by the purple sea, which was now flashing in the morning sun, and the
delicious air made the travellers feel inspirited, and ready to forget
all discomforts as they tramped on in search of a village, while, before
they had gone far, Mr Burne turned his dry face to the professor and
said:
"Well, did that do?"
"My dear Burne," cried the professor, "I am just beginning to know you.
It was admirable."
"Humph!" ejaculated the old lawyer, who then blew a sounding blast upon
his nose. "I am beginning to think that a neater form of apology to a
man--a foreign heretic sort of a man--was never offered."
"It could not have been better. What do you think, Lawrence?" he added
as the latter halted to let his elders catch up, Yussuf going on alone.
"I don't know what you were talking about," he replied.
"Mr Burne's apology. I say it was magnificent."
"So do I," exclaimed Lawrence. "Capital."
"Humph! Think so? Well, I suppose it was all right," said Mr Burne.
"But I say," he whispered, gazing after Yussuf who was striding away
fifty yards ahead and leaving them behind, "do you really think that
money will be all right?"
"I say, Mr Burne," cried Lawrence laughing; "is your back beginning to
ache already?"
The old lawyer stopped short, and turned upon the lad with a comical
look, half mirth, half anger in his countenance.
"You impudent young dog," he cried. "I knew you were shamming, and not
ill at all. My back, indeed! Well, yes. Come along. I suppose it was
beginning to ache."
CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
THE STARTING-POINT.
Mr Burne showed no more distrust, though Yussuf was striding away
faster and faster, at a rate that Lawrence's strength forbade him to
attempt to emulate; but the reason soon became evident. He was making
for an elevation about a mile away, and upon reaching it he toiled up to
the top, and as soon as he had done so he turned and took off his fez
and began to wave it in the air.
"He has found out something," said the professor.
"If it is a hotel where we can get a good breakfast he shall have my
advice for nothing any time he likes to come and ask it," said Mr
Burne, rubbing his hands.
"In London?" said the professor.
"Anywhere, sir. There, that will do. Don't swing your arms about like
that," he continued, addressing the guide, who was of course far out of
hearing. "Anyone would think that because he was right on the top of a
hill he had caught the wind-mill complaint."
The three travellers were almost as much excited as Yussuf, and hurried
on, Lawrence forgetting his weakness in the interest of the moment, so
that it was not long before they reached the top--hot, breathless, and
panting with exertion.
Their guide pointed to what appeared to be a group of huts a long way
off.
"Is that all?" grumbled the old lawyer. "I thought you had found a
place where we could have a comfortable meal."
"There will be bread, and fruit, and a boat, excellency," said Yussuf
quietly; "and these are what you want, are they not?"
"I suppose so," replied Mr Burne, gazing forward at what now appeared
to be a cluster of small houses by the sea-shore, backed by a dense
grove of trees, while in front, and about a quarter of a mile from the
sands, lay three small boats. "It is not a desert place then," he
grumbled, as they all went on together. "How far is it to that cluster
of hovels?"
"About two miles, excellency."
"About two miles, and before breakfast," muttered the old fellow sourly;
but he drew a long breath as if he were trying to master his
disinclination, and then turning to Lawrence with a grim smile he cried,
"Now, look here, cripple against invalid, I'll race you; fair walking,
and Mr Preston to be umpire. One--two--three--off."
It was a fair walk of about an hour before they entered the cluster of
huts, each surrounded by a good-sized fruit garden, the people standing
outside and staring hard at the strange visitors who came along the
shore, one of whom plumped himself upon the edge of a boat that was
drawn up on the sands, another throwing himself down, hot and panting
with exertion, while the two who were left a little way behind strode up
more leisurely, one of them to ask for refreshment and a resting-place
out of the sun.
"There is no mistake about it, Lawrence," cried the professor eagerly,
"you couldn't have done that in England."
Lawrence laughed.
"But I am completely tired out," he exclaimed, wiping his face. "I
could not have gone any further."
"Neither could I," groaned Mr Burne. "Oh, my back, my back! Who won,
Preston?"
"A dead heat, decidedly," said the professor laughing; but he was
watching Lawrence the while very attentively, and asking himself whether
he was letting the lad over-exert himself.
