CONSTANTINOPLE. 
125 
down on the pile of lumber near the toll-house to enjoy for an 
hour or so. There is a gang not far off engaged in pulling 
some large beams out of the water. A small windlass would 
pull the whole raft up in ten minutes; but they work by hand 
in preference, or because their ancestors did it. Twenty able- 
bodied men are doing the labor which could be done in half 
the time by two, with proper machinery. See them tug at 
that beam ! Not one putting a fourth of his weight on the 
rope. It moves two inches, after a tremendous amount of 
yelling and tugging, and an incessant confusion of tongues. 
There seems to be no master, unless the sleepy fellow sitting 
on the bridge, with a chibouck in his mouth, be the master, of 
which there is no evidence. Another fit of tugging and yell¬ 
ing ensues; all hands now give up work, and betake them¬ 
selves to their respective pipes—the chattering of voices never 
flagging for a single moment, except when momentarily 
arrested by the chibouck. The smoking lasts a good deal 
longer than the other part of the work; but it is over at 
length, and they go at the beam again with renewed energy. 
Each man tugs on his own responsibility, without reference 
to the exertions of the others, and only at such long intervals 
as suit his peculiar views of the subject. By accident a gen¬ 
eral pull takes place, in the course of time; and the beam 
comes up two inches further. All hands are again exhausted, 
and find, by reference to the sun, that it is the hour of prayer; 
so to prayer they go—first, however, carefully making their 
ablutions. It is a picturesque and impressive sight, after all, 
to see these rude barbarians, in the midst of the busy turmoil 
of life, cast off all thought of worldly affairs, and bow down 
their heads toward Mecca, the sacred city of their Prophet. 
Absorbed in devotion, they seem unconscious of all the petty 
cares of humanity, and, for the time at least, are elevated 
above the mere animal man. Even Christians might profit 
by their earnest sincerity. Unmoved by the prejudices of 
other races; regardless of the busy world around them; for¬ 
getting that there is aught upon earth to claim a moment’s 
time, save the salvation of the soul, they give their whole 
being up to the worship of God and the Prophet. Is it for 
