Page:Adventures of Baron Wenceslas Wratislaw of Mitrowitz (1862).djvu/79

 everything is done openly; no one can do anything apart from the eyes of others, except in the night and darkness.

There are abundance of such inns in Turkey; and because all the Turks that were there stared at us when we ate, and wondered at our customs, our ambassador would not willingly spend the night in them. A further reason was, that no small stench proceeded from both human beings and cattle; and we, therefore, always looked out to procure my lord a night’s lodging in some Christian cottage: but these huts were so confined and narrow that there was frequently nowhere to place a bed. When, therefore, my lord the ambassador had been provided for, we, the rest of the company, prepared our night’s lodging on rugs and carpets in the carriages, under the carriages, and wherever we could. Sometimes, however, we spent the night in Turkish hospitals, which are handsomely built, covered with a lead roof, and very comfortable for travellers, because a number of empty rooms are found in them, which are shut to no one; but, be he Christian or be he Jew, be he rich or be he a beggar, they are open for the convenience of all alike. The pashas, sangiaks, and other Turkish gentlemen also make use of them, when they travel across the country, and cause this kind of building to be erected for the comfort of travellers. We, too, frequently had a good and quiet night’s lodging in them, and slept our sleep out as long as we liked. The following custom is also observed in these hospitals, viz, that the Turks give food to whoever comes there. When the hour of the evening meal comes, each of the superintendents of the hospital brings a tray or broad plate, (in some places