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diff --git a/42096.txt b/42096.txt deleted file mode 100644 index d17de57..0000000 --- a/42096.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7269 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The King of the Mountains, by Edmond About, -Translated by Mrs. Carlton A. Kingsbury - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: The King of the Mountains - - -Author: Edmond About - - - -Release Date: February 15, 2013 [eBook #42096] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE KING OF THE MOUNTAINS*** - - -E-text prepared by sp1nd, Mary Meehan, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made -available by Internet Archive (http://archive.org) - - - -Note: Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - http://archive.org/details/kingofmountains00abou - - - - - -THE KING OF THE MOUNTAINS - -by - -EDMUND ABOUT. - -Translated from the French by Mrs. C. A. Kingsbury. - - - - - - - -Chicago and New York: -Rand, McNally & Company. -MDCCCXCVII. - -Copyright, 1897, by Rand, McNally & Co. - - - - -THE KING OF THE MOUNTAINS. - - - - -I. - -HERMANN SCHULTZ. - - -On the 3d of July, about six o'clock in the morning, I was watering my -flowers. A young man entered the garden. He was blonde, beardless; he -wore a German cap and sported gold spectacles. A long, loose woolen -coat, or paletot, drooped in a melancholy way around his form, like a -sail around a mast in a calm. He wore no gloves; his tan leather shoes -had such large soles, that the foot was surrounded by a narrow flange. -In the breast-pocket of his paletot, a huge porcelain pipe bulged -half-way out. I did not stop to ask myself whether this young man was a -student in the German Universities; I put down my watering-pot, and -saluted him with: "Guten Morgen!" - -"Monsieur," he said to me in French, but with a deplorable accent, "my -name is Hermann Schultz; I have come to pass some months in Greece, and -I have carried your book with me everywhere." - -This praise penetrated my heart with sweet joy; the stranger's voice -seemed more melodious than Mozart's music, and I directed toward his -gold glasses a swift look of gratitude. You would scarcely believe, dear -reader, how much we love those who have taken the trouble to decipher -our jargon. As for me, if I have ever sighed to be rich, it is in order -to assure an income to all those who have read my works. - -I took him by the hand, this excellent young man. I seated him beside me -on the garden-bench. He told me that he was a botanist, that he had a -commission from the "Jardin des Plantes" in Hamburg. In order to -complete his herbarium he was studying the country, the animals, and the -people. His naive descriptions, his terse but just decisions, recalled -to me, a little, the simple old Herodotus. He expressed himself -awkwardly, but with a candor which inspired confidence; he emphasized -his words with the tone of a man entirely convinced. He questioned me, -if not of every one in Athens, at least of all the principal personages -in my book. In the course of the conversation, he made some statements -on general subjects, which seemed to me far more reasonable than any -which I had advanced. At the end of an hour we had become good friends. - -I do not know which of us first spoke of brigandage. People who travel -in Italy talk of paintings; those who visit England talk of -manufactures; each country has its specialty. - -"My dear sir," I asked of my guest, "have you met any brigands? Is it -true, as is reported, that there are still bandits in Greece?" - -"It is only too true," he gravely replied. "I was for fifteen days in -the hands of the terrible Hadgi-Stavros, nicknamed The King of the -Mountains. I speak then from experience. If you have leisure, and a long -story will not weary you, I am ready to give you the details of my -adventure. You may make of it what you please; a romance, a novel, or -perhaps an additional chapter in the little book in which you have -written so many curious facts." - -"You are very good," I replied, "and I am at your disposal. Let us go to -my study. It is cooler there than in the garden and yet we can enjoy the -odor of the sweet-peas and mignonette." - -He followed me, humming to himself in Greek, a popular song: - - "A robber with black eyes descends to the plains; - His gun is heard at each step; - He says to the vultures: 'Do not leave me, - I will serve to you the Pasha of Athens.'" - -He seated himself on a divan, with his legs crossed under him like the -Arabian story-tellers, took off his loose paletot, lighted his pipe and -began his tale. I seated myself at my desk and took stenographic notes -as he dictated. - -I have always been without much distrust, especially with those who have -complimented me. Sometimes the amiable stranger told me such surprising -things that I asked myself many times if he was not mocking me. But his -manner was so simple, his blue eyes so limpid, that my suspicions faded -away on the instant. - -He talked steadily, until half after noon. He stopped two or three times -only long enough to relight his pipe. - -He smoked with regular puffs like the smoke stack of a steam-engine. -Each time I raised my eyes, I beheld him, calm, smiling, in the midst of -a thick cloud of smoke, like Jupiter in the 5th act of Amphitryon. - -We were interrupted by a servant with the announcement that breakfast -was served. Hermann seated himself opposite me, and my trifling -suspicions vanished before his appetite. I said to myself that a good -digestion rarely accompanies a bad conscience. The young German was too -good an eater to be an untruthful narrator, and his voracity restored my -faith in his veracity. Struck with this idea, I confessed, while -offering him some strawberries, that I had, for an instant, doubted him. -He replied with an angelic smile. - -I passed the entire day with my new friend, and I found that the time -did not drag. At five o'clock, he knocked the ashes from his pipe, put -on his outer coat, and shaking my hand, said: "Adieu." I replied: "Au -revoir." - -"No," he said, shaking his head; "I leave to-night at seven o'clock, and -I dare not hope ever to see you again." - -"Leave your address. I have not yet renounced the pleasure of traveling, -and I may, sometime, pass through Hamburg." - -"Unfortunately, I do not know where I shall pitch my tent. Germany is -large; I may not remain a citizen of Hamburg." - -"But if I publish your story, at least I ought to send you a copy." - -"Do not take that trouble. As soon as the book is published, it will -appear in Leipzig and I will read it. Adieu!" - -After his departure, I re-read attentively what I had written. I found -some remarkable details, but nothing which contradicts what I had seen -and heard during my stay in Greece. - -At the moment of finishing the manuscript, a scruple restrained me: What -if some errors had crept into Hermann's statements? In my quality of -editor was I not responsible? To publish the story of "The King of the -Mountains," was it not to expose myself to editorial comments and -criticisms? - -In my perplexity, I thought of making a copy of the original. I sent the -first to M. Pseftis. I begged him to point out, candidly, all the -errors, and I promised to print his reply at the end of the volume. - -I re-read the copy which I had retained. I changed no word in it. If I -made myself the corrector of the young German's statements, I would -become his collaborator. So I discreetly withdrew. It is Hermann who -speaks to you. - - - - -II. - -PHOTINI. - - -You divine, from the appearance of my clothes, that I have not ten -thousand francs with me. My father is an inn-keeper whom the railroads -have ruined. In prosperous times he eats bread, in bad years potatoes. -Add to this, that there are six children, all with good appetites. The -day on which I received my commission from the Jardin des Plantes, there -was a festival given in the family. My departure would not only increase -the portion of each of my brothers, but I was to have two hundred and -fifty francs per month and the expenses for my journey. It was a -fortune. From that moment they ceased to call me Doctor. They dubbed me -beef-merchant, so that I should appear rich! My brothers prophesied that -I would be elected Professor by the University, on my return from -Athens. My father hoped that I would return married. In his position of -inn-keeper, he had assisted in some very romantic adventures. He cited, -at least three times a week, the marriage of the Princess Ypsoff and -Lieutenant Reynauld. The Princess occupied the finest apartments, with -her two maids and her Courier, and she gave twenty florins a day. The -French Lieutenant was in No. 17, way up under the eaves, and he paid a -florin and a half, food included; however, after a month's sojourn at -the hotel, he departed in a carriage with the Russian lady. - -My poor father, with the partiality of a father, thought that I was -handsomer and more elegant than Lieutenant Reynauld; he did not doubt -but that, sooner or later, I would meet a princess who would enrich us -all. If I did not find her at a table d'hote, I would see her in a -railway carriage. If the powers which control the railroads were not -propitious, there was still left the steamships. The evening of my -departure, we drank a bottle of old Rhine wine, and by chance the last -was poured into my glass. The good man wept with joy: it was a sure -sign, and nothing could prevent me from marrying within a year. I -respected his superstitions, and I refrained from saying that princesses -rarely travel third class. As for lodgings, my humble luggage would not -permit me to choose any but modest inns, and royal families do not, -usually, lodge in them. The fact is, that I landed in Greece without an -adventure of any kind. - -The army occupying the city made everything very dear in Athens. The -Hotel d'Angleterre, the Hotel Orient, the Hotel des Etrangers were -inaccessible. The Chancellor of the Prussian Legation, to whom I had -brought a letter of introduction, was kind enough to assist me in -finding a lodging. He took me to a pastry-cook's, at the corner of the -Rue d'Hermes and the Place du Palais. I found there, board and lodging -for a hundred francs a month. Christodule was an old Palikar, decorated -with the Iron Cross, in memory of the War of Independence. He was a -Lieutenant in the Phalanx, he wore the National costume, the red bonnet -with blue tassel, the silver-colored vest, the white skirt, and the -fancy leggins, when he sold ices and cakes. His wife, Maroula, was -enormous, like all Greek women who have passed fifty. Her husband had -purchased her during the war, when women sold for high prices. She was -born in the Isle of Hydra, but she dressed in the Athenian fashion: -upper garment or jacket of black velvet, skirt of a bright color, a silk -handkerchief tied over her head. Neither Christodule nor his wife knew a -word of German; but their son Dimitri, who was a servant hired by the -day, and who dressed like a Frenchman, understood and spoke a little of -each patois of Europe. Upon the whole, I had really no need of an -interpreter. Without having received the gift of tongues, I am a fairly -good linguist, and I murder Greek as readily as English, Italian or -French. - -My hosts were worthy people; they gave me a little white-washed room, -with a table of white wood, two straw-bottomed chairs, a good but thin -mattress, and some cotton quilts. A wooden bed is a superfluity which -the Greeks easily deny themselves, and we lived a la Grecque. I -breakfasted on a cup of arrow-root; I dined on a plate of meat with many -olives, and dry fish; I supped on vegetables, honey and cakes. Preserves -were not rare in the house, and occasionally I evoked memories of home -by dining on a leg of lamb and preserves. It is useless to tell you that -I had my pipe, and that the tobacco in Athens is better than yours. That -which contributed to my feeling perfectly at home in Christodule's -house, was a light wine of Santorin, which he bought, I know not where. -I am not a judge of wines, and the education of my palate has, -unfortunately, been neglected, but I believe, however, that this wine is -worthy of a place on a king's table: it is of a fine topaz color, -sparkling as the smile of a child. I see it now, in its large bulging -carafe, on the shining linen cloth. It lighted the table and we were -able to sup without any other illumination. I never drank much of it, -because it was heady; and yet, at the end of a meal, I have recited some -of Anacreon's verses and I have discovered remains of beauty in the -moon-shaped face of the gross Maroula. - -I ate with Christodule and his family. There were four regular boarders -and one table boarder. The first floor was divided into four rooms, the -best of which was occupied by a French Archaeologist, M. Hippolyte -Merinay. If all Frenchmen resemble this one, you would be a sorry lot. -He was very small; his age, as far as one could tell, anywhere between -eighteen and forty-five, very red-haired, very mild, very loquacious, -and never loosening his moist and warm hands, when he had once fastened -them on a person, until he had exhausted himself talking. His two -dominant passions were archaeology and philanthropy: he was a member of -many literary societies and of many benevolent associations. Although he -was an advocate of charity, and his parents had left him a fine income, -I do not remember ever to have seen him give a sou to a beggar. As for -his knowledge of archaeology, I believe that it was of more account than -his love for humanity. He had received a prize from some provincial -College, for a treatise on the value of paper in the time of Orpheus. -Encouraged by these first successes, he had come to Greece to gather -material for a more important work: it was nothing less than to -determine the quantity of oil consumed in Demosthenes' lamp while he -wrote the second Philippic. - -My two other neighbors were not so wise, and ancient things disturbed -them not at all. Giacomo Fondi was a poor Maltese employed at, I know -not what consulate; he earned a hundred and fifty francs a month sealing -letters. I imagine that any other employment would have pleased him -better. Nature, who has peopled the Island of Malta in order that the -Orient should never lack porters, had given to poor Fondi the shoulders, -arms and hands of a Milo of Crotona: he was born to handle a club, and -not to melt sealing-wax with which to seal letters. He used, however, -two or three sticks every day: man is not the master of his destiny! The -islander out of his sphere, was in his element only at meal-time; he -helped Maroula to place the table, and you will understand, without -being told, that he always carried it at arms-length. He ate like the -hero of the Iliad, and I shall never forget the cracking of his huge -jaws, the dilation of his nostrils, the flash of his eyes, the whiteness -of his thirty-two teeth, formidable mill-stones of which he was the -mill. I ought to confess that I remember little of his conversation; one -easily found the limit of his intelligence, but one never found the -bounds of his appetite. Christodule had never made anything during the -four years he had boarded him, although the Maltese had paid ten francs -a month extra. The insatiable islander ate every day, after dinner, an -enormous plateful of nuts, which he cracked between his first finger and -thumb. Christodule, old soldier, but practical man, followed this -exercise with a mixture of admiration and fear; he trembled for his -dessert, yet he was proud to see, at his table, so huge a nut-cracker. -The face of Giacomo Fondi would not have been out of place in one of the -jumping-jack boxes, which so amuse children. It was whiter than a -negro's; but it was a question of shade only. His thick locks descended -to his eyebrows like a cap. In strange contrast, this Caliban had a very -small foot, a slender ankle, a fine-shaped leg and as perfect as one -finds in a statue; but these were details which one scarcely noticed. -For whoever had seen him eat, his person began at the edge of the table; -the rest of the body counted for nothing. - -I can speak only from memory of William Lobster. He was a cherub of -twenty years, blonde, rosy and chubby, but a cherub of the United States -of America. The firm of Lobster and Sons, New York, had sent him to the -Orient to study the subject of exportation. He worked during the day in -the house of Philips Brothers; in the evening, he read Emerson; in the -early morning or at sunrise he went to Socrates' school to practice -pistol-shooting. - -The most interesting person in our little colony was without doubt, John -Harris, the maternal uncle of the little Lobster. The first time that I -dined with this strange man, I was greatly taken with the American. He -was born at Vandalia, Illinois. Breathing the invigorating air of the -new world from his birth, his every movement was joyous. I do not know -whether the Harris family was rich or poor; whether the son went to -College, or whether he educated himself. What was certain was, that at -twenty-eight he relied on himself alone; was astonished at nothing; -believed nothing impossible; never flinched; was amenable to reason; -hoped for the best; attempted everything; triumphed in everything! If he -fell, he immediately jumped up; if he stammered, he began all over -again; he gave himself no rest; never lost courage, and went right -ahead. He was well-educated, had been teacher, lawyer, journalist, -miner, farmer, clerk. He had read everything, seen everything, tried -everything, and had traveled over more than half of the globe. When I -made his acquaintance he was commanding a Dispatch-boat, carrying sixty -men and four cannons. He wrote of the Orient in the Boston Review; he -transacted business with an indigo house in Calcutta, and yet he found -time to come, four or five times a week, to dine with his nephew, -Lobster, and with us. - -A single instance, of a thousand, will serve to show his character. -Early in the fifties he was in business in Philadelphia. His nephew, who -was then seventeen, made him a visit. He found him near Washington -Square, standing with his hands in his pockets, before a burning -building. William touched him on the shoulder; he turned. - -"Ah: Good-morning, Bill, thou hast arrived inopportunely, my boy. There -is a fire which ruins me; I have forty thousand dollars in that house; -we will not save a match." - -"What will you do?" asked the astonished boy. - -"What will I do? It is eleven o'clock, I am hungry, I have a little -money in my pocket; I am going to take you to breakfast." - -Harris was one of the most slender and most elegant men I have ever -seen. He had a manly air, a fine forehead, a clear and proud eye. - -Americans are never deformed nor mean-looking, and do you know why? -Because they are not bound in the swaddling-clothes of a narrow -civilization. Their minds and their bodies develop at will; their -schoolroom is the open air; their master, exercise; their nurse, -liberty. - -I never cared especially for M. Merinay; I looked at Giacomo Fondi with -the indifferent curiosity with which one gazes at foreign animals; the -little Lobster inspired me with luke-warm interest; but I conceived a -warm affection for Harris. His frank face, his simple manners, his -sternness which was not without sweetness, his hasty yet chivalrous -temper, the oddities of his humor, the enthusiasm of his sentiments, -appealed to me more strongly as I was neither enthusiastic nor hasty. We -admire in others what we lack ourselves. Giacomo wore white clothes -because he was black; I adore Americans because I am a German. As for -the Greeks, I knew little of them even after four months' sojourn in -their country. Nothing is easier than living in Athens without coming in -contact with the natives. I did not go to a cafe; I did not read the -Pandore, nor the Minerve; nor any other paper of the country; I did not -go to the theater, because I have a sensitive ear and a false note hurts -me more cruelly than a blow; I lived with my hosts, my herbarium, and -with John Harris. I could have presented myself at the Palace, thanks to -my diplomatic pass-port and my official title. I had sent my card to the -Master and Mistress of Ceremonies, and I could count upon an invitation -to the first Court Ball. I kept in reserve for this occasion, a -beautiful red coat, embroidered with silver, which my Aunt Rosenthaler -had given to me the night before my departure. It was her husband's -uniform; he was an assistant in a Scientific Institute, and prepared the -specimens. My good aunt, a woman of great sense, knew that a uniform was -well received in all countries, above all if it was red. My elder -brother had remarked that I was larger than my uncle, as the sleeves -were too short; but Papa quickly replied, that only the silver -embroidery would catch the eye, and that princesses would not examine -the uniform closely. - -Unfortunately, the Court was not dancing that season. The winter -pleasures were the flowering of almond, peach, and lemon trees. There -was a vague report of a ball to be given the 15th of May; it made a stir -in the city, as a few semi-official journals took it up; but there was -nothing positively known about it. - -My studies kept pace with my pleasures, slowly. I knew, by heart, the -Botanical Gardens of Athens; they were neither very beautiful nor very -full; it was a subject soon mastered. The Royal Gardens offered far -more to study: an intelligent Frenchman had collected for it all the -riches of the vegetable kingdom, from the palms of the West Indies to -the saxifrage of the North. I passed whole days there studying M. -Barraud's collections. The garden is public only at certain hours; but I -spoke Greek to the guards, and for love of the Greek, they permitted me -to enter. M. Barraud did not seem to weary of my company; he took me -everywhere for the pleasure of discussing Botany and speaking French. In -his absence, I hunted up the head gardener and questioned him in German: -it is well to be polyglot. - -I searched for plants every day in the surrounding country, but never as -far from the city as I should like to have gone; there were many -brigands around Athens. I am not a coward, the following story will -prove it to you, but I love my life. It is a present which I received -from my parents; I wish to preserve it as long as possible, in -remembrance of my father and mother. In the month of April, 1856, it was -dangerous to go far from the city: it was even imprudent to live -outside. I did not venture upon the slopes of Lycabettus without -thinking of poor Mme. Daraud who was robbed in broad daylight. The hills -of Daphne recalled to me the capture of two French officers. Upon the -road to Piraeus, I thought, involuntarily, of the band of brigands who -traveled in six carriages as if on a pleasure tour, and who shot at -passers by from the coach doors. The road to Pentelicus recalled the -stopping of the Duchess de Plaisance, or the recent story of Harris and -Lobster's adventure. They were returning from an excursion, on two -Persian horses belonging to Harris, when they fell into an ambuscade. -Two brigands, weapons in hand, stopped them in the middle of a bridge. -They glanced all around and saw at their feet, in a ravine, a dozen -rascals, armed to the teeth, who were guarding fifty or sixty prisoners. -All who had passed that way since sunrise had been despoiled, then -bound, so that no one could escape to give the alarm. Harris and his -nephew were unarmed. Harris said to the young man in English: "Give up -your money; it will not pay to be killed for twenty dollars." The -brigands took the money, without letting go the bridles; they then -showed the Americans the ravine and signed to them to descend. Harris -now lost patience; it was repugnant to him to be bound; he was not the -kind of wood of which one makes fagots. He looked at the little Lobster, -and at the same instant, two fist blows like two chain-shots, struck the -heads of the two brigands. William's adversary fell over on his back, at -the same time, discharging his pistol; Harris' brigand, struck more -forcibly, toppled over the cliff and fell among his comrades. Harris and -Lobster were by this time quite a distance away, jamming the spurs into -their horses. The band rose as one man and discharged their weapons. The -horses were killed, the young men disengaged themselves, took to their -heels, and when they reached the city, warned the police, who started in -pursuit of the brigands the second morning after. - -Our excellent Christodule learned with grief of the death of the two -horses; but he found not a word of blame for the killers. "What would -you have?" he asked with charming simplicity, "it is their business." -All Greeks are, more or less, of our host's opinion. It is not that the -brigands spare their countrymen and reserve their harshness for -strangers, but a Greek, robbed by his brother, says to himself with a -certain resignation, that the money is all in the family. The populace -sees itself plundered by the brigands, as a woman of the people who is -beaten by her husband, admires him because he strikes hard. Native -moralists complained of the excesses committed in the country, as a -father deplores his son's pranks. He groans loudly, but secretly admires -him; he would be ashamed if he was like his neighbor's son who never had -to be spoken to. - -It was a fact, that at the time of my arrival, the hero of Athens was -the scourge of Attica. In the salons and in the cafes, in the -barber-shops where the common people congregated, at the pharmacies -where the bourgeoise were to be found, in the muddy streets of the -bazars, in the dusty square of Belle-Grece, at the theater, at the -Sunday concerts, and upon the road to Patissia, one heard only of the -great Hadgi-Stavros; one swore only by Hadgi-Stavros; Hadgi-Stavros the -invincible, Hadgi-Stavros the terror of the police, Hadgi-Stavros, "The -King of the Mountains!" They almost composed (God pardon me) a litany on -Hadgi-Stavros. - -One Sunday, a little while after his adventure, John Harris dined with -us; I started Christodule upon the subject of Hadgi-Stavros. Our host -had often visited him, years before, during the War of Independence, -when brigandage was less discussed than now. - -He emptied his glass of Sautorin, stroked his gray mustache, and began a -long recital, interspersed with many sighs. He informed us that Stavros -was the son of a bishop or priest of the Greek Church, in the island of -Tino. He was born God knew in what year; Greeks of early times knew not -their ages, because registries of the civil state are an invention of -the decadence. His father, who destined him for the Church, taught him -to read. When about twenty years of age, he made a pilgrimage to -Jerusalem, and added to his name the title, Hadgi; which means, pilgrim. -Hadgi-Stavros, returning to his own country, was taken prisoner by a -pirate. The conqueror found him amenable to reason and made a sailor of -him. Thus he began to make war on Turkish ships, and, generally, on -those which had not mounted guns. At the end of several years, he tired -of working for others, and determined to push out for himself. He -possessed neither boat, nor money to buy one; necessity compelled him to -practice piracy on land. The rising of the Greeks against Turkey -permitted him to fish in troubled waters. He never could tell exactly -whether he was a brigand or an insurgent; whether he commanded a band of -thieves or insurrectionists. His hatred of the Turks did not blind him -to the degree that he could pass a Greek village without seeing it and -sacking it. All money was good to him, whether it came from friend or -foe, from a simple theft or a glorious pillage. Such wise impartiality -rapidly increased his fortune. The shepherds hastened to place -themselves under his banner, when they learned that good pay might be -expected; his reputation brought him an army. The leaders of the -insurrection knew of his exploits, but not of his thrift: in those -times, one saw only the bright side of everything. Lord Byron dedicated -an ode to him; poets and orators in Paris compared him to Epaminondas, -and even to poor Aristides. Some sent him embroidered clothes from the -Faubourg Saint-Germain; others sent subsidies. He received money from -France, from England and from Russia; I will not swear that he never -received any from Turkey: he was a true Palikar! At the end of the war, -he was besieged, with other chiefs, in the Acropolis at Athens. He slept -in the propyleum, between Margaritis and Lygandas, and each had his -treasure hid in the blanket which covered him. One summer night, the -roof fell so cleverly that it killed every one but Hadgi-Stavros, who -was smoking his pipe in the open air. He secured his companions' money -and every one thought that he well deserved it. But a misfortune which -he had not foreseen checked his successful career: peace was declared. -Hadgi-Stavros retired to the country with his spoils, and became a -spectator of strange occurrences. The powers which had freed Greece -attempted to found a kingdom. Some offensive words came buzzing around -the hairy ears of the old robber; he heard rumors of government--of -armies--of public order. He laughed when told that his possessions were -included in one sub-prefecture. But when an employee from the Treasury -presented himself to collect the yearly taxes, he became serious. He -threw the man out of the door, not without having relieved him of all he -had brought with him. Justice sought to punish him; he took to the -mountains. It was as well, for he was tired of his house. He felt, to a -certain extent, that he owned a roof, but on condition that he slept -above it. - -His former companions-in-arms had scattered all over the kingdom. The -State had given them lands; they cultivated them reluctantly and ate -sparingly of the bitter bread of labor. When they learned that their -chief was at variance with the law, they sold their farms and hastened -to join him. As for the brigand, he rented his lands: he had the -qualifications of an administrator. - -Peace and idleness had made him ill and unhappy. The mountain air -restored his cheerfulness and health, so that in 1840 he thought of -marriage. He was, assuredly, past fifty, but men of his temper have -nothing to do with old age; death, even, looks at them twice before it -attacks them. He married an heiress with a magnificent dowry, from one -of the best families in Laconia, and thus became allied to the highest -personages of the kingdom. His wife followed him everywhere. After -giving birth to a daughter, she took a fever and died. He brought up the -child himself, with all the care and tenderness of a mother. When the -brigands saw him dancing the babe on his knees, they exclaimed with -admiration. - -Paternal love gave a new impetus to his mind. In order to amass a royal -dowry for his daughter, he studied the money question, about which he -had previously held very primitive views. Instead of hoarding up his -treasures in strong boxes, he put them out at interest. He learned all -the ins and outs of speculation; he followed closely the stock-market at -home and abroad. It is asserted that, struck with the advantages of the -French joint-stock company, he even thought of placing brigandage on the -market. He made many journeys to Europe, in the company of a Greek from -Marseilles who served as interpreter. During his stay in England, he -assisted at an election in, I know not what rotten borough of Yorkshire; -this beautiful spectacle inspired him with profound reflections on -constitutional government and its profits. He returned to Greece -determined to exploit his theories and gain an income for himself. He -burned a goodly number of villages in the service of the opposition; he -destroyed a few others in the interests of the conservative party. When -it was considered desirable to overthrow a ministry, it was only -necessary to apply to him; he proved, conclusively, that the police were -very corrupt and that safety could only be obtained by changing the -Cabinet. But in revenge, he gave some rude lessons to the enemies of -order in punishing them in whatever way they had sinned. His political -talents made him so well known, that all parties held him in high -esteem. His counsels, his election methods, were nearly always followed -so well that, contrary to the principle of the government -representative, who wished one deputy to express the wishes of many men; -he was represented, he alone, by about thirty deputies. An intelligent -Minister, the celebrated Rhalettis, suggested that a man who meddles so -officiously in government affairs, might possibly, sometime, derange the -machine. He undertook to bind his hands with golden cord. He made an -arrangement to meet him at Carvati; between Hymettus and Pentelicus, in -the country-house of a Foreign Consul. Hadgi-Stavros came, without -escort and without arms. The minister and the brigand, who were old -acquaintances, breakfasted together like two old friends. At the end of -the meal, Rhalettis offered to him full amnesty for himself and his -followers, a brevet of General of Division, title of Senator, and ten -thousand hectares of forests. The Palikar hesitated some time, and at -last said: "I should, perhaps, have accepted at twenty, but to-day, I am -too old. I do not wish, at my age, to change my manner of living. Dusty -Athens does not please me, I should go to sleep in the Senate-chamber, -and if you should give me soldiers to command, I might discharge my -pistols into their uniforms from force of habit. Return then, to your -own affairs, and leave me to attend to mine." - -Rhalettis would not own that he was beaten. He tried to enlighten the -brigand as to the infamy of his life. Hadgi-Stavros laughed and said -with amiability: - -"My friend, the day when we shall write down our sins, which will have -the longest list?" - -"You think, then, that you will cheat destiny; you will die, some day or -other, a violent death." - -"Gracious Lord;" (Allah Kerin;) he replied in Turkish. "Neither you nor -I have read the stars. But I have at least one advantage: my enemies -wear a uniform and I recognize them afar off. You cannot say as much for -yours. Adieu, brother." - -Six months afterward, the Minister was assassinated by political -enemies; the brigand still lived. - -Our host did not relate to us all the exploits of his hero: the day was -not long enough. He contented himself by relating the most remarkable -ones. I do not believe that in any other country the rivals of -Hadgi-Stavros had ever done anything more artistic than the capture of -the Niebuhr. It was a steamer of the German-Lloyd which the Palikar had -robbed on land, at eleven o'clock in the morning. The Niebuhr came from -Constantinople; it unloaded its cargo and passengers at Calamaki, east -of the Isthmus of Corinth. Four vans and two omnibusses took the -passengers and merchandise to the other side of the Isthmus, to the -little port of Loutraki, where another ship awaited them. It waited a -long time. Hadgi-Stavros, in broad daylight, in plain view of all the -world, in a flat and open country, relieved them of their merchandise, -their luggage, their money and the ammunition of the soldiers who -escorted the company. - -"That day's work brought two hundred and fifty thousand francs;" said Christodule -to us in a tone of envy. - -"Much was said of Hadgi-Stavros' cruelties. His friend Christodule -proved to us that he did not do wrong for pleasure. He was a sober man, -who never became intoxicated, not even of blood. If it happened that he -warmed, a little too much, a rich peasant's feet, it was that he might -learn where the miser hid his ecus. In general, he treated with -kindness the prisoners for whom he hoped to receive a ransom. In the -summer of '54, he descended one evening, with his band, to M. Voidi's -house; he was a rich merchant from the Isle of Euboea. He found the -family assembled, also an old judge of the Tribunal of Chalcis was -present, taking a hand at cards with the master of the house. -Hadgi-Stavros offered to play the magistrate for his liberty; he lost, -and accepted with good grace. He carried off M. Voidi, his daughter and -son; he left the wife that she might busy herself procuring the ransom. -The day of the attack, the merchant had the gout, the daughter was ill -of a fever, and the son was pale and puffy. They returned two months -afterward, cured by exercise, the open air, and good entertainment. The -whole family recovered health for a sum of fifty thousand francs: was it -paying too high a price?" - -"I confess," added Christodule, "that our friend was without pity for -poor payers. When a ransom was not paid on the appointed day, he -promptly killed his prisoners; it was his way of protesting notes. -However great may be my admiration for him, however warm the friendship -between our two families, I have never pardoned him the murder of -Mistra's two little daughters. They were twins of fourteen, pretty as -two marble statues, both betrothed to two young men of the Leondari -family. They resembled each other so exactly, that one thought one saw -double and began to rub one's eyes. One morning, they went to sell -cocoons; they carried between them a large basket, and they skimmed -lightly over the road like two doves attached to the same car. -Hadgi-Stavros took them to the mountain and wrote a letter to their -mother, that he would return them for ten thousand francs, payable the -end of the month. The mother was a well-to-do-widow, owner of fine -mulberry groves, but poor in ready money, as we all are. She mortgaged -her property, which is never easy to do, even at twenty per cent -interest. It took her six weeks to gather up the sum required. When at -last, she had the money, she loaded it on her mule and departed on foot -for the brigand's camp. But on entering the large valley of the Taygete -at the point where one finds seven fountains under a plane-tree, the -mule absolutely refused to stir. Then the mother saw at the border of -the path, her little girls. Their throats had been cut and their pretty -heads were almost dissevered. She took the two poor creatures, put them, -herself, upon the mule's back and carried them back to Mistra. She never -wept; she became deranged, and died. I know that Hadgi-Stavros regretted -what he had done; he believed that the widow was richer than she -pretended, and that she did not wish to pay. He killed the two girls as -an example. It is certain that, from that time, his outstanding debts -were promptly paid and that no one dared to make him wait." - -"Vile beast!" cried Giacomo, bringing his fist down with a force which -made the house tremble as from an earthquake. "If ever he falls under my -hand, I will serve him with a ransom of ten thousand blows of the fist, -which will enable him to withdraw himself from public life." - -"I," said the little Lobster with his quiet smile, "I will only ask to -meet him at fifty paces from my revolver. And you, Uncle John?" - -Harris whistled between his teeth a little American air, sharp as a -stiletto point. - -"Can I believe my ears?" added the good M. Merinay in his flute-like -voice. "Is it possible that such horrors are committed in a country like -ours? I am convinced that the Society for the Moralization of -Malefactors has not yet been organized in this kingdom; but while -waiting for that, have you not police?" - -"Certainly," replied Christodule, "fifty officers, 152 sergeants, and -1250 policemen, of whom 152 are mounted. It is the finest band of men in -the kingdom after that belonging to Hadgi-Stavros." - -"What astonishes me," I said in my turn, "is, that the old rascal's -daughter allows him to do such things." - -"She does not live with him." - -"Well and good: Where is she?" - -"At a boarding-school." - -"In Athens?" - -"You ask too much; I have known nothing of her for some time. Whoever -marries her will receive a fine dowry with her." - -"Yes," said Harris. "One can say as well that Calcraft's daughter is a -good match." - -"Who is Calcraft?" - -"The Headsman of London." - -At these words, Dimitri, Christodule's son, reddened to the roots of his -hair. "Pardon, Monsieur," he said to John Harris, "there is a great -difference between a headsman and a brigand. The business of a headsman -is infamous; the profession of a brigand is honored. The government is -obliged to guard the headsman of Athens in the fort Palamede or he would -be assassinated; while no one wishes evil to Hadgi-Stavros, and the most -respectable people in the kingdom would be proud to shake hands with -him." - -Harris opened his mouth to reply, when the shop bell rung. It was the -servant who had entered with a young girl of fifteen or sixteen, dressed -like the latest fashion-plate in the Journal des Modes. Dimitri said, as -he rose from his chair: "It is Photini!" - -"Messieurs," said the pastry-cook, "talk of something else, if you -please. Histories of brigands are not for young girls to hear." - -Christodule presented Photini to us as the daughter of one of his -companions-in-arms, Colonel Jean, commanding at Nauplie. She called -herself then, Photini; daughter of Jean, according to the custom of the -country, where there were, properly speaking, no family names. - -The young maid was ugly, as were nine-tenths of the Athenian girls. She -had pretty teeth and beautiful hair, but that was all. Her thick-set -body did not look well in a Parisian corset. Her feet, which were large, -thick, and ill-shaped, were made for wearing Turkish slippers, and not -to be compressed into the shoes of the fashionable boot-maker, Meyer. -She was as dull-looking as if an imprudent nurse had committed the fault -of sitting down on her face, when an infant. Fashion is not becoming to -all women; it made the poor Photini almost ridiculous. Her flounced -dress, extended over a huge crinoline, accentuated the clumsiness of her -body and the awkwardness of her movements. Jewels from the Palais Royal -with which she was decked seemed like exclamation points, destined to -point out the imperfections of her body. You would have said that she -was a stout and coarse servant-girl, masquerading in her mistress' -clothes. - -We were not astonished to see the daughter of a simple Colonel so -extravagantly and gorgeously arrayed, come to pass Sunday at a -pastry-cook's. We knew enough of the country to fully realize that dress -was the incurable evil of Greek society. Country girls pierced silver -pieces, strung them together and wore them upon the head on gala days. -They carried their dowries on their heads. The city girls spent their -money in the shops and carried their dowries on their backs. - -Photini was in a boarding-school at Hetairie. It is, as you know, a -school established on the model of the Legion of Honor, but regulated by -rules broader and more tolerant. Usually, only daughters of soldiers -were taught there, sometimes, also, brigands' heiresses. - -Colonel Jean's daughter knew a little French and a little English; but -her timidity did not permit of her shining in conversation. I learned -later, that her family counted upon us to perfect her in these foreign -tongues. Her father, having learned that Christodule boarded honorable -and educated Europeans, had begged the pastry-cook to allow her to pass -her Sundays with his family, and he would see that he was recompensed. -This bargain pleased Christodule, and above all, his son, Dimitri. The -young man, working in a servant's place, devoured her with his eyes, -while the heiress never perceived it. - -We had made arrangements to go, all together, to a concert. It is a fine -spectacle when the Athenians give themselves up to Sunday pleasures. The -entire population, in gala dress, turns out into the dusty fields, to -hear waltzes and quadrilles played by a regiment band. The poor go on -foot, the rich in carriages, the fashionable men on horseback. The Court -would not have stayed away for an empire. After the last quadrille, each -returned to his home, clothes covered with dust, but with happy hearts, -and said: "We have been very well amused." - -It was certain that Photini counted on showing herself at the concert, -and her admirer, Dimitri, was not ashamed to appear with her; for he -wore a new redingote which he had just bought at the Belle-Jardiniere. -Unfortunately, it rained so steadily, that it kept us at home. To kill -time, Maroula offered to let us play for bonbons; it is a favorite -amusement among the middle classes. She took a glass jar from the shop, -and gave to each one a handful of native bonbons, cloves, anise seed, -pepper, and chicory. Then, the cards were dealt, and the first who -collected nine of the same color, received three sugar plums from each -of his adversaries. The Maltese, Giacomo, showed by his eagerness, that -the winning was not a matter of indifference to him. Chance favored him; -he made a fortune, and we saw him gulp down six or eight handfuls