quiries about him, and, although I did
not hear any particular harm of him, yet I failed to become acquainted
with any good actions of his performance; and as I was going into a
country which at that time was almost entirely unknown, and which had
moreover an unpleasant celebrity for pirates, klephti, and other sorts
of thieves, I felt that the moral character of my new follower was an
important consideration; and that if I could prop up his honesty and
fidelity by any artificial means, I might not be doing amiss.

In a few days the firman or letter of the patriarch arrived, and I
packed my things and got ready to start. Unknown to my servant I had
caused a belt of wash-leather to be made, in which were numerous little
divisions calculated to hold a good many pieces of gold without their
jingling, and it had a long flap which buttoned down over the series of
compartments. I had besides a large ostentatious purse, in which was a
small sum for the expenses of the journey, and as I wished to have it
supposed that I had but little cash, I made my Greek buy various things
for me out of his own money. All being ready, we started in a caique
very early in the morning, and went down the Bosphorus from Therapia to
Stamboul, where we got on board a steamer. On handing up the things, my
servant found that his box, in which were his new clothes and valuables,
was missing--his bag only had come. "Good gracious!" said I, "was that
the box with two straps?" "Yes," said he, "a handsome brown box, about
so large." "Well," said I, "it is a most unfortunate thing; but when I
saw that box in my room this morning I locked it up in the closet and
told H---- not to give up the key of the door to anybody till I returned
to the embassy again. How very unlucky! however, we shall soon be back,
and you have biancheria enough in your bag for so short a journey as the
one before us." We were soon under way, and passing the Seraglio Point
stood down the swift current in the sea of Marmora, our luggage
encumbering but a very small space upon the deck.

CHAPTER XXIII.

Coom Calessi--Uncomfortable Quarters--A Turkish Boat and its
Crew--Grandeur of the Scenery--Legend of Jason and the Golden
Fleece--The Island of Imbros--Heavy Rain Storm--A Rough
Sea--Lemnos--Bad Accommodation--The Old Woman's Mattress and its
Contents--Striking View of Mount Athos from the Sea--The Hermit of
the Tower.

On landing at Coom Cale