After their audience, they dined with the minister, not exactly in
the manner of Downing Street, nor even with the comparative luxury of
Canobia; but the meal was an incident, and therefore agreeable. A good
pilaff was more acceptable than some partridges dressed with oil and
honey: but all Easterns are temperate, and travel teaches abstinence
to the Franks. Neither Fakredeen nor Tancred were men who criticised a
meal: bread, rice, and coffee, a bird or a fish, easily satisfied them.
The Emir affected the Moslem when the minister offered him the wine of
the mountains, which was harsh and rough after the delicious Vino d'Oro
of Lebanon; but Tancred contrived to drink the health of Queen Astarte
without any wry expression of countenance.
'I believe,' said Keferinis, 'that the English, in their island of
London, drink only to women; the other natives of Franguestan chiefly
pledge men; we look upon both as barbarous.'
'At any rate, you worship the god of wine,' remarked Tancred, who never
attempted to correct the self-complacent minister. 'I observed to-day
the statue of Bacchus.'
'Bacchus!' said Keferinis, with a smile, half of inquiry, half of
commiseration. 'Bacchus: an English name, I apprehend! All our gods
came from the ancient Antakia before either the Turks or the English
were heard of.
Pages:
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622