ent the brother of
their King. As the Prince did not understand one word of their language,
he begged Madame Manochini (the owner of a lodging-house at Smyrna, who
had been treated to a passage to Stamboul and back) to be his
interpretress. After thanking them in his name, she enquired if they had
any daughters?

"Certainly."

"Are they pretty?"

Each father expatiated on the superior beauty of his own child; and the
papa added that his was angelic,--"[Greek: Kale kale]." "Then,"
continued Madame, "I am desired to say, the Prince is very much obliged
to you for your visit, and requests that you will immediately send the
prettiest maiden of the whole to bear him company on board." Perfectly
thunderstruck at this extraordinary address, the papa and his brethren
looked first at each other, then at Madame and the Prince; and, making a
hurried bow to the German Pasha, they jostled one another down the
ladder, and into their boat, with a rapidity that amused as well as
surprised us all; for, at the time, we were unacquainted with the nature
of this audacious reply. They probably took him for a _vardoulacha_, or
vampire, and thought to themselves, "If this Prince is such a curiosity,
what must little Otho be!"

Well, of course his Royal Highness demanded the meaning of their abrupt
and sudden flight, and wished to know what Madame had said to scare the
holy fathers thus? "Was the reply complimentary? if so, it had produced
a most extraordinary effect: they could not be pleased, that was
evident."

"Oh yes," answered she, with a satirical smile; "I said you were
delighted to see them, and that, knowing they had plenty of handsome
daughters, you desired them to send the prettiest on board to bear your
Highness company."

His Highness looked somewhat foolish: he did not know what to say; and
appeared little less chagrined himself, than the Greek papas of the Isle
of Marmora. We afterwards understood that the Prince had made some
reductions in her bill while he occupied her house at Smyrna; and, by
way of retaliation, she thus insolently attempted to injure his
character among her countrymen; and, I have no doubt, completely
succeeded, as far as the Greeks of this island are concerned.

[Sidenote: PLEASANT DORMITORY.] _Monday, 24th._--Myself and four
companions in misery have passed a horrible night in a cabin worse than
the Black Hole of Calcutta. The offensive odour from the chicken-coop,
which stands just at the side