One thing, however, was plain enough, and that was that the sick lad had
been allowed to droop and mope in his ailment. The serious disease was
there, of course, but he had been nursed up and coddled to a terrible
extent, and this had made him far worse than he would have been had he
led an active country life, or been induced to exert himself a little
instead of lying in bed or upon a couch day after day.
The people seemed disposed to resent the coming of the strangers at
first, and declined to supply them with either food or a resting-place,
till Yussuf drew out some money, and assured them that they would be
paid for everything that was eaten. Then they grew more civil, and
Yussuf explained to his employers that the reason for the people's
churlishness was, that they were often obliged to supply food or work by
some tyrannical government officer or another, and the only payment they
had was in the form of blows if they complained.
The payment after they had supplied a meal of curd and milk with bread
and fruit completely altered their demeanour, and upon its being
intimated that a boat was required to take their visitors over to
Ansina, quite a dispute arose between the owners of two as to which
should have the honour and profit; but all was at length settled
amicably by Yussuf, and that evening, fairly provisioned by the combined
aid of the tiny village, the best of the boats hoisted its sails, and
the shores of Cyprus began to look dim as the night fell, and the
travellers were once more on their way.
The winds were so light and contrary that it was not until the evening
of the third day that they were well in sight of the country that was to
be the scene of their journeyings for many months to come; and then, as
they neared Ansina, it was to see a scattered town that seemed as if of
marble beyond the purple sea, while beyond the town lay to right and
left a fairy-like realm of green and gold, beyond which again lay range
upon range of amethystine mountains, above which in turn were peaks of
dazzling white, save where the evening sun was gilding salient points of
a pure pale gold.
The run had been very pleasant in spite of the cramped accommodation,
for the little crew were a kindly simple people, whose countenances
invited trust, and though the fare on board had been scant, yet it was
wholesome and good, as the rest the travellers had found was grateful.
So satisfactory was this part of the trip that Mr Burne forgot about
his back, and as he stood gazing at the glorious panorama, indulging in
an occasional pinch of snuff, he suddenly whisked out his handkerchief
and blew a clarion blast which made the boatmen start.
"Hah!" he exclaimed suddenly; "this will do. I tell you what it is,
Preston; when I get back I shall start a company for the reclamation of
this country. It must be taken from the Turks, and we must have a new
English colony here."
"The first Roman who saw the place must have felt something like you do
about his native land," said the professor.
"Oh, the Romans had a colony here, had they?"
"Yes; and the Greeks before them."
"Humph!" ejaculated the old lawyer, as he let his eyes wander from spot
to spot glowing in the sinking sun, and growing more beautiful as they
advanced. "Well, I always had, as a boy, a most decided objection to
the Greeks and Romans, and I used to wish that, when they died out,
their tongues had been buried with them instead of being left behind to
pester schoolboys; but now I am beginning to respect them, for they must
have known what they were about to settle in such a land as this.
Lovely, eh, Lawrence?"
"Grand!" was the reply uttered in enraptured tones; "but don't talk to
me, please, I feel as if I could do nothing else but look."
The professor smiled and joined him in drinking in the beauty of the
scene, till the little felucca sailed in under the shelter of a large
stone wall that formed part of the ancient port. Here they found
themselves face to face with the handiwork of one of the great nations
of antiquity, this having been a city of the Greeks, before the Romans
planted their conquering feet here, to die away leaving their broken
columns, ruined temples, and traces of their circus and aqueducts, among
which the mingled race of Turks and present-day Greeks had raised the
shabby village, more than town, that clustered about the port.
"Safe ashore at last," said the professor as he stepped on to a large
block of squared stone in which was secured with lead an ancient ring.
"Now, Lawrence, our travels are to begin. How do you feel? ready for
plenty of adventure?"
"Yes, quite," was the reply.
"Then, first of all, for a comfortable resting-place. To-morrow we will
see the resident, and then make preparations for our start."
"Humph!" ejaculated Mr Burne; and he blew his nose in a way never heard
in Asia Minor before.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
PREPARATIONS FOR A JOURNEY.