of -bonbons which he had won from the rest of us. - -I took little interest in the game, and concentrated my attention upon -the curious phenomenon taking place on my left. While the glances which -the young Athenian, Dimitri, cast upon Photini, were met with perfect -indifference, Harris, who did not even look at her, seemed to produce a -wonderful impression upon her, even to almost magnetize her. He held his -cards with a nonchalant air, yawning, from time to time, with American -freedom, or whistling Yankee Doodle, without respect for the company. I -believe that Christodule's story had made a great impression on him, and -that his thoughts were roving over the mountains in pursuit of -Hadgi-Stavros. In any case, whatever his thoughts were, they were not of -love. Perhaps the young girl was not thinking of it either, for Greek -women nearly always have in their hearts a substratum of indifference. -She looked at my friend John, as a lark looks at a mirror. She did not -know him; she knew nothing of him, neither his name, his country, nor -his fortune. She had not heard him speak, and even if she had heard him, -she certainly was not competent to judge of his ability. She saw that he -was very handsome, and that was enough. Formerly, Greeks adored beauty; -it was the only one of their duties which had never had any atheists. -The Greeks of to-day, despite the decadence, know how to distinguish an -Apollo from a baboon. One finds in M. Fauriel's collection, a little -song which may be translated thus: - -"Young man, do you wish to know; young girls, would you like to learn, -how love enters into our hearts? It enters by the eyes; from the eyes it -descends to the heart, and in the heart it takes root!" - -Decidedly, Photini knew the song; for she opened her eyes wide, so that -love could enter without trouble. - -The rain did not cease to fall, nor Dimitri to ogle the young girl, nor -the young girl to gaze, wide-eyed, at Harris, nor Giacomo to eat -bonbons, nor M. Merinay to relate to the little Lobster, who did not -listen, a chapter from Ancient History. At eight o'clock, Maroula laid -the cloth for supper. Photini had Dimitri on her left, I sat at her -right. She talked but little and ate nothing. At dessert, when the -servant spoke of taking her home, she made a great effort and said to me -in a low tone: - -"Is M. Harris married?" - -I took a wicked pleasure in embarrassing her a little, so I replied: - -"Yes, Mademoiselle; he married the widow of the Doges of Venice." - -"Is it possible; how old is she?" - -"She is as old as the world, and as everlasting." - -"Do not mock me; I am a poor, foolish girl, and I do not understand your -European pleasantries." - -"In other words, Mademoiselle, he is wedded to the sea; it is he who -commands the American boat, 'The Fancy,' stationed here." - -She thanked me with such a flash of radiant joy passing over her face, -that her ugliness was eclipsed, and I thought she looked absolutely -pretty. - - - - -III. - -MARY-ANN. - - -The studies of my youth have developed in me one passion, to the -exclusion of all others; the desire to know; or if you like the term -better, call it curiosity. From the day when I embarked for Athens, my -only pleasure was to learn; my only grief, ignorance. I loved science -ardently, and no one, as yet, had disputed her claim in my heart. I must -confess that I had little tenderness and that poetry and Hermann Schultz -rarely entered the same door. I went about the world, as in a vast -museum, magnifying glass in hand. I observed the pleasures and -sufferings of others as emotions worthy of study, but unworthy of envy -or pity. I was no more jealous of a happy household, than of two palm -trees with branches interlaced by the wind; I had just as much -compassion for a heart torn by love, as I had for a geranium ruined by -the frost. When one has practiced vivisection, one is no longer -sensitive to the quivering of the flesh. I would have been a good -spectator at a combat of gladiators. Photini's love for Harris would -have aroused pity in any heart but a naturalist's. The poor creature -"loved at random," to quote a beautiful saying of Henry IV; and it was -evident that she loved hopelessly. She was too timid to display her -affection, and John was too indifferent to divine it. Even if he had -noticed anything, what hope was there that he would feel any interest -in an ugly Greek girl? Photini passed four days with us; the four -Sundays of April. She looked at Harris from morning to night, with -loving but despairing eyes; but she never found the courage to open her -mouth in his presence. Harris whistled tranquilly, Dimitri growled like -a young bull-dog, and I smilingly looked on at this strange malady, from -which my constitution had preserved me. - -In the meantime, my father had written me that his affairs were not -going well; that travelers were scarce; that food was dear; that our -neighbors were about to emigrate; and that, if I had found a Russian -princess, I had better marry her without delay. I replied that I had -not, as yet, found one, unless it was the daughter of a poor Greek -Colonel; that she was seriously in love, not with me, but with another; -that I could by paying her a little attention become her confidant, but -that I should never become her husband. Moreover, my health was good and -my herbarium magnificent. My researches, hitherto restricted to the -suburbs of Athens, would now become more extended. Safety was assured, -the brigands had been beaten by the soldiers, and all the journals -announced the dispersion of Hadgi-Stavros' band. A month or two later, I -should be able to set out for Germany, and find a place which would pay -enough to support the whole family. - -We had read on Sunday the 28th of April, in the Siecle of Athens, of the -complete defeat of "The King of the Mountains." The official reports -stated that he had twenty men wounded, his camp burned, his band -dispersed, and that the troops had pursued him as far as the marshes -near Marathon. These reports, very agreeable to all strangers, did not -appear to give much pleasure to the Greeks, and especially to our host -and hostess. Christodule, for a lieutenant of troops, showed lack of -enthusiasm, and Colonel Jean's daughter wept when the story of the -brigand's defeat was read. Harris, who had brought in the paper, could -not conceal his joy. As for me, I could roam about the country now, and -I was enchanted. On the morning of the 30th, I set out with my box and -my walking stick. Dimitri had awakened me at four o'clock. He was going -to take orders from an English family, who had been staying for some -days at the Hotel des Etrangers. - -I walked down the Rue d'Hermes to the Square, Belle-Grece, and passed -through the Rue d'Eole. Passing before the Place des Canons, I saluted -the small artillery of the kingdom, who slept under a shed, dreaming of -the taking of Constantinople; and with four strides I was in the Rue de -Patissia. The honey-flowers, which bordered either side, had begun to -open their odorous blossoms. The sky, of a deep blue, whitened -imperceptibly between Hymettus and Pentelicus. Before me, on the -horizon, the summit of Parnassus rose like broken turrets; there was the -end of my journey. I descended a path which traversed the grounds of the -Countess Janthe Theotoki, occupied by the French Legation; I passed -through the gardens belonging to Prince Michael Soutzo, and the School -of Plato, which a President of the Areopagus had put up in a lottery -some years before, and I entered the olive groves. The morning thrushes -and their cousins-germain, the black-birds, flew from tree to tree, and -sang joyously above my head. At the end of the wood, I traversed the -immense green fields where Attic horses, short and squat, like those in -the frieze at the Parthenon, consoled themselves for the dry fodder and -the heating food of winter. Flocks of turtle-doves flew away at my -approach, and the tufted larks mounted vertically in the sky like -rockets. Once in a while, an indolent tortoise crawled across the path, -dragging his house. I turned him over on his back and left him to attend -to his own affairs. After two hours' walking, I entered a barren waste. -Cultivation ceased; one saw upon the arid soil tufts of sickly grass, -the Star of Bethlehem, or Daffodils. The sun lifted itself above the -horizon, and I distinctly saw the fir-trees which grew on the side of -Parnassus. The path which I had taken was not a sure guide, but I -directed my steps to a group of scattered houses on the mountain side, -and which was called the village of Castia. - -I leaped the Cephise Eleusinien to the great scandal of the little -tortoises who leaped like frogs into the water. A hundred steps further -on, the path was lost in a deep and wide ravine, worn by the storms of -two or three thousand winters. I supposed, reasonably enough, that the -ravine ought to be the right road. I had noticed, in my former -excursions, that the Greeks did not trouble themselves with making roads -where streams were liable to change them. In this country, where man -does not oppose the works of nature, torrents are royal roads; brooks, -are department routes; rivulets, are parish-roads. Tempests are the -road-constructors, and rain is the surveyor of wide and narrow paths. I -entered the ravine and walked between two river banks, which hid the -plain from me. But the path had so many turns, that I should not have -known in which direction I was walking, if I had not kept my back to -Parnassus. The wisest course would have been to climb one bank or the -other and ascertain my bearings; but the sides were perpendicular, I was -weary, I was hungry; and I found the shade refreshing. I seated myself -upon a bowlder of marble, I took from my box a piece of bread, some cold -lamb, and a gourd of wine. I said to myself: "If I am on the right road, -some one will pass and I can find out where I am." - -In fact, just as I had finished lunching, and was about to stretch -myself out for the rest which follows the meal of travelers or serpents, -I thought I heard a horse's step. I laid my ear to the ground and heard -two or three horses coming up the ravine. I buckled my box on my back, -and made ready to follow them, in case they were going towards -Parnassus. Five minutes afterward, I saw coming toward me, two ladies -mounted upon livery-horses, and equipped like Englishwomen on a journey. -Behind them was a pedestrian, whom I had no trouble in recognizing; it -was Dimitri. - -You who know the world a little, you have noticed that a traveler starts -out without much care for his personal appearance; but if he is about to -meet ladies, though they be as old as the Dove of the Ark, he loses, at -once, his indifference and looks at his dusty and travel-stained -garments with a troubled eye. Before even being able to distinguish the -faces of the two riders, behind their blue veils, I had looked myself -over, and I was sufficiently satisfied. I wore these garments which I -have on, and which are even now presentable, although that was two years -ago. I have never changed the fashion of my hair; a cap, although as -fine and handsome a one as this, would not have protected a traveler -from the sun. I wore, instead, a large gray felt hat, which the dust -could not hurt. - -I took it off politely as the ladies passed me. My salutation did not -appear to trouble them much. I held out my hand to Dimitri, and he told -me in a few words, all that I wished to know. - -"Am I upon the road to Parnassus?" - -"Yes, we are going there." - -"I can go with you, then?" - -"Why not?" - -"Who are these ladies?" - -"English! Milord is resting at the hotel." - -"What kind of people are they?" - -"Peugh! London bankers. The old lady is Mrs. Simons, of the firm of -Barley and Co.; Milord is her brother; the young lady is her daughter." - -"Pretty?" - -"According to taste; I like Photini's looks better." - -"Are you going as far as the fortress?" - -"Yes. I am engaged for a week, at ten francs a day and board. I organize -and arrange their trips. I began with this one because I knew that I -should meet you. But what is the matter with them now?" - -The elder woman, annoyed because I was detaining her servant, had put -her horse to a trot, in a passage where no one had ever dared to trot -before. The other animal, filled with emulation, began to take the same -gait, and if we had talked a few minutes longer, we would have been -distanced. Dimitri hastened to rejoin the ladies, and I heard Mrs. -Simons say to him, in English: - -"Do not go away from us. I am English, and I wish to be well served. I -do not pay you to chat with your friends. Who is this Greek with whom -you are talking?" - -"He is a German, Madame." - -"Ah!--What is he doing?" - -"He is searching for plants." - -"He is an apothecary, then?" - -"No, Madame! he is a scholar." - -"Ah!--Does he know English?" - -"Yes, Madame, very well." - -"Ah!----" - -The three "ahs!" were said in three different tones which I noticed as I -would three notes of music. They indicated by very noticeable shades the -progress which I had made in her esteem. She, however, addressed no word -to me, and I followed them a few feet distant. Dimitri dared not speak -to me; he walked ahead like a prisoner of war. All that he could do was -to cast two or three looks in my direction, which seemed to say: "But -these English are impertinent!" Miss Simons did not turn her head, and I -was unable to decide in what her ugliness differed from Photini's. All -that I could judge was, that the young English girl was large and -marvelously well-formed. Her shoulders were broad, her waist was round, -and supple as a reed. The little that one could see of her neck, made -one think of the swans in the Zoological Gardens. - -Her mother turned her head to speak to her, and I hastened forward, in -hope of hearing her voice. Did I not tell you that I was extremely -curious? I came up with them just in time to hear the following -conversation: - -"Mary-Ann!" - -"Mamma!" - -"I am hungry." - -"Are you?" - -"I am." - -"Mamma, I am warm." - -"Are you?" - -"I am." - -You believe that this truly English dialogue made me smile? Not at all, -Monsieur; I was under a spell. Mary-Ann's voice had worked a charm; the -truth is that as I listened, I experienced a delicious agony, and found -my heart beating almost to suffocation. In all my life, I had never -heard anything so young, so fresh, so silvery as that voice. The sound -of a golden shower falling on my father's roof would have, truly, -sounded less sweet to me. I thought to myself: "What a misfortune that -the sweetest songsters among birds are necessarily the ugliest." And I -feared to see her face, and yet I was consumed with eager desire to look -upon it, such a strong empire has curiosity over me. - -Dimitri had calculated upon reaching the inn at Calyvia at breakfast -time. It was a house made of planks, loosely put together; but one could -always find there a goat-skin bottle of resin wine; a bottle of rhaki; -that is to say, of anise-seed cordial; some brown bread; eggs; and a -regiment of venerable hens transformed by death into pullets, by virtue -of metempsychosis. Unfortunately, the inn was deserted and the door -closed. At this news, Mrs. Simons had a bitter quarrel with Dimitri, and -as she turned around, I saw a face as sharp as the blade of a Sheffield -knife, with two rows of teeth like a palisade. "I am English," she said, -"and I expect to eat when I am hungry." - -"Madame," Dimitri piteously replied, "you can breakfast, in -half-an-hour, in the village of Castia." - -I had breakfasted, and I was free to abandon myself to melancholy -reflections upon Mrs. Simons' ugliness, and I murmured under my breath -an aphorism in Fraugman's Latin Grammar: "Qualis mater, talis filia!" - -From the inn to the village, the road was particularly detestable. It -was a narrow path, between a perpendicular rock and a precipice, which -made even the chamois dizzy. Mrs. Simons, before starting out on this -dangerous path, where the horses could scarcely find foot-hold, asked if -there was no other way. "I am English," she said, "and I was not made to -roll down precipices." Dimitri began to praise the path; he assured her -that there were others a hundred times worse in the kingdom. "At least," -said the good lady, "take hold of the bridle. But who will lead my -daughter? Go and lead my daughter's horse. Still, I must not break my -own neck. Can you not lead both horses? This path is, truly, horrible. I -believe that it is good enough for the Greeks, but it was not made for -the English. Is it not so?" she added, turning graciously to me. - -I was introduced. Regularly or not, the presentation was made. It -happened under the auspices of a personage well-known in the romances of -the Middle Ages, whom the poets of the XIVth century called, Danger. I -bowed with all the elegance of which I was master, and replied in -English: - -"Madame, the path is not as bad as it appears at first sight. Your -horses are sure-footed; I know them, as I have ridden them. You may have -two guides, if you will permit me to lead Mademoiselle, while Dimitri -leads you." - -As quickly done as said; without waiting for an answer, I boldly -advanced and took the bridle of Mary-Ann's horse, and as her blue veil -blew back, I saw the most adorable face which has ever enchanted the -sight of a German naturalist. - -An eccentric poet, Aurelian Scholl, pretends that every man has in his -heart a mass of eggs, in each one of which is a love. All that is needed -to give life is a glance from a woman's eye. I am too much of a scholar -to be ignorant of the fact that this hypothesis does not rest on sure -foundations, and that it is in formal contradiction to all the revealed -facts of anatomy. I ought to state, however, that Miss Simons' first -glance caused a very acute agitation in the region of my heart I -experienced a sensation entirely unusual, and which bore no trace of -sadness, and it seemed to me that something gave way in the osseous -formation of my breast, below the bone called, sternum. At the same -instant, the blood surged through my veins, and the arteries in my -temples beat with such force that I could count the pulsations. - -What eyes she had! I hope, for your peace of mind, that you will never -meet a pair like them. They were not of unusual size, and they did not -draw attention from the rest of her face. They were neither blue nor -black, but of a color especially their own. It was a warm and velvety -brown, which one sees only in Siberian garnets, and in certain garden -flowers. I could show you a certain scabieuse, and a variety of -holly-hock, nearly black, which resembles the marvelous shade of her -eyes. If you have ever visited a forge at midnight, you have, doubtless, -remarked the strange color which gleams from a red-hot steel plate, as -it changes to a reddish brown; that too, was like her eyes. As for the -charm in them, any comparison is useless. Charm is a gift with which few -individuals are endowed. Mary-Ann's eyes possessed something naive and -spiritual; a frank vivacity; sparkling with youth and health, and -sometimes a touching languor. One read in them as in a book the -knowledge of a woman and the innocence of a child; but it would have -blinded one to have read the book for a long time. Her glance burned -like fire, as truly as I call myself, Hermann. It would have ripened the -peaches on your garden wall. - -Words fail when I think that that poor simpleton, Dimitri, found her -less beautiful than Photini. In truth, love is a malady which singularly -stupefies its victims; I, who had never lost the use of my reason, and -who judged everything with the wise indifference of a naturalist, I -confess to you, that the world never held as incomparable a woman as -Mary-Ann. I would like to show you her picture as it is graven in the -depths of my memory. You would see what long eye-lashes she had, how the -eyebrows traced a beautiful arch above her eyes, how small her mouth -was, how white her teeth, how rosy and transparent her little ear. I -studied her beauty in the minutest details, because I possess an -analytical mind and have formed habits of observation. One thing struck -me especially, it was the fineness and transparency of her skin; it was -more delicate than the velvety covering which envelops beautiful fruits. -The color of her cheeks seemed made of that impalpable dust which adorns -the wings of the butterflies. If I had not been a Doctor of Natural -Sciences, I would have feared that the contact of her veil would brush -off some of the luster of her beauty. I do not know whether you like -pale women, or not, and I do not wish to hurt your feelings, if by -chance, you have a taste for that kind of deathly looking women who have -been the rage, during certain periods; but in my quality of savant, I -can admire nothing without health, that joy of life. If I had become a -doctor, I would have been a safe man to allow in any family, because it -is certain that I should never have fallen in love with any of my -patients. The sight of a pretty face, healthy and vivacious, gives me -nearly as much pleasure as finding a vigorous beautiful bush, whose -flowers open widely in the sunshine, and whose leaves have never been -touched by butterfly or cockchafer. So that the first time that I saw -Mary-Ann's face, I experienced a strong temptation to take her hand and -say to her: "Mademoiselle, how happy you must be to have such good -health." - -I have forgotten to tell you that the lines of her face were not -regular, and that her profile was not that of a statue. Phidias would, -perhaps, have refused to make a bust of her; but your Pradier would have -begged on his knees for sittings. I must confess, at the risk of -destroying your illusions, that she had a dimple in her left cheek, but -none in the right; this is contrary to all laws of symmetry. Know, -moreover, that her nose was neither straight nor aquiline, but purely -retrousse, as French noses are. But that this rendered her less pretty, -I will deny, even upon the scaffold. She was as beautiful as Greek -statues are; but was entirely different. Beauty cannot be judged by one -invariable type, although Plato affirms it. It varies according to -times, according to peoples, and according to culture. The Venus de Milo -was considered, two thousand years ago, the most beautiful woman of the -Archipelago. I do not believe that, in 1856, she would have been -considered the prettiest woman in Paris. Take her to a dressmaker's in -the Place Vendome, or to a milliner's in the Rue de la Paix, and in -these places she would be less of a success than some other women whose -features were not so classical, and whose nose was not so straight. One -could admire a woman geometrically beautiful, in the days when she was -only an object of art destined to please the eyes, without appealing to -the mind; a bird of Paradise at whose plumage one looks, without -thinking of asking it to sing. A beautiful Athenian was as -well-proportioned, as white, and as cold, as the column of a temple. M. -Merinay has shown to me, in a book, that the Ionic column is only a -woman, disguised. The portico of the Temple of Erechtee, at the -Acropolis at Athens, rests upon four Athenian women of the century of -Pericles. The women of to-day are little, winged beings, active, busy, -and above all, thoughtful; created, not to hold temples on their heads, -but to awaken genius, to engage in work, to animate with courage, and to -light the world with the flashes of their wit. What we love in them, and -what makes their beauty, is not regularity of features; it is the lively -and mobile expression of sentiments, more delicate than ours; it is the -radiation of thought around that fragile envelope, which does not -suffice to contain it; it is the quick play of a speaking physiognomy. I -am not a sculptor, but if I knew how to use the chisel and one gave me a -commission to make a statue of our epoch, I swear to you that she would -have a dimple in her left cheek, and a retrousse nose. - -I led Mary-Ann's horse to the village of Castia. What she said to me on -the way, and what I replied, left no more impression on my mind, than -the flight of a swallow leaves on the air. Her voice was so sweet to -listen to, that I probably did not listen to what she said. It was as -if I were at the opera, where the music does not often permit one to -hear the words. All the circumstances of that first interview made an -ineffaceable impression on my mind. I have only to close my eyes to -believe that I am still there. The April sun shone softly on my head. -Above the path, and below, the resinous trees disseminated their -aromatic odors through the air. The pines, the thugas, and the -turpentine trees gave forth a harsh and acrid incense as Mary-Ann -passed. She inhaled, with evident happiness, nature's odorous largess. -Her dear little nose breathed in the fragrance; her eyes, those -beautiful eyes, roved from object to object with sparkling joy. Seeing -her so pretty, so lively, so happy, you would have said that a dryad had -escaped from its wood. I can see now, the horse she rode; it was Psari, -a white horse from Zimmerman's. Her habit was black; Mrs. Simons', which -showed distinctly against the sky, was bottle-green, sufficiently -eccentric to testify to her independence of taste. She also wore a black -hat, of that absurd and ungraceful shape worn by men of all countries; -her daughter wore the gray felt adopted by the heroines of the Fronde. -Both wore chamois gloves. Mary-Ann's hand was not small, but admirably -formed. I have never worn gloves, I do not like them. And you? - -The village of Castia was as deserted as the inn at Calyvia. Dimitri -could not understand why. We dismounted in front of the church, beside a -fountain. Each went from house to house knocking at the doors; not a -soul. No one at the priest's, no one at the magistrate's. The -authorities of the village had moved away with the residents. Each house -consisted of four walls and a roof, with two openings, one of which -served as door, the other as window. Poor Dimitri forced in two or three -doors, and opened five or six shutters, to assure himself that the -inmates were not asleep. These incursions resulted in setting free an -unfortunate cat, forgotten by its master, and which departed like a -flash in the direction of the wood. - -Soon, Mrs. Simons lost patience. "I am English," she said to Dimitri, -"and one does not mock me with impunity. I shall complain to the -Legation. What! I hire you for a trip to the mountains, and you make me -travel over precipices! I order you to bring food, and you expose me to -starvation! We were to breakfast at the inn! The inn is abandoned: I had -the goodness to follow you, fasting, to this frightful village; and all -the inhabitants have fled. All this is unnatural. I have traveled in -Switzerland: Switzerland is a country of mountains; however, nothing was -lacking there! and I had trout to eat, do you hear?" - -Mary-Ann tried to calm her mother, but the good woman could not and -would not listen. Dimitri explained to her as fully as she would -permit him, that the inhabitants of the village were nearly all -charcoal-burners, and that their business very often took them into the -mountains. In any case, the time was not lost: it was not later than -eight o'clock, and they were sure to find within ten minutes' walk an -inhabited house where breakfast would be all prepared. - -"What house?" demanded Mrs. Simons. - -"The farm at the Convent. The monks from Pentelicus have broad lands -above Castia. They raise bees there. The good old man who carries on the -farm always has wine, bread, honey and fowls; he will give us our -breakfast." - -"He may have gone away like everyone else." - -"If he is away, it will not be far. The time for the swarming is near, -and he would not wish to lose his bees." - -"Go and see: as for me, I have gone far enough since morning. I vow to -you that I will not remount until after I have eaten." - -"Madame, you need not remount," said Dimitri, patient as are all guides. -"We can hitch our horses to the fountain, and we shall quickly reach the -place on foot." - -Mary-Ann influenced her mother to consent. She was dying to see the good -old man, and his apiary. Dimitri hitched the horses to the watering -trough, weighting each bridle with a huge stone. Mrs. Simons and her -daughter looped up their habits and we started up a precipitous path, -fit only for the goats of Castia. The green lizards which were warming -themselves in the sun, discreetly retired at our approach, but each drew -a piercing cry from Mrs. Simons, who had a horror of reptiles. After a -quarter of an hour of these vocalizations, she had, at last, the joy of -seeing an open house and a human face. It was the farmhouse and the old -man. - -The house was a small one made of red bricks, topped with five cupolas, -almost like a mosque to the village. At a distance, it possessed a -certain elegance. Comely without and coarse within, it was a sample of -the Orient. One saw, in the shelter of a hill covered with thyme, a -hundred straw bee-hives, placed in a line like the tents in a camp. The -king of this empire, the good old man, was a small, young man of -twenty-five, round and merry. All Greek monks are honored with the title -of "good old man," age having nothing to do with it. He was dressed like -a peasant, except his bonnet, which was black instead of red; it was by -this sign that Dimitri recognized him. - -The little man, seeing us running toward him, raised his arms to heaven, -and appeared utterly amazed. "Here is an original," Mrs. Simons -exclaimed; "what astonishes him so much? One would say that he had never -seen any English people before." - -Dimitri, who had run on ahead, kissed the monk's hand, and said to him -with a curious mixture of respect and familiarity: - -"Thy blessing, father! Wring the necks of two chickens, we will pay thee -well." - -"Unhappy man: why do you come here?" - -"To breakfast." - -"Didst thou not see that the inn was deserted?" - -"I saw it so well, that I found no one at home." - -"And that the village was deserted?" - -"If I had met anyone, I should not have climbed up to thy house." - -"Thou art then in accord with them?" - -"Them? With whom?" - -"The brigands." - -"Are there brigands on Parnassus?" - -"Since day before yesterday." - -"Where are they?" - -"Everywhere!" - -Dimitri turned quickly toward us and said: "We have not a moment to -lose. The brigands are in the mountains. Let us run for our horses. Have -courage, Mesdames; and step out lively, if you please." - -"This is too hard," cried Mrs. Simons. "Without having breakfasted!" - -"Madame, your breakfast would cost you dear! Let us hasten, for the love -of God!" - -"Is this a conspiracy? You have sworn to make me die of hunger! Behold -the brigands! As if there were brigands! I do not believe in brigands! -All the papers state that they are disbanded! Moreover, I am English, -and if anyone touched a hair of my head----!" - -Mary-Ann was less confident. She leaned on my arm and asked me if I -thought that we were in danger of death. - -"Of death? No. Of being robbed? Yes." - -"Of what importance is that? They are welcome to take all that I carry, -if only they will give me my breakfast." - -I learned later that the poor woman was subject to a rare malady which -the vulgar call canine appetite, and our learned men know as _boulime_. -When hunger assailed her, she would have given her fortune for a plate -of lentils. - -Dimitri and Mary-Ann each seized a hand and dragged her to the path we -had just ascended. The little monk followed her, gesticulating. I was -strongly tempted to push forward; but a quick and imperative tone -stopped us suddenly. - -"Halt! I say!" - -I raised my eyes. Two mastic bushes and arbutus-trees were on the right -and left of the path. From each bush the muzzles of three or four guns -protruded. A voice cried in Greek: "Seat yourselves on the ground!" This -operation was exceedingly easy for me, as my knees weakened under me. -But I consoled myself with the thought that Ajax, Agamemnon, and the -hot-headed Achilles, if they found themselves in a like position, would -not have refused the seat offered them. - -The guns were lowered toward us. I expected to see them pushed out so -far that their muzzles would touch each other over our heads. It was not -that I was afraid; but I had never before realized the extraordinary -length of Greek guns. The whole arsenal marched out into the path, -showing the owner of each. - -The only difference which exists between devils and brigands, is that -devils are less black than one expects, and brigands more squalid than -one supposes. The eight scoundrels who surrounded us were so foul, that -I would have preferred to give them my money with pinchers. One could -imagine that their bonnets might once have been red; but lye itself -could never have found the original shade of their coats. All the rocks -of the kingdom had contributed to the color of their percale skirts, and -their vests bore a specimen of the different soils upon which they had -reposed. Their hands, their faces, and even their mustaches were of a -reddish gray like the dirt which they had on their clothes. Every animal -colors itself like the house or land it inhabits: the foxes of Greenland -are like the snow; lions, the color of the desert; partridges, like the -ground; the Greek brigands, the color of the paths. - -The chief of the little band who had taken us prisoners, was not -distinguished by outward sign. Possibly his face, his hands, his -clothes, were richer in dirt than those of his comrades. He bent over us -from his great height, and examined us so closely, that I almost felt -the touch of his gray mustache. You would have thought him a tiger who -smelled his prey before devouring it. When his curiosity was satisfied, -he said to Dimitri: "Empty thy pockets!" Dimitri did not make him repeat -it the second time. He threw down, at his feet, a knife, a bag of -tobacco, and three Mexican piastres, which made a sum of sixteen francs. - -"Is that all?" demanded the brigand. - -"Yes, brother." - -"Thou art the servant?" - -"Yes, brother." - -"Take one piastre. Thou must not return to the city without money." - -Dimitri began to haggle. "Thou mightest leave me two. I have two horses -below; they are hired from the stable; I will have to pay for the day." - -"Thou canst explain to Zimmerman that we have taken thy money." - -"And if he insists on being paid even then?" - -"Tell him that he is only too happy in seeing his horses again." - -"He knows very well that you would not take the horses. What would you -do with them in the mountains?" - -"Enough! Tell me who is this tall, thin man behind thee?" - -I answered for myself: "An honest German whose spoils will not enrich -you." - -"Thou speakest Greek; well. Empty thy pockets!" - -I placed on the ground twenty francs, my tobacco, my pipe and my -handkerchief. - -"What is that?" - -"A handkerchief." - -"What for?" - -"To wipe my nose." - -"Why didst thou tell me that thou wert poor? Only lords wipe their noses -with handkerchiefs. Take off the box which thou carriest on thy back. -That is well! Now open it." - -My box contained some plants, a book, a knife, a small packet of -arsenic, an almost empty gourd of wine, and the remains of my breakfast -which brought a gleam of covetousness to Mrs. Simons' eyes. I had the -impudence to offer them to her before my property changed hands. She -snatched them greedily and began to devour the bread and meat. To my -great astonishment, this gluttonous act disgusted the thieves, who -murmured among themselves the word _heretic_! The monk made a half-dozen -signs of the cross, according to the rite of the Greek church. - -"Thou probably hast a watch," said the brigand to me, "put it with the -other things." - -I took off my silver watch, an heirloom, which weighed about four -ounces. The rascals passed it from hand to hand and found it very -beautiful. I hoped that admiration, which softens men's feelings, would -dispose them to restore to me something of my belongings, and I begged -the Chief to give me my tin box. He rudely told me to keep silent. "At -least," I persisted, "give back my two ecus so that I can return to the -city." He replied with a sardonic grin: "Thou wilt have no use for -them." - -Mrs. Simons' turn had come. Before putting her hand into her pocket, she -addressed our captors in the tongue of her fathers. English is one of -the rare languages which one can speak with one's mouth full. "Reflect -well upon what you are doing," she said in a menacing tone. "I am an -Englishwoman, and English subjects are sacred in every country in the -world. What you take from me will serve you little, and cost you dear. -England will avenge me, and you will be hung, at the very least. Now, if -you wish my money, you have only to speak; but it will burn your -fingers; it is English money!" - -"What does she say?" asked the leader of the brigands. - -Dimitri answered: "She says she is English." - -"So much the better; all the English are rich. Tell her to shell out!" - -The poor woman emptied her pocket; her purse contained a dozen -sovereigns. As her watch was not in sight, and as they did not search -us, she kept that. The kindness of these thieves left her her -handkerchief. - -Mary-Ann threw down her watch and a string of charms against the evil -eye. She took off, with mutinous grace, a shagreen-leather bag, which -she wore slung on her shoulder. The bandit opened it with all the -importance of a custom-house officer. He took out an English -dressing-case, a bottle of English smelling-salts, a box of English -Menthol pastilles and a hundred and several odd francs of English money. - -"Now," said the enraged beauty, "you can let us go; we have nothing more -for you." - -One of the men indicated to her by a menacing gesture, that the -interview was not yet over. The leader of the band knelt down before -their spoils, called the monk, counted the money in his presence and -gave to him a sum of forty-five francs. Mrs. Simons nudged me. "Do you -see?" she whispered; "the monk and Dimitri have betrayed us into their -hands; the bandits have divided with them!" - -"No, Madame," I replied, "Dimitri has received only a fraction of what -was taken from him. It is customary everywhere. On the borders of the -Rhine, when a traveler is ruined at roulette, the banker gives him -enough to return home." - -"But the monk?" - -"He has only received the tithe of the spoils, according to custom from -time immemorial. Do not reproach him, but rather be grateful to him in -his wish to save us, when his convent would have benefited by our -capture." - -This conversation was interrupted by Dimitri's departure. They had told -him that he was free. "Wait for me," I said to him, "we will return -together." He sadly shook his head and answered in English, so that the -ladies could understand: - -"You are prisoners for a time, and you will not see Athens again until -you have paid a ransom. I am going to inform milord. Have the ladies any -message to send to him?" - -"Tell him," cried Mrs. Simons, "that he must hurry to the Ambassador, -that he must go to Piraeus to find the Admiral, that he must complain at -the Foreign Office, and he must surely write to Lord Palmerston! That we -must be rescued from here by force of arms, if necessary, or by -political authority; but that I will not hear of paying one penny for my -liberty." - -"And I," I said with less anger, "I pray thee to tell my friends in -whose hands thou hast left me. If it is necessary to have a few hundred -drachmas to ransom a poor devil of a naturalist, they will furnish them -without doubt. The lords of the road will not put a very high price on -me. I wish whilst thou art still here, that thou wouldst ask them the -price." - -"Useless, my dear M. Hermann, they do not fix the ransom." - -"Who, then?" - -"Their chief, Hadgi-Stavros." - - - - -IV. - -HADGI-STAVROS. - - -Dimitri descended to Athens; the monk went back to his bees; our new -masters pushed us into the path which led to the camp of their king. -Mrs. Simons rebelled and refused to stir a step. The brigands threatened -to carry her in their arms; she declared that she would not let them -carry her. But her daughter talked her into a more tractable frame of -mind, telling that she would find the table spread and that she would be -invited to breakfast by Hadgi-Stavros. Mary-Ann was more surprised than -frightened. The followers who had come to arrest us, had acted with a -certain courtesy; they had not searched us, and they had kept their -hands from their prisoners. Instead of turning our pockets wrong side -out, they had asked us to put down our money and valuables ourselves; -they made no remark about the ladies' ear-rings and they did not even -ask them to take off their gloves. We were far, it seemed, from those -highwaymen in Spain and Italy who cut off a finger to get a ring and who -tear out an ear-ring to possess themselves of a diamond or pearl. All -these misfortunes were reduced to the payment of a ransom; yet was it -not probable that we might be delivered without it? How could one -imagine that Hadgi-Stavros would be able to hold us with impunity, at -five leagues from the capital, from the court, from the Greek army, from -her Britannic Majesty's battalion, at an English station. Thus reasoned -Mary-Ann. As for me--I, involuntarily, thought of those two little -daughters whom Mistra went to seek, and I was sad. I feared that Mrs. -Simons, in her obstinate patriotism, only exposed her daughter to some -great danger, and I promised myself that I would enlighten her as to her -position. We walked in a narrow path, single file, separated from each -other by our disagreeable companions. The journey seemed to me to be -interminable, and I asked more than ten times, if we would not soon be -there. The road was frightful; in the crevices of the bare rock an oak -sapling struggled for life, or a thorny bush scratched our legs. The -victorious bandits manifested no joy, and their triumphal march -resembled a funeral parade. They silently smoked cigarettes as large as -one's finger. - -They did not speak; one, only, now and then hummed a sort of tune. Those -people are as lugubrious as a ruin. - -About eleven o'clock, a fierce barking announced the neighborhood of the -camp. Ten or a dozen enormous dogs rushed out and hurled themselves upon -us, showing all their teeth. Our captors drove them back with stones, -and after a quarter of an hour of hostilities, peace was declared. These -inhospitable monsters were the advance sentinels of the King of the -Mountains. They scent the soldiers as a contrabandist's dog scents a -custom-house officer. But that is not all, and their zeal is so great, -that they, occasionally, devoured an inoffensive shepherd, a lost -traveler, or even one of Hadgi-Stavros' band. The King kept them, as the -old Sultans kept their Janissaries, with the perpetual fear of falling -a victim to them. - -The King's camp was a plateau of seven or eight hundred metres in -extent. I searched everywhere for our captors' tents. The brigands were -not sybarites, and they slept under the sky on the 30th of April. I saw -neither heaps of spoils nor a display of treasures, nothing which one -would hope to find at the headquarters of a band of brigands. -Hadgi-Stavros took upon himself the sale of the plunder; each man -received his pay in silver and used it according to his fancy. Some put -their money into commerce, others invested in mortgages on houses in -Athens, while others bought land in their villages; no one squandered -the proceeds of theft. Our arrival interrupted the morning meal of -twenty-five or thirty men, who hastened to meet us, bread and cheese in -hand. The Chief furnished his band with food: the men received, every -day, a ration of bread, oil, wine, cheese, caviare, piment (wine mixed -with honey and spices), bitter olives, and meat when their religion -permitted. Gourmands who wish for mallows and other green food, can pick -these dainties on the mountains. Brigands, as some other classes of -people, rarely light a fire for their repasts; they eat their food cold, -and their vegetables uncooked. I noticed that everyone was religiously -observing the law of abstinence. We were on the eve of the celebration -of the Ascension, and these good people, of whom the most innocent had -at least the life of one man on his conscience, would not touch a -mouthful of meat. Holding up two Englishwomen, at the point of a -musket, seemed an insignificant sin; Mrs. Simons had very greatly sinned -in eating the cold meat, the Wednesday before Ascension. The men who had -escorted us, satisfied the curiosity of their comrades. They were -overwhelmed with questions and they answered them all. They put down in -a pile, the booty they had secured, and my silver watch scored yet -another success, which added to my pride. Mary-Ann's little gold watch -was less noticed. In that first interview, public attention fell upon my -watch, and