"
As the donkey jogged along, stopping now and then to nibble at the
bushes on either side, she sat calmly looking out upon the
surroundings. Once in a while she would draw aside her veil and her
beautiful eyes would lift themselves to heaven with a look of rapture
and adoration in them, which was wonderful to see.
As they drew nearer to the town the look of anxiety upon the face of
the man deepened, for he began to realize more and more the crowded
condition of the place they were approaching. The hurry and bustle and
confusion made themselves felt far beyond the bounds of the town
itself.
They seemed to be strangers--at least they did not have relatives or
friends to whom they could turn; and the man started at once to make
his way to the inn or "kahn," as it was called in those days.
This inn was a quadrangular building made of rough stones. It was one
story high, with a flat roof, and it had not a single window. All
around it was a high wall, built of rocks; and the space between that
wall and the building made a safe enclosure for the animals.
The thing about these inns that would surprise you or me today was the
way in which the business connected with them was run. There was no
charge made for staying there, but safe lodging was freely given. Each
company which came brought its own bedding, its own food and
everything they needed to use in cooking.
Pages:
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156