Lawrence Grange left England as weak and helpless in mind as he was in
body; but, in the brief period that had elapsed, his mind had rapidly
recovered its balance, and, leaving his body behind, had strengthened so
that, eager and bright, and urged on by the glorious novelty of the
things he saw, his spirit was now always setting his body tasks that it
could not perform.
"I'm sure I am getting worse," he said one morning, after returning from
having a delicious bathe down by the ruins of the old port. "I never
felt so weak as this in England."
The professor burst into a hearty fit of laughter, in which the old
lawyer joined, and then took snuff and snapped his fingers till both his
companions sneezed.
"I say," cried Lawrence, "isn't it cruel of you two, laughing at a poor
fellow for what he cannot help."
He looked so piteously at them that they both grew serious directly.
"Why, my dear boy," cried Mr Preston, "can you not see that you keep on
overtasking yourself? Growing worse! Now, be reasonable; you had to be
carried down to the fly in London; the porters carried you to the
first-class carriage in which you went down by rail, and you were
carried to the steamer."
"Yes," said Lawrence sadly; "that is true, but I did not feel so weak as
this."
"Get out, you young cock-goose!" cried Mr Burne. "Why, you have been
bathing, and you haven't had your breakfast yet."
"And you are mistaking fatigue for weakness," said the professor.
"Of course," cried Mr Burne. "Why, look here. You were out nearly all
day yesterday with us or with Yussuf looking at ruins, going over the
place, and seeing about the horses, and now, as soon as you woke this
morning, you were off with Preston here to kick and splash about in the
water. Weak? what nonsense! Oh, here's Yussuf. Here, hi! you grand
Turk, what do you say about this boy? He thinks he is not so well."
"The young effendi?" cried Yussuf. "Oh! I have been out this morning
to see some other horses, excellencies, that are far better than any we
have yet seen. They are rough, sturdy little fellows from the
mountains, and you ought to buy these."
"Buy or hire?" said the professor.
"Buy, excellency. You will feed and treat them well, and at the end
they will be worth as much if not more than you gave for them. Besides,
if you hire horses, they will be inferior, and you will be always
changing and riding fresh beasts."
"Yes, of course," said the old lawyer; "but there is no risk."
"Your excellency will pardon me, there will be more risks. We shall
traverse many dangerous mountain paths, and a man should know his horse
and his horse know him. They should be good friends, and take care of
each other. A Turkish horse loves the hand that feeds him, the master
that rides upon his back."
"I am sure you are right, Yussuf," said the professor. "We will go by
your advice and buy the horses."
"Here, hold hard!" cried Mr Burne. "Look here. Do you mean to tell me
that I am expected to ride a horse along a dangerous mountain road? I
mean a shelf over a precipice."
"Certainly, your excellency, the roads are very bad."
"You do not feel nervous about that, do you, Burne?" said the professor.
"Oh, dear me, no, not at all," cried the old lawyer sarcastically. "Go
on. I've had a pretty good hardening already, what with knocking on the
head, drowning, shipwrecking, starving, and walking off my legs."
"But, if you really object to our programme, we will try some easier
route," said the professor.
"Oh, by no means, sir, by no means. I have only one thing to say. I
see you have made up your mind to kill me, and I only make one proviso,
and that is, that you shall take me back to England to bury me decently.
I will not--I distinctly say it--I will not stay here."
"Your excellency shall come to no harm," said Yussuf, "if I can prevent
it. With care and good horses there is very little risk."
"How soon shall we go to see the horses?" cried Lawrence eagerly.
"When you have been lying up for a month," replied Mr Burne gruffly.
"You are too weak, and going back too much to venture out any more."
"Till you have had a good breakfast," said the professor, laughing as he
saw the lad's look of keen disappointment; and they sat down at once to
a capital meal.
For they had been a week in Ansina, and were comfortably lodged in the
house of a Turk whom Yussuf had recommended, and who, in a grave way,
attended carefully to their wants. The luggage sent on by steamer had
arrived safely, and, with the exception of the few things lost in the
felucca, they were very little the worse for their mishap.
