Page:The Reminiscences of Carl Schurz (Volume One).djvu/386

 very tired from our long wanderings and hunger began to be tormenting. Nothing seemed to remain to us but to return to the “Little Anna.”

So we walked back to the harbor. Unexpectedly we came upon a large house in the main street of Leith, the front of which bore the inscription “Black Bull Hotel,” and an open door. We entered at once, and ascended a flight of stairs to the upper story. There we reached a spacious hall with several doors, one of which was ajar. We looked through it into a little parlor lighted by an open coal fire. Without hesitation we entered, sat down in comfortable armchairs near the fireplace, pulled the bell-rope and waited for further dispensations of fate. Soon there appeared in the door a man in the dress of a waiter, with a napkin under his arm. When he saw the two strange figures sitting near the fireplace, he started and stood a moment, mute and immovable, with staring eyes and open mouth. We could not keep from laughing and when we laughed, he too smiled, but with a somewhat doubtful expression. Then we pronounced our two English words: “Beefsteak, sherry!” The waiter stammered an unintelligible reply. He then moved back toward the door and disappeared. Soon he returned with another man, also a waiter. Both stared at us and exchanged a few words between themselves. We laughed and they smiled. Then one of them said something in English which sounded like a question. Again we spoke our two words—beefsteak and sherry. Thereupon both nodded and both left the room. After a little while a third man appeared, who wore a double-breasted coat—evidently the landlord. He examined our appearance with a knowing look and talked to us in a friendly tone. Again we repeated our speech about beefsteak and sherry and tried to signify by gestures that we were hungry. At the same time Kinkel had the