190 DISAGREEABLE PREDICAMENT. 



In this manner we continued to ride through 

 the water and mud for several hours; at last 

 we reached a place that apparently no human 

 ingenuity could get us over. It was a deep 

 and rapid river, and beyond it appeared miles 

 of country flooded considerably deeper than that 

 we had been so long wading through ; our sur- 

 rigee was equally surprised with ourselves; the 

 sun was beginning to get low, and, as returning 

 was impossible, we began to think of making up 

 our minds to remain for the night in a sort of 

 birdcage house close by, raised upon piles, so as 

 to obtain a footing above the level of the water 

 (bearing, indeed, very much the appearance of 

 one of those patent safes to keep meat in, which we 

 often see at the back part of gentlemen's houses in 

 England), and in which two Turks were sitting 

 smoking their pipes. 



There was no time for deliberation ; the surrigee 

 was puzzled ; and on appealing to these two Turks, 

 we got no consolation in our misfortune, and but 

 little encouragement to proceed. I believe we 

 did mentally curse our folly in having allowed 

 ourselves to be persuaded by the surrigee to at- 

 tempt this route ; but decision was the order of the 



