108 AFEICAN WANDERINGS.

more ere the former mouthful has been swallowed ; Avhile a smacking of lips, and licking of sauce-dripping fingers succeed, and proclaim their pleasure in the meal. Bread is generally to be found on the table, but neither salt, oil, vinegar, or pepper; although when they dine with Europeans they show no dislike to highly seasoned dishes, or strong drinks. Althougli their dishes are numerous, they contain but little, and that little by no means of a quality suited to a German stomach, and this, too, would require to satisfy its cravings as much as four Turkish ; but, after all other plats, comes the never failing pillau, and he who has not already got his fill had better now lose uo time in rolling up between his two first fingers and thumb some balls of its mass, and cramming them down his thi'oat ; as the pillau is an invariable sign that the feast is ended. If there arc many courses, or more dishes than the table will hold at one time, the entertainer is ever busied making signs to the attendants which are to be removed ; and not seldom the guest finds that the very dish he was about to help himself from is carried off from under his very nose. The Pascha used often to amuse himself by playing tricks on his guests, by ordering ofi* with the utmost rapidity those dishes he found their longing eyes fixed on, ere their outstretched hands could convey any portion of them into their watering mouths. "Water, in abundance, is never wanting to wash down the repast, as many slaves stand by, in readiness to pour it out, as well as to keep off the flies. At first, in spite of the pillau, we never were quick enough to get sufiicient to eat, not having been brought up to bolt our food; and that the Turks are so quickly satisfied, and by so little, is wholly owing to this bolting of their food, is undeniable : and this, also, produces the repeated eructations they so loudly and joyfully give vent to, as proving their high health and vigour. A newly arrived European is almost certain to rise from table unsatisfied, on dining with a party of Turks ; for this dabbling of hands in the dishes, these handlings and tastings of the meat without taking it wholly away, must be disgusting to him ; and, even now, when we have become pretty well used to it, we cannot wholly get over our dislike and loathing to the whole eating business ; yet all the other Franks here have adopted it, looking upon it as a most comfortable method of feeding.