So far they had been delayed by the difficulty of obtaining horses, but
now the opportunity had come for obtaining what was necessary, walking
being out of the question, and the only means of traversing the rugged
country, that was to be the scene of their ramblings, was by the help of
a sure-footed horse.
Lawrence forgot all about his weakness as soon as breakfast was over,
and started off with his companions to see the animals that were for
sale.
They were at an outlying place a couple of miles away from their
lodgings, and the walk in the delicious autumn air was most enjoyable.
In the distance was the mysterious soft blue range of mountains that
they were to penetrate for some six weeks, before the season grew too
advanced, and to Lawrence it was a perfect wonderland that was to prove
full of sights that would astound, adventures that would thrill; and,
could he have had his way, he would have set off at once, and without
all the tedious preparations that Yussuf deemed necessary.
The first mile of their way was uninteresting. Then they entered a
little valley with precipitous sides, their path running by the side of
a beautiful little stream, which they had to cross again and again; but
their progress was not rapid, for Mr Burne always stopped to examine
the pools and talk about how fond he had been of fishing when he was a
boy.
Farther on they kept coming to little houses pleasantly situated in
gardens, very much as might be seen in the suburbs of an English town,
for these were the country houses of the wealthy Turks of the place, who
came and dwelt here in the hot times of the summer.
There was a great similarity about these places. Houses and walls were
built of fine, large, well-squared blocks of stone and marble, with
every here and there a trace of carving visible--all showing that the
Turk's quarry was the ruined Roman city, which offered an almost
inexhaustible supply.
These little estates were either just above the river, perched on one
side, or so arranged that the stream ran right through the grounds,
rippling amongst velvety grass lawns, overshadowed by great walnuts,
with mulberry and plum trees in abundance.
"Hi, stop a moment," cried Mr Burne, as they reached one beautiful
clump of trees, quite a grove, whose leaves were waving in the soft
mountain-breeze.
"What have you found?" said the professor, as Lawrence hurried up.
"That, sir, that," cried Mr Burne. "See these trees."
"Yes," said the professor, "a magnificent clump of planes--what a huge
size!"
"Exactly," said the old lawyer. "Now, do you see what that proves?"
"What--the presence of those trees?"
"Yes, sir," said the old lawyer dogmatically. "They show, sir, that the
Turk is a much-abused man. People say that he never advances, but you
see he does."
"How?" said the professor, "by being too lazy to quarry stone or marble
in these mountains, where they abound, and building his house out of the
edifices raised by better men?"
"No, sir; by following our example, importing from us, and planting
walnut-trees and these magnificent planes all about his place. Look at
these! Why, I could almost fancy myself in Gray's Inn Gardens."
"My dear Burne, are you serious?"
"Serious, sir? Never more so in my life. They are beautiful."
"Yes, they are very beautiful," said the professor drily. "But I always
thought that these trees were the natives of this country, and that
instead of the Turks imitating us, we had seen the beauty of these
trees, and transplanted some of them when young to our own land."
"Absurd!" said the old lawyer dictatorially, and he was about to say
more when Yussuf stopped at a rough kind of inclosure, where a Turk was
seated upon the grass beneath a shady tree smoking thoughtfully, and
apparently paying no heed to the new-comers.
"The horses are here," he said; and upon being spoken to, the Turk rose,
laid aside his pipe, and bowed.
It was not a long business, for Yussuf and the owner of the horses were
compatriots, but Lawrence stared at the animals in dismay when he
followed his companions into the inclosure. He had pictured to himself
so many lovely flowing-maned creatures of Arab descent, large-eyed, wide
of nostril, and with arched necks, and tails that swept the ground. He
expected to see them toss up their heads and snort, and dash off wildly,
but on the contrary the dozen horses that were in the inclosure went
quietly on with their grazing in the most business-like manner, and when
a boy was sent to drive them up, they proved to be shaggy, heavy-headed,
rather dejected-looking animals, with not an attractive point about
them.
"Surely you will not buy any of these, Preston," said Mr Burne. "I do
not understand horses, but those seem to be a very shabby lot."
"They are young, effendi, healthy and strong," said Yussuf gravely.
"They are accustomed to the mountains, and that is what we require.
