View PDF version of this page

CYPRUS IN 1879. [CHAP. as wood ; but a fresh hide has not the same contractive power, and will stretch and become loose when subject to a severe strain. " It was a great comfort to return to the luxury of the gipsy-van, which looked th picture of neatness; the gorgeous Egyptian lantern had ceased to exist as an object of value, as it hadj several times been upset and thrown completely off its hook by the jumpings and bumpings of the vehicle when forcibly dragged over the steep banks an " watercourses. It was now reduced to an " antique, " and looked as though it had been recovered from th ruins of an ancient temple. The post was kindly forwarded from Famagousta by the chief commissioner, and we revelled in news papers, which during our stay in the Carpas had bee a complete blank. Our cook Christo had also received] letters which disconcerted him. After dinner at about! 8.30 P.M. he suddenly appeared at the tent door with a very large breakfast-cup in his hand. " I beg your pardon, sir, but I'm sorry to say my mothe has just fallen down and broken her leg! " was his first announcement ; and he continued, " she is ari old woman, past fifty, sir, and a broken leg is a very] bad thing ; I have come to ask for some brandy, an I've brought a cup. " "Your mother broken her leg, Christo? Why, where is she ? " I replied. " She is at Athens, sir, and I want a drop of brandy, as I have just received the letter, and I am very] anxious about her. " I now discovered that- the brandy was not intended for his mother's leg, but for his own stomach, to comfort his nerves and to allay his filial anxiety. He had a good dose that quickly restored his usual spirits,

View PDF version of this page