TURKISH PRISON. 215 



I wish I had never attempted to gratify my 

 curiosity. Yes, I honestly confess it was curio- 

 sity that impelled me to pry into secrets of a 

 Turkish prison-house. I should have had a bet- 

 ter opinion of human nature in general, and 

 Turks in particular, had the horrible sight I there 

 witnessed been for ever concealed from my eyes. 

 Till then I did not believe that there do exist in 

 the world demons in the shape of men, who take 

 delight in the sufferings of their fellow-creatures, 

 and into whose breasts the feelings of compassion 

 have never found admittance. 



A silver key will open any lock in Turkey as 

 w^ell as in other parts of the world ; so we found 

 no difficulty in making an arrangement with a 

 chouash or constable, who promised to gain us 

 admittance to the prison where these unhappy 

 men were confined ; and having put on dresses 

 which would not attract observation, we proceeded 

 thither about nine o'clock in the morning. Passing 

 through a kind of court-yard, we ascended some 

 stairs which led to a long balcony, into which 

 windows, secured with iron bars, looked from the 

 different rooms. Here the horribly emaciated 

 appearance of three men immediately attracted 