Large, handsome horses, such as you see in the desert or at Istamboul,
would be useless here."
"There, I am not going to doubt your knowing best," said Mr Burne
quietly; and the bargain was made, four being selected for riding, and
two that were heavier and stronger for baggage animals.
Arrangements were made for the horses to be driven before them down to
Ansina, and as soon as the six purchased were driven out of the
inclosure their companions trotted up, thrust their heads over a bar,
and whinnied a farewell, while the others seemed to be in high glee at
the change. They threw up their heads and snorted; and one that was of
a cream colour, and the smallest of the lot, began to display a
playfulness that upset all the rest. The way he displayed his humour
was by stretching out his neck, baring his teeth, and running at and
biting his companions in turn--a trick which necessitated a good deal of
agility, for the other horses resented the attacks by presenting their
heels to their playful companion for inspection--a proceeding of which
he did not at all approve.
All went well, however, the animals were safely stowed away in the
stable prepared for their use, and each was soon busy at work grinding
up the barley served out for his particular benefit, oats being a luxury
they were not called upon to enjoy.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
MR. BURNE BLOWS HIS NOSE.
"At last!" cried Lawrence, as they set off for their first incursion.
Two more days had been occupied in purchasing stores, saddlery, and
other necessaries for their trip, and, as the lad said, at last they
were off.
The start of the party excited no surprise in the little town. It was
nothing to the people there to see four well-armed travellers set off,
followed by a sturdy peasant, who had charge of the two heavily-laden
pack-horses, for, in addition to the personal luggage and provisions of
the travellers, with their spare ammunition, it was absolutely necessary
to take a supply of barley sufficient to give the horses a good feed, or
two, in case of being stranded in any spot where grain was scarce.
The heat was very great as they rode on over the plain, and Mr Burne's
pocket-handkerchief was always busy either to help him sound an alarm,
to wipe the perspiration from his brow, or to whisk away the flies from
himself and horse.
"It's enough to make a man wish he had a bushy tail," he said, after an
exasperated dash at a little cloud of insects. "Peugh! what a number of
nuisances there are in the land!"
But in a short time, enjoying the beautiful prospects spread around,
they rode into a wooded valley, where the trees hung low, and, as they
passed under the branches, the trouble from the virulent and hungry
flies grew less.
The ascent was gradual, and after a few miles the woodland part ceased,
and they found themselves upon a plain once more, but from the state of
the atmosphere it was evidently far more elevated than that where the
town lay. Here for miles and miles they rode through clover and wild
flowers that lay as thick as the buttercups in an English meadow. But
in addition to patches of golden hue there were tracts of mauve and
scarlet and crimson and blue, till the eyes seemed to ache with the
profusion of colour.
So far the ride had been most unadventurous. Not a house had been seen
after they had quitted the outskirts of the town, nothing but waste
land, if that could be called waste where the richest of grasses and
clovers with endless wild flowers abounded.
At mid-day a halt was made beneath a tremendous walnut-tree growing near
a spring which trickled from the side of a hill; and now the horses were
allowed to graze in the abundant clover, while the little party made
their meal and rested till the heat of the day was past.
Here Yussuf pointed out their resting-place for the night--a spot that
lay amid the mountains on their right, apparently not far off; but the
Muslim explained that it would be a long journey, and that they must not
expect to reach it before dark.
After a couple of hours the horses were loaded again, and sent on first
with their driver, while the travellers followed more leisurely along
the faint track for it could hardly be called a road. The second plain
was soon left behind, and their way lay among the hills, valley after
valley winding in and out; and as fast as one eminence was skirted
others appearing, each more elevated than the last, while the scenery
grew wilder and more grand.
The little horses were behaving very well, trudging along sturdily with
their riders, and every hour proving more and more the value of Yussuf's
choice. There was no restiveness or skittish behaviour, save that once
or twice the little cream-coloured fellow which Lawrence had selected
for himself and christened Ali Baba had shown a disposition to bite one
of his companions. He soon gave up, though, and walked or trotted
steadily on in the file, Yussuf leading, the professor coming next, then
Lawrence, and Mr Burne last.