A RIDE TO MAGNESIA. 143 



" I do not know any such house. There is none 

 such in Magnesia.'' 



" You cannot mean to say that none will receive 

 the friends of your countryman John." 



" Gentlemen, you must go to the Mian. I know 

 of no place but the Mian. In the khan you will 

 find excellent accommodation." And having said 

 thus much, he recommenced scuttling about among 

 his cookery, and fairly turned the cold shoulder on 

 the whole party of strangers. 



Xow this gentleman was a bad specimen of his 

 kind, thus to dishonour the recommendation of his 

 very respectable friend at Smyrna ; or perhaps some- 

 thing had gone wrong with him that day on 'Change. 

 Certain it is that such a reception we had never before 

 experienced. In every place to which we had come, we 

 had always found some one who, for love or money, 

 was glad to receive us. In more than one case it 

 had been for the former consideration; and indeed 

 in some villages it is the recognised privilege of 

 the greatest man to receive the wayfarer. It is to 

 them a rare occasion of playing the entertainer, and 

 gives them an opportunity of hearing all sorts of 

 travellers' tales. Besides, it is a good office, which 

 they themselves may require at any time ; and it is, 

 even on sordid grounds, good policy for them to 

 establish relations of hospitality throughout the coun- 

 try. One case is in my recollection, where a large 

 party of its, with I know not how many followers 