it reflected a little on me. In the eyes of these simple men, -the owner of such an imposing piece of silver could be no less than a -lord. - -The bandits' curiosity was annoying, but not insolent. They did not -treat us harshly. They knew that we were in their hands and that we -would be exchanged, sooner or later, for a certain number of gold -pieces; but they did not think that they ought to avail themselves of -that circumstance to maltreat us, or show a lack of respect. Good sense, -that imperishable spirit of the Greeks, told them that we represented a -different race, and one, to a certain degree, superior. Victorious -barbarians render a secret homage to a conquered civilized people. Many -of these men saw for the first time, the European dress. These walked -around us, as the inhabitants of the new world around Columbus' -Spaniards. They furtively felt my coat, to see of what material it was -made. They would have been happy to have examined the articles of my -clothing, one by one. Perhaps, even, they would have liked to break me -in two or three pieces, in order to study the inner mechanism of a -lord, but I am sure that they would have done it with profuse excuses, -and not without asking pardon for the liberty. - -Mrs. Simons soon lost patience; she did not like to be examined so -closely by these cheese-eaters, who offered her no breakfast. No one -likes to be made a spectacle of. The role of "living curiosity" very -much displeased the good woman, although she had filled it -advantageously in all countries of the globe. As for Mary-Ann, she was -overcome with fatigue. A ride of six hours, hunger, emotion, surprise, -had worn out this delicate creature. Imagine this young girl, brought up -delicately, accustomed to walk on carpets, or upon the velvety turf of -parks. Her shoes were already nearly off her feet, worn out by the -roughness of the path, and the bushes had torn her dress. Only the -evening before she had taken tea in the parlors of the English Legation, -while looking over the beautiful albums belonging to Mr. Wyse. She now -found herself transported into a frightful country, in the midst of a -crowd of savages, and she had not the consolation of saying: "It is a -dream!" because she was neither in bed, nor even seated, but standing, -in great despair, on her two weary little feet. - -A band now surrounded us, which rendered our position intolerable. It -was not a band of thieves; it was worse. The Greeks carry upon their -persons a whole menagerie of little animals, agile, capricious, not -seizable, who cling to them night and day, give them occupation even -when asleep, and by their jumps and their stings, accelerate the action -of the mind, and the circulation of the blood. The fleas of the -brigands, of which I can show some specimens in my Entomological -collection, are very much larger, stronger and more agile than their -city cousins; the open country air possesses virtue so powerful! I soon -perceived that they were not content with their lot, and that they found -more to their taste, the fine skin of a young German than the tough hide -of their masters. An emigrating army settled upon me. I felt, at first, -an uneasy sensation around the ankles: it was the declaration of war. -Two minutes later, an advance guard threw itself upon the calf of my -right leg; it reached my knee. I was out-flanked, and all resistance -became useless. If I had been alone, I might have been more successful -in the combat. - -I dared neither complain nor defend myself; I heroically hid my sorrows -and did not raise my eyes. - -At last, at the end of my patience, and determined to escape, by flight, -from the pests, I demanded to be taken before the King. This recalled -our guides to their duty. They asked the whereabouts of Hadgi-Stavros. -The reply was that he was at work in his offices. - -"At last," said Mrs. Simons, "I can seat myself in an easy chair." - -She took my arm, offered hers to her daughter, and walked, with a -deliberate step, in the direction in which the crowd conducted us. The -offices were not far from the camp, and we reached them in five minutes. - -The offices of the King resembled other offices, as the bandits' camp -was like to other camps. There were neither tables, chairs nor -furniture of any sort. Hadgi-Stavros was seated, tailor-fashion, upon a -square of carpet, under the shade of a fir tree. Four secretaries and -two servants sat around him. - -A young boy of sixteen or eighteen, was incessantly occupied in filling, -lighting and cleaning his master's chibouk. He wore at his belt a -tobacco bag, embroidered with gold and fine pearls, and a pair of silver -tongs, used for taking out coals. Another servant passed his days -preparing cups of coffee, glasses of water and syrup, destined for the -royal mouth. - -The secretaries, seated on the bare rock, wrote with cut reeds, upon -their knees. Each of them had a long copper box containing reeds, a -knife and an inkstand. Some tin cylinders, like those in which soldiers -keep their papers, served as a place of safety for their archives. The -paper was not poor, for the reason that each sheet bore in capitals the -word "Bath." - -The King was an old man, marvelously well-preserved, straight, thin, -supple as a steel spring, clean and shining as a new sword. His long, -white mustaches hung over the chin, like two marble stalactites. The -rest of his face was scrupulously shaved, the cranium bare as far as the -occiput, where a great mass of white hair flowed down from under his -bonnet. The expression of his face was calm and reflective. A pair of -small, clear blue eyes, and a square-cut chin denoted an inflexible -will. His face was long, and the many long wrinkles added to its length. -Every fold in his forehead seemed to break in the middle and diverge -toward the meeting of his eyebrows; two wide and deep furrows descended -to the corners of the lips, as if the weight of the mustaches dragged -down the muscles of the face. I have seen a great number of -septuagenarians, I have even dissected one who would have attained a -hundred, if the diligence from Osnabruck had not passed over his body; -but I never remembered having seen an old man fresher and more robust -than Hadgi-Stavros. - -He wore the dress of Tino and all the islands of the Archipelago. His -red bonnet formed a large fold around his forehead. He wore a black -vest, heavily embroidered with black silk, immense blue trousers which -must have taken twenty metres of cotton stuff, and large boots of Russia -leather, solid yet supple. The only richness about his costume, was a -belt decked with gold and precious stones, worth two or three thousand -francs. Thrust in it, was a purse of embroidered cashmere, a Damascus -blade in a silver sheath, a long pistol, mounted with gold and rubies, -and a ramrod, similarly decorated. - -Immovable in the midst of his secretaries, the King moved only his lips -and his fingers; his lips to dictate his letters, his fingers to tell -off the beads of his rosary. It was one of those beautiful milk-white -amber rosaries which serve, not only to mark the number of prayers, but -to amuse the solemn idleness of the Turks. - -He raised his head at our approach, divined, by a glance, what had -brought us to him, and said, with a gravity, not at all ironical; "You -are very welcome! Be seated." - -"Monsieur," cried Mrs. Simons, "I am English, and----" - -He interrupted the discourse: "All in good time," he said; "I am -occupied." He spoke in Greek and Mrs. Simons understood only English, -but the King's face was so expressive, that the good woman easily -comprehended what he meant without the aid of an interpreter. We sat -down on the ground. Fifteen or twenty brigands crouched around us, and -the King, who had no secrets to hide, dictated family letters as well as -those pertaining to business. The leader of the band which had arrested -us, went to him and whispered in his ear. He haughtily answered: "What -of that? I am doing nothing wrong, and the whole world is welcome to -hear me. Go, seat thyself; Thou, Spiro, write: it is to my daughter." - -After he had vigorously blown his nose, he dictated in a grave, yet -sweet voice: - - "My Dear Child: - - "The preceptress of the school writes to me that thy health is much - improved and that the severe cold with which thou wast troubled, - has left thee with the cold winter weather. But she is not pleased - with thy lack of application, and complains that thou hast done - nothing with thy studies during the month of April. Mme. Mavros - writes that thou hast become distrait, and that thou sittest with - thy elbow on thy book, thy eyes looking at nothing, as if thou wert - thinking of something else. I know that it is unnecessary to tell - thee to work assiduously. Follow the example of my life. If I had - taken it easy, as many do, I should never have reached the position - which I occupy in society. I wish to have thee worthy of me, that - is why I make great sacrifices for thy education. Thou knowest - that I have never refused thee the masters nor the books for which - thou hast asked; but my money must profit by it. The set of 'Walter - Scott,' has arrived at Piraeus, also the 'Robinson,' and all the - other English books thou hast said that thou didst wish to read; - have our friends in the Rue d'Hermes get them from the Custom-House - for thee. Thou wilt receive, at the same time, the bracelet which - thou desirest, and that steel machine for puffing out thy skirts. - If the piano from Vienna is not as good as thou toldest me, and it - seems necessary that thou shouldst have another, thou shalt have - it. I shall do one or two villages, after the sales of the harvest, - and the Devil will be against me, if I cannot find enough money for - a pretty piano. I think, as thou dost, that thou must learn music. - Use thy Sundays in the way I have told thee, and profit by the - kindness of our friends. Thou must learn to speak French, English, - and above all, German. Because, thou art not to live forever in - this ridiculous country, and I would rather see thee dead than - married to a Greek. Daughter of a King, thou shouldst, by right, - marry a Prince. I do not mean, a prince of smugglers, like all our - Fanariot families, who pride themselves on their descent from - Oriental emperors, and whom I would not have for servants; but a - Prince, reigning and crowned. One can find some very good ones in - Germany, and my fortune will enable me to choose one of them. If - these Germans come to reign in this country, I do not see why thou - canst not reign there, in thy turn. Make haste, then, to learn the - language, and tell me in thy next letter of the progress thou hast - made. My child, I embrace thee tenderly, and I send thee, with thy - quarter's allowance, my paternal blessing." - -Mrs. Simons leaned toward me and whispered: "Is he dictating our -sentence to his brigands?" - -I replied: "No, Madame; he is writing to his daughter." - -"Concerning our capture?" - -"Concerning a piano, a crinoline, and Walter Scott." - -"That takes a long time. Will he invite us to breakfast?" - -"There comes a servant with refreshments." - -The King's coffee-bearer came to us, bringing three cups of coffee, a -box of rahat-loukoum, and a pot of preserves. Mrs. Simons and her -daughter rejected the beverage with disgust, because it was made like -Turkish coffee, and was like thickened milk. I emptied my cup like a -veritable gourmand of the Orient. The pot of sweets was a rose sorbet, -and received only a small share of our attention, as we were forced to -eat it with one spoon. Delicate eaters are unfortunate when in this -country of primitive simplicity. But the rahat-loukoum, cut in pieces, -pleased the palates of the ladies, without shocking too much, their -ordinary tastes. They took in their beautiful fingers that perfumed -jellied paste, and emptied the box, while the King dictated the -following letter: - - "Messrs. Barley and Company, - "31 Cavendish Square, - "London. - - "I see by your honored letter of the 5th of April and the current - account which accompanies it, that I have, at the present time, - 22,750 livres sterling, to my credit. Please place these funds, - half in English three per cents, half in shares of the company, - before the coupons are cut. Sell my shares of the Royal Britannic - Bank; it is an institution in which I have no longer any - confidence. Take for me, in exchange, all in Bank of London. If you - can get 15,000 livres for my house in the Strand (it was valued at - that in 1852), you may buy for me, in the Vieille-Montagne, an - equal amount. Send to the firm, Rhalli Brothers, 100 guineas; it is - my subscription for the Hellenic School at Liverpool. I have - seriously pondered the proposition which you have done me the honor - to submit to me, and, after many reflections, I have decided to - persist in my line of conduct and transact business strictly on a - cash basis. Purchases in future are of a speculative character, - which ought to prevent any good father of a family from dealing in - them. I am assured that you would not expose my capital to danger, - and would use it with a prudence which has always characterized - your house; but even where the benefit of which you write, seems - sure, I experience, I must confess it, a certain repugnance to - leaving to my heirs a fortune augmented by gambling. Accept, etc., - - "Hadgi-Stavros, - "Proprietor." - -"Is it about us?" Mary-Ann whispered. - -"Not yet, Mademoiselle, His Majesty is investing in stocks." - -"In stocks! Here? I thought that was only done at home." - -"Is Monsieur, your father, associated with a banking establishment?" - -"Yes; with the firm of Barley & Co." - -"Are there two bankers of the same name in London?" - -"Not that I am aware of." - -"Have you ever heard that the firm transacted business with the -Orient?" - -"Certainly, all over the world." - -"And do you live in Cavendish Square?" - -"No, the offices are there. Our house is in Piccadilly." - -"Thank you, Mademoiselle. Allow me to listen to the next. This old man's -correspondence is very interesting." - -The King dictated, without stopping, a long report of the shares of his -band. This curious document was addressed to M. Georges Micrommati, -Officer of Ordinance, at the Palaces, that he might read it in the -General Assembly to those interested. - - "Account rendered of the operations of the National - Company by the King of the Mountains. - - Receipts and Expenditures, 1855-56. - Camp of the King, April 30, '56. - - Sirs: - - The agent whom you have honored with your confidence, to-day, for - the fourteenth time, submits for your approval the report of the - year's transactions. Since the day when the constitutional act of - our society was signed in the office of Master Tsappas, Royal - Notary of Athens, never has our enterprise encountered more - obstacles, never has the progress of our labors been embarrassed by - more serious difficulties. It is in the presence of a strange - occupation, under the eyes of two armies, if not hostile, at least - ill-disposed, that the regular practice of an eminently national - institution must be carried on. Piraeus is occupied by the - military; the Turkish frontier is watched with a zealousness - without precedent in history, and this restricts our activity to a - very narrow circle, and confines our zeal to impassable limits. - Within these narrow boundaries, our resources are still more - reduced by the general penury, the scarcity of money, and the small - crops. The olive trees have not yielded as they promised; the - cereal harvests have been small, and the vines are not yet rid of - the oidium. In these circumstances it has been difficult to profit - by the tolerance of the authorities and the kindness of a friendly - government. Our enterprise is so identified with the interests of - the country, that it can flourish only in the general prosperity, - and so repulse the counterstrokes of all public calamities; for - from those who have nothing, one can take nothing, or little of - anything. - - The strangers traveling in this country, whose curiosity is so - useful to the kingdom and to us, have become rare. English - tourists, who, formerly, composed an important branch of our - revenue, are totally lacking. Two young Americans, stopped upon the - road to Pentelicus, lost us their ransom. The French and English - papers had inspired them with a spirit of defiance, and they - escaped from our hands, at a time when their capture would have - been most useful. - - And now, gentlemen, this is our record, a report of our society - which has resisted the fatal crisis better than agriculture, - industries and commerce. Your funds, confided to my keeping, have - been made profitable, not as much so as I could wish, but better - than any one could hope for. I will say no more; I leave the - figures to speak for themselves. Arithmetic is more eloquent than - Demosthenes. - - The society capital, limited at first to the modest sum of 50,000 - francs, has increased to 120,000 by three successive issuings of - bonds of 500 francs. - - Our gross receipts, from May 1, 1855, to April 30, 1856, are - 261,482 francs. - - Expenses as follows: - - Tithes paid to churches and monasteries 26,148 - - Interest on capital of the legal tax of 10 per - cent per 100 12,000 - ------- - 38,148 - - Report. - - Pay and board for 80 men at 650 francs per - capita 52,000 - - Material, arms, etc. 7,056 - - Repairing the road to Thebes, which had become - impassable and where there were no - travelers to hold up 2,540 - - Expense of watching the highways 5,835 - - Rent for office 3 - - Subsidizing some journalists 11,900 - - Rewards to various employes of the judicial - and administrative orders 18,000 - ------- - Total 135,482 - - If this sum is deducted from the gross receipts, there are left, - net 126,000 - - According to the statutes, the above is apportioned as follows: - - Reserve funds in the Bank of Athens 6,000 - Share belonging to Agent 40,000 - Share-holders' part 80,000 - 333 francs, 33 c. per share. - - Add to the 333 francs, 33 c., 50 francs interest and 25 francs in - reserve funds, and you will have a total of 408 francs, 33 c. per - share. Your money is then drawing nearly 82 per cent. - - Such are the results, gentlemen, of the last campaign. Judge what - the future will be, when our country and our operations shall be - free from the foreign power which presses so heavily." - -The King dictated this without consulting any notes, without hesitating -about a figure and without stopping to choose words. I would never have -believed that an old man of his age could have possessed so remarkable a -memory. He appended his seal to the three letters; it was his way of -signing. He read easily, but he had never found time to learn to write. -Charlemagne and Alfred the Great were, it is said, in the same -predicament. - -While the Under-Secretaries of State were transcribing the letters for -the day in order to place them in the archives, he gave audience to -subaltern officers who had returned with their detachments, from the -day's duty. Each man seated himself in front of him, saluted him by -laying his right hand on his heart and making his report in a few words. -I swear to you that Saint-Louis, under his oak, inspired no greater -reverence among the people of Vincennes. - -The first who presented himself was a small man, with a bad face; a fine -sample for the Court of Assizes. It was an islander from Corfu, -persecuted as an incendiary: he had been well brought up, and his -talents had advanced him. But his chief and his soldiers held him in no -great esteem. He was suspected of keeping for his own profit a part of -the spoils. Now the King was unreasonable on the subject of probity. -When he found a man in fault, he ignominiously thrust him out and -ironically said to him: "Go and make a magistrate of thyself!" - -Hadgi-Stavros asked the man from Corfu: "What hast thou done?" - -"I have just come, with my fifteen men, from the ravine of Cirondelles, -upon the road to Thebes. I met a detachment of soldiers; twenty-five -men." - -"Where are their guns?" - -"I left them. They were percussion muskets, which would not serve us on -account of lack of caps." - -"Good! Then?" - -"It was market-day; I stopped the passers-by." - -"How many?" - -"One hundred and forty-two persons." - -"And thou hast brought----?" - -"About a thousand francs," naming the sum. - -"Seven francs per head! It is small!" - -"It is good. They were peasants." - -"They had not, then, sold their goods?" - -"Some had sold, others bought." - -The man opened a heavy sack which he carried under his arm; he spread -out the contents before the secretaries, who began to count the amount. -The receipts were from thirty to forty Mexican piastres, some handfuls -of Austrian zwanzigs and an enormous quantity of copper coins. Some -crumpled papers were among the money. They were bank notes of ten francs -each. - -"Thou hast no jewels?" asked the King. - -"No!" - -"Were there no women, then?" - -"I found nothing worth bringing away." - -"What is that on thy finger?" - -"A ring." - -"Gold?" - -"Or copper; I do not know which." - -"Where didst thou get it?" - -"I bought it two months ago." - -"If thou hadst bought it, thou wouldst know whether it was gold or -copper. Give it to me." - -The man took it off with bad grace. The ring was immediately locked up -in a small coffer full of jewels. - -"I pardon thee!" said the King, "because of thy bad education. The -people of thy country disgrace theft by mixing knavery with it. If I had -only Ionians in my band, I would be obliged to place turnstiles in the -roads as they do at the Exposition in London, so that I might count the -visitors and the money. The next!" - -He, who came forward now, was a tall young man, well-proportioned, and -with a most pleasing face. His round eyes beamed forth rectitude and -good-nature. His lips, half-opened with a pleasant smile, showed a -magnificent set of teeth; I was greatly taken with him, and I said to -myself that if he had been led astray by evil associations, he must -surely return, some day, to the right path. My face must have pleased -him, for he saluted me very politely, before seating himself in front of -the King. - -Hadgi-Stavros said to him: "What hast thou done, Vasile?" - -"I reached Pigadia, yesterday evening, with my six men; it is the -village of the Senator Zimbellis." - -"Well!" - -"Zimbellis was absent, as usual; but his relatives, his farmers, and his -tenants were all at home, and in bed." - -"Well!" - -"I entered an inn; I awakened the landlord; I bought twenty-five -bundles of straw, and for payment I killed him." - -"Well!" - -"We carried the straw to the houses, and spread it around; the houses -are of wood or osier, and we set fire to seven places at once. The -matches were good; the wind from the north; everything went." - -"Well!" - -"We retired quietly to the wells. The whole village awakened and rushed -out, shouting. The men came running with their leather buckets to get -water. We drowned four whom we did not know; the others escaped." - -"Well!" - -"We returned to the village. There was no one, only an infant forgotten -by his parents, and who cried like a little raven fallen from its nest. -I threw him into a burning house, and he cried no more." - -"Well!" - -"Then we took fire-brands, and placed them around the olive trees. The -thing was well-executed. We then started for the camp; we supped and -slept about half-way here, and we arrived at nine o'clock, in prime -condition without even a burn." - -"Good! The Senator Zimbellis will not discourse against us again! The -next!" - -Vasile withdrew, saluting me as he passed, as politely as the first -time; but I did not return his bow. - -He was soon replaced by the great devil who had taken us. By a singular -caprice of chance, the first author of the drama in which I was called -to play a part, was named Sophocles. At the moment when he began his -report, I felt the blood congeal in my veins. I supplicated Mrs. Simons -not to risk an imprudent word. She replied, that she was English, and -that she knew how to behave herself. The King asked us to be silent, and -allow the man to speak. - -He first spread out the booty which he had taken from us; then he drew -from his belt forty Austrian ducats, which made a sum of four hundred -and seventy francs, at the rate of 11 francs-15c. - -"The ducats," he said, "came from the village of Castia; the rest was -taken from these nobles. Thou didst tell me to scour the boundaries, I -began with the village." - -"Thou hast not done well," replied the King. "The people of Castia are -our neighbors, they must not be molested. How can we live in safety, if -we have enemies at our door? Moreover, they were brave people who have -given us aid when occasion demanded." - -"Oh! I took nothing from the charcoal burners. They disappeared into the -woods, without giving me time to speak to them. But the padre had the -gout; I found him at home." - -"What didst thou say to him?" - -"I asked him for his money; he insisted that he had none. I shut him up -in a sack with his cat; and I do not know what the cat did, but he began -to cry out that his treasure was behind the house, under a huge stone." - -"Thou wert wrong. The padre will incite all the village against us." - -"Oh! no! In leaving him, I forgot to open the sack, and the cat ought to -have fixed him by this time." - -"All in good time:----But listen to me well, all of you: I do not wish -anyone to trouble our neighbors. Thou mayst retire." - -Our examination now began. Hadgi-Stavros, instead of having us come to -him, gravely rose, came and seated himself on the ground in front of us. -This mark of deference to us seemed a favorable augury. Mrs. Simons -prepared to question him herself. As for me, perceiving too well what -she was capable of saying, and knowing the intemperance of her tongue, I -offered my services to the King, as interpreter. He thanked me coldly, -and called the Corfuan, who knew English. - -"Madame," the King said to Mrs. Simons, "you seem to be in great anger. -Have you any complaints to make of the men who brought you here?" - -"It is a horror!" she cried. "Your rascals have arrested, dragged me -through the dirt, despoiled me, worn me out, and starved me." - -"Will you accept my excuses? I am forced to employ men without -education. Believe me, my dear Madame, it is not by my orders they have -acted thus. You are English?" - -"An Englishwoman from London." - -"I have been to London; I know and esteem the English. I know that they -have good appetites, and you noticed that I was moved to offer you -refreshments. I know that ladies of your country do not like to run over -rocks, and I regret that you were not allowed to walk your own gait. I -know that people of your nation carry, while traveling, only such things -as are necessary, and I have not yet pardoned Sophocles for having -robbed you, above all, if you are a person of distinction." - -"I belong to the best society of London!" - -"Deign to take back your money. You are rich?" - -"Assuredly." - -"This traveling-case is yours, is it not?" - -"It is my daughter's." - -"Take, also, all that belongs to your daughter. You are very rich?" - -"Very rich." - -"Do these things belong to Monsieur, your son?" - -"Monsieur is not my son; he is a German. Since I am English how could I -have a German son?" - -"That is true. Have you twenty thousand francs income?" - -"More." - -"A carpet for these ladies! Are you rich enough to have thirty thousand -francs income?" - -"We have more than that." - -"Sophocles is a villain whom I shall chastise. Logothete, tell them to -prepare dinner for these ladies. May it be possible, Madame, that you -are a millionaire?" - -"I am that." - -"And I--I am annoyed at the way in which you have been treated. You -have, without doubt, fine friends in Athens?" - -"I know the English Minister." - -"Oh! Madame! You also know some merchants, some bankers?" - -"My brother, who is at Athens, knows many bankers in the city." - -"I am delighted. Sophocles, come here. Ask pardon of these ladies." - -Sophocles muttered some words between his teeth, I know not what -excuses. The King replied: - -"These ladies are Englishwomen of distinction; they are worth a million -or more; they have been received by the English Ambassador; their -brother, who is in Athens, knows all the bankers in the city." - -"That is right!" cried Mrs. Simons. The King continued: - -"Thou shouldst have treated these ladies with all the regard due their -fortune." - -"Good!" Mrs. Simons cried. - -"Have conducted them here carefully." - -"For what purpose?" murmured Mary-Ann. - -"And abstained from touching their baggage. When one has the honor of -meeting, in the mountains, two persons of the rank of these ladies, one -should salute them with respect, one should bring them to the camp with -deference, one should guard them circumspectly, and one should offer -them politely every necessary thing in life, until their brother or -their ambassador sends us a ransom of a hundred thousand francs." - -Poor Mrs. Simons! dear Mary-Ann! Neither expected this termination. As -for me, I was not surprised. I knew with what a crafty knave we had to -do. I took up the word, and I said to him fiercely: "Thou canst keep -what thy men have taken from me, because it is all that thou wilt get -from me. I am poor, my father has nothing, my brothers often eat dry -bread. I know neither bankers nor ambassadors, and if thou keepest me -with the hope of a ransom, thou wilt reap no reward. I swear it to -thee!" - -A murmur of incredulity was heard, but the King appeared to believe me. - -"If that is true," he said to me, "I will not keep you. I will send you -back to the city. Madame will give you a letter for Monsieur, her -brother, and you may even leave to-day. If, however, you need to remain -a day or two in the mountains, I will offer my hospitality to you; -because I suppose that you have not come as far as this, with this large -box, in order to look over the country." - -This little speech gave me a profound feeling of relief. I looked around -with satisfaction. The King, his secretaries, and his soldiers seemed -less terrible; the surrounding rocks more picturesque, since I viewed -them with the eye of a guest and not as a prisoner. The desire I had -experienced to see Athens suddenly subsided, and I decided to pass two -or three days in the mountains. I felt that my counsels would not be -useless to Mary-Ann's mother. The good woman was in a state of -excitement which might urge her to do something rash. If, perchance, she -determined to refuse to pay the ransom! Before England could come to -her aid, she would have ample time to draw dire calamity upon her -charming head. I must not leave her until I had an opportunity to relate -the history of Mistra's little daughters. Shall I say more? You know my -passion for botany. The flora of Parnassus is very enticing at the end -of April. One can find in the mountains five or six plants as rare as -they are celebrated. One especially: Boryana variabilis, discovered and -named by M. Bory de Saint-Vincent. Should I leave such a lacuna and -present my herbarium to the Museum of Hamburg, without the boryana -variabilis? - -I replied to the King: "I accept thy hospitality, but on one condition." - -"What is it?" - -"That thou wilt return my box." - -"Oh well! so be it: and the condition?" - -"That is it." - -"Will you tell me of what use it is to you?" - -"To hold the plants which I pick." - -"And why do you search for plants? To sell them?" - -"Nonsense! I am not a merchant, I am a savant." - -He held out his hand to me and said with visible joy: "I am charmed. -Science is a beautiful thing. Our ancestors were wise men. Our -grandchildren will be, perhaps. As for us, time is lacking. Savants are -much esteemed in your country?" - -"Greatly." - -"One gives them rank?" - -"Sometimes." - -"One pays them well?" - -"Enough!" - -"One attaches a little ribbon to their coat?" - -"Occasionally!" - -"Is it true that cities dispute as to which they belong?" - -"It is true in Germany!" - -"And one looks upon their death as a public calamity?" - -"Assuredly!" - -"What you tell me gives me great pleasure. Then you have no complaints -to make of your fellow-citizens?" - -"Very much to the contrary. It is through their liberality that I was -enabled to come to Greece." - -"You travel at their expense?" - -"Yes." - -"You are well-educated?" - -"I am a doctor." - -"It is the highest grade in science?" - -"No." - -"And how many doctors are there in the city in which you live?" - -"I do not know exactly, but not as many doctors in Hamburg, as generals -in Athens." - -"Oh! oh! I would not deprive your country of a man so rare. You shall -return to Hamburg, Monsieur, doctor; what would they say down below if -they knew that you were a prisoner up here in the mountains?" - -"They would say that it was a misfortune." - -"Good! Rather than lose such a man as you, the city of Hamburg would -sacrifice fifteen thousand francs. Take back your box, haste away, -search, gather plants, and follow your studies. Why not put that silver -watch back in your pocket? It is yours, and I respect savants too much -to rob them. But your country is rich enough to pay for her glory. Happy -young man! You recognize, to-day, how much the title of doctor adds to -your personal value. I would not have demanded a centime of ransom, if -you had been as ignorant as I am." - -The King listened neither to my objections, nor to Mrs. Simons' -expostulations. He closed the interview, and pointed out to us the -dining hall. Mrs. Simons descended to the place, all the while -protesting that although she would eat her breakfast, yet she would -never pay the bill. Mary-Ann seemed more depressed; but such is the -mobility of youth, that she cried out with joy when she saw the place -where our meal was spread. It was a little corner of green, sheltered by -gray rocks. Beautiful grass formed the carpet; some clumps of privet and -laurels served as hangings and hid the rocky walls. A beautiful blue -arch was above our heads; birds flew back and forth in the azure vault. -In a corner of our dining-hall, a limpid stream, clear as crystal, -silently swept along in its course, spreading over its banks, and -falling in a silvery sheet down the side of the mountain. From this -side, the view illimitably extended to the sides of the Pentelicus, the -great white pile which overhangs Athens; across the sad-colored olive -groves; the dusty plain; the gray sides of Hymettus, rounded like an old -man's spine; and that beautiful Saronic Gulf, so blue that one might -say that a strip had fallen from the sky. Assuredly, Mrs. Simons had not -a mind turned to admiration, and yet, she confessed that the price for -such a beautiful sight would be very high in London or Paris. - -The table was laid with heroic simplicity. Brown bread, baked in a field -oven, smoked upon the sod and gave out a most appetizing odor. The -clotted milk quivered in a huge wooden bowl. The large olives and green -piments, were laid on roughly cut pieces of wood. A shaggy goat-skin -bottle spread out its large sides next to a red copper cup, roughly -chiseled. An ewe's-milk cheese reposed upon the cloth which had pressed -it, and which still bore its imprint. Five or six appetizing lettuces -promised us a delicious salad, but there were no condiments with which -to dress them. The King had placed his traveling plate at our disposal, -consisting of spoons cut out with a knife, and we had, as a surfeit of -luxury, our five fingers, for forks. They had not been tolerant enough -to serve us with meat, but the yellow tobacco of Almyros promised me an -admirable digester. - -One of the King's officers served us. It was the hideous Corfuan, the -man of the gold ring, who knew English. He cut the bread with his -poniard and distributed it freely, praying us not to lack for anything. -Mrs. Simons, without losing one stroke of her teeth, said to him in a -haughty tone: "Monsieur, does your master seriously believe that we -shall pay a ransom of a hundred thousand francs?" - -"He is sure of it!" - -"It is because he does not know the English nation." - -"He knows it well, Madame, and I also. At Corfu, I have associated with -many distinguished Englishmen! judges!" - -"I wish you joy of it! but tell this Stavros to arm himself with -patience, because he will wait a long time for the hundred thousand -francs, which he has promised himself." - -"He told me to tell you that he would wait for them until the 15th of -May, at noon, precisely." - -"And if we have not paid it the 15th of May, at noon?" - -"He will regret that he will be obliged to cut off your head, as well as -Mademoiselle's." - -Mary-Ann dropped the bread which she was carrying to her mouth. "Give me -a little wine," she said. The bandit handed to her a cup full; but -scarcely had it touched her lips, before she cried out with fear. The -poor child imagined that the wine was poisoned. I reassured her by -emptying the cup at one draught. "Fear nothing," I said to her; "it is -the resin." - -"What resin?" - -"Wine would not keep in these goat-skins if a certain amount of resin -was not added, to prevent it from spoiling. The mixture is not very -agreeable, but you may drink it without fear." - -Despite my example, Mary-Ann and her mother made the bandit bring water. -The man ran to the brook and was back in an instant. "You understand, -Mesdames," he smilingly said, "that the King would not be foolish -enough to poison such valuable people as you are." He added, turning to -me: "You, M. le docteur, I have orders to tell you that you have thirty -days to pursue your studies and pay the sum. I will furnish you all with -writing materials." - -"Thanks," Mrs. Simons said. "We will think of it in eight days, if we -are not delivered before." - -"And by whom, Madame?" - -"By England." - -"Is it far?" - -"Or by the police." - -"For your sake, I hope you may have that luck. In the meantime, I will -do anything in my power for you." - -"I wish first for a bed-chamber." - -"We have near here a grotto, which is called Les Etables. You would not -like it; the sheep were kept there during the winter, and the odor still -remains. I will get two tents from the shepherds below and you can camp -here--until the arrival--of the gendarmes!" - -"I wish for a waiting-maid." - -"Nothing is easier. Our men will go down to the plain, and stop the -first peasant-woman who passes,--if, however, the gendarmerie will -permit!" - -"I must have clothes, dresses, linen, toilet appurtenances, soap, a -mirror, combs, scents, a tapestry frame, a----" - -"A good many things, Madame, and in order to get them all, we would be -forced to go to Athens. But one will do the best. Count on me and count -not too much on your soldiers." - -"May God pity us!" Mary-Ann said. - -A vigorous echo replied: "Kyrie Eleison!" (Lord, have mercy upon us.) It -was the good old man who came to visit us, and who sang while traveling -about in order to keep in practice. He saluted us cordially, placed upon -the grass a vessel full of honey, and seated himself near us. "Take and -eat," he said. "My bees offer you a dessert." - -I shook hands with him; Mrs. Simons and Mary-Ann turned away in disgust. -They obstinately refused to see him in any other light than as an -accomplice of the brigands. The poor, good man knew no malice. He knew -only how to chant his prayers, to care for his bees, to sell his goods, -to collect the revenues of the convent, and to live at peace with the -whole world. His intelligence was limited; his science, nothing; his -conduct as innocent as that of a well-regulated machine. I do not -believe that he was able to clearly distinguish good from bad, and to -see any difference between a thief and an honest man. His wisdom -consisted in making four meals a day, and of never getting more than -half-seas over. He was, moreover, one of the best monks of his order. - -I did full justice to the present he had brought us. This half-wild -honey resembled the kind which we eat in France, as the flesh of a roe -resembles lamb's meat. One would have said that the bees had distilled -in an invisible alembic all the perfumes of the mountains. I forgot, in -eating my bread spread with the honey, that I had only a month in which -to find fifteen thousand francs, or die. - -The monk, in his turn, asked permission to refresh himself a little, and -without waiting for a reply, took the cup and turned out a bumper. He -drank, successively, to each of us. Five or six brigands, drawn by -curiosity, glided into the nook. He spoke to each by name, and drank to -each, in a spirit of justice. It was not long before I cursed his -presence. An hour after his arrival, half the band was seated in a -circle around our viands. In the absence of the King, who was taking a -siesta in his office, the brigands came, one by one, to cultivate our -acquaintance. One offered his services, another brought us something, -still a third introduced himself without pretext and without -embarrassment, as a man who felt himself at home. The more familiar -besought me to relate our history; the more timid held back at first but -insensibly drew nearer. Some, having satisfied themselves with looking -at us, threw themselves down, without courtesy for the ladies' presence, -and immediately began to snore. And the fleas, always flying about, and -the presence of their original master rendering them so bold that I -surprised two or three of them on the back of my hand. Impossible to -dispute their right to a grazing ground, I was no more a man, but a -common pasture. At this moment, I would have given three of the most -beautiful plants in my herbarium for a quarter of an hour of solitude. - -Mrs. Simons and her daughter were too discreet to impart to me their -views, but they proved, by some involuntary starts, that we were of a -community of ideas. I even surprised a look between them which seemed -to say: "The gendarmes will deliver us from the thieves, but who can -deliver us from these fleas." This mute complaint awoke in my heart a -chivalrous sentiment. I resolutely rose and said: - -"Go away, all of you; the King has sent us here to live quietly until -the arrival of our ransoms. The rent is so high that we have a right to -remain alone. Are you not ashamed to crowd around a table, like -parasitical dogs? You have no business here. We have no use for you; we -do not want you here. Do you believe that we can escape? How? By the -cascade? Or past the King's cabinet? Leave us then in peace. Corfuan, -drive them away, and I will help you, if you wish." - -I added action to the word. I shoved along the loiterers, I awakened the -sleepers, I shook the monk, I forced the Corfuan to aid me, and soon the -troop of brigands, a troop armed with poniards and pistols, gave up to -us the place, with lamb-like meekness, although kicking, taking short -steps, resisting with the shoulders and twisting the head, in the -fashion of school-boys who have to be pushed into the schoolroom, when -recreation is over. - -At last we were alone with the Corfuan. I said to Mistress Simons: -"Madame, this is our house. Will you be kind enough to separate the -apartment into two divisions? I must have a little corner for my tent. -Behind those trees, I shall not be badly off, and all the rest is yours, -if that pleases you. You will have the brook at hand." - -My offers were accepted with sufficiently bad grace. These ladies would -have liked to keep all and let me go to sleep with the thieves. It is -true that British conventions might have gained something by this -separation, but I would have lost sight of Mary-Ann. And, moreover, I -had decided to sleep far from the fleas. The Corfuan approved of my -proposition, which rendered his watch less difficult. He had orders to -guard us night and day. It was necessary that he should sleep near my -tent, but I exacted the condition of a distance of six English feet -between us. - -The treaty concluded, I established myself in a corner to give chase to -my domestic game. But I had scarcely begun, before the curious bandits -appeared under pretext of bringing our tents. - -Mrs. Simons fairly screamed when she saw that her house was composed of -a simple strip of heavy felt, pleated in the middle, fastened to the -earth at the two ends, and opened to the wind on two sides. The Corfuan -swore that we should be lodged like princes, save in case of rain or a -strong wind. The entire band began to drive in stakes, to fix our beds -and to bring bed-covers. Each bed was composed of a rug with a covering -made of goat-skin. At six o'clock, the King came to assure himself, with -his own eyes, that we lacked nothing. Mrs. Simons, more incensed than -ever, replied that she lacked everything. I formally asked for the -exclusion of all useless visitors. The King established severe -regulations, such as we had never followed. Discipline is a French word -hard to translate in Greek. The King and his subjects retired at seven -o'clock, and we were to be served then with supper. Four torches of -resinous