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DRIVE TO NICOSIA 43 to life. My ear for tlie first time was catching the accents of modern Greek. I at once perceived what it meant. It was Scotty bargaining in shillings for the price of the carriage. The bargain was struck at thirteen—thirteen shillings for some-thing like thirty miles. Certainly, I thought, what-ever else it may be, Cyprus at any rate is not an ex-pensive place. The next moment there was a noise from the negro's mouth, a whip cracked, the vehicle gave a jerk, my dressing-bag opposite me fell forward on my knees, and at a very decent pace we were moving away from Larnaca. We passed some gardens surrounded by tumble-down mud walls, above which appeared the dark leaves of orange trees ; we passed a Catholic convent, whose church had a pale pink dome on it ; and then, when these disappeared behind some sandy acclivities, we entered a country as bare as a Scotch deer forest. Slopes strewn with boulders descended towards the road or away from it ; rocky surfaces glittered as if they were wet with water ; and far and wide was growing some harsh brown vegetation, that seemed, as I passed it, like stunted and withered gorse. The patchwork of dusters was drawn so closely round me, that I had no view except through the opening above the door. I leaned out occasionally to see if on either side of me any prospect of a different kind was visible ; but I looked in vain. Everywhere the horizon was formed by low undulating ridges, whose summits broke occa-

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