SMYRNA. 
109 
visions of cholera, plague, fevers and other diseases, as could 
scarcely fail in the end to result in a serious fit of illness, if 
not in plague itself. The cause of the present quarantine 
was equally as absurd as the ceremonies. It appeared that 
some vessel under quarantine, was taking in a supply of 
water, which is permitted under certain rigid rules, in regard 
to the handling of the hose. One of the men in the water- 
boat lost his balance and touched the hose with his hand, by 
which means he brought himself and Smyrna with its hun¬ 
dred and fifty thousand inhabitants, under the restrictions of 
quarantine for eight days. 
I had no great desire to go ashore, previous to this unpleas¬ 
ant piece gf intelligence, simply because there appeared to 
be no difficulty in the way; but I now became inspired with 
an irresistible desire to take a ramble through Smyrna ; and 
although it was my intention to stop here on my return from 
Constantinople, it was impossible to wait that length of time 
under existing circumstances. Such a taboo as this, in a 
country professing to have some intercourse with civilized 
nations, was not to be borne; it was an outrage upon the 
rights of man. My ticket was for Constantinople; it was 
good for the next steamer—if the next steamer should not be 
laid up in quarantine by a similar misfortune to its hose-pipe. 
But I was not going to sacrifice the rights of man for a mis¬ 
erable piece of leather. The water-boat was going ashore, 
and so was one individual from the steamer, if he was destin¬ 
ed never again to leave the precincts of Smyrna. Taking my 
knapsack upon my shoulder, I bade an affectionate farewell 
to Doctor Mendoza and the Madam, who looked exceed¬ 
ingly concerned for my future fate; and jumping into the 
boat was soon under way for the wharf. It was quite prob¬ 
able, from the uncertain contingencies upon which the lib¬ 
erty of locomotion depends in this part of the world, that I 
should never see my worthy friends again ; so I turned to 
take a last look at them before the boat reached the landing. 
The Doctor was shaking his head gravely, as if he thought 
it “imposs” that all could be right in a certain quarter; and 
the Madam was talking with rapid gestures as if she fully 
