European and Asiatic Turkey. 267 



previously she had used tlie strongest medicines to produce 

 abortion, but in vain. In addition, she had, for the last year, 

 been afflicted with a badly treated ague; these circumstances 

 led me to suspect organic disease of some of the abdominal vis- 

 cera ; I say suspect, for no examination of the abdomen would 

 be permitted. I told the Pascha, that she would be probably 

 delivered of a still-bom child, and that she would not survive its 

 birth many days. Bakkalom ! Allah Kaertm ! Insch Allah ! 

 (^ shall see; Grod is great — God be merciful) exclaimed he, ' 

 and inexperienced as I was, I little dreamed that these were 

 mere stereotype ♦ expressions. The Pascha appeared to take the 

 liveliest interest in this lady's state, and required me to feel her 

 pulse four times a-day, and to send him, as often, a report csoU^ 

 cerning her health. Whenever I spoke to him on the subject, 

 his uniform reply was, ' Give her, I beg you, the best medicines 

 you have; right strong medicines, and she will yet tecovet^St.^ 

 God is great !' The dreaded day came at last ; she was de- 

 livered of a dead child, and in two hours the harem resounded 

 with the cries of the female slaves. In the east, the females are 

 the first to announce either joy or sorrow. If any thing happy 

 occurs, they utter a cry of joy, modulated by a rapid and qui- 

 vering motion of the tongue against the palate and teeth. When 

 sorrow is to be expressed, the cry is longer and sharper ; the 

 shrieks of the slaves in question were decorously loud and pro- 

 tracted, and they rent their garments and tore their hair. I 

 sought not to be the first bearer of the news to the Pascha, 

 whose anger I dreaded ; when I arrived at his apartment, I 

 found that he had already learned the sad news, and I felt 

 greatly astonished at finding the man, who had beer* all anxiety^ 

 and alarm at my former visits, now quite composed and tran- 

 quil. When I entered, he exclaimed * Alla?i Kaerim f '"* 



In the course of a short tiitie, all the courtiers and principal 



officers had come in successively, each, fes he entered, using the 



same invariable phrase addressed to the Pascha, " she is dead, 



thou shalt live."' ^<'» «' ' '^" 



"The mother <ind child #ere consigned to the grave befc^ 



• In the ori^^nal " 4iese stetirippeti 'AiM^ungeny^ stereotype exclamations 

 •—a strong and original exiircssion of Dr Oppenhcim. 



