people, whether Turks, Arabs, or Hindoos. It is dangerous in some
parts to survey a person with a fixed glance, as he instantly
concludes that you are casting the evil eye upon him. Children,
particularly, are afraid of the evil eye from the superstitious
fear inculcated in their minds in the nursery. Parents in the East
feel no delight when strangers look at their children in admiration
of their loveliness; they consider that you merely look at them in
order to blight them. The attendants on the children of the great
are enjoined never to permit strangers to fix their glance upon
them. I was once in the shop of an Armenian at Constantinople,
waiting to see a procession which was expected to pass by; there
was a Janisary there, holding by the hand a little boy about six
years of age, the son of some Bey; they also had come to see the
procession. I was struck with the remarkable loveliness of the
child, and fixed my glance upon it: presently it became uneasy,
and turning to the Janisary, said: 'There are evil eyes upon me;
drive them away.' 'Take your eyes off the child, Frank,' said the
Janisary, who had a long white beard, and wore a hanjar. 'What
harm can they do to the child, efendijem?' said I. 'Are they not
the eyes of a Frank?' replied the Janisary; 'but were they the eyes
of Omar, they should not rest on the child.' 'Omar,' said I, 'and
why not Ali? Don't you love Ali?' 'What matters it to you whom I
love,' said the Turk in a rage; 'look at the child again with your
chesm fanar and I will smite you.' 'Bad as my eyes are,' said I,
'they can see that you do not love Ali.' 'Ya Ali, ya Mahoma,
Alahhu!' (30) said the Turk, drawing his hanjar. All Franks, by
which are meant Christians, are considered as casters of the evil
eye. I was lately at Janina in Albania, where a friend of mine, a
Greek gentleman, is established as physician. 'I have been
visiting the child of a Jew that is sick,' said he to me one day;