wood lighted the table. Their red and smoky light strangely -colored Miss Simons' pale face. Her eyes seemed to flash, become dim, -and rekindle again, like a revolving beacon-light. Her voice, weakened -by fatigue, took on, at intervals, a discordant tone. In listening to -her, my mind seemed to wander in a supernatural world, and I remembered -some very fantastic tales which I had once read. A nightingale sang, and -I believed I saw its silvery song pouring from Mary-Ann's lips. The day -had been a hard one for all, and even I, who had given substantial proof -of my appetite, soon recognized the fact that I was famished only for -sleep. I said good-night to the ladies and retired to my tent. In an -instant, I forgot nightingale, danger, ransom, stings; I closed my eyes -and I slept. - -A fearful discharge of musketry awoke me with a start. I jumped up so -quickly that I struck my head against the poles of my tent. At the same -moment, I heard two feminine voices crying: "We are saved! The -gendarmes!" I saw two or three indistinct forms rush by in the night. In -my joy, in my trouble, I embraced the first shadow which passed my -tent--it was the Corfuan. - -"Halt!" he cried, "where are you running, if you please?" - -"Dog of a thief!" I replied, "I am going to see if the gendarmes will -soon finish shooting your comrades." - -Mrs. Simons and her daughter, guided by my voice, came up to us. The man -said to us: - -"The gendarmes will not travel to-day. It is the Ascension and the 1st -of May, a double fete-day. The noise which you have heard is the signal -for rejoicing. It is after midnight, almost morning; our companions go -to drink wine, eat meat, dance the Romaique and burn powder. If you wish -to see this beautiful sight, it will give me pleasure to take you to it. -I can guard you more agreeably around the roast than at the fountain -here." - -"You lie!" cried Mrs. Simons, "it is the gendarmes!" - -"Let us go and see," added Mary-Ann. - -I followed them. The tumult was so great that one could not have slept -if one had wished. Our guide led us through the King's cabinet, and we -climbed to the bandit camp which was all ablaze with light. Whole pine -trees, placed at intervals, were used as torches. Five or six groups, -seated around a huge fire, watched the lambs roasting on spits. In the -midst of the crowd, a line of dancers wound slowly around in serpentine -fashion, to the measures of most frightful music. Occasional volleys of -musketry were heard. Once, it came quite near us and I felt the whizzing -of a ball, close to my ear. I begged the ladies to hasten forward, -hoping that, near the King, we would be farther from danger. The King, -seated on his everlasting carpet, presided with due solemnity over the -diversions of his people. Around him were goat-skin bottles; the sheep -were cut up and each man took a leg or shoulder and carried it about in -his hands. The orchestra was composed of a rude tambourine, and a shrill -flageolet. The dancers had taken off their shoes, in order to be more -agile. They flounced and jumped all over the spot and came near -cracking their bones, sometimes. From time to time, they left the dance, -drank a cup of wine, ate a piece of meat, discharged a gun, and then -returned to the dance. All these men, except the King, drank, ate, -hurled themselves about and jumped; I saw not one of them even smile. - -Hadgi-Stavros courteously excused himself for having awakened us. - -"It is not I who am to blame, it is the custom. If the first of May -passed without a discharge of musketry, these worthy people would not -believe that Spring had come. I have here only simple people, brought up -in the country and attached to ancient customs. I have done the best for -their education that I could do, but I shall die before they become -civilized. Men cannot be made over in a day like silver forks and -spoons. Even I, such as you see me, have found pleasure in these gross -sports; I have eaten and drunk and danced like the others. I have never -known European civilization; why should I take the trouble to travel so -late in life? I would give much to be young and only fifty, again. I -have ideas of reform which will never be executed; I see myself, like -Alexander, without an heir worthy of me. I dream of a new organization -of brigandage, without disorder, without turbulence, and without noise. -But I have no one to second me. I ought to have the exact census of all -the inhabitants of the kingdom, with an approximate statement of their -wealth, personal and real. As for the strangers who land on our shores, -an agent established at each port would learn and send to me their -names, their itinerary, and, as nearly as possible, their fortune. In -this way, I would know what each one could give me; and I would not make -the mistake of asking too little or too much. I would establish on each -road a post, with proper clerks, well brought-up and well educated; -because, for what good, to frighten clients with disgusting behavior or -a surly mien? I have seen, in France and in England, thieves, elegant to -excess; and did they not certainly succeed better because of it? - -"I would demand of all my subordinates, exquisite manners, above all, -from those whose business it was to accost people. I would have for -prisoners of distinction like you, comfortable quarters in the open air, -with fine gardens. And do not think that they would cost the occupants -more dearly; to the contrary! If all those who traveled in this country -were, necessarily, to fall into my hands, I could tax the passers-by for -a very insignificant sum. So that each nation and each traveler would -give me only a fourth per cent on their principals, I would gain upon -the quantity. Then brigandage would only be a tax on the circulation; a -just tax, because it would be proportional; a normal tax, because it had -always been collected since ancient times. We could simplify it, if -necessary, by yearly subscriptions. In consideration of a sum, once -paid, one could obtain safe conduct for the natives, and an indorsed -pass-port for travelers. You say that according to the terms of the -Constitution no tax could be imposed without the vote of the Chambers. -Ah! Monsieur, if I only had time! I would buy the whole Senate; I would -nominate a Chamber of Deputies, friendly to me! A law would be passed, -in a trice! One could create, if necessary, a Ministry of the Highway. -That might cost me two or three millions, at first; but in four years I -could square myself--, and I could keep the roads in order, into the -bargain!" - -He sighed heavily, then he said: "You see with what freedom I have -spoken to you. It is an old habit, of which I can never break myself. I -have lived, always, in the open air and in the sunlight. Our profession -would be shameful if exercised clandestinely. I hide nothing about -myself, but I fear no one. When you read in the papers, that search is -being made for me, say without hesitation that it is a parliamentary -fiction; it is always known where I am. I fear neither Ministers, the -Army, nor the Tribunals. The Ministers know that by a gesture I can -change a Cabinet. The Army is on my side; it furnishes me with recruits, -when I need them. I receive from it, soldiers; I return, officers. As -for Messieurs, the Judges, they know my opinion of them. I do not esteem -them, but I pity them. Poor, and badly recompensed, one cannot expect -them to be honest. I have fed some, and clothed others; I have hung very -few in my life; I am, then, the benefactor of the magistracy." - -He pointed out to me with a magnificent gesture, the sky, the sea, the -country: "All that," said he, "is mine! Every breathing thing in the -kingdom submits to me through fear, friendship or admiration. I have -made many weep, and there is not one mother who would wish to have a son -like Hadgi-Stavros. A day will come, when doctors, like you, will write -my history, and when the isles of the Archipelago will dispute the -honor of my birthplace. My portrait will hang on the walls of the -houses, to keep company with the sacred images in the niches. At that -time, my daughter's grandchildren will be reigning princes, who will -speak with pride of their ancestor, the King of the Mountains!" - -Perhaps you will laugh at my German simplicity; but this strange -discourse moved me profoundly. I admired, in spite of myself, this -grandeur in crime. I had not, until then, ever met a majestic rascal. -This devil of a man, who might cut off my head at the end of a month, -almost inspired me with respect. His grand face, as if carved from -marble, serene in the midst of the orgies, seemed to me like an -inflexible mask of destiny. I could not restrain myself from saying: -"Yes, you are, truly, a King!" - -He smilingly answered: - -"In truth, then, I have flatterers even among my enemies. Do not defend -yourself; I can read faces, and you have looked at me since morning, as -if you would like to hang me." - -"Since you have asked me to be frank, I confess that I have been angry. -You have asked me a most unreasonable ransom. That you can take a -hundred thousand francs from these ladies, who have them, is a very -natural thing, and what might be expected of you; but that you should -exact fifteen thousand from me, who has nothing, it is outrageous." - -"Nothing, however, is more simple. All strangers who come here are rich, -because traveling costs. You pretend that you are not traveling at your -own expenses; I would like to believe you. But those who have sent you -here give you at least three or four thousand francs yearly. If they go -to this expense, they have their reasons, because one does nothing for -nothing. You represent, in their eyes, a capital of sixty to eighty -thousand francs. Then, in ransoming you for fifteen thousand, they gain -by it." - -"But the establishment which pays me has no capital; it has only -revenues. The appropriation for the Jardin des Plantes is voted every -year by the Senate; its resources are limited; one has never known a -parallel case; I know not how to explain it to you--you could not -comprehend--" - -"And when I did comprehend it," he replied in a haughty tone, "do you -believe that I would take back what I have said? My words are laws; if I -wish to have them respected, I must not violate them myself. - -"I have a right to be unjust; I have not the right to be weak. My -injustices injure others; a weakness would ruin me. If I was known to be -exorable, my prisoners would endeavor to find prayers to win me, instead -of endeavoring to find money to pay me. I am not one of your European -brigands who are a medley of sternness and generosity, of speculation -and imprudence, of cruelty without cause, and comparison without excuse, -in order to end, foolishly, on the scaffold. I have said, before -witnesses, that I must have fifteen thousand francs for your head. -Arrange it to suit yourself; but, in some way or other, I must be paid. -Listen: in 1854, I condemned two little girls who were the age of my -dear Photini. They held out their arms to me, weeping, and their cries -made my fatherly heart bleed. Vasile, who killed them, tried many times; -his hand trembled. And yet I was inflexible, because the ransom was not -paid. Do you think, after that, that I would show you grace? What -purpose would it have served me to kill them, the poor things! if one -learned that I sent you away for nothing?" - -I dropped my head without a word in reply. I had a thousand reasons; but -I knew not how to oppose them to the pitiless logic of this old -executioner. He aroused me from my reflections with a friendly tap on -the shoulder. "Have courage," he said to me. "I have seen death nearer -to me than you are, and I carried myself like an oak. During the war of -Independence, Ibrahim ordered me to be shot by seven Egyptians. Six -balls failed of their duty; the seventh struck me on the forehead and -glanced off. When the Turks came to pick up my body, I had disappeared -in the smoke. You have, perhaps, a longer time to live than you think -you have. Write to your friends in Hamburg. You have received an -education; a doctor ought to have friends worth more than fifteen -thousand francs. I really wish so. I do not hate you! you have never -harmed me! your death would cause me no pleasure, and it would please me -to believe that you will find the means for paying the money. While -waiting, go and remain with the ladies. My people may drink a drop too -much, and they look upon the English with eyes that say nothing good. -These poor devils are condemned to an austere life, and they are not -seventy years old, as I am. In ordinary times, I can keep them obedient -by fatigue; but to-day, it is different; in an hour, I cannot answer for -them." - -In truth, a menacing circle had already formed itself around Mary-Ann, -who looked at these strange figures with innocent curiosity. The -brigands, crouched before her, talked in loud tones, and praised her -beauty in terms that it was well she did not comprehend. The Corfuan, -who was making up for lost time, held out to her a cup of wine, which -she proudly repulsed. - -Five or six drinkers, more inflamed than the rest, began to fight among -themselves, as if to warm themselves up and toughen themselves for later -and harder exploits. I made a sign to Mrs. Simons; the ladies both rose. -But the moment I offered my arm to Mary-Ann, Vasile, red with wine, -advanced with a staggering gait, and made as if to take hold of her. At -this sight, I was furious. I jumped at the miserable cur and I made of -my ten fingers a cravat for him. He clapped his hands to his belt, and -gropingly felt for the handle of the knife; but before he could find it, -I saw him torn from my hands and thrown ten feet away, by the powerful -hand of the old King. A murmur arose from the crowd. Hadgi-Stavros -raised his head and in a tone which dominated the noise, cried: -"Silence! Show that you are Greeks and not Albanians!" He added in a low -tone: "Make haste! the Corfuan shall not leave me; M. German, tell the -ladies that I will sleep at the door of their tent." - -He went with us, preceded by his pipe-bearer, who never left him, day -or night. Two or three men, inflamed with wine, made as if to follow us; -he repulsed them rudely. We were not a hundred feet from the crowd, when -a ball whizzed by us. The old Palikar did not deign to turn his head. He -looked at me and smiled, and said in a low tone: "One must be indulgent; -it is the day of the Ascension." Reaching the path, I profited by the -stupidity of the Corfuan, who was tumbling along, to ask Mrs. Simons for -a private interview. "I have," I said to her, "an important secret to -confide to you! Permit me to come to your tent, when our spy sleeps the -sleep of Noah." - -I knew not whether this Biblical comparison seemed irreverent; but she -dryly replied that she knew enough not to have any secrets with me. I -insisted; she was firm. I told her I had found a means of freeing -ourselves without impoverishing us. She threw me a glance of defiance, -consulted her daughter, and at last, acquiesced. Hadgi-Stavros made easy -our interview, by keeping the Corfuan near him. He had his carpet spread -at the top of the natural staircase which led to our camp, placed his -arms near at hand, made the pipe-bearer lie down upon his right and the -Corfuan on his left. - -I kept prudently within my tent until three distinct snores assured me -that our guardians were asleep. The tumult had almost subsided. Two or -three shots occasionally disturbed the silence of the night. Our -neighbor, the nightingale, poured forth his song. I carefully crept -along in the shadow of the trees, until I reached Mrs. Simons' tent. -Mother and daughter were waiting for me, outside, on the damp grass. -English custom forbade my entrance to the sleeping-room. - -"Speak, Monsieur," said Mrs. Simons, "but be quick about it. You know -that we need rest." - -I replied with assurance: "Mesdames, what I have to say to you is well -worth an hour of sleep. Would you like to be free in three days?" - -"But, Monsieur, we shall be to-morrow, or England will not be England. -Dimitri ought to have apprised my brother by 5 o'clock; my brother would -see our Minister at dinner-time; orders ought to have been given at -once; the soldiers are already on the way, and we shall be free in the -morning, in time for breakfast." - -"Let us not deceive ourselves! time passes. I do not count upon the -gendarmes! Our captors speak too lightly of them, to fear them. I have -always heard, that in this country, hunter and game, gendarme and -brigand, are in collusion with each other. I suppose, strictly speaking, -that some men may be sent to our aid; Hadgi-Stavros will see them coming -and will drag us, by lonely paths, to another and more remote retreat. -He knows the country, thoroughly; all the rocks are his accomplices, -every bush his ally, the ravines his "fence" (receiver of stolen goods). -Parnassus is leagued with him against us; he is the King of the -Mountains!" - -"Bravo, Monsieur! Hadgi-Stavros is God, and you are his Prophet! He -would be touched to hear with what admiration you speak of him! I have -already divined that you are one of his friends, seeing how he put his -hand on your shoulder, as if he was speaking to you in confidence. Is -it not he who has suggested the plan of escape which you have come to -propose?" - -"Yes, Madame, it is he; or rather, his correspondence. I found, this -morning, while he was dictating to his secretaries, the infallible means -of freeing us gratis. Will you write to Monsieur, your brother, to send -a sum of 115,000 francs, 100,000 for you and 15,000 for me, by some safe -person, say, Dimitri?" - -"By your friend, Dimitri, to your friend, the King of the Mountains? -Many thanks, my dear Monsieur. It is for this price that we are to be -freed for nothing?" - -"Yes, Madame. Dimitri is not my friend and Hadgi-Stavros would not -scruple to cut off my head. But I will continue; in exchange for the -money, you shall insist that the King sign a receipt." - -"And a fine receipt it would be." - -"With this paper, you would get back your 115,000 francs, without losing -a centime, and you will see how." - -"Good evening, Monsieur. Do not waste time to say any more. Since we -landed in this miserable country we have been robbed by everybody. The -Customs-officers robbed us; the man who drove us to Athens robbed us; -our inn-keeper has robbed us; our servant, hired by the day, who is not -your friend, has thrown us into the hands of these thieves; we met a -respectable monk, who shared the spoils with the brigands; all the men -who were drinking up there are knaves; those who sleep before our tent, -to protect us, are of the same class; you are the only honest man whom -we have met in Greece, and your counsels are the best in the world! but -good-evening, Monsieur! good-evening!" - -"In the name of heaven, Madame!--I will not attempt to justify myself, -think what you will of me. Only permit me to tell you how you can get -back your money." - -"And how do you think I can get it back, if all the soldiers of the -kingdom cannot free us? Hadgi-Stavros is, then, no longer King of the -Mountains? He knows no more hidden paths? The ravines, the bushes, the -rocks, are no longer his accomplices? Good-evening, Monsieur; I can -testify to your zeal; I will tell the brigands that you have executed -their commission; but once for all, Monsieur, good-evening!" - -The good woman gave me a push by the shoulders, crying "good-evening" in -so shrill a tone, that I trembled lest she should awaken our guardians, -and I sorrowfully went to my tent. What a day! I went over, one by one, -all the incidents which had occurred since the hour I left in pursuit of -the boryana variabilis. The meeting with the Englishwomen, Mary-Ann's -beautiful eyes, the attack of the brigands, the dogs, the fleas, -Hadgi-Stavros, fifteen thousand francs to pay, my life at that price, -the orgies of the Ascension, the balls whizzing about my ears, the -drunken face of Vasile, and to crown all, Mrs. Simons' injustice. And -then to be taken for a thief! Sleep, which consoled the others, did not -come to my aid. All the events which had happened had over-excited me -and I could not sleep. Day broke upon my miserable meditations. I -followed the course of the sun as it rose in the heavens. Some confused -noises followed, little by little, the silence of the night. I had not -courage to look at my watch, or to turn my head to see what was passing -around me. I was overcome with fatigue and discouragement. I believe if -anyone had attempted to roll me down the hill, that I would not have put -out my hands to stop myself. In this prostration of my faculties, I had -a vision, which partook, at the same time, of a dream and an -hallucination, because I was neither awake nor asleep, and my eyes were -neither closed nor open. It seemed that I had been buried alive, that my -felt tent was a catafalque, adorned with flowers, and that some one -chanted prayers for the dead. Fears seized me; I tried to cry out; the -words stuck in my throat, or the sound of them was drowned in the -chants. I heard, distinctly, verses and responses, and I recognized that -funeral services were being celebrated over me, in Greek. I made a -violent effort to move my right arm; it was like lead. I extended my -left; it yielded easily, striking against the tent and causing something -like a bouquet to fall. I rubbed my eyes, I rose on my elbow, I examined -the flowers, fallen from above, and I recognized in the superb specimen, -the boryana variabilis. It was certainly the flower! I touched the -lobated leaves, its gamosepalous calyx, its corolla composed of five -oblique petals, united at the base by a staminal filament, its ten -stamens, its ovary with its five loculaments; I held in my hand the -queen of malvaceae! But by what chance had I found it at the bottom of -my tomb? and how send it so far to the Jardin des Plantes at Hamburg? At -this moment, a lively pain drew my attention to my right arm. One would -have said that it was the prey of a swarm of invisible little animals. I -rubbed it with my left hand, and little by little, it became normal. I -had lain with it under my head for many hours, and it had become numb. I -lived then, since pain is one of the privileges of life. But, then, what -did that funeral chant, which rang obstinately in my ears, mean? I -raised myself. Our apartment was in the same state as on the evening -before. Mrs. Simons and her daughter were sleeping profoundly. A huge -bunch of flowers like mine hung from the upper part of their tent. It -occurred to me that I had heard that the Greeks had a custom of -decorating their dwellings on the night before the first of May. These -bouquets and the boryana variabilis came, then, from the munificence of -the King. The funeral chant haunted me, I could still hear it. I climbed -the staircase which led to the King's cabinet, and saw a more curious -spectacle than any that had astonished me the evening before. An altar -was set up and dressed, under the pine. The monk, clothed in magnificent -pontificals, was celebrating, with imposing dignity, the divine office. -Our drinkers of the night before, some standing, others kneeling in the -dust, all religiously uncovered, were metamorphosed into little saints. -One fervently kissed an image painted on wood, another made the sign of -the cross, the most fervent bowed themselves to the ground and wiped the -dust with their hair. The King's young pipe-bearer circulated through -the crowd, with a plate, saying: "Give alms! He who giveth to the Church -lendeth to the Lord!" And the centimes showered upon the plate, and the -ring of the coins as they fell upon the copper dish made an -accompaniment to the voice of the priest and the prayers of the -suppliants. When I entered the assembly of the faithful, each one -saluted me with a discreet cordiality, which recalled the primitive -Church. Hadgi-Stavros, near the altar, made place for me at his side. He -held a large book in his hand, and judge of my surprise, when I heard -him recite the lessons in a loud voice. A brigand, officiating! He had -received, in his youth, two of the lower orders; he was reader. One -degree more, he would have been exorcist, and invested with the power of -chasing out devils! Assuredly, I am not one of those travelers who are -astonished at everything, and I practice, energetically enough, the nil -admirari; but I was wonder-struck and amazed before this strange -spectacle. Looking on at the genuflections, listening to the prayers, -one would have supposed these actors guilty, only, of a little idolatry. -Their faith seemed active and their conviction profound, but I who had -seen them at work and who knew how little Christ-like they were in -action, I could not help saying to myself: "Who is being fooled?" - -The office lasted until some minutes after noon. An hour afterward, the -altar had disappeared, the men had begun to drink again, and the good -old man (the monk) led them. - -The King took me one side and asked me if I had written. I promised to -do so at once, and he gave me reeds, ink and paper. I wrote to John -Harris, to Christodule, and to my father. I supplicated Christodule to -intercede for me with his old comrade, and I told him it was impossible -for me to furnish fifteen thousand francs. I recommended myself to the -courage and imagination of John Harris, who was not a man to leave a -friend in trouble. "If any one can save me," I wrote to him, "it is you. -I do not know how you can do it, but I hope in you with all my soul; you -are such a hot-headed fellow! I do not count on your finding fifteen -thousand francs ransom; it would be necessary to borrow them of M. -Merinay, who lends nothing. You are, moreover, too American to consent -to such a bargain. Do as you please; set fire to the Kingdom; I approve -of everything in advance; but lose no time. I believe that my head is -weak, and that my reason will be gone before the end of the month." - -As for my unfortunate father, I kept from him the facts. To what good to -bring death to his soul, by telling him to what dangers I was exposed? I -wrote to him, as always, the first of the month: that I was well, and I -hoped my letter would find the family well. I added that I was -sojourning in the mountains, that I had discovered the boryana -variabilis and a young Englishwoman more beautiful and richer than the -Princess Ypsoff, of romantic memory. I had not yet been able to inspire -her with love, for the lack of favorable circumstances; but I would -find, perhaps, some occasion when I could render her some great service -or show myself to her in my Uncle Rosenthaler's uniform. But I added -with a feeling of unconquerable sadness: "Who knows but that I may die -a bachelor? Then, it would fall to Frantz or Jean-Nicholas to make a -fortune for the family. My health is better than ever, and my strength -is not yet weakened; but Greece is a traitor which makes short work of -the most vigorous men. If I am condemned to never see Germany again and -to die here, some unexpected death, at the end of my travels and my -work, my last regret would be for my family, and my last thought of -them." - -The King came up just as I was wiping away a tear, and I believe that -this mark of weakness made him lose some of his esteem for me. - -"Come, young man, have courage! The time is not yet come to weep over -yourself. What the devil! One would say that you had been assisting at -your own interment. The English lady has written a letter of eight -pages, and she has not dropped a tear. Go and keep her company for a -little while. She needs entertainment. Ah! if you were a man of my -temper! I swear to you that at your age and in your position, I would -not remain long a prisoner. My ransom would be paid in two days, and I -know full well who would furnish the funds. You are not married?" - -"No." - -"Oh, well! You do not understand? Return to your camping place and make -yourself agreeable. I have furnished you a fine opportunity to get a -fortune. If you do not profit by it, you will be foolish, and if you do -not put me on the list of your benefactors, you will be an ingrate." - -I found Mary-Ann and her mother seated near the cascade. While waiting -for their waiting-maid, which had been promised them, they were -themselves endeavoring to mend their torn habits. The bandits had -furnished them with thread, or rather with twine, and some needles -suitable for sewing sails. From time to time they stopped their work to -look with melancholy gaze upon the houses in Athens. It was hard to see -the city so near, and not to be able to go there except at a cost of a -hundred thousand francs. I asked them how they had slept. The curtness -of their reply, proved to me that they had been discussing our -interview. At this moment, I noticed Mary-Ann's hair; she was -bare-headed, and after washing it at the brook, she had left it to dry -in the sun. I would never have believed that any woman could possess -such a profusion of soft, glossy chestnut hair. It fell in masses over -her shoulders and down her back. But it did not hang in limp strings -like the locks of other women who have just washed them. It fell in -perfect waves, like the surface of a little lake rippled by the wind. I -had never loved anyone and I ought not to have begun by falling in love -with a girl who took me for a thief. But I confess that I wished, at the -price of my life, to save those beautiful tresses from the clutches of -Hadgi-Stavros. I conceived, while sitting there, a plan of escape, -difficult but not impossible. Our apartment (so-called) had two exits, -one upon the King's cabinet, or office; the other, over the precipice. -To escape by the King's cabinet was absurd! It would be necessary to -traverse the camp and pass the second line of defense, guarded by the -dogs. There remained the precipice. In looking over into the abyss I -saw that the rock, almost perpendicular, offered enough sinuous -depression, with tufts of grass, with little saplings, and available -shrubs of all kinds to permit one to descend without breaking one's -neck. What would render flight dangerous on this side, was the cascade. -The brook, which flowed through the place, formed, on the side of the -mountain, a horribly glistening sheet. It would, moreover, be difficult -to keep one's courage, while descending the side of the mountain safely, -with a torrent of water pouring over one's head. But were there no means -of turning the course of the stream? Perhaps. In examining more closely -the place where we had slept, I saw that, without any doubt, the water -had once traversed that spot. Our camping place was, then, only the dry -bed of a torrent. I raised a corner of the carpet which was spread under -our feet, and I discovered a thick sediment, left by the water. It was -possible, that some day or other, an earthquake, so frequent in those -mountains, had broken down an embankment; or a vein of rock, softer than -the others, had given passage to the current, and the mass of waters had -been thrown from its bed. A strip ten feet long and three wide, led to -the side of the mountain. In order to close this sluice, open for many -years, and imprison the waters in their first reservoir, only two hours -work was needed. An hour more would be enough to drain off the water, -and the night wind would soon dry the rocks. Our escape, the way thus -prepared, would not take more than twenty-five minutes. Once at the foot -of the mountain, we would have Athens before us, and the stars would -serve as guides; the paths were detestable, but we would run no risk of -meeting a brigand. When the King would come in the morning to make us a -visit, to inquire how we had passed the night, he would see that we had -passed it, running; and, as one can acquire knowledge at any age, he -would learn, to his sorrow, that one cannot count on one's self, and -that a cascade was a bad guard for prisoners. - -This project seemed to me so marvelous, that I, at once, imparted it to -the ladies. They listened, at first, as prudent conspirators listen to -an irritating agent. The younger woman, however, measured, without a -tremor, the depth of the ravine. "One could do it," she said. "Not -alone, but with the help of a strong arm. Are you strong, Monsieur?" - -I replied, without knowing why: "I shall be, if you will have confidence -in me." These words, to which I attached no particular meaning, seemed, -without doubt, somewhat foolish, for she blushed and turned away her -head. "Monsieur," she replied, "it may be that we have judged you -wrongly; misfortune embitters one. I would willingly believe that you -are a worthy young man." - -She might have been able to find something more agreeable to say; but -she gave me this half compliment in a voice so sweet and a look so -sincere, that I was moved to the depths of my soul. So true is it, that -if the air is pretty, the words of a song do not matter. - -She held out to me her beautiful hand, and I had already put my own out -to take it, when she suddenly withdrew it, and said: "Where will you -get the material for a dike?" - -"Under our feet! the turf!" - -"The water will wash it away." - -"Not under two hours. After us, the deluge!" - -"Good!" This time she gave me her hand and I was about to carry it to my -lips, but she quickly withdrew it again. "We are guarded night and day, -have you thought of that?" - -I had not even thought of it, but I was too well on my way to recoil -before any obstacle. I replied with a resolution which astonished me: -"The Corfuan? I will see to him. I will tie him to a tree." - -"He will cry out." - -"I will kill him." - -"And the arms to do it with?" - -"I will steal them." To steal! to kill! it seemed natural, since I had -almost kissed her hand. Judge then, Monsieur, of what I might be -capable, if ever I fell in love! - -Mrs. Simons listened with a certain kindness, and I believe, approved of -my plan by look and gesture. "My dear Monsieur," she said to me, "your -second plan is better than your first, yes, infinitely better; I would -never consent to pay a ransom, even with the certainty of receiving it -again, immediately. Tell me again then, if you please, what you intend -to do?" - -"I will tell you the whole plan, Madame. I will procure a poniard -to-day. To-night, our brigands will go to sleep early, and they will -sleep soundly. I will rise at ten o'clock, I will bind our guard, I will -gag him, and if necessary, I will kill him. It would not be murder, it -would be an execution; he merits twenty deaths instead of one. At ten -and a half, I will take up fifty square feet of turf, you can carry it -to the edge of the brook, and I will construct the dam; total, one hour -and a half. It will take till midnight. We will labor together to hasten -the work, while the wind will dry off our path. One o'clock will come; I -will take Mademoiselle on my left arm, we will glide carefully to that -crevasse, we will hold ourselves up by those bushes, we will reach the -wild fig-tree, we will stop to rest at that green oak, we will creep -along to that prominence near those red rocks, we will get down to the -ravine, and we shall be free." - -"Good! and I?" - -That "I" fell upon my enthusiasm like a douche of water. One is not wise -in all things, and I had forgotten all about saving Mrs. Simons. -Returning to help her down was not to be thought of. The ascent would be -impossible without a ladder. The good woman noticed my confusion. She -said to me with more pity than spite: "My poor man, you see that -romantic projects always fail at some point. Permit me to hold to my -first idea of waiting for the gendarmerie. I am English, and I have a -confirmed habit of placing my confidence in the law. I know, moreover, -the soldiers of Athens; I have seen them parade in the Palace Square. -They are handsome fellows and quite soldiers, for Greeks. They have long -mustaches and percussion-guns. It is they, pardon me, who will liberate -us." - -The Corfuan's appearance prevented my reply. He brought a maid for the -ladies. She was an Albanian, quite handsome, in spite of her snub nose. -Two brigands, who were returning to the mountains, had forcibly taken -her, as she was walking between her mother and her betrothed, all -dressed in their Sunday clothes. She screamed with such agonizing cries -that it would have pierced a heart of marble, but they consoled her by -telling her that they would not only release her in fifteen days, but -that they would also pay her. She accepted her lot bravely and almost -rejoiced at the misfortune which would increase her dowry. Happy -country, where the wounds of the heart are cured with five franc pieces. -This philosophical servant was not of very great use to Mrs. Simons; of -all the different avenues of work open to her sex, she knew only -farming. As for me, she made life unbearable by the habit she had of -nibbling at a clove of garlic, as a dainty bit, and through coquetry, as -the ladies of Hamburg amuse themselves devouring bonbons. - -The day passed without incident. The next day seemed to all of us -interminably long. - -The Corfuan left us not an instant alone. Mary-Ann and her mother -searched the horizon for the soldiers, but saw nothing. I, who am -accustomed to active life, fretted at the inactivity. I could have had -the range of mountains to add to my herbarium, under guard; but a -certain feeling, I knew not what, held me near the ladies. During the -night, I slept little; my plan of escape obstinately haunted me. I had -noticed the place where the Corfuan laid his dagger before going to -sleep; but I would have considered it treachery to have saved myself -without Mary-Ann. - -Saturday morning, between five and six o'clock, an unusual noise drew me -towards the King's cabinet. My toilet was quickly made; I went to bed -fully dressed. - -Hadgi-Stavros, standing in the midst of his band, was presiding at a -noisy council. All the brigands were upon the war path, armed to the -teeth. Ten or a dozen coffers which I had not seen before had been piled -on some wagon-frames. I divined that they contained the baggage and that -our captors were preparing to leave camp. The Corfuan, Vasile, and -Sophocles were contesting something at the top of their voices, and all -talking together. One could hear from a distance the barking of the -outside guards. A courier, in tatters, ran toward the King, crying: "The -gendarmes!" - - - - -V. - -THE GENDARMES. - - -The King appeared to be little troubled. His eyebrows were, however, -drawn a little nearer together than was usual, and the wrinkles on his -forehead formed an acute angle between his eyes. He asked the courier: - -"Where are they?" - -"Near Castia." - -"How many companies?" - -"One." - -"Whose?" - -"I do not know." - -"Wait!" - -A second messenger was seen running toward the King. Hadgi-Stavros cried -out to him: "Is it Pericles' company?" - -"I do not know; I did not see their number." A shot was heard at a -distance. "Listen!" commanded the King, taking out his watch. The men -were silent. Four shots followed, a minute apart. The last one was -followed by a thundering detonation which resembled platoon-firing. The -King, with a smile, put his watch back in his pocket. - -"It is all right! Return the baggage to the storeroom, and serve me with -wine of Aegina; it is Pericles' company." - -He saw me just as he finished the sentence. He called to me, in a -jeering tone: - -"Come, Monsieur German, you are not _de trop_. It is well to rise early; -one sees curious things. Your thirst has awakened you! Will you drink a -glass of wine of Aegina with our brave gendarmes?" - -Five minutes later three enormous goat-skin bottles were brought from -some secret hiding place. A sentinel approached the King. - -"Good news! They are Pericles' men!" - -A few of the bandits were in advance of the troops. The Corfuan, a fine -talker, skipped along by the Captain's side, his tongue running. A drum -was heard; then a blue flag was seen, and sixty men, fully armed, -marched in double file to the King's Cabinet. I recognized M. Pericles, -because I had admired him on the promenade at Athens. He was a young -officer of thirty-five, dark, a coxcomb, admired by the ladies, the best -waltzer at Court, and wearing his epaulets with grace. He put up his -sword, ran to the King of the Mountains, who kissed him on the mouth, -saying, "Good morning, godfather!" - -"Good morning, little one," the King replied, caressing his cheek with -his hand. "Thou art well?" - -"Yes. And thou?" - -"As thou seest. And thy family?" - -"My uncle, the Bishop, has a fever." - -"Bring him here, I will cure him. The Prefect of Police is better?" - -"A little; he sends his kind regards; the Minister also." - -"What is new?" - -"A ball at the Palace on the 15th. It is decided; the 'Siecle' publishes -it!" - -"Thou dancest, then, all the time? And what about the Bourse?" - -"There is a general fall in stocks." - -"Good! hast thou letters for me?" - -"Yes; here they are. Photini's was not ready. She will send it by the -post." - -"A glass of wine: ... Thy health, little one!" - -"God bless thee, godfather! Who is this Frank who is listening to us?" - -"Nothing! A German of no consequence. Thou hast not news for us?" - -"The paymaster-general sends 20,000 francs to Argos. They will pass by -the Sciromian Rocks to-morrow night." - -"I will be there. Will a large band be necessary?" - -"Yes! the coffer is guarded by two companies." - -"Good or bad?" - -"Detestable! Men who are dead shots." - -"I will take all my band. In my absence thou wilt guard our prisoners?" - -"With pleasure. Apropos, I have the most rigid orders. Thy English -prisoners have written to their Ambassador. They have called the entire -army to their aid." - -"And it is I who furnished them the paper!" - -"It is necessary, in consequence, that I write my report. I will recount -a bloody battle." - -"We will write it out together." - -"Yes. This time, godfather, I must be the victor." - -"No!" - -"Yes! I wish to be decorated." - -"Thou shalt be, some other time. What an insatiable! It is only a year -since I made thee Captain." - -"But understand, dear godfather, that it is for thy interest to be -conquered. When the world shall learn that thy band is dispersed, -confidence will be restored, travelers will again pour into the country -and thou wilt make thy fortune." - -"Yes, but if I am conquered the Bourse will send up stocks, and I am -speculating on a fall." - -"That is another affair! At least, let me kill a dozen men!" - -"So be it! That will harm no one. On my side I must kill ten." - -"How! One will see on our return that our company is full." - -"Not so! Thou shalt leave them here; I need recruits." - -"In that case, I recommend to thee little Spiro, my adjutant. He is a -graduate of the military school, he has been well instructed and is -intelligent. The poor boy gets only 78 francs a month, and his parents -are not very well satisfied. If he remains in the army he will not -become a sub-lieutenant under five or six years; the staffs are -complete. But let him make himself remarked in thy troop; they will -offer to bribe him, and he would have his nomination in six months." - -"Good for the little Spiro! Does he speak French?" - -"Passably." - -"I will keep him, perhaps. If he does well for me, I will include him in -the enterprise; he might be a stockholder. Thou wilt receive our account -rendered for the year. I give 82 per cent." - -"Bravo! my eight shares will bring me more than my Captain's pay. Ah! -godfather, what career is mine?" - -"What dost thou risk? Thou couldst be a brigand, but for thy mother's -notions. She has always pretended that thou hast lacked a vocation. To -thy health! And to yours, M. German! I present to you my godson, Captain -Pericles, a charming young man who knows many languages, and who will -replace me during my absence. My dear Pericles, I present to thee -Monsieur, who is a doctor and is valued at fifteen thousand francs. -Canst thou believe that this tall doctor, all doctor as he is, has not -yet found out how to pay his ransom through our English captives. The -world has degenerated, little one: it was better in my day." - -Thereupon, he nimbly rose and hastened to give some orders for -departure. Was it the pleasure of entering on a campaign, or the joy of -seeing his godson? He seemed rejuvenated; he was twenty years younger, -he laughed, he jested, he shook off his royal dignity. I would never -have supposed that the only event capable of cheering a brigand would be -the arrival of the gendarmerie. Sophocles, Vasile, the Corfuan and the -other chiefs carried the King's orders through the camp. Every one was -soon ready to depart, owing to the morning's activity. The young -adjutant, Spiro, and the nine men chosen from among the gendarmes -exchanged their uniforms for the picturesque dress of the bandits. This -was a veritable lightning-change; the Minister of War, if he had been -there, would have almost been unable to have told how it was done. The -newly-made brigands seemed to feel no regret for their former -employment. The only ones who murmured were those who remained under the -old flag. Two or three veterans loudly complained that the selection had -not been well made, and that no account had been taken of seniority. A -few old soldiers vaunted their exploits and laid claim to having served -the required time in brigandage. The Captain soothed them as best he -could, and promised them that their turn should come. - -Hadgi-Stavros, before departing, gave all his keys to his -representative. He showed him the grotto where the wine was kept, in the -cave in which was the flour, the cheese packed in a crevice, and the -trunk of a tree in which was kept the coffee. He instructed him in every -precaution which was to be taken to prevent our escape and to keep -possession of so splendid a sum. The handsome Pericles smilingly -replied: "What dost thou fear? I am a stockholder." - -At seven o'clock in the morning the King put himself at the head of his -band, and the men marched forth in single file. They marched toward the -north, keeping their backs to the Sciromian Rocks. They made a long -detour, by a path which was easy, to the bottom of the ravine which was -below our camping place. The bandits sang at the top of their voices -while wading through the brook formed by the waters of the cascade as -they fell into the ravine. The war-song was a story of Hadgi-Stavros' -youth, consisting of four verses: - - "The Clephte aux yeux noirs descend dans les plaines; - Sonfusil dore----" - -"You ought to know it; the little Athenian lads sing nothing else on the -way to Catechism." - -Mrs. Simons, who slept near her daughter, and who was always dreaming of -the gendarmes, jumped up and ran to the window, that is to say, the -cascade. She was cruelly disappointed in seeing enemies, when she -expected to find saviors. She recognized the King, the Corfuan, and -several others. What was the most astonishing thing to her was the -formidable appearance and numbers of this morning expedition. She -counted sixty men following Hadgi-Stavros. "Sixty," she thought; "there -only remains twenty, then, to guard us?" The idea of escape, which she -had scorned the night before, now presented itself to her with some -favor. In the midst of these reflections she saw the rear-guard appear, -and which she had not counted. Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, -twenty men! Then there was no one left in the camp! "We are free! -Mary-Ann," she cried. The men still filed past. The band itself -consisted of eighty men; ninety marched by; a dozen dogs came behind, -but she took no trouble to count them. - -Mary-Ann arose at her mother's call and came quickly from the tent. - -"Free!" cried Mrs. Simons. "They have all left, What did I say? all! -Even a larger number has gone than was here. Let us hasten away, my -daughter!" - -She hurried to the top of the staircase and saw the King's camp occupied -by the soldiers. The Greek flag floated triumphantly at the summit of -the pine tree. Hadgi-Stavros' place was occupied by M. Pericles. Mrs. -Simons threw herself into his arms in such a transport that he had hard -work to free himself from her embrace. - -"Angel of God!" she said to him, "the brigands have gone." - -The Captain replied in English: "Yes, Madame." - -"You have put them to flight?" - -"It is true, Madame, that but for us they would still be here." - -"Excellent young man! The battle must have been terrible!" - -"Not so! a battle without tears. I had only to say a word." - -"And we are free?" - -"Assuredly!" - -"We may return to Athens?" - -"When it pleases you." - -"Oh, well! let us depart at once." - -"Impossible, for the moment." - -"What would we do here?" - -"Our duty to our conquerors; we will guard the battle ground." - -"Mary-Ann, give thy hand to Monsieur." - -The young English girl obeyed. - -"Monsieur," said Mrs. Simons, "it is God who sends you here. We had -lost all hope. Our only protector was a young German of the middle -class, a savant who gathers herbs and who wished to save us by the most -preposterous means. At last, you have come! I was sure that we would be -delivered by the gendarmerie. Is it not so, Mary-Ann?" - -"Yes, Mamma." - -"Know, Monsieur, that these bandits are the vilest of men. They began by -taking everything from us." - -"All?" asked the Captain. - -"All, except my watch, which I took the precaution to hide." - -"You did well, Madame. And they kept all that they took from you?" - -"No, they returned three hundred francs, a silver traveling case and my -daughter's watch." - -"These things are still in your possession?" - -"Certainly." - -"They did not take from you your rings and your ear-rings?" - -"No, Monsieur le Capitaine." - -"Will you be good enough to give them to me?" - -"Give you what?" - -"Your rings, your ear-rings, the silver traveling case, two watches and -the sum of three hundred francs." - -Mrs. Simons cried out: "What! Monsieur, you would take from us the -articles the bandits returned to us?" - -The Captain replied with dignity: "Madame, I must do my duty." - -"Your duty is to despoil us?" - -"My duty is to collect all the articles for necessary conviction in the -trial of Hadgi-Stavros." - -"He will then be tried?" - -"Since we have taken him." - -"It seems to me that our jewels and our money would serve nothing, and -that you have sufficient testimony to hang him. First of all, he -captured two Englishwomen; what more is necessary?" - -"It is necessary, Madame, that the forms of justice be observed." - -"But, dear sir, among the articles which you demand there are some which -I prize highly." - -"The more reason, Madame, to confide them to my care." - -"But if I had no watch I should never----" - -"Madame, it will always give me pleasure to tell you the hour." - -Mary-Ann observed in her turn that it was disagreeable to her to be -obliged to give up her ear-rings. - -"Mademoiselle," the gallant Captain replied, "you are beautiful enough -not to need jewels. You can do better without gems than your gems can do -without you." - -"You are very good, Monsieur, but my silver dressing case or necessaire -is an indispensable article. What one calls a necessaire is a thing with -which one cannot dispense." - -"You are a thousand times right, Mademoiselle. So I beg of you not to -insist upon that point. Do not add to the regret with which I have -already legally despoiled two so distinguished persons. Alas! -Mademoiselle, we military men, we are the slaves of orders, instruments -of the law, men of duty. Deign to accept my arm, I will do myself the -honor of conducting you to your tent. There, we will proceed to the -inventory, if you will be good enough to permit it." - -I lost not one word of this conversation, and I kept silent to the end; -but when I saw this rascal of an officer offer his arm to Mary-Ann in -order to politely plunder her, I became enraged, and I marched up to him -to tell him what I thought of him. He must have read in my eyes the -exordium of my discourse, because he threw a menacing look at me, left -the ladies at the staircase of their chamber, placed a sentinel there, -and returned to me, saying: - -"Between us two!" - -He drew me, without adding a word, to the rear of the King's cabinet. -There, he seated himself before me, looked me straight in the eyes, and -said: - -"Monsieur, you understand English?" - -I confessed my knowledge. He added: - -"You know Greek, also?" - -"Yes, Monsieur." - -"Then, you are too learned. Do you understand my godfather, who amuses -himself recounting our affairs before you? That is of no importance to -him; he has nothing to hide; he is King, he is responsible to no one but -himself. As for me, what the devil! put yourself in my place. My -position is delicate, and I have many affairs to manage. I am not rich; -I have only my pay, the esteem of my chiefs, and the friendship of the -brigands. A traveler's indiscretion might cost me my promotions." - -"And you count on the fact that I will keep your infamies secret?" - -"When I count on anything, Monsieur, my confidence is rarely misplaced. -I do not know that you will leave these mountains alive, and yet your -ransom may never be paid. If my godfather would cut off your head, I -should be satisfied you would not talk. If, on the contrary, you should -return to Athens, I counsel you, as a friend, to keep silent about what -you have seen. Imitate the discretion of the late Madame la Duchesse de -Plaisance, who was taken captive by Bibichi and who died ten years later -without having related to any one the details of her captivity. Do you -know a proverb which runs: "The tongue cuts off the head?" Meditate -seriously upon it, and do not put yourself in a place to exactly verify -it." - -"The menace----" - -"I do not menace you, Monsieur, I am a man too well brought up to resort -to threats, I warn you! If you should gossip, it is not I who would -avenge myself. All the men in my company adore their Captain. They are -even more warmly interested in my interests than I am myself; they would -be pitiless, to my great regret, to any indiscreet person who had caused -me any trouble." - -"What do you fear, if you have so many accomplices?" - -"I fear nothing from the Greeks, and, in ordinary times, I should insist -less strongly on my orders. We have, among our chiefs, some fanatics -who think that we ought to treat bandits like Turks; but I have also -found some who are on the right side, in case it came to an internecine -struggle. The misfortune is that the diplomats would interfere, and the -presence of a stranger would, without doubt, injure my cause. If any -misfortune happens to me through you, do you see, Monsieur, to what you -would be exposed? One cannot take four steps in the kingdom without -meeting a gendarme. The road from Athens to Piraeus is under the -vigilance of these quarrelsome persons, and accidents frequently occur." - -"It is well, Monsieur; I will reflect upon it." - -"And will keep the secret?" - -"You have nothing to ask of me and I have nothing to promise. You have -advised me of the danger of being indiscreet. I accept the advice and I -will refrain from speaking of it." - -"When you return to Germany, you may tell whatever you please. Speak, -write, publish; it is of no importance. The works published against us -do no harm to any one, unless, perhaps, to their authors. You are free -to relate the adventure. If you paint, faithfully, what you have seen -the good people of Europe will accuse you of traducing an illustrious -and oppressed people. Our friends, and we have many among men of sixty, -will tax you with levity, caprice, and even of ingratitude. They will -recall that you have been the guest of Hadgi-Stavros and mine; they will -reproach you with having broken the holy laws of hospitality. But the -most pleasing thing of the whole will be, that no one will believe you. -The public will place no confidence in seeming lies. Try to persuade the -cockneys of Paris, of London, of Berlin, that you have seen a Captain of -the standing army, embraced by a chief of banditti. A company of choice -troops acting as guards to Hadgi-Stavros' prisoners, in order to give -him the opportunity of capturing the army coffers! The highest State -functionaries founding a stock company for the purpose of plundering -travelers! As well tell them that the mice of Attica have formed an -alliance with the cats, and that our sheep take their food from the -wolves' mouths! Do you know what protects us against the displeasure of -Europe? It is the improbability of our civilization. Happily for the -kingdom, everything which will be written against us will be too -unnatural to be believed. I can cite to you a little book, which is not -in praise of us, although it is accurate from beginning to end. It has -been read, somewhat, everywhere; in Paris they found it curious, but I -know of only one city where it seemed true! Athens! I do not prevent you -from adding a second volume, but wait until away; if not, there possibly -might be a drop of blood on the last page." - -"But," I answered, "if I should commit an indiscretion before my -departure, how could you know that I was to blame?" - -"You, alone, are in my secret. The Englishwomen are persuaded that I -have delivered them from Hadgi-Stavros. I charge myself with keeping up -the delusion until the King's return. It will be for only two days, -three at the most. We are forty kilometres from the Scironian Rocks; -our friend will reach there in the night. They will make the attack -to-morrow evening, and conquerors or conquered, they will be here Monday -morning. We can prove to the prisoners that the brigands surprised us. -While my godfather is absent, I will protect you against yourself by -keeping you away from these ladies. I will borrow your tent. You ought -to see, Monsieur, that I have a more delicate skin than this worthy -Hadgi-Stavros, and that I ought not to expose my complexion to the -changes of temperature! What would be said, on the 15th, at the Court -Ball if I presented myself brown as a peasant? I must, moreover, give -those poor captives the benefit of my society; it is my duty as their -liberator. As for you, you will sleep here in the midst of my soldiers. -Permit me to give an order, which concerns you. Ianni! Brigadier Ianni! -I confide Monsieur to thy care! Place around him four guards, who will -watch him night and day, accompany him everywhere, fully armed. Thou -wilt relieve them every two hours. Forward!" - -He saluted me with ironical politeness, and humming a tune, descended -Mrs. Simons' staircase. The sentinel shouldered arms. - -From that instant there began for me a purgatory of which the human mind -can have little conception. Everyone knows or guesses what a prison -would be; but try to imagine a living and moving prison, the four walls -of which come and go, recede and approach, turn and return, rubbing -hands, scratching, blowing noses, shaking, floundering about, and -obstinately fixing eight great black eyes upon the prisoner. I tried to -walk; my prison of eight feet regulated the step to mine. I went toward -the front of the camp; the two men who preceded me stopped short, I -bumped into them. This incident explained to me an inscription which I -had often seen, without understanding it, in the neighborhood of camps: -"Limit of Garrison" I turned around; my four walls turned like the -scenes in a theater where a change of view is required. At last, tired -of this way of promenading, I sat down. My prison seated itself around -me; I resembled an intoxicated man who sees his house turn. I closed my -eyes; the measured step of the sentinels wearied my brain. At least, I -thought if these four soldiers would but speak to me! I spoke to them in -Greek; it was a seductive agent which had never failed me with -sentinels. It was clear loss of time. The walls had, possibly, ears, but -the use of the voice was denied them; no one spoke under arms; I -attempted bribery. I drew from my pocket the money which Hadgi-Stavros -had returned and which the Captain had forgotten to take from me. I -distributed it to the four cardinal points of my lodge. The somber and -frowning walls changed to a smiling front, and my prison was illumined -as with a ray of sunlight. But five minutes later the Brigadier relieved -the guards; it was just two hours that I had been a prisoner! The day -seemed long! the night, eternal! The Captain had already taken -possession of my tent and my bed, and the rock which served me for a -resting place was not as soft as feather. A fine penetrating rain -cruelly convinced me that a roof was a fine invention; and that thatches -rendered a true service to society. If at times, in spite of my -unpleasant surroundings, I dropped off to sleep, I was almost always -awakened by the Brigadier Ianni, who ordered a change of guards. -Finally, what shall I say? At night and in dreams I saw Mary-Ann and her -respectable mother in the hands of their liberator. Ah! Monsieur, how I -began to render justice to the good old King of the Mountains! How I -retracted all the maledictions which I had hurled against him! How I -regretted his kind and paternal government! How I sighed for his return! -How warmly did I breathe his name in my prayers! "My God!" I cried with -fervor, "give the victory to thy servant, Hadgi-Stavros! Make every -soldier in the kingdom fall beneath his hand! Bring to his hands the -coffer, and even to the last ecus of that infernal army! And let the -bandits return, that we may be delivered from the hands of the -soldiers!" - -As I finished this prayer, a well-sustained fire was heard in the midst -of the camp. This occurred many times during the day and following -night. It was only a trick of M. Pericles. In order the better to -deceive Mrs. Simons and to persuade her that he was defending her -against an army of bandits, he had ordered that volleys should be fired -from time to time. - -This pretty conceit came near costing him dear. When the brigands -arrived in camp, at dawn, on Monday morning, they believed that a fight -was going on with a true enemy, and they began to fire some balls, -which, unfortunately, touched no one. - -I had never seen a defeated army when I assisted at the return of the -King of the Mountains. The sight had, for me, all the novelty of a -first experience. Heaven had listened unfavorably to my prayers. The -Greek soldiers had defended themselves with so much ardor that the -engagement was prolonged till night. Formed in a square around the two -mules which carried the treasure, they had, at first, returned a regular -fire upon Hadgi-Stavros' sharp-shooters. The old Palikar, despairing of -killing one by one, a hundred and twenty men who would not give an inch, -attacked them with bare blades. His men assured us that he had performed -marvels, and the blood with which he was covered testified to it. But -the bayonet had had the last word; in other words, had won the day. The -troops had killed forty brigands, of which one was a dog. A regulation -bullet had arrested the advancement of young Spiro, that young officer -with so brilliant a future. I saw march in sixty men, overcome with -fatigue, dusty, bloody, bruised, and wounded. Sophocles had been shot in -the shoulder; the men were carrying him. The Corfuan and a few others -had been left on the road, some with the shepherds, some in a village, -and others on the bare rocks beside the path. - -The band was sad and discouraged. Sophocles howled with grief. I heard -some murmurs against the King's imprudence, who had exposed the lives of -his men for a miserable sum, instead of peaceably plundering rich and -careless travelers. - -The strongest, the freshest, the most content, the gayest of the lot was -the King. His face expressed the proud satisfaction of a duty -accomplished. He recognized me at once in the midst of my four men, and -cordially held out his hand to me. "Dear prisoner," he said, "you see a -badly treated King. Those dogs of soldiers would not give up the -treasure. It was their money; my trip to the Scironian Rocks brought me -nothing, and I have lost forty men, without counting some wounded who -cannot live. But no matter! I am well beaten. There were too many of -those rascals for us, and they had bayonets. Without which----. Come! -this day has rejuvenated me. I have proved to myself that I still have -blood in my veins!" - -And he hummed the first verse of his favorite song: "Un Clephte aux -yeux, noirs----" He added: "By Jupiter (as Lord Byron said), I would not -for twenty thousand francs have remained quietly at home since Saturday. -That can still be put into my history. It can be said that, at more than -sixty years of age, I fought with bare sabre in the midst of bayonets; -that I killed three or four soldiers with my own hand, and that I -marched ten leagues in the mountains in order to return in time to take -my cup of coffee. Cafedgi, my child, do thy duty! I have done mine. But -where the devil is Pericles?" - -The charming Captain was still resting in his tent. Ianni hurried away -to bring him forth, half asleep, his mustache uncurled, his head -carefully tied up in a handkerchief. I know of nothing which will so -thoroughly awaken a man as a glass of cold water or bad news. When M. -Pericles learned that the little Spiro and two other soldiers had been -left behind, it was truly another defeat. He pulled off his -handkerchief, and but for the respect he had for his person he would -have torn his hair. - -"This will do for me," he cried. "How explain their presence among you? -and in bandit dress, too! They will be recognized! The others are -masters of the battle ground. Shall I say that they deserted in order to -join you? That you made them prisoners? The question will be asked why I -said nothing about it. I have waited for thy coming to make my final -report. I wrote last evening that I had thee almost surrounded on -Parnassus, and that all our men were admirable. Holy Virgin! I shall not -dare to show myself Sunday at Patissia! What will be said the 15th at -the Court Ball? The whole diplomatic corps will talk me over. They will -convene the council. Will I yet be invited?" - -"To the council?" asked the bandit. - -"No; to the Court Ball!" - -"Dancer! Go!" - -"My God! my God! who knows what will be done? If the only trouble was -about these Englishwomen, I would not worry myself. I would confess -everything to the Minister of War. These English! That was enough! But -to lend my soldiers to attack the army box! To send Spiro into the -engagement! They will point the finger at me; I shall never dance -again!" - -Who was it who rubbed his hands in glee during this monologue? It was -the son of my father, surrounded by his four soldiers! - -Hadgi-Stavros, quietly seated, enjoyed his coffee in little sips. He -said to his godson: "Thou seemest much troubled! Remain with us. I -assure thee a minimum of ten thousand francs a year, and I will enroll -thy men. We will take our revenge together." - -The offer was alluring. Two days before it would have received much -approval. And even now it caused a faint smile among the soldiers, none -from the Captain. The soldiers said nothing; they looked at their old -comrades; they eyed Sophocles' wound; they thought of the deaths of the -night before, and they turned wistful faces toward Athens, as if they -could inhale the, to them, sweet odor of the barracks. - -As for M. Pericles, he replied with visible embarrassment: - -"I thank thee, but I would need to reflect. My habits are those of a -city; I am delicate in health; the winters are rigorous in the -mountains; I have already taken cold. My absence would be noticed at all -assemblies; I would be searched for everywhere; fine marriages are often -proposed to me. Moreover, the trouble is not so great as we believe it. -Who knows whether the three unfortunates will be recognized? Will news -of the event arrive before we do? I will go at once to the Ministry; I -will find out how matters stand. No one will come to contradict me, -since the two companies have kept on their march to Argos.... Decidedly, -I must be there; I must face the music. Care for the wounded.... Adieu!" - -He made a sign to his drummer. - -Hadgi-Stavros rose, came and placed himself in front of me with his -godson, whom he dominated by a head, and said to me: "Monsieur, behold a -Greek of to-day! I! I am a Greek of former days! And the papers pretend -that we have progressed!" - -At the roll of the drum the walls of my prison fell away like the -ramparts of Jericho! Two minutes afterward I was before Mary-Ann's tent. -Mother and daughter hastily arose. Mrs. Simons perceived me first, and -cried out to me: - -"Oh, well! are we to start?" - -"Alas! Madame, we are not there." - -"Where are we then? The Captain gave us word for this morning." - -"How did you find the Captain?" - -"Gallant, elegant, charming! A little too much the slave of discipline; -it was his only fault." - -"Coxcomb and scamp, coward and bully, liar and thief; those are his true -names, and I will prove it to you." - -"Come, Monsieur; what have the soldiers done to you?" - -"What have they done to me, Madame? Deign to come with me only to the -top of the staircase." - -Mrs. Simons arrived there just in time to see the soldiers defile past, -the drummer at the head, the bandits again installed in their places, -the Captain and the King mouth to mouth, giving the last good-bye kiss. -The surprise was a little too much. I had not been sufficiently -considerate of the good woman, and I was punished for it, because she -fainted dead away and nearly broke my arms as I caught her. I carried -her to the brook; Mary-Ann rubbed and slapped her hands; I threw a -handful of water in her face. But I believe that it was fury which -revived her. - -"Miserable wretch!" she cried. - -"He has plundered you, is it not true? Stole your watches, your money?" - -"I do not regret my jewels; he may keep them! But I would give ten -thousand francs to get back the handshakes I have given him. I am -English, and I do not clasp hands with every one!" This regret of Mrs. -Simons drew from me a heavy sigh. She let fall upon me all the weight of -her anger. "It is your fault," she said. "Could you not have warned me? -It was only necessary to tell me that the brigands were saints in -comparison!" - -"But, Madame, I advised you that you must put no faith in the soldiers." - -"You told me so; but you said it softly, slowly, coldly. Could I believe -you? Could I divine that this man was only Stavros' jailer? That he -remained here to give the bandits time to get back? That he frightened -us with imaginary dangers? That he claimed to have been besieged in -order to have us admire him? That he simulated the night attacks to make -it appear that he was defending us? I see all now, but tell us if you -have nothing to say?" - -"My God! Madame, I told all I knew; I did what I could!" - -"But, German, who are you? In your place an Englishman would have -sacrificed his life for us, and I would have given him my daughter's -hand!" - -Wild poppies are very scarlet, but I was more than that when I heard -Mrs. Simons' speech. I was so troubled that I dared not raise my eyes, -nor respond; neither did I ask the good woman what she meant by her -words. Because, in a word, why should a person as harsh as she had shown -herself to be, use such language before her daughter and before me? By -what door had this idea of marriage entered her mind? Was Mrs. Simons -truly a woman to award her daughter, as an honest recompense, to the -first liberator? There were no signs of it. Was it not rather a cruel -irony addressed to my most secret thoughts? - -When I examined myself I ascertained, with legitimate pride, the -innocent warmth of all my sentiments. I render this justice to myself, -that the fire of passion had not raised a degree the temperature of my -heart. At each instant of the day, in order to test myself, I occupied -myself with thinking of Mary-Ann. I built castles in Spain, of which she -was the mistress. I planned romances, of which she was the heroine and I -the hero. I thought of the most absurd things. I imagined events as -improbable as the history of the Princess Ypsoff and Lieutenant -Reynauld. I even went so far as to see the pretty English girl seated at -my right on the back seat of a post-chaise, with her beautiful arm -around my long neck. All these flattering suppositions, which should -have agitated deeply a soul less philosophical than mine, did not -disturb my serenity. I did not experience the alternatives of fear and -hope which are the symptoms of love. Never, no, never, have I felt those -great convulsions of the heart which are recorded in romances. Then I -did not love Mary-Ann. I was a man without reproach. I could walk with -uplifted head. But Mrs. Simons, who had not read my thoughts, was -perfectly capable of deceiving herself as to the nature of my devotion. -Who knows whether she did not suspect me of being in love with her -daughter; whether she had not misinterpreted my trouble and my timidity; -whether she had not let slip the word marriage, in order to force me to -betray myself. My pride revolted against so unjust a suspicion, and I -replied in a firm tone, without looking her in the face: - -"Madame, if I was sufficiently fortunate to rescue you from here, I -swear to you that it would not be in order to marry your daughter." - -"And why, then?" she asked, in a tone of pique. "Is it because my -daughter is not good enough for one to marry? I find you agreeable, -truly! Is she not pretty enough, or of a good enough family? Have I -brought her up improperly? Is she not a good match? To marry Miss -Simons, my dear sir! it is a beautiful dream! and most difficult to be -gratified!" - -"Alas! Madame," I replied, "you have seriously misunderstood me. I -confess that Mademoiselle is perfect, and, if her presence did not make -me timid, I would tell you what passionate admiration she inspired in me -the first day. It is precisely for that reason that I have not the -impertinence to think that any chance could raise me to her level!" - -I hoped that my humility would touch this dreadful mother. But her anger -was not in the least appeased. - -"Why?" she cried. "Why are you not worthy of my daughter? Answer me, -then!" - -"But, Madame, I have neither fortune nor position." - -"A fine affair! no position! You would have one, Monsieur, if you -married my daughter. To be my son-in-law, is not that a position? You -have no fortune! Have we ever asked money of you? Have we not enough for -ourselves, for you, and for many others? Moreover, the man who would -rescue us from here, would he not receive a present of a hundred -thousand francs? It is a small sum, I confess, but it is something. Will -you say that a hundred thousand francs is a miserable sum? Then, why are -you not worthy to marry my daughter?" - -"Madame, I am not----" - -"Come! What is it you are not? You are not English?" - -"Oh! by no means!" - -"Eh! well! you cannot believe that we are foolish enough to make a crime -of your birth? Eh! Monsieur, I know very well that it is not permitted -to all the world to be English! The entire earth cannot be English--at -least, not for many years. But one may be an honest man and a learned -man without having really been born in England." - -"As for integrity, Madame, it is a virtue which we transmit from father -to son. As for intelligence, I have just enough to be a doctor. But, -unfortunately, I have no illusions in regard to my physical defects, -and----" - -"You wish to say that you are ugly? No, Monsieur, you are not ugly. You -have an intelligent face. Mary-Ann, is not Monsieur's face intelligent?" - -"Yes, mamma!" Mary-Ann replied. If she blushed as she answered her -mother saw it better than I, for my eyes were fixed obstinately on the -ground. - -"Monsieur," added Mrs. Simons, "were you ten times uglier, you would not -then be as ugly as my late husband. And, more than that, I beg you to -believe that I was as pretty as my daughter the day I gave him my hand. -What have you to say to that?" - -"Nothing, Madame, except that you confuse me, and that it will not be my -fault if you are not on the road to Athens to-morrow." - -"What do you count on doing? This time try to find a means less -ridiculous than that the other day!" - -"I hope to satisfy you if you will listen to me to the end." - -"Yes, Monsieur." - -"Without interrupting me?" - -"I will not interrupt you. Have I ever interrupted you?" - -"Yes!" - -"No!" - -"Yes!" - -"When?" - -"Always! Madame, Hadgi-Stavros has all his funds invested in the firm of -Barley & Company." - -"With our firm?" - -"No. 31 Cavendish Square, London. Last Wednesday he dictated, in our -presence, a business letter to Mr. Barley." - -"And you never told me before?" - -"You would never give me the opportunity." - -"But this is monstrous! Your conduct is inexplicable! We could have been -at liberty six days ago! I will go straight to him; I will tell him our -relations----" - -"And he will demand of you two or three hundred thousand francs! Believe -me, Madame, the best way is to say nothing to him. Pay your ransom; make -him give you a receipt, and in fifteen days send to him a statement, -with the following note: 'Item, 100,000 francs paid, personally, by Mrs. -Simons, our partner, as per receipt!' In this way you will get back your -money, without the aid of the soldiers. Is it clear?" - -I raised my eyes and saw the pretty smile which broke over Mary-Ann's -face as she saw through the plot. Mrs. Simons angrily shrugged her -shoulders, and seemed moved only by ill-humor. - -"Truly," she said to me, "you are a wonderful man! You proposed to us an -acrobatic escape when we had such simple means at our command! And you -have known it since Wednesday morning! I will never pardon you for not -having told me the first day." - -"But, Madame, will you not remember that I begged you to write to -Monsieur, your brother, to send you a hundred and fifteen thousand -francs?" - -"Why a hundred and fifteen?" - -"I mean to say a hundred thousand." - -"No! a hundred and fifteen. That is right! Are you sure that this -Stavros will not keep us here when he has received the money?" - -"I will answer for it. The bandits are the only Greeks who never break -their word. Do you not understand that if it happened once that they -kept prisoners after having received the ransom, no one would ever pay -one again?" - -"That is true! But what a queer German you are, not to have spoken -sooner." - -"You always cut me short." - -"You ought to have spoken even then!" - -"But, Madame----" - -"Silence! Lead me to this detestable Stavros." - -The King was breakfasting on roast turtles, seated with his unwounded -officers under his tree of justice. He had made his toilet; he had -washed the blood from his hands and changed his clothes. He was -discussing, with his men, the most expeditious means of filling the -vacancies made by death in his ranks. Vasile, who was from Javina, -offered to find thirty men in Epinus, where the watchfulness of the -Turkish authorities had put more than a thousand bandits in retreat. A -Laconian wished that they might get for ready money the little band -belonging to Spartiate Pavlos, who had improved the province of Mague, -in the neighborhood of Calamato. The King, always imbued with English -ideas, thought of forced recruiting, and of pressing into service the -Attic shepherds. This plan seemed to him to possess superior advantages, -as it would require no outlay of funds and he would obtain the herds -into the bargain. - -Interrupted in the midst of his deliberations, Hadgi-Stavros gave his -prisoners a cool reception. He did not offer even a glass of water to -Mrs. Simons, and she had not yet breakfasted; she fully realized the -omission of this courtesy. I took upon myself the part of speaker, and, -in the Corfuan's absence, the King was forced to accept my services as -intermediary. I said to him that after the disaster of the evening -before he would be glad to learn Mrs. Simons' decision; that she would -pay, with the briefest delay possible, her ransom and mine; that the -funds would be turned over the next day, either to a banker in Athens, -or to some other place which he would designate, in exchange for his -receipt. - -"I am much pleased," he said, "that these ladies have renounced the idea -of calling the Greek army to their aid. Tell them that, for the second -time, anything necessary for writing will be furnished them; but that -they must not abuse my confidence! That they must not draw the soldiers -here! At the sight of the very first soldier who appears on the -mountain, I will cut off their heads. I swear it by the Virgin of the -Megaspilion, who was carved by Saint Luke's own hand." - -"Do not doubt! I give my word for these ladies and myself. Where do you -wish to have the sum left?" - -"At the National Bank of Greece. It is the only one which has not yet -gone into bankruptcy." - -"Have you a safe man to carry the letter?" - -"I have the good old man! I will send to the convent for him. What time -is it? Nine o'clock in the morning. The reverend gentleman has not yet -drunk enough to become tipsy." - -"The monk will do. When Mrs. Simons' brother has turned over the sum and -taken your receipt, the monk will bring you the news." - -"What receipt? Why a receipt? I have never given any. When you are at -liberty you will readily see that you have paid me what you owe me." - -"I think that a man like you ought to transact business according to -European methods. In a good administration----" - -"I transact business in my own way, and I am too old to change my -methods!" - -"As you please! I ask it in the interest of Mrs. Simons. She is guardian -of her minor daughter, and she must render account of her whole -fortune." - -"But that will arrange itself! I care for my interests as she does for -hers. When she pays for her daughter is it a great misfortune? I have -never regretted what I have disbursed for Photini. Here is the paper, -the ink and the reeds. Be good enough to watch the composition of the -letter. It concerns your head, too!" - -I rose, abashed, and followed the ladies, who saw my confusion without -knowing the cause. But a sudden inspiration made me suddenly retrace my -steps. I said to the King: "Decidedly, you were right to refuse the -receipt, and I was wrong in asking for it. You are wiser than I; youth -is imprudent." - -"What do you say?" - -"You are right, I tell you. It is necessary to wait. Who knows if you -will not experience a second defeat more terrible than the first. You -are not as strong as at twenty years of age; you may fall a captive to -the soldiers." - -"I?" - -"They will try you as a common malefactor; the magistrates will no -longer fear you. In such circumstances a receipt for a hundred and -fifteen thousand francs would be overwhelming proof. Give no weapons of -justice to be turned against you. Perhaps Mrs. Simons or her heirs would -join in a criminal suit to recover what had been taken from them. Never -sign a receipt!" - -He replied in thundering tones: "I will sign it! and two rather than -one! I will sign all; as many as need signing. I will sign them always -for anyone! Ah! the soldiers imagine that they will manage me easily, -because once, chance, and their larger force gave them the advantage! I -fall, living, into their hands, I, whose arm is proof against fatigue, -and whose head is proof against bullets! I seat myself on a bench, -before a judge, like a peasant who has stolen cabbages! Young man, you -do not yet know Hadgi-Stavros! It would be easier to pluck up Parnassus -and place it upon the summit of Taygete, than to tear me from my -mountains, and place me on a court bench! Write for me, in Greek, Madame -Simons' name! Good! Yours also!" - -"It is not necessary, and----" - -"Write! You know my name, and I am sure that you will not forget it. I -wish to have yours, to hold as a souvenir." - -I wrote my name as best I could in the harmonious language of Plato. -The King's lieutenants applauded his firmness without understanding that -it would cost him a hundred and fifteen thousand francs. I hurried with -a light heart and much pleased with myself to Mrs. Simons' tent. I told -her that her money had had a narrow escape, and she deigned to smile on -learning that I had pretended to be deceived in order to rob our -robbers. A half hour afterward she submitted for my approval the -following letter: - - "My Dear Brother:--The gendarmes whom you sent to our rescue were - treacherous, and fled ignominiously. I advise you to see that they - are hung. They will need a gallows a hundred feet high for their - Captain Pericles. I shall complain of him, especially, in the - dispatch which I intend to send to Lord Palmerston, and I shall - consecrate to him a portion of the letter which I shall write to - the editor of the "Times," as soon as you have set us free. It is - useless to hope anything from the local authorities. All the - natives are leagued against us, and the day after our departure the - Greeks will gather in some corner of the kingdom to divide what - they have taken from us. Fortunately, they will have little. I have - learned from a young German, whom I took at first for a spy, and - who is a very honest man, that this Stavros, called Hadgi-Stavros, - has funds placed with our firm. I beg you to verify the fact, and - if it is true, let nothing prevent you from paying the ransom which - is demanded. Turn over to the Bank of Greece 115,000 francs (4600 - sterling) for a regular receipt, sealed with this Stavros' seal. - The amount will be charged to his account. Our health is good, - although life in the mountains may not be comfortable. It is - monstrous that two English women, citizens of the greatest kingdom - in the world, should be compelled to eat their roast without - mustard and without pickles and to drink pure water like any fish. - - "Hoping that you will not delay in arranging for our return to our - accustomed habits, I am, my dear brother, very sincerely yours, - - "Rebecca Simons." - -I carried, to the King, the good woman's letter. He took it with -defiance, and examined it so sharply that I trembled lest he should -understand it. I was, however, very sure that he knew no English. But -this devil of a man, inspired me with superstitious terror, and I -believed him capable of performing miracles. He seemed satisfied only -when he reached the figures 4600 livres sterling. He saw, at once, that -he was not to be troubled with the gendarmes. The letter was placed, -with other papers, in a tin cylinder. They brought forward the good old -man, who had drunk just enough wine to limber up his legs, and the King -gave the box to him, with very explicit instructions. He departed, and -my heart kept pace with him to the end of his journey. Horace did not -follow with a more tender look the ship which bore Virgil away. - -As soon as the King saw the affair in train to be completed, he became -very genial. He ordered for us a veritable feast; he distributed double -rations of wine to his men; he went himself to look after the wounded, -and with his own hands extracted the ball from Sophocles' shoulder. -Orders were given the bandits to treat us with the respect due our -money. - -The breakfast which I ate, without spectators, with the ladies was one -of the happiest repasts I ever remember. All my evils were then ended; I -should be free after two days of this sweet captivity. Perhaps even, on -leaving Hadgi-Stavros, an adorable slavery!... I felt that I was a poet -like Gessner. I ate as heartily as Mrs. Simons, and I assuredly drank -with more appetite. I gulped down the white wine of Aegina, as formerly -the wine of Santorin. I drank to Mary-Ann's health, to her mother's, to -my good parents' and to that of Princess Ypsoff. Mrs. Simons wished to -hear the history of that noble stranger, and by my faith, I did not keep -it secret. Good examples are never too well known. Mary-Ann gave -charming attention to my recital. She thought that the Princess had done -well, and that a woman ought to take her happiness wherever she found -it. Proverbs are the wisdom of nations, and sometimes their success. I -was cast upon the wind of prosperity, and I felt myself borne toward, I -know not what terrestrial paradise. Oh, Mary-Ann! the sailors who -traverse the ocean have never had for guides two stars like your eyes! - -I was seated before her. Passing the wing of a fowl to her, I leaned so -near her that I saw my image reflected in her eyes. I found I looked -well, Monsieur, for the first time in my life! The frame set off the -picture so well. A strange thought seized me. I felt that I had -surprised, in this incident, a decree of destiny. It seemed to me that -the beautiful Mary-Ann carried in the depths of her heart the image -which I had discovered in her eyes. - -All this was not love, I know it well, I wish neither to accuse myself, -nor to appropriate to myself a sentiment which I have never felt; but it -was a firm friendship, and which would suffice, I thought, for a man -about to enter the wedded state. No turbulent emotion stirred my heart, -but I felt it melting slowly like a piece of wax in the warmth of a -genial sun. - -Under the influence of this reasonable ecstasy, I related to Mary-Ann -and her mother the history of my life. I described to them the paternal -mansion, the great kitchen where we all ate together; the copper -sauce-pans hanging on the wall according to size; the strings of hams -and sausages which hung in the inside of the chimney; our modest, and -often hard life: the future of each of my brothers; Henri ought to -succeed papa; Frederic was learning the tailor's trade; Frantz and -Jean-Nicholas had had positions since they were eighteen; the one as -corporal, the other, as quarter-master sergeant. I told them of studies, -my examinations, the little successes which I had enjoyed at the -University, the beautiful future of professor to which I could lay -claim, with three thousand francs income, at least. I do not know to -what point my recital interested them, but I took great pleasure in it, -and I stopped to drink from time to time. - -Mrs. Simons did not speak to me again about our discussion on marriage, -and I was very happy. It is better not to say a word, than to talk in -the air when we know ourselves so little. The day passed for me, like an -hour; I mean as an hour of pleasure. The next day seemed long to Mrs. -Simons; as for me, I would have liked to stop the sun in its course. I -instructed Mary-Ann in the first principles of botany. Ah! Monsieur, the -world does not know all the tender and delicate sentiments one can -express in a lesson in botany. - -At last, on Wednesday morning, the monk appeared on the horizon. He was -a worthy man, taken altogether, this little monk! He had risen before -dawn in order to bring us liberty in his pocket. He brought to the King -a letter from the president of the bank, and to Mrs. Simons a letter -from her brother. Hadgi-Stavros said to Mrs. Simons: "You are free, -Madame, and you may take Mademoiselle, your daughter, away. I hope that -you will not take away from our rocks too unpleasant memories. We have -offered you all that we have; if the bed and the table have not been -worthy of you, it is the fault of circumstances. I had this morning an -angry fit, which I pray you to forget; one must pardon a conquered -general. If I dared to offer a little present to Mademoiselle, I would -beg her to accept an antique ring which could be made to fit her finger. -It does not come from any plunder we have taken; I bought it of a -merchant of Nauplie. Mademoiselle will show this jewel in England, in -relating her visit to the King of the Mountains." - -I faithfully translated this little speech, and I slipped the King's -ring on Mary-Ann's finger, myself. - -"And I," I asked of Hadgi-Stavros, "shall I carry away nothing by which -to remember you?" - -"You, dear sir? But you remain! Your ransom is not paid!" - -I turned toward Mrs. Simons, who held out to me the following letter: - - "Dear Sister: - - Verification made, I have given the 4000. liv. sterl. for the - receipt. I have not advanced the other 600, because the receipt was - not in your name, and it would be impossible to recover it. I am, - while waiting your dear presence, - - Always yours, - "Edward Sharper." - -I had overdone my instructions to Hadgi-Stavros; to be quite -business-like, he believed that he ought to send two receipts! - -Mrs. Simons said to me in a low tone: "You seem to be in great trouble! -What good will it do to make such faces? Show that you are a man, and -leave that grievance for a whipped cur. The best part is done, since we -are saved, my daughter and I, without its costing us anything. As for -you, I am not uneasy about you; you know how to save yourself. Your -first plan, which was not feasible for two ladies, will be an admirable -one for you alone. Come, what day may we expect a visit from you?" - -I thanked her cordially. She offered such a fine opportunity for me to -show off my personal qualities and to raise myself in Mary-Ann's esteem. -"Yes, Madame, count on me! I will leave here a man of spirit, and much -better if I run a little danger. I am glad that my ransom has not been -paid, and I thank Monsieur, your brother, for what he has done for me. -You will see if a German does not know how to extricate himself from -difficulties. Yes, I will soon bring you my own messages!" - -"Once out of here, do not fail to present yourself at our hotel." - -"Oh! Madame!" - -"And now beg this Stavros to give us an escort of five or six brigands." - -"In God's name why?" - -"To protect us from the gendarmes!" - - - - -VI. - -THE ESCAPE. - - -In the midst of our adieux, there came to us a powerful odor of garlic -which made me ill. It was the waiting-maid who had come to the ladies, -to call upon their generosity. This creature had been more annoying than -useful, and since the first two days, the ladies had dispensed with her -services. Mrs. Simons regretted, however, not being able to do anything -for her, and asked me to inform the King how she had been robbed of her -money. Hadgi-Stavros seemed neither surprised nor scandalized. He simply -shrugged his shoulders, and muttered: "That Pericles!