The
danger from dogs was that they collected and ran in packs, and you were
almost caught in the eddy of wild and half-starved dogs if you were
not guarded.
I hate pomp and ceremony of all kinds, except where it is absolutely
necessary; but in this case I could not dispense with it. The French
Minister's wife was hissed in the streets of Constantinople because she
chose to dispense with her escort. A Protestant clergyman's wife was
nearly struck by a Turkish soldier for brushing against him with her
petticoats, thus rendering him, according to his religion, unclean.
Besides, women in the East want a guard. A missionary young lady who
came up in the _coupe_ of the diligence from Beyrout to Damascus had an
unpleasant experience. A Persian, who called himself a gentleman, was
inside, and kissed her all the way up. She, poor little idiot! saw no
way out of the transaction, but came and threw herself on Richard's
protection several days after, and there was an ugly row. She had the
Persian arrested, and tried him. If anybody had tried that sort of game
on with me, I should have made an example of him myself, and taken the
law in my own hands, whoever he was. An escort was therefore necessary.
I can understand how some consuls' wives, sometimes vulgar, ill-
conditioned women, might get elated at this newly acquired importance,
and presume upon it until they became unbearable. I found the lack of
privacy very trying at first, but I was anxious to bear it because I
saw that English influence at Damascus required lifting a great many
pegs higher than our predecessor left it.
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