgeous display. There was also quite an array of beautiful Dresden— Leipzig— Wittenhevg. 251 Dresden china, besides Chinese, Japanese, Persian, Sevres, etc. Some of the pieces rep- resented horrible dragons, dogs, fish, birds, and all sorts of grotesque figures. Both old and new styles were exhibited, and it was im- possible to decide which was the prettier. After a long drive around the city on Mon- day afternoon, we w^andered down to the lake to watch the skating. Six little boys arranged themselves in a row, with their hands on each other's shoulders. All went splendidly for awhile, until the front one, who was skating backward, tripped over something or some- body, vvhen down they all came in a heap ! The people laughed heartily, and the boys jumped up in a hurry to try i-t over again. The lake was brilliantly illuminated with electric lights, and, being situated in the midst of a lovely little park, made a delightful place to spend an hour or two on long winter even- ings, especially as the music was fine. Tuesday was devoted to the famous Dresden Art Gallery. It would be folly for me to at- tempt a description of this splendid collection. 252 A Girl *s Jounicj/. and I will simply say that the gem of all was, in my humble judgment, Raphael's " Sistine Madonna." This exquisite piece of work has a room to itself, where the visitor can spend hours looking upon its beauty, which grows more and more attractive the longer one gazes upon it. On AVednesday we bade farewell to charm- ing Dresden, and reached Leipzig in two hours. The weather was vprj/ cold indeed, but inside the house the temperature Avas so delightful that we felt nothing of the outside discomfort. Early in the morning there was poured into our porcelain stove a lot of what they called "brickets,"a kind of composition, something in appearance like peat. Then the double doors were screwed on, and the fire was not dis- turbed until next morning, the room being kept thoroughly and evenly heated all the time. The University at Leipzig is situated on the Augustus Platz, a very handsome public square, and an old German porter showed us through Dresden — Leipzhj — Witteuhcrg. 253 oue of the buildings. We managed to see most of the city by riding around on the street-cars, but the wind was so icy and every thing so covered with snow that we were glad enough to return to our cozy rooms and beds of down. AVittenberg, Martin Luther's home, was the next town visited, and our hotel there was the Golden Adler, a house which had been stand- ing four hundred years or more. At the old Schlosskirche, or town church, was shown where Luther had preached, and the place where he and Melanchthon are buried. The church was being repaired, so of course was very much torn up. We also visited the old Augustinian Monas- tery, where Luther had his home, and were shown his study just as he left it, containing many interesting relics of the great reformer — his drinking-cup, wedding-ring, seal, rosary, and some of his handwriting; also portraits of himself and wife, Catherine von Bora, and the double chair on which they used to sit. At Elster Gate was the place where in 1520 254 A Girl 's Journey. he burned the papal bull of excommunication, exclaiming as he did so: "As thou [thePoj^e], hast troubled the Holy One of the Lord, may the eternal fire trouble and consume thee! " We went out in the afternoon and bought some very pretty flowers to press and add to our collection; also some photographs of the principal places of interest we had seen in Wittenberg. In one of the shops we had an amusing experience trying to make the man understand that we wanted a picture of Lu- ther's tree. We talked loud and fast, and then we talked slow, and called tree by every name we could think of, but the shop-keeper's face still wore a i)uzzled expression, until at last a bright thought struck one of us and we drew a rough sketch of a tree, with Luther's name written under it. That worked like a charm, and he immediately smiled and handed out some photographs of "der Luter baum," from which we selected the ones liked best, and left with sighs of relief. Wittenberg was certainly a place of more than ordinary interest, and we remained there Dresden — Leipzig — Wittenberg. 255 until it bad all been seen, then made ready to move on to the capital city of the Germans, in which place we had decided to spend several weeks. ©HAF'T's^ ;><;>