--bad -education--the city--the court--I ought to attend to that." He added out -loud: "Beg the ladies to not trouble themselves about anything. It is I -who provided the servant and it is I who will pay her. Tell them, that -if they need a little money to return to the city, my purse is at their -disposal. I will have them escorted to the foot of the mountain, -although they will run no kind of danger. The soldiers are less to be -feared than one thinks. They will find breakfast, horses and a guide in -the village of Castia: everything is provided and everything paid. Do -you think that they will give me the pleasure of shaking hands with me, -in token of reconciliation?" - -Mrs. Simons was very reluctant, but her daughter resolutely held out her -hand to the old Palikar. She said to him in English, with roguish -pleasantry: "It is much honor that you do us, very interesting, sir, -because at this moment we are the Clephtes, and you are the victim!" - -The King replied with much confidence: "Thank you, Mademoiselle; you are -too good!" - -Mary-Ann's pretty hand was colored like a piece of rosy satin which had -been in a shop-window for three months. Believe, however, that I did not -have to beg to kiss it. I then touched my lips to Mrs. Simons' skinny -hand. "Courage! Monsieur," cried the old lady as she was going away. -Mary-Ann said nothing; but she threw me a glance capable of rousing an -army. Such looks are worth a proclamation! - -When the last man of the escort had disappeared, Hadgi-Stavros took me -to one side and said to me: "Eh, well! we have then made some mistake!" - -"Alas! Yes, we were not clever." - -"This ransom is not paid. Will it be? I believe so. These English women -seem to be friendly to you." - -"Be not uneasy: within three days I shall be far from Parnassus." - -"All right, so much the better. I have great need of money, as you know. -Our bad luck on Monday will tax our income heavily. We must make up our -personal and material losses." - -"You can complain with good grace. You have obtained a hundred thousand -francs at one stroke!" - -"No, ninety! the monk has already taken his tithe. Of that sum, which -seems enormous to you, there will be only twenty thousand for me. Our -expenses are considerable; there are heavy charges. What would be done -if the company of stock-holders should decide to build a Hotel des -Invalides, as has been talked of? There are always pensions to be paid -to the widows and orphans of the band. Fever and bullets yearly relieve -us of thirty men, and you can see where that places us. Our expenses -would scarcely be met; I should have to pay money out of my own pocket, -my dear sir!" - -"Have you never happened to lose more than once?" - -"Once, only. I had received fifty thousand francs on account, of the -society. One of my secretaries, whom I afterward hung, fled to Thessaly -with the sum. I had to make up the deficit: I was responsible. My share -amounted to seven thousand francs; I lost, then, forty-three thousand. -But the knave who stole from me paid dearly. I punished him according to -the Persian mode. Before hanging him, his teeth were pulled, one after -the other, and they were driven, with a mallet, into his cranium--for a -good example, you understand. I am not wicked, but I suffer no one to -put me in the wrong." - -It rejoiced my heart that the old Palikar, who was not wicked, should -lose the eighty thousand francs of Mrs. Simons' ransom, and that he -would receive the news when my cranium and my teeth were not in his -camp. He put his arm through mine, and said familiarly: - -"How are you going to kill the time till your departure? These ladies -are gone and the house will seem large. Do you wish to look at the -Athenian papers? The monk brought some to me. I rarely read them. I -know exactly the price the articles are worth, since I pay for them. -Here you will find the Gazette officielle, l'Esperance, Pallicare, -Caricature. Each one ought to speak of us. Poor readers! I leave you. If -you find anything curious, tell me about it." - -L'Esperance, printed in French, and intended to fool Europe, devoted a -long article to denying the latest news of brigandage. It cleverly joked -the simple travelers who saw a thief in every ragged peasant, an armed -band in every cloud of dust, and who asked pardon of the first -thorn-bush on which their clothes were caught. This truth-telling sheet -vaunted the security of the roads, celebrated the disinterestedness of -the natives, exalted the quiet and seclusion which one was sure of -finding on all the mountains in the kingdom. - -The Pallicare, printed under the supervision of some of Hadgi-Stavros' -friends, contained an eloquent biography of its hero. It recounted that -this Theseus of modern times, the only man in our century who had never -been vanquished, had made a sortie in the direction of the Scironian -Rock. Betrayed by the weakness of his companions, he had withdrawn with -small loss. But seized with profound distaste for a degenerate -profession, he had renounced, henceforth, the practice of brigandage, -and had left Greece; he had exiled himself in Europe, where his fortune, -gloriously acquired, would enable him to live like a prince. "And now," -added the Pallicare, "go, come, travel across the plain and in the -mountain! Bankers and Merchants, Greeks, strangers, travelers, you have -nothing to fear; the King of the Mountains wished, like Charles V., to -abdicate at the height of his glory and power." - -The Gazette officielle read as follows: - -"Sunday, 3d instant, at 5 o'clock in the evening, the military chest -containing 20,000 francs, which a large company was guarding on its way -to Argos, was attacked by the band of Hadgi-Stavros, known as the King -of the Mountains! The brigands, to the number of three or four hundred, -fell upon the soldiers with incredible ferocity. But the first two -companies of the second battalion of the 4th Line, under the command of -the brave Nicolaidis, opposed them with a heroic resistance. The -savage attacking party were repulsed at the point of the bayonet and -left the field covered with the dead. Report has it that Hadgi-Stavros -was seriously wounded. Our loss was insignificant. - -"The same day, and the same hour, Her Majesty's troops were victors in -another skirmish, about ten leagues distant. It was at the summit of -Parnassus, four furlongs from Castia, that the 2d Company of the 1st -Battalion of gendarmes defeated Hadgi-Stavros' band. There, according to -the report of the brave Captain Pericles, the King of the Mountains was -wounded. Unfortunately, this success was dearly bought. The brigands, -protected by the rocks and shrubs, had killed or seriously wounded ten -of the soldiers. A young officer, M. Spiro, graduate of the Erelpides -School, died a heroic death on the field of battle. In the presence of -such great misfortunes, it is no mean consolation that there, as -everywhere, the law reigns." - -The journal La Caricature contained a badly printed lithograph, in which -I recognized, however, Captain Pericles and the King of the Mountains. -The godson and godfather were holding each other in close embrace. Below -this cartoon, the artist had written the following sentence: - -"This Is How They Fought!" - -"It seems," I said to myself, "that I am not alone in their confidence, -and that Pericles' secret is an open secret." - -I folded up the papers, and while waiting the King's return, I meditated -upon the position in which Mrs. Simons had left me. Surely, it was fine -to owe my freedom to no one but myself, and much braver to leave a -prison by a feat of courage, than by a schoolboy's trick. I could, in a -day or two, become a hero of romance, and the object of admiration of -all the young girls in Europe. No doubt Mary-Ann would adore me when she -saw me safe and sound after so perilous an escape. I might make a -misstep in that slippery path. What if I broke a leg or arm! Would -Mary-Ann look with favor on a lame and crippled man? I must, moreover, -expect to be guarded night and day. My plan, ingenious as it was, could -be executed only after the death of my guard. To kill a man is no small -affair, even for a doctor. It is nothing in words, especially when one -speaks to the woman whom one loves. But, since Mary-Ann's departure, I -was no longer deranged. It seemed less easy to procure a weapon and to -use it. A poniard thrust is a surgical operation which ought to make an -honest man's flesh creep. What do you say, Monsieur? I think that my -future mother-in-law had treated her hoped-for son-in-law very -contemptuously. It would not have cost her much to have sent me 15,000 -francs ransom, taking them, later, out of Mary-Ann's dowry. Fifteen -thousand francs would have been of little value to me the day of my -marriage. It seemed of much account in the condition in which I found -myself, on the eve of murdering a man, and descending some hundreds of -meters by a ladder without any rungs. I cursed Mrs. Simons as heartily -as the generality of sons-in-law curse their mothers-in-law in all -civilized lands. As I had maledictions to spare, I directed some of them -against my friend John Harris, who had abandoned me to my lot. I said to -myself, that if we could have exchanged places, that I would never have -left him eight days without news. - -I excused Lobster, who was very young; and Giacomo, who was not very -intelligent, and also M. Merinay, whose downright selfishness I fully -understood. One easily pardons treason in such egotists, because one -never counts on them. But Harris, who had risked his life to save an old -negress in Boston! Was I not of as much account as a negress? I -believed, in truth, without any aristocratic prejudices, that I was -worth two or three times as much. - -Hadgi-Stavros came to change the course of my thoughts by offering a -means of escape more simple and less dangerous. It was only necessary to -have legs, and, thank God! I was not lacking in that particular. The -King surprised me just as I was yawning fearfully. - -"Do you feel dull?" he asked. "It is the reading. I never can open a -book without fear of dislocating my jaws. I am pleased to see that -doctors cannot endure it any better than I. But why not employ the time -you remain to better advantage? You came here to gather the mountain -plants; your box has received nothing these eight days. Would you like -to search for some, under guard of two men? I am too good a fellow for -you to refuse this little favor. Each must pursue his course in this -lower world. You collect plants; I, money. You can say to those who sent -you here: 'Here are plants gathered in Hadgi-Stavros' Kingdom!' If you -find one which is beautiful and strange, and of which one has never -heard in your country, you must give it my name, and call it the Queen -of the Mountains!" - -"But truly," I thought, "if I was a league from here, with two brigands, -would it not be possible to out-strip them? There was no doubt but that -danger would give me double strength. He who runs best is he who has the -most to gain! Why is the hare the swiftest of all animals? Because he is -the most terrified!" - -I accepted the King's offer, and, on the spot, he placed two guards over -me. He gave them no minute instructions. He simply said: - -"Here is milord, worth 15,000 francs; if you lose him, you will have to -bring him back or pay the sum." - -My attendants did not look like invalids; they had neither wounds, -bruises, nor injury of any sort; their muscles were like steel, and it -was not to be expected that they would be retarded by any constraint of -their foot-gear, because they wore large moccasins, which left their -heels bare. Passing them in review, I noticed, not without regret, two -pistols as long as children's guns. I, however, did not lose courage. By -reason of keeping bad company, the whizzing of bullets had become -familiar to me. I slung my box over my shoulder and started. - -"Much pleasure to you!" cried the King. - -"Adieu! Sire!" - -"Not so, if you please; au revoir!" - -I drew my companions in the direction of Athens; it was so much gained -from the enemy. They made no resistance, and allowed me to go where I -wished. These bandits, much better brought up than Pericles' four -guards, allowed me plenty of room. I did not feel, at each step, the -point of their elbows in my ribs. They picked on the path green stuff -for the evening meal. As for me, I appeared very eager in my work; I -pulled up, on the right hand and on the left, tufts of grass of no -account; I pretended to choose a sprig from the mass, and I placed it -very carefully in the bottom of my box, taking care not to overload -myself; it was enough of a burden that I carried. I had once known, at a -horse race, of a jockey who was beaten because he carried a burden -weighing five kilogrammes. My gaze seemed fixed upon the ground, but you -can well believe that the interest was feigned. Under such -circumstances one is not a botanist, one is a prisoner. Pellison would -never have amused himself with spiders if he had had a file with which -to saw his bars. I may have, perhaps, seen that day unknown plants which -would have made a naturalist's fortune; but I troubled myself no more -about them than as if they had been common wall-flowers. I am sure that -I passed near a fine specimen of the boryana variabilis! It would have -weighed a half-pound with its roots. I did not even honor it with a -look. I saw only two things: Athens in the distance, and the two -brigands on either side. I secretly watched the rascals' eyes, in the -hope that something would distract their attention; but, whether they -were right at hand or ten feet away, whether they were occupied in -picking their salads or following the flight of the vultures, they kept -an incessant watch on my movements. - -An idea came to me to give them serious occupation. We were in a narrow -path, which evidently led towards Athens. I saw at my left a beautiful -bunch of broom which grew on the top of a rock. I pretended to be eager -to secure it as a treasure. I made five or six attempts to scale the -precipitous bowlder on which it blossomed. I seemed so determined to -reach it that one of my guards offered himself as a short ladder. This -was not exactly what I had counted on. I felt obliged to accept his -services, but, in climbing upon his shoulders, I hurt him so cruelly -with my hob-nailed shoes, that he groaned with agony and let me drop to -the ground. His comrade, who was interested in the process of the -enterprise, said to him: "Wait! I will mount instead of milord, I have -no nails in my shoes." No sooner said than done; he sprang up, seized it -by the stalk, shook it, pulled it, tore it up by the root and cried out. -I was already running away, without looking behind. Their stupefaction -gave me a good ten seconds' advantage. But they lost no time in accusing -each other, for I soon heard them following me. I redoubled my efforts; -the path was a good one, even, smooth, made for me. We descended a steep -declivity. I ran desperately, my arms pressed to my sides, without -noticing the stones which rolled under my heels, or looking to see where -I put my feet. I fairly flew over the path; rocks and bushes on either -side seemed to be running in the opposite direction; I was light-footed, -I was supple, my body weighed little; I had wings. But the four -foot-falls wearied my ears. Suddenly, they ceased; I heard nothing more. -Had they become weary of following me? A little cloud of dust rose ten -steps ahead of me. A little further on, a white spot suddenly appeared -on a gray rock. I heard two detonations at the same instant. The -brigands had discharged their pistols! I was not hit, and I still sped -on. The pursuit began again; I heard the breathless voices calling to -me: "Stop! Stop!" I did not stop. I lost the path, but I still ran on, -not knowing where I was going. A ditch as wide as a river presented -itself; but I was flying too fast to measure distances. I jumped, I was -saved!--my suspenders broke!--I was lost! - -You laugh! I would like to see you run without suspenders, holding in -both hands the band of your trousers! Five minutes afterward, I was -again a captive. The men hand-cuffed me, fettered my legs, and drove me -with switches to Hadgi-Stavros' camp. - -The King treated me as a bankrupt who had carried away 15,000 francs. -"Monsieur," he said to me, "I had a better opinion of you. I thought I -knew honest men! your face deceived me. I would never have believed that -you were capable of doing wrong, above all, after the way in which I -have treated you. Do not be astonished if I, henceforth, use severe -measures; you have forced me to do so. You will remain in your chamber -until further orders. One of my officers will remain with you under your -tent. This is only a precaution. In case of a repetition of the offense, -it is punishment which will be given you. Vasile, it is to thee I commit -Monsieur." - -Vasile saluted me with his usual courtesy. - -"Ah! wretch!" I thought, "it is thou who throwest infants into the fire! -It is thou who wouldst have embraced Mary-Ann; it is thou who wouldst -have stabbed me on Ascension Day. Oh, well! I prefer to settle with thee -rather than with another!" - -I will not relate to you the details of the three days I passed in my -tent with Vasile. The scamp gave me a dose of disgust which I do not -wish to share with anyone. He did not wish me any ill; he even had a -certain sympathy for me. I believe that if I had been his own prisoner, -that he would have released me without ransom. My face had pleased him -at first sight. I recalled to him a younger brother who had been -condemned to death and hanged. But these friendly overtures wearied me -a hundred times more than bad treatment. He did not wait until sunrise -to say "good-morning" to me; at night-fall, he never missed a long list -of successes which he wished me. He aroused me, in my deepest sleep, to -ascertain if I was well covered. At table, he gave me good service; at -dessert he begged of me to listen to some stories which he wished to -relate. And always that hand was before me ready to shake mine. I -fiercely opposed his advances. It seemed to me unnecessary to include a -roaster of infants in my list of friends, and I had no desire to press -the hand of a man whom I had condemned to death. My conscience permitted -me to kill him; was it not a case of legitimate defense? but I did have -scruples about killing him treacherously, and I ought, at least, to put -him on his guard by hostile and menacing attitude. While repulsing his -advances, his kindness, and repelling his polite attentions, I carefully -watched for a chance to escape; but his friendship, more vigilant than -hate, did not lose sight of me for an instant. When I hung over the -cascade in order to impress upon my mind the unequal places in the bank, -Vasile would draw me from my contemplation with maternal solicitude: -"Take care!" he would say to me, pulling me back by the feet! "if thou -shouldst fall by some unhappy chance, I should reproach myself all my -life." When, at night, I stealthily tried to rise, he jumped from his -bed, asking if I needed anything. Never was there a more watchful -rascal. He turned around me like a squirrel in a cage. - -What, above everything, made me despair, was the confidence he had in -me. I expressed, one day, a desire to examine his arms. He placed his -dagger in my hand. It was Russian blade, of inlaid steel, from the -famous sword factory of Toula. I drew it from its sheath, I tried the -point with my finger, I turned it toward his breast, choosing the place -between the fourth and fifth ribs. "Do not press on it, thou mightest -kill me!" Truly, by pressing on it a little, I could have given him his -just desserts, but something stayed my hand. It is to be regretted that -honest men recoil from killing assassins, when the latter feel no -compunctions about killing honest people. I put the weapon back into its -case. Vasile held out his pistol to me, but I refused it, and I told him -that my curiosity was satisfied. He cocked it, he made me look at the -priming, he placed it on his head, and said to me: "See! thou art no -longer guarded!" - -No longer guarded! eh! parbleu! that was exactly what I wished. But the -occasion was too good a one, and the traitor paralyzed me. If I had -killed him at such a moment, I would not have felt equal to enduring his -last look. Much better to give the blow in the night. Unfortunately, -instead of hiding his arms, he placed them ostensibly between his bed -and mine. - -At last, I conceived a plan for escaping, without awakening him or -killing him. The idea flashed across my mind, Sunday, the 11th day of -May, at 6 o'clock. I had noticed, on Ascension Day, that Vasile loved to -drink, and that it took but little wine to intoxicate him. I invited him -to dine with me. This exhibition of friendship mounted to his brain; the -wine of Aegina did the rest! Hadgi-Stavros, who had not honored me with -a visit since I had lost his esteem, still acted as a generous host. My -table was better served than his own. I could have drunk a goat-skin of -wine or a cask of rhaki. Vasile, admitted to his share of these -luxuries, began the repast with touching humility. He kept three feet -from the table, like a peasant invited to his master's house. Little by -little, the wine lessened the distance. At eight o'clock, my guardian -explained his character to me. At nine, stutteringly related to me the -adventures of his youth, and a series of exploits which would have made -a Criminal Examining Magistrate's hair stand on end. At ten, he became -philanthropic; this heart of tempered steel was dissolving in the rhaki, -like Cleopatra's pearl in the vinegar. He swore to me that he became a -bandit because of his love for humanity; that he would make his fortune -in ten years, would found a hospital with his savings, and then retire -to a monastery on Mount Athos. He promised that he would not forget me -in his prayers. I took advantage of his good intentions in order to make -him drink an enormous cup of rhaki. I might have offered him boiling -pitch; he was too much my friend to refuse me. Soon, he lost his voice; -his head swung from the right to the left, from the left to the right, -with the regularity of a pendulum; he held out his hand to me; it -alighted on the remains of the roast, this he shook cordially, fell over -on his back, and slept the sleep of the Egyptian Sphinx, which the -French cannons have never awakened. - -I had not an instant to lose; the minutes were golden. I took his -pistol, which I threw to the bottom of the ravine. I seized his dagger, -and was going to throw that down also, when the thought came to me that -it would be useful in cutting up the turf. My watch showed eleven -o'clock. I extinguished the two torches of resinous wood which had -lighted our table; the light might attract the King's attention. It was -a beautiful night. No moon at all, but the sky was studded with stars; -it was just the kind of night for my purpose. The turf, cut in long -strips, came up like cloth. I had a sufficient quantity at the end of an -hour. As I carried them to the spring, I stumbled against Vasile. He -raised himself, heavily, and through habit, asked me if I needed -anything. I let fall my burden and seated myself near the drunken man, -and begged him to drink one more cup to my health. "Yes!" he mumbled, "I -am thirsty." I filled for him the copper cup for the last time. He drank -half of it; spilled the remainder over his face and neck, attempted to -get up, fell over on his face, with his arms extended, and moved no -more. I ran to my dike, and novice as I was, the brook was solidly -dammed up in forty-five minutes; it was a quarter of one o'clock. To the -noise of the cascade succeeded a profound silence. Fear seized me. I -reflected that the King probably slept lightly, like most old people, -and that the unusual silence would probably awake him. In the tumult of -thoughts which filled my mind, I remembered a scene in the Barbier de -Seville, where Bartholo was awakened when he ceased to hear a piano. I -glided under the trees to the staircase, and looked toward the King's -cabinet. He was sleeping peacefully beside his pipe-bearer. I crept -stealthily along within twenty feet of his tree, I listened; all were -asleep. I went back to my dam, passing through a puddle of icy water, -which was already up to my ankles, flung myself down and looked over the -abyss. The side of the mountain had gradually become polished. There -were, here and there, cavities in which water had formed in pools. I had -taken accurate note; these places were where I could put my feet. I -returned to my tent, took my box which was suspended over my bed, and -slung it over my shoulders. In passing the place where we had dined, I -picked up a part of a loaf, and a piece of meat which the water had not -yet wet. I put these provisions in my box for my breakfast next morning. -The dam still held well, the wind ought to have dried my path; it was -nearly two o'clock. I wished, in case of an encounter with any one, to -take Vasile's dagger, but it was under the water and I could lose no -time searching for it. I took off my shoes, I tied them together, and -hung them on the strap of my box. At last, after thinking of everything, -throwing a last look at my earthworks, giving a thought to my family at -home, and sending a kiss in the direction of Athens and Mary-Ann, I -threw one leg over the edge, I seized with both hands a tree which hung -over the abyss, and I started out, trusting to God to help me. - -It was rough work, harder than I had supposed when looking down. The -rock, not entirely dry, gave me a feeling of clammy cold, like the -contact of a serpent. I had not calculated distances accurately, and -the points of support were farther apart than I had hoped. Twice I took -a wrong course in moving to the left. I had to return, a work of -incredible difficulty. Hope abandoned me often, but not my will. My foot -slipped; I mistook a shadow for a projection, and I fell fifteen or -twenty feet, clinging with my hands and body to the side of the -mountain, without finding a place to stop myself. A root of a fig-tree -caught me by the cuff of my coat-sleeve, you can see the marks here. A -little further on, a bird, hidden in a little hole, on the mountain -side, flew out between my legs so suddenly, and frightened me so, that I -almost fell head first. I advanced with feet and hands, especially with -my hands. My arms seemed broken, and I heard the tendons creak like the -cords of a harp. My nails were so cruelly torn that they ceased to pain -me. Perhaps, if I had been able to measure the distance still before me, -I would have felt renewed strength; but when I turned my head, I became -so dizzy that I abandoned the attempt. To sustain my courage, I talked -to myself; I spoke out loud between my clenched teeth. I said: "One more -step for my father! yet another for Mary-Ann! still one more for the -confusion of the brigands and the rage of Hadgi-Stavros!" - -My feet at last rested on a broad ledge. It seemed to me that the soil -had changed color. I bent my knees, I seated myself, I turned my head. I -was only ten feet from the brook. I had reached the red rocks. The -smooth stone, full of hollows, in which the water still stood, allowed -me to take breath and rest a little. I drew out my watch; it was only -half past two. I would have believed that my journey had taken three -nights. I examined my arms and legs, to ascertain if I still possessed -them all; in this kind of an expedition one never knows what will -happen. I had had good luck; I had suffered some contusions and the skin -was rubbed off in two or three places. The worst sufferer was my -paletot. I looked up, not to thank Heaven, but to assure myself that -nothing had moved in my camping place. I heard only the drops of water -filtering through my dam. All was well; I was reassured; I knew where to -find Athens; adieu to the King of the Mountains! - -I was about to leap to the bottom of the ravine, when a whitish form -jumped up before me, and I heard the most furious barking which had ever -awakened morning echoes. Alas! Monsieur, the enemies of man roamed at -all hours around the camp, and one of them had scented me. I cannot -describe the fury and hate which possessed me at meeting him; one does -not detest to this degree an irrational being. I would have much -preferred to find myself face to face with a wolf, with a tiger, or a -white bear, noble beasts, who would have eaten me without saying -anything, but who would not have denounced me. Ferocious beasts hunt for -themselves; but to think of this horrible dog who was about to devour -me, with a great uproar, in order to serve Hadgi-Stavros! I overwhelmed -him with insults; I hurled the most odious names at him; do the best I -could yet he spoke louder than I. I changed my tune, I tried the effect -of kind words, I spoke to him sweetly in Greek, in the tongue of his -fathers; he gave but one response to all my advances, and the response -awoke the mountain echoes. A thought struck me! I was silent; he ceased -barking. I stretched myself out among the pools of water; he crouched at -the foot of the rock with low growls. I pretended to sleep; he slept. I -glided, inch by inch, toward the brook; he was up with a bound, and I -had only time to regain my platform. My hat remained in the hands of the -enemy, or rather, in the teeth of the enemy. An instant afterward, it -was no more than a pulp, a chewed up mass, a rag of a hat! Poor hat! I -pitied it! I put myself in its place. If I could have escaped, less a -few mouthfuls, I would not have considered the matter a great while, I -would have made allowances for the dog's share. But these monsters are -not satisfied with killing people, they eat them! - -I was convinced that he was hungry; that if I could find enough to -surfeit him, he might possibly bite me, but he would not devour me. I -had some provisions, I would sacrifice them; my only regret was that I -did not have a hundred times more. I threw a piece of bread to him; he -swallowed it in one mouthful; imagine a pebble which falls into a well. -As I looked piteously at the small portion which still remained, I saw, -in the bottom of the box, a white package, which gave me a new idea. It -was a small amount of arsenic, used in my zoological preparations. I -used it in stuffing birds, but no law prevented me from putting a few -grains into the body of a dog. My speaker, with sharpened appetite, -demanded more: "Wait," I said to him, "I am going to give thee a morsel -of my own making!" The package contained about 35 grammes of a pretty -powder, white and shining. I turned five or six into a small pool of -water, and I put the remainder in my pocket. I carefully diluted a -portion for the animal; I waited until the acid was well dissolved; I -dipped into the solution a piece of bread, which soaked it all up, like -a sponge. The dog sprang upon it with a good appetite and swallowed it -at once. - -Why was not I provided with a little strychnine, or some other good -poison more fearful than arsenic? It was after three o'clock, and the -results of my experiment were not instantaneous. About half after three, -the dog began to howl with all his strength. I had not gained much; -barking and howling, cries of fury, or of agony, were all to the same -purpose--that is--the awakening of Hadgi-Stavros. Soon the animal fell -into frightful convulsions; he foamed at the mouth; he was seized with -nausea, he made violent effort to throw off the poison. It was a sweet -sight to me, and I enjoyed it; the death of the enemy was my only way of -escape, and death was vanquishing him. I hoped that, conquered by the -poison, he would permit me to leave; but he raged against me, he opened -his foam-flecked and bloody jaws, as if to reproach me with my presents, -and to tell me that he would not die without vengeance. I threw my -handkerchief to him; he tore it as savagely as my hat. The sky began to -lighten. I became convinced that I had committed a useless murder. An -hour later, the brigands would be upon me. I looked up to that horrid -place which I had left without expecting to return to it, and to which -the dog's endurance was forcing me. A volume of water suddenly poured -over the rock and threw me, face down. The icy water, filled with huge -pieces of turf, stones, fragments of rock rolled over me. The dam had -broken, and the whole body of water poured over my head. A trembling -seized me! I became chilled, my blood congealed! I looked toward the -dog; he was still at the foot of my rock, struggling with death, with -the current, with anything, jaws open and eyes turned towards me. This -must end. I took off my box, clutched it by the straps, and pounded that -hideous head with such fury that the enemy left me the field of battle. -The torrent seized him, rolled him over two or three times, and carried -him, I know not where. - -I jumped into the water; it was up to my waist; I clung to the rocks; I -went with the current; I was over the bank; I shook myself, I cried: -"Hurrah for Mary-Ann!" - -Four brigands rose out of the earth! they caught me by the collar, -saying: "Here thou art, assassin! Come! we will take thee back! the King -will be happy! Vasile will be avenged!" - -It appeared, that without knowing it, I had drowned my friend, Vasile. - -At that time, Monsieur, I had never killed a man; Vasile was my first. I -have fought others since, to defend myself and to save my life; but -Vasile is the only one who has caused me any remorse, although his end -was, probably, the result of a very innocent imprudence. You know that -it is only the first step! No murderer, discovered by the police, -surrounded with soldiers and led to the scene of his crime, hung his -head more humbly than I. I dared not raise my eyes to the good people -who had arrested me; I did not feel equal to encountering the eyes of -these reprobates; I trembled; I presented a guilty appearance; I knew -that I must appear before my judge, and be placed before my victim. How -could I confront the King's frown, after what I had done? How could I -see, without dying of shame, the inanimate body of the unfortunate -Vasile? My knees shook; I would have fallen but for the kicks I received -from those following me. - -I crossed the deserted camp, the King's cabinet, occupied by some of the -wounded, and I descended, or, rather, I fell to the bottom of the -staircase to my chamber. The waters had receded, leaving traces of mud -everywhere. A small pool of water still remained where I had raised the -dam. The bandits, the King, and the monk, stood in a circle, about a -dark and muddy object, the sight of which made my hair stand on end: it -was Vasile! Heaven preserve you, Monsieur, from the sight of a corpse of -your own making! The water and the mud, rushing over him, had deposited -on him a hideous layer. Have you ever seen a great fly which had been -caught, three or four days before, in a large spider-web? The artisan of -the web, not being able to rid himself of his visitor, had enveloped him -in a tangle of gray threads, and changed him to an unformed and -unrecognizable mass. Such was Vasile a few hours after he had dined with -me. I found him ten feet from the path where I had bidden him farewell. -I do not know whether the brigands had laid him there, or whether he -had thrown himself there, in his convulsions of agony; I am inclined to -believe, however, that death had come to him gently. Full of wine as I -had left him, he must have succumbed, without a struggle, to some -cerebral congestion. - -A menacing murmur, which was a bad augury, greeted my arrival. -Hadgi-Stavros, with pale and contracted brow, walked up to me, seized me -by the left wrist, and dragged me so violently that he dislocated my -arm. He threw me into the middle of the circle with such force, that I -almost fell on my victim; I instantly recoiled. - -"Look!" he cried in thundering tones, "look at what you have done! -rejoice in your work; gaze upon your crime! Wretch! but where would you -have stopped? Who would have said, the day I received you here, that I -had opened my door to an assassin?" - -I stammered some excuses; I tried to show the judge that I was guilty -only of imprudence. I warmly accused myself of having intoxicated my -guardian in order to escape his watchfulness, and to flee without -hindrance from my prison; but I defended myself from the crime of -assassinating him. Was it my fault if the rise of waters drowned him an -hour after my departure? The proof that I had wished him no evil, was -that I had not stabbed him when he was dead drunk, and that I had his -weapons at hand. They could wash the body and see that he was not -wounded. - -"At least," the King replied, "confess that your act was very selfish -and very culpable! When your life was not threatened, when you were held -here for only a small sum, you fled through avarice; you thought only -of saving a few ecus, and you did not trouble yourself about this poor -unfortunate whom you left to die! You never thought of me! that you were -going to deprive me of a valuable officer! And what moment did you -choose to betray us? The day on which all kinds of troubles assailed us; -when I had sustained a defeat; when I had lost my best soldiers; when -Sophocles was wounded; when the Corfuan was dying; when the little -Spiro, upon whom I relied, was killed; when all my men were weary and -discouraged; it was then you had the heart to relieve me of Vasile! Have -you, then, no humane sentiments? Would it not have been a hundred times -better to have paid your ransom honestly, as became a good prisoner, -than to have it said you sacrificed a life for 15,000 francs?" - -"Eh! Zounds! You have killed people, and for less!" - -He replied with dignity: "That is my business; it is not yours. I am a -brigand, and you are a doctor. I am Greek, and you are German." - -To that, I had nothing to reply. I felt convinced from the trembling of -every fiber of my heart, that I had neither been born nor brought up to -the profession of killing men. The King, angry at my silence, raised his -voice, and said: - -"Do you know, miserable young man, who was the excellent man of whose -death you are guilty? He was a descendant of those heroic brigands of -Souli who fought fierce battles for their religion, and against Ali de -Tebelen, Pasha of Janina. For four generations, all of his ancestors -have either been hung or decapitated; not one has died in his bed. Only -six years ago, his own brother perished in Epirus, having been condemned -to death; he had killed a Mohammedan. Devotion and courage are -hereditary in that family. Never did Vasile forget his religious duties. -He gave to the churches; he gave to the poor. At Easter, he always -lighted a larger taper than any one else. He would have killed himself -rather than violate the law of abstinence, or eat meat on a fast-day. He -economized in order to retire to a convent on Mount Athos. Did you know -it?" - -I humbly confessed that I did know it. - -"Do you know that he was the most steadfast of all my band? I do not -wish to detract from the personal merit of those who are listening to -me, but Vasile possessed a blind devotion, a fearless obedience, a true -zeal under all circumstances. No labor was too great for his courage; no -occupation too repugnant for his fidelity. He would have killed every -one in the kingdom if I had ordered him to do so. He would have torn out -his best friend's eye, if I had given him a sign with my little finger. -And you have killed him! Poor Vasile! when I shall have a village to -burn, a miser to torture, a woman to cut in pieces, an infant to burn -alive, who will replace thee?" - -All the brigands, electrified by this funeral oration, cried in one -voice. "We! We!" Some held out their arms to the King, others unsheathed -their daggers; the most zealous leveled their pistols at me. -Hadgi-Stavros checked their enthusiasm: he stepped in front of me to -shield me, and went on with his discourse in these words: - -"Be consoled, Vasile, thou shalt not rest without vengeance. If I -listened only to my grief, I would offer to thy manes thy murderer's -head; but it is worth 15,000 francs, and that thought restrains me. -Thou, thyself, if thou couldst speak, as formerly in our councils, thou -wouldst beg me to spare him; thou wouldst refuse so costly a vengeance. -It is not proper, in the circumstances in which thy death has left us, -to do foolish things, and to throw money away." - -He stopped a moment; I drew a deep breath. - -"But," the King went on, "I will know how to reconcile interest with -justice. I will chastise the guilty one without risking the capital. His -punishment shall be the most beautiful ornament of funeral obsequies; -and, from above, from the homes of the Palikars, to which thy spirit has -gone, thou shalt contemplate, with joy, an expiatory punishment, which -shall not