The Unchanging East (Volume 1) (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1900. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER X. On the Track of Beer--An Anxious Search for a Drink--A Friendly Stranger--A Personally Conducted Tour around Tripoli--Embarrassing Politeness--An Old Castle as a Jail. IT was too late that night to explore Tripoli, so, being tired, we betook ourselves to bedrooms that were veritable chambers of horror, such as Madame Tussaud never dreamt of. Next day, breakfast was brought to us consisting of eggs, bread and butter, and little thimble cups of Turkish coffee. The butter not being fit for axle-grease, we left it alone, and the bread was unspeakable and revolting. I rummaged around the place hoping to find something either eatable or drinkable, and came upon an empty beer bottle which had on it the brand of a well-known firm in Munich. Beneath the magic title "Munich" appeared an unpronounceable name and address in Tripoli. That there should be prime bottles of Munich beer in this outlandish thirsty place, seemed too good news to be true. Taking the bottle with me I sought the landlord, who was plucking a lean pigeon on the flat roof of his house, a handy place, because the feathers then would fly all over the town without further trouble to him. "Have you got any more bottles of this brand?" I inquired. "Not good?" he asked. "Very good indeed if you have got any more of it," I replied. "Not good; all right," and he went on with his plucking. No further information was it possible to get out of him, so I took the label off the bottle, and, with my friend, started on a pilgrimage for beer. It was soon evident that the liquor merchant did not reside in the port town. The real city of Tripoli is about two miles inland, and is connected by a weird tramway line with the harbour. We mounted to the top of the vehicle that was waiting, and jingled up to t...