BSY_FB_28-050

February Sunday 19 1905

Damascus - L. stayed in Damascus and N. took the 8:30 train with
his servant for Beirüt to meet Prentice and to have his scientific
instruments corrected at the Amer. Protestant College. It was
a bleak cold day windy & dusty. The route is well described in
Bedecker but the beauties of the scenery are not describable.

An official asked for my "Teskera" or passport. I had neglected
to get from the police a Turkish passport from Damascus to Beirüt,
but had my old passports in my trunk. I gave him my name &
nationality but could not even show a visiting
card for identification. I was travelling 1st class and had a
compartment to myself, in consequence the official bowed and
scraped most politely and left. I thought the incident was
closed but O, no. We had travelled some three or four hours
when upon stopping at a station the guard opened the door
an? said: "Le Police, Messieur", and in the compartment stepped
a police official in a most elegant uniform. The train went on
and we were alone. He bowed & scraped and asked with a smile and his
hand on his heart for my passports. I in turn was polite and at
the same time swauve? and condescending, acting the part of a good
humored tolerant man of high rank. We had difficulty in
carrying on the conversation as he did not even speak French and
my Arabic vocabulary consists of some ten words and I don't
even know what "yes" & "no" is in Turkish. I tried to make him
understand that my servant was in a 2nd Class compartment in
the rear and would explain matters. I offered him a cigarette
which he accepted as if it were a most particular favor on my

cont'd.