The top of the hill of Bulgarin

A very hot walk of an hour took us to the top of the hill of Bulgarin, from which the finest panorama of Constantinople, tho Sea of Marmora, Prince’s Islands, and the contiguous Asiatic country, can be seen.

1 was much pleased, ou my return to the hotel, to find on my key-hook a card left by Lord Mandeville, who was staying at Misseri’s. He had been attacked by robbers, a day’s journey from Smyrna; and they had taken everything that he had about him. Whilst talking of the affair, a report arrived that Mr. Urquhart had suffered also from thieves, but on the sea — his boat having been attacked by pirates. These two misadventures made sufficient noise to prove that such robberies upon Eastern travellers were of rare occurrence.

The way in which the first robbery came about was this. The steamers of the Austrian Lloyd’s Company, arriving at Smyrna in the morning, do not start again until noon the nest day, and so Lord Mandeville, and a gentleman who accompanied him,—Mr. Percy Herbert, — determined to spend their time in riding to Nimfi; where, a short time ago, one of the most ancient monuments of the world was discovered, in the shape of an enormous human figure, sculptured in the solid rock. It agrees closely with the description of a monument given by Herodotus, and is said to be a trophy of Sesostris.

Our travellers placed themselves first in the hands of a doubtful dragoman, — as great a robber, by their account, as any they were attacked by, — and left him to make the arrangements for the journey, Nimfi being about five hours distant from Smyrna. He engaged a Surroudjee, or horse-attendant, to be at the inn about four o’clock in the afternoon, with five horses.

Before starting, they thought it would be advisable to go to the consul, and mention their plans and arrangements. They found an old gentleman in an ill temper, wrapped up in a flannel gown, and groaning, as he said, from rheumatism. Upon asking him if the price they paid for the horses was just, he replied that he knew nothing at all about it, and, indeed, appeared to be bored at being thus troubled : so they went away local ephesus tour guides.

Having started at the appointed time, for a wonder, they were stopped at the first guard-house they came to, which is about half an hour out of Smyrna, and asked for their Teskcre, which is a species of passport, combined with an order for post-horses and other matters connected with Turkish travelling. Neither the consul nor tho dragoman had thought about this, and so they were compelled to wait two hours at the guard-house, whilst the latter returned for the necessary permit.

Reach Nimfi

As last, he arrived; but, from this delay and other causes, they did not reach Nimfi until the middle of the night. The dragoman, who had assured them that he had often been there before, was now unable to find the house they were to sleep in; and they must have couched a la belle etoile, had they not, by chance, found a man sitting up in some place where wine was being made, who directed them.

They started again at daylight, the next morning, for the spot where the monument is to be seen, distant from Nimfi about an hour and a half. After a pleasant ride of eight or nine miles, through a very pretty country, they went up a small path, leading through a narrow gorge in the hills, where there was barely room for more than the stream running through it, the way being sometimes in the course of the stream, and sometimes on one side of it, twisting about, to pass the blocks which had rolled down from the sides of the hills.

They were passing one of these masses, with some brushwood on the other side of the path, when two men sprang forward and stopped the Surruudjee. At the same moment, two other fellows appeared in the rear, and they were directly afterwards joined by a fifth. All these men were armed. They made the travellers dismount, tore off their coats to see if they wore armed, which, fortunately, they were not; and then quietly rifled their pockets taking all they wanted. Fortunately, Lord Mandeville had nothing of great value about him, except a gold watch. This, of course, they appropriated, as well as his sash, his pocket-handkerchief, and even a strip of silk lie wore round his neck. Just as he was remounting, one of the rascals saw a ring on his finger. They tried to get this off, but as it, had been a lady’s, it was not very easy, and tho chief of the party drew his yatagan to take away finger and all. The dragoman, however, interfered, and contrived to release it with his mouth. When everything available had been taken, the fellows departed.