cost us a sou!" - -This peroration aroused the audience. I was the only one not charmed. I -puzzled my brain trying to imagine what the King had in store for me, -and I felt so little assured, that my teeth chattered. Surely, I ought -to esteem myself happy to save my life, and the preservation of my head -seemed no mean advantage; but I knew the inventive imagination of these -Greeks of the highway. Hadgi-Stavros, without putting me to death, could -inflict such chastisement as would make me hate life. The old rascal -refused to inform me as to what punishment he had in store for me. He -pitied my agony so little, that he compelled me to assist in the funeral -ceremonies of his lieutenant. - -The body was stripped of its garments, carried to the brook, and bathed. -Vasile's features were changed but little; his mouth, half-open, still -bore the silly smile of the drunkard; his open eyes preserved a stupid -look. His limbs had not lost their suppleness; the rigor mortis does not -come, for a long time, to those who die by accident. - -The King's coffee-bearer and pipe-bearer proceeded to dress the dead. -The King bore the expenses as heir. Vasile had no relatives, and all his -property reverted to the King. They clothed the body in a fine shirt, a -shirt of beautiful percale, and a vest embroidered with silver. They -covered his wet locks with a bonnet which was nearly new. They put -leggins of red silk on the legs which would never run again. Slippers of -Russia leather were slipped on his feet. In all his life, poor Vasile -had never been so clean nor so gorgeous. They touched his lips with -carmine; they whitened and rouged his face as if he was a young actor -about to step on the stage. During the whole operation, the bandit -orchestra executed a lugubrious air, which you must have heard in the -streets of Athens. I congratulate myself that I did not die in Greece, -because the music is abominable, and I never could have consoled myself, -if I had been buried to that air. - -Four brigands began to dig a grave in the middle of the chamber, upon -the place where Mrs. Simons' tent stood, and on the spot where Mary-Ann -had slept. Two others ran to the store-house to find wax-tapers, which -they distributed. I was given one with all the others. The monk intoned -the service for the dead. Hadgi-Stavros made the responses in firm tones -which went to the depths of my soul. There was a light breeze, and the -wax from my taper fell upon my hand in a burning shower; but that, alas! -was a small thing in comparison with what awaited me. I would have -willingly endured that trouble, if the ceremony could never have been -finished. - -It was finished at last. When the last oration had been delivered, the -King solemnly approached the bier on which the body lay, and kissed -Vasile's lips. The bandits, one by one, followed his example. I shivered -at the thought that my turn was coming. I tried to hide behind two who -had already performed their duty, but they saw me and said: "It is your -turn! Start then! You certainly owe him that!" - -Was this, at last, the expiation which awaited me? A just man would have -been satisfied, at least. I swear to you, Monsieur, that it is no -child's play to kiss the lips of a corpse, above all, when one can -reproach one's self with being the instrument of his death. I walked -toward the bier, I looked at the face whose eyes seemed to laugh at my -embarrassment. I bent my head, I slightly touched the lips. A humorous -brigand applied his hand to the nape of my neck. My mouth struck the -cold lips! I felt the icy teeth, and seized with horror, I raised my -head, carrying away with me I know not what terror of death, which -seizes me at this moment! Women are very fortunate, they have the -resource of fainting! - -They then lowered the body into the earth, they threw in a handful of -flowers, a loaf of bread, an apple, and a little wine. This latter was -the thing of which he had the least need. The grave was quickly filled, -more quickly than I wished. A brigand observed that they must get two -sticks for a cross. Hadgi-Stavros replied: "Be quiet! we will put up -milord's sticks." I leave it to you to think whether my heart beat -tumultuously. What sticks? What was there in common between sticks and -me? - -The King made a sign to his pipe-bearer, who ran to the office and came -back with two long laurel poles. Hadgi-Stavros took the funeral bier and -laid it upon the grave. He pressed it down hard into the freshly turned -earth, and he raised it up at one end, while the other lay in the soil, -and he smilingly said to me: "It is for you that I am working! Take off -your shoes, if you please!" - -He must have read in my eyes a question full of agony and terror, for he -replied to the demand which I dared not address to him: - -"I am not wicked, and I have always detested useless severity. That is -why I wish to inflict on you a chastisement which will be of use to us, -inasmuch as it will dispense with any future watchfulness over you. You -have had for several days a craze to escape. I hope, that when you have -received twenty blows of the stick upon the soles of your feet, you will -no longer need to be watched, and your love for traveling will cease -for some time. I know what the punishment is; the Turks treated me to a -dose of it in my youth, and I know, by experience, that one does not die -of it. One suffers much from it; you will cry out, I warn you of it. -Vasile will hear from the depths of his tomb, and he will be pleased -with us." - -At this announcement, my first thought was to use my legs while I still -had the freedom to do so. But you must believe that my will was very -weak, for it was impossible to put one foot before the other. -Hadgi-Stavros raised me from the ground as lightly as we pick up an -insect in our path. I felt myself bound down and unshod, before a -thought, leaving my brain, had time to act upon any of my members. I -knew neither upon what they supported my feet, nor how they kept them -from falling at the first stroke of the stick. I saw the two sticks -lifted in the air, the one to the right, the other to the left; I closed -my eyes and waited. I certainly did not wait the tenth part of a second, -and yet, so short a time was sufficient to send a tender thought to my -father, a kiss to Mary-Ann, and more than a hundred imprecations to be -divided between Mrs. Simons and John Harris. - -I did not become unconscious for an instant; it is a weakness which I -never possessed, I have told you so. There was, also, nothing to lose. -The first blow was so terrific that I believed that those which followed -could amount to little. It took me in the middle of the soles, under -that small, elastic arch, just in front of the heel, which supports the -body. It was not the foot that hurt me most that time; but I believed -that the bones of my poor legs were breaking in pieces. The second blow -struck lower, just under the heels; it gave me a shock, profound, -violent, which made my whole vertebral column quiver, and filled my -brain with a frightful tumult that almost split my cranium. The third -was given directly on the toes and produced an acute and stinging -sensation, which shot all over my body and made me believe, for an -instant, that the stick had hit me on the end of the nose. It was at -this moment that the blood flowed for the first time. The blows -succeeded each other in the same order and in the same places, at equal -intervals. I had enough courage to keep silent during the first two; I -cried out at the third; I howled at the fourth; I groaned at the fifth, -and those which followed. At the tenth, the flesh itself could suffer no -more; I was silent. But the prostration of my physical force diminished, -in no wise, the clearness of my perceptions. I could not have raised my -eyelids, and yet the lightest sounds reached my ears. I lost no word of -what was said around me. It was an observation which I shall remember -later, if I practice medicine. Doctors do not hesitate to condemn a sick -man, four feet from his bed, without thinking that perhaps the poor -devil can hear them. I heard a young brigand say to the King: "He is -dead. What good to weary two men without profit to any one?" -Hadgi-Stavros replied: "Fear nothing. I received sixty, one after -another, and two days afterward I danced the Romanique." - -"How didst thou do that?" - -"I used the pomade of the Italian renegade, Ludgi-Bey--Where were we? -How many blows?" - -"Seventeen." - -"Three more, my children; and lay on the last ones hard." - -The stick had done its work well. The last blows fell upon a bloody but -insentient mass of flesh. Pain had nearly paralyzed me! - -They raised me from the stretcher; they unbound the cords; they swathed -my feet with compresses dipped in fresh water, and, as I had the thirst -of the wounded, they gave me a large cup of wine. Anger returned with my -strength. I do not know whether you have ever been bastinadoed, but I -know nothing more humiliating than physical chastisement. In order to -become the sovereign of the whole world, I would not, for an instant, be -the slave of a vile stick. Born in the nineteenth century, understanding -the use of steam and electricity, possessing a good share of the secrets -of nature, knowing thoroughly all that science has invented for the -well-being and security of man, knowing also how to cure fevers, how to -prevent taking small-pox, and then, not to be able to defend one's self -against a blow from a stick. It is a little too much, surely! If I had -been a soldier and had submitted to corporal punishment, I should -certainly have killed my chiefs! - -When I felt myself seated on the slimy ground, my feet paralyzed with -pain, my hand useless; when I saw around me the men who had beaten me, -the ones who had struck me and those who had seen me punished; anger, -shame, a feeling of outraged dignity, of justice violated, of -intelligence brutalized, swept through my enfeebled body in a wave of -hate, of revolt, and of vengeance. I forgot everything, prudence, -interest, discretion, the future, and I gave free vent to the thoughts -which stifled me; a torrent of abuse poured from my lips, while an -overflow of bile mounted to my eyes. Surely, I am no orator, and my -solitary studies have given me no exercise in the use of words, but -indignation, which has made some poets, lent me, for a quarter of an -hour, the savage eloquence of those prisoners who rendered up their -souls with insults and who breathed their last sighs in the face of the -Roman conquerors. Everything which can outrage a man in his pride, in -his affections, and in his dearest sentiments I said to the King of the -Mountains. I put him in the rank with unclean animals, and I denied him -even the name of man. I insulted him through his mother, his wife, his -daughter, and all of his posterity. I would like to repeat to you, -verbatim, all that I made him listen to, but words are wanting to-day, -as I am not angry. I invented terms which are not found in the -dictionary, but which were understood, however, for the audience of -outcasts howled under my words like a pack of hounds under the lash of -whippers-in. But although I kept watch of the old Palikar, eagerly -scanning the muscles of his face, and searching for the slightest trace -of a frown, I could discern not the slightest sign of emotion. -Hadgi-Stavros' face was like that of a marble statue. He replied to all -insults with a contemptuous silence. His attitude exasperated me to -madness. I was certainly insane for a moment. A red cloud like blood -passed before my eyes. I rose suddenly on my wounded feet. I saw a -pistol thrust in the waist-band of one of the brigands, I pulled it out, -I aimed it at the King, I drew the trigger, and fell back murmuring, "I -am avenged!" - -It was the King himself who raised me. I looked at him with an -astonishment as great as if I had seen him walking out of hell. He -seemed not at all moved, and smiled as tranquilly as an immortal. And -moreover, Monsieur, I had not missed him. My ball had touched his -forehead, a little above the left eyebrow; a trace of blood testified to -it. Possibly the pistol was badly loaded, or the powder poor, or it may -be, that the ball had glanced across the bone, but whatever it was, my -bullet had made only an abrasion. - -The invulnerable monster seated me carefully on the ground, leaned -toward me, pulled my ear and said: "Why do you attempt the impossible, -young man? I warned you that I had a head that was bullet-proof, and you -know that I never lie. Were you not told that Ibrahim had seven -Egyptians shoot at me and that he was unsuccessful? I hope that you do -not pretend to be more powerful than seven Egyptians? But do you know -that you have a nimble hand for a Northern man? Peste! if my mother, of -whom you spoke lightly a few moments ago, had not endowed me with -strength, I would now be a dead man. Another, in my place, would have -died without having time to say, 'Thank you!' As for me, such things -rejuvenate me. It recalls my best days. At your age, I exposed my life -four times a day, and I only digested the better for it. Come, I will -pardon you your hasty action. But as all my subjects are not proof -against bullets, and that you may commit no new imprudence, I shall -apply to your hands the same treatment as your feet received. Nothing -prevents us from punishing you immediately; I will wait, however, until -to-morrow, in the interests of your health. You see the stick is a blunt -weapon which kills no one; you have yourself proved that one bastinadoed -man is worth two. To-morrow's ceremony will occupy you. Prisoners do not -know how to pass the time. It was idleness which gave you bad counsels. -Rest easy, moreover; as soon as your ransom arrives, I will cure your -wounds. I still have some of Ludgi-Bey's balm. There will be no signs of -them at the end of two days, and you can dance at the ball at the -Palace, without telling your partners that they are leaning on the arm -of a cavalier who has been beaten." - -I am not a Greek, and the insults wounded me as grievously as the blows. -I shook my fist in the old rascal's face, and cried out with all my -strength: - -"No, wretch! my ransom will never be paid! No! I have not asked anyone -for the money! Thou wilt get from me only my head, which will serve thee -nothing. Take it quickly if it seems good to thee. It will do me a favor -and thyself also. Thou wilt spare me two weeks of torture, and the -disgust of looking at thee, which is the most of all. Thou wilt save my -board for fifteen days. Do not miss it, it is the only benefit that thou -wilt reap from me!" - -He smiled, shrugged his shoulders, and replied: "Ta! ta! ta! ta! Thus it -is with young people! Extremists in everything! They throw the helve -after the hatchet. If I listened to you, I would regret it before eight -hours had passed, and so would you. The Englishwomen will pay, I am sure -of it. I know women yet, although I have lived in retirement for a long -time. What would be said if I killed you to-day, and your ransom arrived -to-morrow? The story would go out that I had broken my word, and my -prisoners would allow themselves to be killed like sheep, without asking -a centime of their parents. It would spoil the trade." - -"Ah! thou believest that the Englishwomen will pay thee, my clever -fellow? Yes, they will pay thee as thou meritest!" - -"You are very good." - -"Their ransom will cost thee 80,000 francs, dost thou hear? Eighty -thousand francs out of thy pocket!" - -"Do not say such things. One would think that the blows of the stick had -turned your brain." - -"I tell thee the truth. Dost thou recall the name of thy prisoners?" - -"No, but I have it in writing." - -"I will jog thy memory. The lady called herself Mrs. Simons." - -"Well!" - -"Partner of the firm of Barley in London." - -"My banker?" - -"Precisely." - -"How doest thou know my banker's name?" - -"Because thou didst dictate before me." - -"What matter, after all? They cannot escape; they are not Greeks, they -are English; the courts--I will make complaint!" - -"And thou wouldst lose. They have a receipt!" - -"That is so. But by what mischance did I give them a receipt?" - -"Because I advised thee to do it, poor man!" - -"Wretch! dog wrongly baptized! heretic of hell! thou hast ruined me! -thou hast betrayed me! Thou hast robbed me! eighty thousand francs! I am -responsible! If they were the bankers of the company, I would lose only -my share. But they hold only my capital; I shall lose it all. Art thou -very sure that she is a partner of the firm of Barley?" - -"As I am sure of dying to-day." - -"No! thou shalt not die till to-morrow. Thou hast not suffered enough. -We will make thee pay for those 80,000 francs. What punishment can we -invent? Eighty thousand francs! Eighty thousand deaths would be little. -What have I done to this traitor who has robbed me! Peuh! Child's play, -a pleasantry! He has not howled two hours! I must invent something -better. But may be there are two firms of the same name?" - -"Cavendish Square, No. 31." - -"Yes, it is the same. Fool! why didst thou not warn me instead of -betraying me? I would have asked double the sum. They would have paid -it; they have the means. I would not have given the receipt; I will -never give another. No! no! it is the last time! Received a hundred -thousand francs of Mrs. Simons! What a foolish sentence! Was it really I -who dictated that? But I reflect now; I did not sign it. Yes, but my -seal is equal to a signature! There are twenty letters in my name. Why -didst thou demand this receipt? What do you expect from those ladies? -Fifteen thousand francs for thy ransom? Selfishness, everywhere! Thou -shouldst have confided in me; I would have let thee go without the -ransom; I would even have paid thee. If thou art poor, as thou sayest -thou art, thou shouldst know how good money is. Thou thinkest only of a -sum of 80,000 francs? Dost thou know what a heap that would make in a -room? How many pieces of gold? How much money one could make in business -with 80,000 francs? It is a calamity! Thou hast robbed me of a fortune! -Thou hast robbed my daughter, the only being I love in the world. It is -for her that I work. But, if thou knowest my affairs, thou knowest that -I scour the mountains for a whole year to gain 40,000 francs. Thou hast -plundered me of two years' income; it is as if I had slept for two -years!" - -I had then found the tender chord. The old Palikar was touched to the -heart. I knew that there was a heavy score against me, and I expected no -mercy, and moreover, I experienced an intense joy in seeing that -impassable mask torn asunder and that stony face wrung with emotion. I -rejoiced to see in his wrinkled face, the convulsive movements of -passion, as the ship-wrecked boat lost in a raging sea, admires, afar -off, the wave which is to engulf it. I was like the thinking reed, which -the brutal universe crushes into a shapeless mass, and which consoles -itself in dying with the lofty thought of its superiority. I said to -myself, with pride: "I shall die by torture, but I am the master of my -master, and the executioner of my execution!" - - - - -VII. - -JOHN HARRIS. - - -The King contemplated his vengeance, as a man who has fasted three days -contemplates a bountiful repast. He examined, one by one, all the -dishes, I mean to say all the tortures; he licked his dry lips, but he -knew not where to commence nor what to choose. One would have said that -excess of hunger spoiled his appetite. He struck his head with his fist, -as if he could force out some ideas, but they came so rapidly that it -was not easy to seize one in its passage. "Speak!" he cried to his -subjects. "Advise me! What good are you, if you are not able to give me -advice? Shall I await the coming of the Corfuan, or until Vasile shall -speak from the depths of his tomb? Find for me, beasts that you are, -some torture for the loss of 80,000 francs." - -The young pipe-bearer said to his master: "An idea strikes me. Thou hast -one officer dead, another absent, and a third wounded. Put up their -places for competition. Promise us that those who shall tell of the best -way to avenge thee, shall succeed Sophocles, the Corfuan, and Vasile." - -Hadgi-Stavros smiled complacently at this stratagem. He stroked the -young boy's chin and said to him: - -"Thou art ambitious, my little man! All in good time! Ambition is the -result of courage. Agreed, for a competition! It is a modern idea, a -European idea, that pleases me. To reward thee, thou shalt give thy -advice, first; and if thou findest something very good, Vasile shall -have no other heir but thee." - -"I would," said the child, "pull out some of my lord's teeth, put a bit -in his mouth, and make him run, bridled, till he dropped from fatigue." - -"His feet are too sore; he would fall down at the first step. And you -others? Tambouris, Moustakas, Coltzida, Milotia, speak, I am listening." - -"I," said Coltzida, "I would break boiling hot eggs under his arm-pits. -I tried it on a woman of Magara, and I had much fun." - -"I," said Tambouris, "I would put him on the ground with a rock weighing -five hundred pounds on his chest. It thrusts out one's tongue and makes -one spit blood; it is fine!" - -"I," said Milotia, "I would put vinegar in his nostrils, and drive -thorns under every nail. One sneezes violently and one does not know -what to do with one's hands." - -Moustakas was one of the cooks of the band. He proposed to cook me in -front of a small fire. The King's face expanded. - -The monk assisted at the conference, and let them talk without giving -his advice. He, however, took pity on me, according to the measure of -his sensibility, and helped me as far as his intelligence permitted. -"Moustakas," he said, "is too wicked. One can torture milord finely -without burning him alive. If you will give him salt meat without -allowing him to drink he will live a long time, he will suffer a great -deal, and the King will satisfy his vengeance without interfering with -God's vengeance. It is my disinterested advice which I give you; I shall -make nothing by it; but I wish everyone to be pleased, since the -monastery has received its tithe." - -"Halt, there!" interrupted the coffee-bearer. "Good old man, I have an -idea which is better than thine. I condemn milord to die of hunger. The -others will do any evil to him which pleases them; I will not hinder -them. But I would place a sentinel before his mouth, and I would take -care that he had neither a drop of water nor a crumb of bread. Weakness -would redouble his hunger; his wounds would increase his thirst, and the -tortures of the others would finally finish him to my profit. What dost -thou say, Sire? Is it not well reasoned and will it not give me Vasile's -place?" - -"Go to the devil, all of you!" cried the King. "You would reason less -calmly if the wretch had plundered you of 80,000 francs! Carry him away -to the camp and take your pleasure out of him. But unhappy the one who -kills him by any imprudence! This man must die only by my hand. I intend -that he shall reimburse me, in pleasure, for all that he has taken from -me in money. He shall shed his blood drop by drop, as a bad debtor who -pays sou by sou." - -You would not believe, Monsieur, with what struggles the most wretched -man will cling to life. Truly, I longed to die; and the happiest thing -which could happen to me would be to end it all with one blow. -Something, however, rejoiced me at Hadgi-Stavros' threat. I blessed the -extension of my time. Hope sprang up in my heart. If a charitable friend -had offered to blow out my brains I would have looked twice at him. - -Four brigands took me by the shoulders and legs and carried me, a -shrieking mass, to the King's cabinet. My voice awakened Sophocles on -his pallet. He called his companions and made them tell him the news, -and asked to look at me closely. It was the caprice of a sick person. -They threw me down by his side. - -"Milord," he said to me, "we are both very weak, but the odds are that I -shall get well sooner than you do. It appears that they are already -talking of my successor. How unjust men are! My place is up for -competition. Oh, well! I wish to compete and to put myself in the race. -You will bear witness in my favor and your groans will testify that -Sophocles is not yet dead. You shall be bound, and I take upon myself -the pleasure of tormenting you with one hand, as spiritedly as the -strongest of the band." - -In order to please the unfortunate fellow they bound me. He turned over -towards me and began to pull out hairs, one by one, with the patience -and the regularity of a professional hair remover. When I saw what this -new punishment was to be, I believed that the wounded man, touched by my -misery, and sympathizing with me because of his own sufferings, wished -to shield me from his comrades, and give me an hour's respite. The -extraction of one hair is not so painful, by a good deal, as the prick -of a pin. The first twenty came out, one after the other, without any -discomfiture. But soon I changed my tune. The scalp, irritated by a -multitude of imperceptible lesions, became inflamed. A dull itching -began on my head; it became a little livelier; and at last it was -intolerable. I would like to have raised my hands to my head; I -understood with what intuition the wretch had had me bound. Impatience -but aggravated the trouble; all the blood in my body rushed to my head. -Every time Sophocles approached his hand to my scalp, a woful shivering -seized my whole body. A thousand inexplicable stingings tormented my -arms and legs. The nervous system, irritated at every point, enveloped -me in a network more exasperating than Dejanire's tunic. I rolled over -on the ground, I groaned, I cried for mercy, I regretted the bastinado. -The executioner had pity on me only when he had completely exhausted -himself. When he felt his eyes become dim, his head heavy, and his arm -weary, he made a last effort, plunged his hand into my hair, seized a -fist full, and fell over on his pallet, drawing from me a despairing -cry. - -"Come with me," said Moustakas. "Thou shalt decide, in a corner by the -fire, if I can compete with Sophocles, and whether I merit a -lieutenancy." - -He raised me like a feather and carried me to the camp, in front of a -heap of resinous wood and piled up brushwood. He took off the bonds, he -stripped me of my clothes, leaving me only my trousers. "Thou shalt be -my under-cook," he said. "We will make the fire and we will prepare the -King's dinner, together." - -He lighted the stack of wood and laid me out on my back, about two feet -from the mountain of flames. The wood crackled, the red cinders fell -like hail around me. The heat became unbearable. I hitched along with my -hands a little distance, but he came with a frying-pan in his hand, and -pushed me back with his foot to the place where he had first laid me. - -"Look well, and profit by my lessons. Here are the heart, liver, and -kidneys from three sheep; there is enough to feed twenty men. The King -will choose the most delicate morsels; he will distribute the remainder -to his men. Thou wilt have none of it for the present, and if thou -tastest my cooking, it will be with the eyes only." - -I soon heard the bubbling in the sauce pan, and it reminded me that I -had been fasting since the evening before. My hunger added one more -torment. Moustakas held the pan under my eyes and made me look at the -appetizing color of the meat. He thrust it under my nose and I smelled -the steam of the food. Suddenly he perceived that he had forgotten the -seasoning, and he hurried away to find the salt and pepper, leaving the -sauce pan to my care. The first idea which came to me was to steal a -piece of the meat, but the brigands were only ten feet away; they would -stop me at once. "If I only had my package of arsenic," I thought. What -could I have done with it? I had not put it back in my box. I thrust my -hands into my pockets. I drew out a soiled paper and a handful of that -beneficent powder, which would save me, perhaps, or at least avenge me. - -Moustakas returned at the instant when I was holding my open hand above -the sauce pan. He seized me by the arm, looked me straight in the eye, -and said in a menacing tone: "I know what thou hast done." - -I dropped my arm discouraged. The cook added: - -"Yes, thou hast thrown something over the King's dinner." - -"What?" - -"A spell. But no matter. Believe me, my poor milord, Hadgi-Stavros is a -greater sorcerer than thou art. I am going to serve his dinner. I will -have my part of it, but thou shalt not taste it." - -"Great good may it do thee!" - -He left me before the fire, placing me in the care of a dozen brigands -who were crunching black bread and bitter olives. These Spartans kept me -company for an hour or two. They attended to my fire with the -watchfulness of sick nurses. If, at times, I attempted to drag myself a -little further away from my torture they cried out: "Take care, thou -wilt freeze!" And they pushed me toward the flames with heavy blows of -the burning brushwood. My back was covered with red spots, my skin was -raised in blisters, my eye-lashes had succumbed to the heat of the fire, -my hair exhaled an odor of burning horn, and yet I rubbed my hands in -glee at the thought of the King eating my cooking and that something -startling would happen upon Parnassus before night. - -Very soon Hadgi-Stavros' men re-appeared in the camp, stomachs filled, -eyes shining, faces smiling. "Go on!" I thought, "your joy and your -health will soon fall like a mask, and you will curse each mouthful of -the feast which I seasoned for you!" The celebrated poisoner, Locuste, -must have passed some very pleasant moments during her life. When one -has reason to hate men, it is pleasure enough to see a vigorous being -who goes, who comes, who laughs, who sings, while carrying in his -intestines a seed of death which will spring up and devour him. It is a -little like the same joy a good doctor experiences at the sight of a -dying man whom he is able to bring back to life. Locuste used medicine -inversely, as I did. - -My malevolent reflections were interrupted by a singular tumult. The -dogs barked in chorus, and a messenger, out of breath, appeared on the -plateau with the whole pack at his heels. It was Dimitri, the son of -Christodule. Some stones thrown by the bandits freed him from his -escort. He shouted at the top of his lungs: "The King! I must speak to -the King!" When he was about twenty steps from us, I called to him in a -doleful tone. He was terrified at the state in which he found me, and he -cried out: "The fools! Poor girl!" - -"My good Dimitri!" I said to him, "where dost thou come from? Will my -ransom be paid?" - -"The ransom is well at stake, but fear nothing, I bring good news. Good -for you, bad for me, for him, for her, for everybody! I must see -Hadgi-Stavros. There is not a moment to lose. Until I come back, suffer -no one to do you any harm; she would die for it! You hear, you -wretches; do not touch milord. For your life. The King would cut you in -pieces. Conduct me to the King!" - -The world is such that a man who speaks as a master is almost sure of -being obeyed. There was so much authority in the voice of this servant, -and his passion expressed itself in a tone so imperious that my guards, -astonished and stupefied, forgot to keep me near the fire. I crept some -distance away, and deliciously reposed upon the cold rock, until -Hadgi-Stavros' arrival. He appeared not less agitated than Dimitri. He -took me in his arms like a sick child, and carried me, without stopping, -to that fatal chamber where Vasile was buried. He laid me on his own -carpet with maternal solicitude; he stepped back and looked at me with a -curious mixture of hate and pity. He said to Dimitri: "My child, this is -the first time that I have left such a crime unpunished. He killed -Vasile, that was nothing. He would have assassinated me, I pardoned him. -But he robbed me, the scamp! Eighty thousand francs less in Photini's -dowry! I sought for a punishment equal to his crime. Oh, rest easy! I -should have found it. Unhappy that I am! Why did I not restrain my -anger? I have treated him harshly. And she will bear the penalty. If she -receives two blows of the stick upon her little feet I shall never see -her again. Men do not die of it, but a woman, a child of fifteen!" - -He cleared the place of all the men who were crowding around us. He -gently unwound the bloody bandages which enveloped my wounds. He sent -his pipe-bearer for the balm of Ludgi-Bey. He seated himself on the -damp grass in front of me, he took my feet in his hands and looked at -the wounds. An almost incredible thing to tell! There were tears in his -eyes! - -"Poor child!" he said, "you have suffered cruelly. Pardon me. I am an -old brute, a wolf of the mountain, a Palikar. I was trained in ferocity -from twenty years of age. But you see that my heart is good, since I -regret what I have done. I am more unhappy than you, because your eyes -are dry and I weep. I shall set you at liberty without a moment's delay, -or rather, no, you cannot go away thus. I will cure you first. The balm -is a sovereign remedy. I will care for you as for a son. Health shall -return quickly. You must be able to walk to-morrow. She must not remain -a day longer in your friend's hands. In the name of Heaven tell no one -of our quarrel to-day! You know that I do not hate you! I have said so -often. I sympathized with you and I gave you my confidence. I told you -my most sacred secrets. Do you not remember that we were friends until -Vasile's death? An instant's anger must not make you forget twelve days -of good treatment. You would not wish to break a father's heart. You are -an honest young man; your friend ought to be good like you." - -"But who, then?" - -"Who? That cursed Harris! that devilish American! that execrable pirate! -that kidnapper of children! that assassin of young girls! that wretch -whom I wish I held with you so that I could crush you in my hands, grind -you together, and scatter your dust to the winds of my mountains! You -are all the same, Europeans, a race of traitors, who dare not attack -men, and who have courage to fight only against children. Read what he -has written me and tell me if there are tortures cruel enough to -chastise a crime like his!" - -He savagely hurled a crumpled letter at me. I instantly recognized the -writing, and I read: - - "Sunday, May 11, on board The Fancy, Bay of Salamis. - - "Hadgi-Stavros: - - "Photini is on board under guard of four American cannons. I shall - hold her as hostage as long as Hermann Schultz is prisoner. As thou - treatest my friend, so shall I treat thy daughter. She shall pay - hair for hair, tooth for tooth, head for head. Reply to me without - delay, otherwise I shall come to see thee! - - "John Harris." - -On reading this letter I could not restrain my joy. "The good Harris!" I -shouted, "I who accused him! But explain, Dimitri, why he has not -rescued me sooner?" - -"He has been away, Mr. Hermann; he was chasing pirates. He returned -yesterday morning, unfortunately for us. Why did he not remain away!" - -"Excellent Harris! He has not lost a single day. But where did he kidnap -the daughter of this old scamp?" - -"At our house, M. Hermann. You know her, Photini. You have dined more -than once with her." - -The Daughter of the King of the Mountains was then that boarding-school -miss with the flat nose, who sighed for John Harris. - -I concluded from this that the abduction had been accomplished without -violence. - -The pipe-bearer now came up with a package of linen and a bottle filled -with yellow pomade. The King dressed my feet with practiced touch, and I -experienced within an hour a certain relief. Hadgi-Stavros was, at this -moment, a fine subject for the study of psychology. He had as much -brutality in his eyes as delicacy in his touch. He unwound the bandages -from my instep so gently that I scarcely felt it; but his glance said: -"If I could only strangle thee!" He took out the pins as adroitly as a -woman; but with what pleasure would he have thrust his cangiar into me. - -When he had adjusted the bandages, he stretched out his clenched fists -and savagely roared: - -"I am no longer a King, since I must refrain from gratifying my anger! -I, who have always commanded, I obey a threat! He, who has made millions -of men tremble, is afraid! They will boast of it, without doubt; they -will tell the whole world of it; Oh! for the means to silence those -European gossips! They will publish it in their papers, perhaps even in -their novels. Why did I marry? Ought such a man to have children? I was -born to fight soldiers and not to rear up little girls! Thunder is not -for children; cannons are not for children. If they were, they would no -longer fear the thunder-bolts and cannon-balls. This John Harris may -well laugh at me! What if I should declare war against him? What if I -should capture his ship by force? I have attacked many, when I was a -pirate, and twenty such cannons did not trouble me. But my daughter was -not on board. Dear little one! You know her then, Monsieur Hermann? Why -did you not tell me that you boarded with Christodule? I would have -asked no ransom; I would have released you instantly, for love of -Photini. Truly, I wish that she knew your language. She will be a -princess in Germany, some day or other. Is it not true that she will -make a beautiful Princess? I think so! Since you know her you will -forbid your friend to do her any harm. Could you have the heart to see a -tear fall from those dear eyes? She has never harmed you, the poor -innocent! If anyone ought to expiate your sufferings, it is I. Tell M. -John Harris that you bruised your feet on the paths; you may then do me -any harm you choose." - -Dimitri stopped this torrent of words. "It is very unfortunate that M. -Hermann is wounded. Photini is not safe in the midst of those heretics, -and I know M. Harris: he is capable of anything!" - -The King scowled. Suspicions of a lover entered the father's heart. "Be -off, then," he said to me; "I will carry you if necessary to the foot of -the mountain; you can find, in some village, a horse, a carriage, a -litter; I will furnish everything needed. But let him know, that from -to-day, you are free, and swear to me, on the head of your mother, that -you will tell no one of the injury which has been done you?" - -I scarcely knew how I could endure the fatigues of the journey; but -anything seemed preferable to the company of my tormentors. I feared -that a new obstacle might arise before I was free. I said to the King: -"Let us start! I swear to you by all I hold most sacred, that they shall -not touch a hair of your daughter's head!" - -He raised me in his arms, threw me over his shoulder, and mounted the -staircase to his cabinet. The entire band rushed out in front of him and -barred our passage. Moustakas, livid as a man attacked with cholera, -said to him: "Where art thou going? The German has thrown a spell over -the food. We are suffering all the pains of hell. We are frightfully -ill, through his fault, and we wish to see him die." - -My hopes were dashed to the ground. Dimitri's arrival; John Harris' -providential interference; Hadgi-Stavros' change of front; the -humiliation of that superb head to the feet of his prisoner; so many -events, crowded into a quarter of an hour, had turned my head; I had -already forgotten the past, and I had rashly begun to count on the -future. - -At the sight of Moustakas, I remembered the poison. I felt that any -moment might precipitate a fearful event. I clung to the King of the -Mountains, I wound my arms around his neck, I begged him to carry me -away without delay. "It will redound to thy glory," I said to him. -"Prove to these savages that thou art King! Do not reply! words are -useless. Let us pass over their bodies. Thou knowest thyself what -interest thou hast in saving me. Thy daughter loves John Harris; I am -sure of it, she confessed it to me!" - -"Wait!" he replied. "Let us pass first! we can talk later." - -He laid me carefully down on the ground, and rushed, with clenched -fists, into the midst of the bandits. "You are fools!" he shouted. "The -first one who touches milord will answer to me. What spell do you say he -has cast? I ate with you; am I ill? Let me pass! he is an honest man; he -is my friend!" - -Suddenly, he changed countenance; his legs gave way under the weight of -his body. He seated himself near me, leaned toward me and said with more -grief than anger: - -"Imprudent! Why did you not tell me that you had poisoned us?" - -I seized the King's hand; it was cold. His features were convulsed; his -marble-like face became a frightful color. At this sight, my strength -suddenly failed me, and I felt that I was dying. I had nothing more to -hope for in the world; had I not condemned myself, in killing the only -man who had any interest in saving me? My head fell on my breast, and I -sat, helpless, by the side of the livid and shivering old man. - -Moustakas and some of the others had, already, stretched out their hands -to seize me and compel me to share their sufferings. Hadgi-Stavros had -no strength to defend me. Occasionally, a terrible hiccough shook the -King, as the wood-cutter's ax shakes an oak a hundred years old. The -bandits were persuaded that he was dying, and that the invincible old -man was about, at last, to be conquered by death. All the ties which -bound them to their chief, bonds of interest, of fear, of hope, and of -gratitude, broke like the threads of a spider's web. The Greeks are the -most restive people in the world. Their inordinate and intemperate -vanity was sometimes subdued, but like a steel ready to rebound. They -knew how, in case of need, to lean upon the strongest, or how to -modestly follow the lead of the ablest, but not how to pardon the master -who had protected and enriched them. For thirty centuries or more, this -nation has been composed of a people, egotistical and jealous, which -only necessity has held together, which inclination separates, and which -no human power could unite entirely. - -Hadgi-Stavros learned to his cost that one does not command, with -impunity, sixty Greeks. His authority did not survive an instant longer -than his moral force or his physical vigor. Without mentioning the -wounded men who shook their fists in our faces, while reproaching us for -their sufferings, the able-bodied grouped themselves in front of their -legitimate king, around a huge, brutal peasant, named Coltzida. He was -the most garrulous and most shameless of the band, an impudent blockhead -without talent and without courage; one of those who hide during action, -and who carry the flag after a victory; but in like situations, fortune -favors impudent braggarts. Coltzida, proud of his lungs, heaped insults, -by the score, on Hadgi-Stavros, as a grave-digger heaps the earth on the -grave of a dead man. - -"Thou seest," he said, "a wise man, an invincible general, an -all-powerful king, and invulnerable mortal! Thou hast not deserved thy -glory, and we have been far-sighted in trusting ourselves to thee! What -have we gained in thy company? How hast thou served us? Thou hast given -us fifty-four miserable francs a month, a beggarly pittance. Thou hast -fed us on black bread and mouldy cheese which you would not touch, while -thou hast accumulated a fortune and sent ships loaded with gold to -foreign bankers. What benefit have we received from our victories and -for all the blood which we have shed in the mountains? Nothing! thou -hast kept all for thyself, spoils, personal effects, prisoners' ransoms! -It is true that thou hast left us the bayonet thrusts: it is the only -profit of which thou hast not taken thy share. During the two years I -have been with thee, I have received four wounds in the back, and thou -hast not a scar to show! If, at least, thou hadst known how to lead us! -If thou hadst chosen good opportunities, when there was little to risk -and much to gain! Thou hast beaten us; thou hast been our executioner; -thou hast sent us into the wolves' jaws! Thou hast then hastened to be -done with us and to retire us on a pension! Thou wert longing so much to -see us all buried near Vasile that thou deliveredst us to this cursed -lord, who has thrown a spell over our bravest soldiers! But do not hope -to cheat us from our vengeance. I know why thou wishest to have him go -away; he has paid his ransom. But what dost thou wish to do with this -money? Wilt thou carry it away to a foreign country? Thou art sick, -opportunely, my poor Hadgi-Stavros. Milord has not spared thee, thou art -dying also, and it is well! My friends, we are our own masters. We will -no longer obey anyone, we will do whatever pleases us, we will eat the -best, we will drink all of the wine of Aegina, we will burn an entire -forest to cook whole herds, we will pillage the kingdom! we will take -Athens and we will camp in the Palace gardens! You have only to allow -yourselves to be led; I know the best methods! Let us begin by throwing -the old man, with his much loved lord, into the ravine; I will then tell -you what is necessary to do!" - -Coltzida's eloquence came near costing us our lives, because his -audience applauded. Hadgi-Stavros' old comrades, ten or a dozen devoted -Palikars, who might have come to his aid, had eaten dessert at his -table: they were also writhing in agony. But a popular orator cannot -elevate himself above his fellows without creating jealousies. When it -became clear that Coltzida proposed to become chief of the band, -Tambouris and some other ambitious ones faced about and ranged -themselves on our side. To a man they liked better the man who knew how -to lead them than this insolent braggart, whose incapacity repelled -them. They urged that the King had not long to live, and that he would -appoint his successor from among the faithful who remained around him. -It was no ordinary affair. The odds were that the capitalists would more -readily ratify Hadgi-Stavros' choice, than endorse a revolutionary -election. Eight or ten voices were raised in our defense. Ours, because -our interests were one. I clung to the King of the Mountains, and he had -one arm around my neck. Tambouris and his fellows put their heads -together; a plan of defense was formed; three men profited by the -uproar to run, with Dimitri, to the arsenal, to get arms and cartridges, -and to lay along the path a train of powder. They came back and -discreetly mixed with the crowd. They formed into two parties; insults -were hurled from one to the other. Our champions, with their backs to -Mary-Ann's chamber, guarded the staircase, they made a rampart of their -bodies for us, and kept the enemy in the King's cabinet. In the -scrimmage, a pistol-shot rung out. A ribbon of fire ran over the ground -and the rock flew up with a fearful noise. - -Coltzida and his followers, surprised by the detonation, ran to the -arsenal. Tambouris lost not an instant; he raised Hadgi-Stavros, -descended the staircase in two bounds, laid him in a safe place, -returned, picked me up, carried, and laid me at the King's feet. Our -friends intrenched themselves in the chamber, cut trees, barricaded the -staircase, and organized a defense before Coltzida could return. - -Then, we counted our forces. Our army was composed of the King, his two -servants, Tambouris with eight brigands, Dimitri, and myself; in all -fourteen men, of whom three were disabled. The coffee-bearer had been -poisoned also, and he began to show the first rigors of illness. But we -had two guns apiece, and a great supply of cartridges, while the enemy -had no arms nor ammunition except what they carried on their persons. -They possessed the advantage of numbers and point of vantage. We did not -know exactly how many able-bodied men they had, but we must expect to -meet twenty-five or thirty assailants. I need not describe to you the -place of siege: you know it. Believe, however, that the aspect of the -place had changed a great deal since the day when I breakfasted there -for the first time, under guard of the Corfuan, with Mrs. Simons and -Mary-Ann. The roots of our beautiful trees were exposed, and the -nightingale was far away. What is more important for you to know, is, -that we were protected on the right and left by rocks, inaccessible even -to the enemy. They could attack us from the King's cabinet, and they -could watch us from the bottom of the ravine. On the one hand, their -balls flew over us; on the other, ours flew over the sentinels, but at -such long range that it was wasting our ammunition. - -If Coltzida and his companions had possessed the least idea of war, they -could have done for us. They could have raised the barricade, entered by -force, driven us into a corner, or thrown us over into the ravine. But -the imbecile, who had two men to our one, thought to husband his -ammunition, and place, as sharp-shooters, twenty stupid men who did not -know how to discharge a gun. Our men were not much more skillful. Better -commanded, however, and wiser, they managed to smash five heads before -night fell. The combatants knew each other by name. They called to each -other after the fashion of Homer's heroes. One attempted to convert the -other by aiming at his cheek; the other replied by a ball and by -argument. The combat was only an armed discussion when, from time to -time, the muskets spoke. - -As for me, stretched out in a corner, sheltered from the balls, I tried -to undo my fatal work, and to recall the poor King of the Mountains to -life. He suffered cruelly; he complained of great thirst, and a sharp -pain in the upper part of the abdomen. His icy hands and feet were -violently convulsed. The pulse was irregular, the respiration labored. -His stomach seemed to struggle against an internal execution, without -being able to expel it. His mind had lost nothing of its vigor and its -quickness; his bright and keen eye searched the horizon in the direction -of the Bay of Salamis, and Photini's floating prison. - -He grasped my hand and said: "Cure me, my dear child! You are a doctor, -you ought to cure me. I will not reproach you with what you have done; -you were right; you had reason to kill me, because I swore that without -your friend Harris I would not have allowed you to escape me. Is there -nothing to quench the fire which consumes me? I care nothing for life; I -have lived long enough; but if I die, they will kill you, and my poor -Photini will be sacrificed. I suffer! Feel my hands; it seems to me that -they are already dead. Do you believe that this American will have the -heart to carry out his threats? What was it you told me a little while -ago? Photini loves him! Poor little one! I have brought her up to become -the wife of a king. I would rather see her dead, than--no, I would -rather, after all, that she should love this young man; perhaps he may -take pity on her. What are you to him? a friend; nothing more; you are -not even a compatriot. One may have as many friends as one wishes; one -cannot find two women like Photini; I would strangle all my friends if -I found it to my advantage; I would never kill a woman who loved me. If -only he knew how rich she is! Americans are practical, at least, so it -is said. But the poor, little innocent knows nothing about her fortune. -I ought to have told her. But how can I let him know that she will have -a dowry of four millions? We are Coltzida's prisoners. Cure me then, and -by all the saints in paradise I will crush the reptile!" - -I am not a physician, and all I know about toxicology is in its -elementary treatment; I remembered, however, that arsenical poisoning -was cured only by a method similar to "Doctor Sangrado." I used means to -make the old man eject the contents of his stomach, and I soon began to -hope that the poison was almost expelled. Reaction followed; his skin -became burning hot, the pulse quickened, his face flushed, his eyes were -blood-shot. I asked him if any one of his men knew enough to bleed him. -He tied a bandage tightly around his arm, and coolly opened a vein -himself, to the noise of the fusilade and while the bullets dashed -around him. He let out a sufficient amount of blood, and asked me in a -sweet and tranquil tone, what else there was to do. I ordered him to -drink, to drink more, to keep on drinking, until the last particle of -arsenic had been disposed of. The goat-skin of white wine which had -killed Vasile was still in the chamber. This wine, mixed with water, -brought back life to the King. He obeyed me like a child. I believe that -the first time I held out the cup to him, his poor, old suffering -Highness seized my hand to kiss it. - -Toward ten o'clock he became much better, but his pipe-bearer was dead. -The poor devil could neither rid himself of the poison, nor revive. They -threw him into the ravine, at the top of the cascade. All our defenders -were in good condition, without a wound, but famished as wolves in -December. As for me, I had been without food for twenty-four hours, and -I was very hungry. The enemy, in order to defy us, passed the night -eating and drinking above our heads. They threw to us some mutton bones -and some empty goat-skin bottles. Our men replied with some shots, -guessing at the position of our foes. We could plainly hear the cries of -joy and the groans of the dying. Coltzida was drunk; the wounded and the -sick howled in unison; Moustakas did not shout for a long time. The -tumult kept me awake the entire night near the old King. Ah! Monsieur, -how long the nights seem to him who is not sure of the next day! - -Tuesday morning broke gray and wet. The sky looked threatening at -sunrise, and a disagreeable rain fell alike on friend and foe. But if we -were wide awake enough to protect our arms and ammunition, General -Coltzida's army had not taken the same precaution. The first engagement -redounded entirely to our honor. The enemy was badly hidden, and fired -their pistols with shaking hands. The game seemed so good a one, that I -took a gun like the others. What happened I will write to you about at -some future time, if I ever become a doctor. I have already confessed to -murders enough for a man whose business it is not. Hadgi-Stavros -followed my example; but his hands refused to act; his extremities were -swollen and painful, and I announced to him, with my usual frankness, -that this incapacity might last as long as he did. - -About nine o'clock the enemy, who seemed to be very attentive in -responding to us, suddenly turned their backs. I heard heavy firing -which was not directed to us, and I concluded that Master Coltzida had -allowed himself to be surprised in the rear. Who was the unknown ally -who was serving us so good a turn? Was it prudent to effect a junction -and to demolish our barricade? I asked nothing else, but the King -believed that it was a troop of the line, and Tambouris gnawed his -moustache. All our doubts were soon removed. A voice which was not -unknown to me, cried: "All right!" Three young men, armed to the teeth, -sprang forward like tigers, broke down the barricade and fell in our -midst. Harris and Lobster held in each hand a six-shooter. Giacomo -brandished a musket, the butt-end in the air, like a club: it was thus -that he knew how to use fire-arms. - -A thunder-bolt falling into the chamber would have produced less magical -effect than the appearance of these men, who shot right and left, and -who seemed to carry death in their hands. My three fellow-boarders, -excited by the noise, elated with victory, perceived neither -Hadgi-Stavros nor me. They only turned around in order to kill a man, -and God knows! they did their work well. Our poor champions, astonished, -affrighted, were overcome without having had time to defend themselves -or to be recognized. I, who would have saved their lives, shouted from -my corner; but my voice was drowned in the whistling of bullets, and -the shouts of the conquerors. Dimitri, crouching between the King and -me, vainly joined his voice to mine. Harris, Lobster, and Giacomo fired, -ran here and there, knocked down, counting the blows, each in his own -tongue. - -"One!" said Lobster. - -"Two!" responded Harris. - -"Tre! quatro! cinque!" growled Giacomo. The fifth was Tambouris. His -head split under the blow like a fresh nut struck by a stone. The brains -were scattered about, and the body sunk into the water like a bundle of -clothes which a washerwoman throws in the edge of a brook. My friends -were a fine sight in their horrible work. They killed with ferocity, -they delighted in the justice they meted out. While running toward the -camp, the wind had blown away their hats; their locks were disheveled; -their glistening eyes shone so murderously, that it was difficult to -decide whether death was dealt by their looks or by their hands. One -could have said that destruction was incarnate in this panting trio. -When they had removed all obstacles from their path and they saw no -enemies but the three or four wounded men stretched on the ground, they -stopped to breathe. Harris' first thought was for me. Giacomo had only -one care: he wished to ascertain whether, among the number, he had -broken Hadgi-Stavros' head. Harris shouted: "Hermann, where are you?" - -"Here!" I replied: and the three fighters ran at my call. - -The King of the Mountains, feeble as he was, put one hand on my -shoulder, raised himself from the rock, looked fixedly at these men who -had killed such a number to reach him, and said in a firm tone: "I am -Hadgi-Stavros!" - -You know that my friends had waited for a long time for occasion to -chastise the old Palikar. They had promised themselves to celebrate his -death as a festival. They would avenge Mistra's little daughters; a -thousand other victims; me, and themselves. But, however, I had no need -to restrain them. There was such remains of greatness in this hero in -ruins, that their anger fell from them and gave way to astonishment. -They were all three young men, and at the age when one no longer takes -arms against a disarmed enemy. I related to them, in a few words, how -the King had defended me against his whole band, almost dead as he was, -and on the same day on which I had poisoned him. I explained to them -about the battle they had interrupted, the barricades they had broken -down, and that strange contest in which they had interfered and killed -our defenders. - -"So much the worse for them!" said John Harris. "We wear, like Justice, -a bandage over our eyes. If the rogues performed a good deed before they -died, it will be counted in their favor up above; I do not object to -it." - -"As for the men of whom we have deprived you, do not worry about them," -said Lobster. "With two revolvers in our hands and two more in our -pockets, we have each been worth twenty-four men. We have killed these; -the others have only to come back. Is it not so, Giacomo?" - -"As for me, I could knock down an army of bulls!" said the Maltese; "I -am in the humor for it. And to think that one is reduced to sealing -letters with two such fists as these!" - -The enemy, however, recovered from their astonishment, had again begun -the siege. Three or four brigands had poked their noses over our -ramparts and saw the carnage. Coltzida knew not what to think of the -three scourges who had struck blindly, right and left, among friends and -foes; but he decided that either sword or poison must have freed the -King of the Mountains. He prudently ordered the men to demolish our -defense. We were out of sight, sheltered by the wall, about ten steps -from the staircase. The noise of the falling barricade warned my friends -to reload their revolvers. The King allowed them to do so. He said to -John Harris: - -"Where is Photini?" - -"On my ship." - -"You have not harmed her?" - -"Do you think that I have taken lessons from you in torturing young -girls?" - -"You are right, I am a miserable old dog; pardon me! Promise me to -forgive her!" - -"What the devil do you want me to do with her? Now that I have found -Hermann, I will send her back to you whenever you wish." - -"Without ransom?" - -"You old beast!" - -"You shall see whether I am an old beast!" - -He passed his left arm around Dimitri's neck, he extended his shriveled -and trembling hand toward the hilt of his sword, painfully drew the -blade from the scabbard, and marched toward the staircase where Coltzida -and his men stood hesitating. They recoiled at sight of him, as if the -earth had opened to allow the passage of the ruler of the infernal -regions. There were fifteen or twenty, all armed; not one dared to -defend himself, to make excuses, nor even to attempt to escape. They -trembled in all their limbs, at sight of the terrible face of the -resuscitated King. Hadgi-Stavros marched straight to Coltzida, who, -paler and more horrified than the others, attempted to hide behind his -companions. The King threw his arm backwards by an effort impossible to -describe, and with one blow severed his head from his body. Instantly, a -trembling seized him. His sword fell on the dead man and he did not -deign to pick it up. - -"Let us go on," he said, "I carry an empty scabbard. The blade is no -longer of use, neither am I; I am done for!" - -His old companions approached to ask pardon. Some of them begged him not -to abandon them; they knew not what to do without him. He did not honor -them with a word of response. He implored us to accompany him to Castia -to find horses, and to Salamis to search for Photini. - -The brigands allowed us to depart without hindrance. After a few steps, -my friends noticed that I could scarcely step; Giacomo helped me along; -Harris asked if I was wounded. The King gave me a beseeching look, poor -man! I told my friends that I had attempted a perilous escape, and that -my feet had been badly wounded. We carefully picked our way down the -mountain paths. The groans of the wounded, and the voices of the bandits -who were discussing matters, followed us for quite a distance. As we -approached the village, the weather changed, and the path began to dry -under our feet. The first ray of sunlight which burst forth seemed to me -very beautiful. Hadgi-Stavros paid little attention to the outside -world; he communed within himself. It is something to break off a habit -of fifty years standing. - -On the outskirts of Castia, we met the monk who was carrying a swarm of -bees in a sack. He greeted us courteously, and excused himself for not -having visited us since the evening before. The musket shots had -intimidated him. The King saluted him and passed on. My friends' horses -were waiting, with their guide, near the fountain. I asked them how they -happened to have four horses. They said that M. Merinay made one of the -party, but that he had alighted to inspect a curious stone, and that he -had not yet re-appeared. - -Giacomo Fondi lifted me to the saddle at arm's length; he could not -resist the temptation. The King, assisted by Dimitri, painfully climbed -into his. Harris and his nephew vaulted into theirs; Giacomo, Dimitri, -and the guide preceded us on foot. - -The path widening, I rode up beside Harris, and he related to me how -the King's daughter had fallen into his hands: - -"Imagine;" he said to me. "I had just arrived from my cruise, much -pleased with myself, and very proud of having run down a half-dozen -pirates. I anchored off Piraeus, Sunday, at six o'clock; I landed; and -as I had been eight days tete-a-tete with my head officer, I promised -myself a little pleasure in conversation. I stopped a fiacre, I hired it -for the evening. I arrived at Christodule's house in the midst of a -general hubbub; I would never have believed that so much trouble could -be found in a pastry-cook's house. Every one was there for supper. -Christodule, Maroula, Dimitri, Giacomo, William, M. Merinay and the -little Sunday girl, more tricked out than ever. William related to me -your story. It is useless to tell you that I made a great uproar. I was -furious with myself for not having been in the city. My nephew assured -me that he had done all he could. He had scoured the city for fifteen -thousand francs, but his parents had opened only a limited credit for -him; briefly, he had not found the amount. In despair, he addressed -himself to M. Merinay: but the sweet Merinay pretended that all his -money was lent to his intimate friends, far from here, very -far;--farther than the end of the world! - -"'Eh! Zounds!' I said to Lobster, 'it is in lead-money that one must pay -the old scoundrel. For what good is it to be as dextrous as Nimrod, if -one's talent is good only to break Socrates' prison? We must organize a -hunt for the old Palikars! Once, I refused a journey to Central Africa: -I have since regretted it. It is double pleasure to shoot an animal -which defends itself. Provide plenty of powder and balls, and to-morrow -morning we will set out on a campaign.' William took the bait, Giacomo -brought his fist down in a crashing blow on the table; you know what -Giacomo's fist-blows are. He swore that he would accompany us, provided -he could find a single-barreled gun. But the most enraged of all was M. -Merinay. He wished to bathe his hands in the blood of those wretches. We -accepted his services, but I offered to buy the game which he would -bring back. He swelled out his little voice in the most comical fashion, -and showing his fists to Mademoiselle, said that Hadgi-Stavros would -have business to settle with him. - -"I laughed gleefully like those who are always gay the night before a -battle. Lobster became very merry at the thought of showing the bandits -the progress he had made. Giacomo could not contain himself for joy; the -corners of his mouth went around dangerously near his ears; he cracked -nuts with the face of a nut-cracker of Nuremburg. M. Merinay had a halo -around his head. He was no longer a man, but a pyrotechnic display. - -"Except us, the guests resembled alder trees. The pastry-cook's huge -wife made signs of the cross; Dimitri raised his eyes to heaven, -Christodule advised us to think twice before we provoked the King of the -Mountains. But the girl with the flat nose, the one to whom you gave the -name of Crinolina invariabilis, was plunged in grief which was quite -amusing. She fetched great sighs like a wood-splitter; she did this -only to keep herself in countenance, and I could have put in my left eye -all the supper which she put into her mouth." - -"She is a good girl, Harris." - -"Good girl as much as you wish, but I find that your indulgence for her -passes all bounds. I have never been able to pardon her for her dresses -which thrust themselves obstinately under the legs of my chair, the odor -of patchouli which she spreads around me, and the lackadaisical glances -which she passes around the table. One would say, upon my word, that she -is not capable of looking at a carafe without casting sheep's eyes at -it. But if you love her, such as she is, there is nothing to be said. -She left at nine o'clock for her boarding-school; I wished her bon -voyage. Ten minutes afterward I shook hands with our friends, we made a -rendezvous for the next day, I went out, I wakened my coachman and guess -whom I found in my carriage? Crinolina invariabilis with the -pastry-cook's servant. - -"She placed her finger on her lips. I entered without saying a word, and -we started. 'Monsieur Harris,' she said in very good English, by my -faith, 'swear to me to renounce your plans against the King of the -Mountains.' - -"I began to laugh, and she began to weep. She declared that I would be -killed; I replied that it was I who would kill the others; she objected -to having Hadgi-Stavros killed; I wished to know why; at last, at the -end of her eloquence, she cried out, as if in the fifth act of a play: -'He is my father!' Upon that I began to seriously reflect; once in a way -does not count. I thought that it might be possible to recover a lost -friend without risking two or three others, and I said to the young -Palikar: - -"'Your father loves you?' - -"'More than his life.' - -"'He never refuses you anything?' - -"'Nothing that is necessary.' - -"'And if you should write to him that you wanted M. Hermann Schultz -would he send him to you with the message-bearer?' - -"'No.' - -"'You are absolutely sure of it?' - -"'Absolutely.' - -"'Then, Mademoiselle, I have but one thing to do. Set a thief to catch a -thief. I will carry you on board The Fancy, and I will hold you as a -hostage until Hermann is returned.' - -"'I was about to propose it to you,' she said. 'At that price papa will -send back your friend.'" - -Here I interrupted John Harris' story. - -"Oh, well! you do not admire the poor, young girl who loves you enough -to give herself into your hands?" - -"A fine affair!" he replied. "She wished to save that honest man, her -father, and she well knew that once war was declared we would not let -him escape. I promised to treat her with all the respect a gallant man -ought to treat a woman. She wept until we reached Piraeus. I consoled -her as best I could. She murmured: 'I am a lost girl!' I demonstrated -to her by 'A' plus 'B' that she would find herself again. I made her get -out of the carriage. I helped her and the servant into my boat, which -now awaits us below. I wrote to the old brigand an explicit letter, and -I sent an old woman with a little message to Dimitri. - -"Since that time the beautiful weeper enjoys undisputed possession of my -apartments. Orders were given that she was to be treated like the -daughter of a king. I waited until Monday evening for her father's -response; then my patience failed me; I returned to my first plan; I -took my pistols; I notified my friends, and you know the rest. Now it is -your turn; you ought to have a whole volume to recount." - -"I must first speak to the King." - -I approached him and said to him in a low tone: "I do not know why I -told you that Photini was in love with John Harris. Fear must have -turned my head. I have been talking with him, and I swear to you, on the -head of my father, that she is as indifferent to him as if he had never -spoken to her." - -The old man thanked me with a motion of the hand, and I went back to -John Harris, and related my adventures with Mary-Ann. "Bravo!" he -exclaimed. "I find that the romance is not complete on account of the -absence of a little love. A sufficient amount will do no harm." - -"Excuse me," I answered. "There is no love in it at all! A firm -friendship on one side, a little gratitude on the other. But nothing -more is necessary, I think, to make a reasonably suitable marriage." - -"Marry, my friend, and permit me to be a witness to your happiness." - -"You have well earned it, John Harris." - -"When shall you see her again? I would give much to be present at the -interview." - -"I would like to surprise her and meet her by chance." - -"That is a good idea! After to-morrow, at the Court Ball! You are -invited. I am, too. Your note lies on your table, at Christodule's -house. Until then, my boy, you must remain on board my ship in order to -recuperate a little. Your hair is scorched and your feet are wounded; we -will have time to remedy all that." - -It was six o'clock in the evening when the boat belonging to Harris put -off to The Fancy. They carried the King on deck; he could not walk. -Photini, weeping, threw herself into his arms. It was happiness to see -that those whom she loved had survived the battle, but she found her -father grown twenty years older. Possibly, also, she suffered from -Harris' indifference. He delivered her to her father in a characteristic -American fashion, saying: "We are quits! You have returned my friend to -me; I have restored Mademoiselle to you. An even exchange is no robbery! -Short accounts make long friends! And now, most venerable old man, under -what beneficent region of the earth will you search for the one who is -to hang you?" - -"Pardon me," he replied, with a certain hauteur. "I have bidden adieu to -brigandage forever. What would I do in the mountains? All of my men are -dead, wounded or scattered. I could form another band; but these hands -which have been so powerful, refuse to act. Younger men must take my -place; but I defy them to equal my fortune and my renown. What shall I -do with what few years are left to me? I know not yet; but you may be -sure that my last days will not be idle ones. I have to establish my -daughter to dictate my memoirs. Possibly, even, if the shocks of this -week have not wearied my brain too severely, I will consecrate to the -service of the State my talents and my experience. May God give me -health and strength! before six months have passed I shall be President -of the Ministry!" - - - - -VIII. - -THE COURT BALL. - - -Thursday, May 15, at six o'clock in the evening, John Harris, in full -uniform, took me to Christodule's house. The pastry-cook and his wife -gave me a warm reception, not without many sighs on account of the King -of the Mountains. As for me, I embraced them heartily. I was happy in -being alive, and I saw only friends on all sides. My feet were cured; my -hair trimmed, my stomach full. Dimitri assured me that Mrs. Simons, her -daughter, and her brother were invited to the Court Ball, and that the -laundress had taken a dress to the Hotel des Etrangers. I enjoyed, in -advance, Mary-Ann's surprise and joy. Christodule offered me a glass of -Santorin wine. In this glorious beverage I thought to drink to liberty, -riches, happiness. I mounted the staircase to my room, but before -retiring I knocked at M. Merinay's door. He received me in the midst of -a medley of books and papers. "Dear sir, you see a man overwhelmed with -work," he said. "I found, above the village of Castia, an antique -inscription, which deprived me of the pleasure of fighting for you, and -which for six days has puzzled me. It is absolutely unknown, I assure -you of that. No one has seen it; I have the honor of discovering it; I -intend to give it my name. The stone is a small monument of shelly -limestone, 35 centimetres in height by 22, and set, by chance, on the -edge of the path. The characters are of the finest period of art and cut -to perfection. Here is the inscription as I copied it in my note-book: - -"S. T. X. X. I. I. - -"M. D. C. C. C. L. I. - -"If I can translate it my fortune is made. I shall be made member of the -Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-lettres of Pont-Audemer! But the task -is a long and difficult one. Antiquity guards its secrets with jealous -care. I greatly fear that I have come across a monument relative to the -Eleusinian mysteries. In that case there may perhaps be two -interpretations to discover; the one the vulgar or demontique; the other -the sacred or hieratique. You must give me your advice." - -I replied: "My advice is that of an ignorant man. I think that you have -discovered a mile-stone such as one often sees on long roads, and that -the inscription which has given you so much trouble can, without doubt, -be translated thus: - -"Stade, 22, 1851. Good evening, my dear M. Merinay; I am going to write -to my father and then put on my red uniform." - -My letter to my parent was an ode, a hymn, a chant of happiness. The -exuberant joy which filled my heart overflowed upon the paper. I invited -the family to my wedding, not forgetting good Aunt Rosenthaler. I -implored my father to sell his inn at once; I ordered that Frantz and -Jean Nicolas should leave the service; I advised my other brothers to -change their business. I took everything upon myself; I assumed the -responsibility of the future of the whole family. Without losing a -moment I sealed the letter and sent it by special messenger to Piraeus, -to catch the German-Lloyd steamer, which sailed Friday morning at 6 -o'clock. "In this way," I said to myself, "they will rejoice in my -happiness almost as soon as I shall." - -At a quarter to nine sharp I entered the Palace with John Harris. -Neither Lobster, M. Merinay nor Giacomo were invited. My three-cornered -hat was a little rusty, but by candlelight this little defect was not -noticeable. My sword was seven or eight centimetres too short; but what -of that? Courage is not measured by the length of a sword, and I had -without vanity the right to pass for a hero. The red coat was -tight-fitting; it pinched me under the arms, and the trimming on the -cuffs was quite a distance from my hands; but the embroidery showed to -advantage, as papa had prophesied. - -The ballroom, decorated with taste and brilliantly lighted, was divided -into two sections. On one side behind the throne for the King and Queen -were the fauteuils reserved for the ladies; on the other were chairs for -the ugly sex. With one glance I swept the space occupied by the ladies. -Mary-Ann had not yet arrived. - -At nine o'clock I saw enter the King and Queen, followed by the Grand -Mistress, the Marshal of the Palace, the aides-de-camp, the Ladies of -Honor, and the orderly officers, among whom I recognized M. -George-Micrommatis. The King was magnificently dressed in Palikar -uniform, and the Queen was resplendent with exquisite elegancies which -could come only from Paris. The gorgeousness of the toilets and the -glitter of the national costumes made me almost forget Mary-Ann. I fixed -my eyes on the door and waited. - -The members of the Diplomatic Corps and the most distinguished guests -were ranged in a circle around the King and Queen, who conversed -pleasantly with those near them for a half hour or so. I was on the -outside row with John Harris. An officer, standing in front of us, -stepped back suddenly with his whole weight upon my foot and the pain -drew from me an exclamation. He turned his head and I recognized Captain -Pericles, freshly decorated with the Ordre du Sauveur. He made excuses -and asked for news. I could not refrain from informing him that my -health did not concern him. Harris, who knew my history entirely, -politely said to the captain: "Is it not M. Pericles to whom I have the -honor of speaking?" - -"Himself!" - -"I am charmed! Will you be good enough to accompany me, for a moment, -into the card-room? It is still empty and we will be alone." - -"At your orders, Monsieur." - -M. Pericles, pale as a soldier who is leaving a hospital, smilingly -followed us. Arrived, he faced John Harris and said to him: "Monsieur, I -await your pleasure." - -In reply Harris tore off his cross with its new ribbon, and put it in -his pocket, saying: "There, Monsieur, that is all I have to say to -you!" - -"Monsieur!" cried the captain, stepping back. - -"No noise, Monsieur, I pray you. If you care for this toy you can send -two of your friends for it to Mr. John Harris, Commander of The Fancy." - -"Monsieur," Pericles replied, "I do not know by what right you take from -me a cross which is worth fifteen francs, and which I shall be obliged -to replace at my own expense." - -"Do not let that trouble you, Monsieur; here is an English sovereign, -with the head of the Queen of England on it; fifteen francs for the -cross, ten for the ribbon. If there is anything left, I beg of you to -drink to my health." - -"Monsieur," said the officer, pocketing the piece, "I have only to thank -you." He saluted without another word, but his eyes promised nothing -pleasant. - -"My dear Hermann," Harris said to me, "it will be prudent for you to -leave this country as soon as possible with your future bride. This -gendarme has the air of a polished brigand. As for me, I shall remain -here eight days in order to give him time to demand satisfaction. After -that I shall obey the orders which I have received to go to the Sea of -Japan." - -"I am sorry that your ardor has carried you so far. I do not wish to -leave Greece without a specimen or two of the Boryana variabilis. I have -an incomplete one without the roots in my tin box which I forgot when we -left the camp." - -"Leave a sketch of your plant with Lobster or Giacomo. They will make a -pilgrimage into the mountains for your sake. But for God's sake! make -haste to get to a place of safety!" - -In the meantime my happiness had not arrived at the ball, and I tired my -eyes staring at all the dancers. Toward midnight I lost all hope. I left -the dancing hall and planted myself near a whist table, where four -experienced players were displaying great skill. I had become interested -in watching the game, when a silvery laugh made my heart bound. Mary-Ann -was behind me. I could not see her, I dared not turn toward her, but I -felt her presence, and my joy was overwhelming. What was the cause of -her mirth I never knew. Perhaps some ridiculous uniform; one meets such -in every country at official balls. I remembered that there was a mirror -in front of me. I raised my eyes and I saw her, without being seen, -between her mother and her uncle; more beautiful, more radiant than on -the day when she appeared to me for the first time. Three strands of -pearls were around her neck and lay partly on her divine shoulders. Her -eyes shone in the candlelight, her teeth glistened as she laughed, the -light played in her hair. Her toilet was such as all young girls wear; -she did not wear, like Mrs. Simons, a bird of paradise on her head; but -she was not the less beautiful; her skirt was looped up with bouquets of -natural flowers. She had flowers on her corsage, and in her hair, and -what flowers, Monsieur? I give you a thousand guesses. I thought that I -should die of joy when I recognized upon her the--Boryana variabilis. -Everything came to me from Heaven at the same moment! Is there anything -sweeter than to find a coveted flower, for which one thought to search, -in the hair of one whom one loves? I was the happiest of men and of -naturalists. Excess of happiness made me cast to the winds all the -proprieties. I turned quickly toward her, and holding out my hands, I -cried: - -"Mary-Ann! It is I!" - -Will you believe it, Monsieur, she recoiled as if terrified, instead of -falling into my arms. Mrs. Simons raised her head, so haughtily that it -seemed to me as if her bird of paradise would fly away with it to the -ceiling. The old gentleman took me by the hand, led me aside, examined -me as if I was a curious beast, and said to me: "Monsieur, have you been -presented to these ladies?" - -"There is no question about that, my worthy Mr. Sharper! My dear uncle! -I am Hermann. Hermann Schultz! Their companion in captivity! their -savior! Ah! I have had some wonderful experiences since their departure! -I will relate them to you at your house." - -"Yes, yes," he replied. "But the English custom, Monsieur, exacts, -absolutely, that one be presented to ladies before one relates stories -to them." - -"But since they know me, my good and excellent Mr. Sharper. We have -dined more than ten times together. I have rendered them a service worth -a hundred thousand francs! You know it well; at the camp of the King of -the Mountains." - -"Yes; yes; but you have not been presented." - -"But do you not know that I have exposed myself to a thousand deaths for -my dear Mary-Ann?" - -"Very well! but you have not been presented." - -"Present me, then, yourself." - -"Yes, yes; but you must first be presented to me." - -"Wait!" - -I ran like a crazy man across the ballroom; I jostled several couples -who were waltzing; my sword got entangled between my legs, I slipped on -the waxed floor, and fell my full length. It was John Harris who helped -me up. - -"For whom are you searching?" - -"They are here, I have seen them. I shall marry Mary-Ann; but I must be -presented first. It is the English custom. Help me! Where are they? Have -you not seen a large woman, with a bird of paradise head-dress?" - -"Yes, she left the ball with a pretty girl." - -"Left the ball! But, my friend, she is Mary-Ann's mother!" - -"Be calm! we will find them again. I will have you presented by the -American Minister." - -"That is the very thing! I will show you my uncle, Edward Sharper. I -left him here. Where in the devil has he hidden? He ought not to be far -away!" - -Uncle Edward had disappeared. I dragged poor Harris to the Place des -Palais, before the Hotel des Etrangers. Mrs. Simons' apartments were -lighted. At the end of a few moments the lights were extinguished. -Everyone had gone to bed. - -"Let us do the same," Harris suggested. "Sleep will calm you. To-morrow -between one and two, I will arrange your affairs." - -I passed a night much worse than those of my captivity. Harris slept -with me, or rather, he did not sleep. We heard the carriages coming from -the ball, descend Rue d'Hermes with their freight of uniforms and -toilets. About five o'clock, weariness closed my eyes. Three hours -afterwards, Dimitri entered my room and said: - -"Great news! Your Englishwomen have gone!" - -"Where?" - -"To Trieste." - -"Wretch! art thou sure of it?" - -"It was I who accompanied them to the ship." - -"My poor friend," Harris exclaimed, seizing my hands. "Gratitude may be -assumed, but love does not come at will." - -"Alas!" sighed Dimitri. This sentiment had an echo in his heart. - -Since that day, Monsieur, I have lived like the beasts; drank, ate, -breathed. I sent my collection to Hamburg without one specimen of the -Boryana variabilis. My friends accompanied me to the French steamer the -day after the ball. They thought it wise to make the journey during the -night, for fear of encountering M. Pericles' soldiers. We arrived -without accident at Piraeus; but when a short distance from the shore, a -half-dozen invisible muskets sent their bullets singing about our ears. -It was the pretty Captain sending his adieux. - -I scoured the mountains of Malta, of Sicily, and of Italy, and my -herbarium was much richer than I. My father, who had had the good sense -to keep his inn, wrote to me, at Messina, that my efforts were -appreciated. Perhaps I might find a place on arriving; but I determined -to count on nothing. - -Harris was en route for Japan. In one or two years I hoped to have news -of him. The little Lobster had written me from Rome that he was still -exercising with the pistol. Giacomo continued to seal letters all day -and crack nuts at night. M. Merinay found a new interpretation from the -inscription on the monument, one more clever than mine. His great work -upon Demosthenes ought to be printed some day or other. The King of the -Mountains made peace with the authorities. He built a fine mansion on -the road to Pentelicus, with a guard-house for lodging twenty-five -devoted Palikars. In the meantime, he has rented a small hotel in the -modern city, at the edge of the open sewer. He receives many people, and -actively engages in public affairs, in order to be elected to the -Ministry. Dimitri goes there occasionally, to supper, but sighs in the -kitchen. - -I have never heard of Mrs. Simons, of Mr. Sharper, nor of Mary-Ann. If -this silence continues, I shall soon think of them no more. Sometimes, -even in the middle of the night, I dream that I am before her and that -my tall, thin figure is reflected in her eyes. Then I awake, I weep hot -tears and I furiously bite my pillow. What I regret, believe me, is not -the woman, it is the fortune and the position which escaped me. It is a -good thing for me that I have not yielded up my heart, and each day I -give thanks for my natural coldness. What I might complain of, my dear -Monsieur, is, if unfortunately, I had fallen in love! - - - - -IX. - -LETTER FROM ATHENS. - - -The day that I was about to send M. Hermann Schultz's story to the -publishers, I received from the correspondent to whom I had sent the -MS., the following letter: - - Sir: The history of the King of the Mountains is the invention of - an enemy of truth and the gendarmerie. No persons mentioned have - set foot in Greece. The police have never vised any passports - bearing the name of Mrs. Simons. The Commandant at Piraeus has - never heard of The Fancy nor of Mr. John Harris. The Phillips - Brothers do not remember of ever having employed Mr. William - Lobster. No diplomatic agent has known any Maltese of the name of - Giacomo Fondi. The National Bank of Greece has nothing with which - to reproach itself, and it has never had on deposit, any funds made - by brigandage. If it had received them, it would have considered it - a duty to have confiscated them for its profit. I hold, for your - inspection, the list of our officers of the gendarmerie. You will - find no trace of M. Pericles. I know only two men of that name; one - is a tavern-keeper in Athens; the other sells spices in Tripolitza. - As for the famous Hadgi-Stavros, whose name I have heard to-day, - for the first time, he is a fabulous being whom one must relegate - to Mythology. I confess, in all sincerity, that there have been - sometimes brigands in the country. The principal ones were - destroyed by Hercules or Theseus, who may be considered as the real - founders of Greek gendarmerie. Those who escaped the hands of these - two heroes, have fallen under the blows of our invincible army. - The author of the romance has displayed as much ignorance as - dishonesty, in attempting to prove that brigandage exists to-day. I - would give a great deal to have this romance published, may be in - France, or in England, with the name and portrait of M. Schultz. - The world would know by what gross artifices he has attempted to - make every civilized nation suspicious of us. - - As for you, Monsieur, who have always given us justice, accept the - assurance of the kindest sentiments, with which I have the honor of - being, - - Your very grateful servant, - Patriotis Pseftis. - - "Author of a volume of Dithyrambics upon the regeneration of - Greece; editor of the Journal l'Esperance; member of the - Archaeological Society of Athens; corresponding member of the - Academy of the Ionian Isles; stockholder in the National Company of - the Spartan Pavlos." - - -THE AUTHOR HAS THE LAST WORD. - -Athenian, my fine friend, the truest histories are not those which have -happened! - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE KING OF THE MOUNTAINS*** - - -******* This file should be named 42096.txt or 42096.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/2/0/9/42096 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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