and the fleet before the town, were promoting the havoc, the
English consul, from some punctilio on the subject of neutrality,
refused shelter to the miserables who fled to his threshold. One old
woman, in the story of her sufferings, gave us a full contradiction to
this most incredible tradition. She had invited us into her dwelling to
look at her wares, in the shape of conserves and purses--a strange
combination, but nevertheless the articles by the sale of which they eke
out their living. We were fully consoled for the trouble of passing over
and through the _debris_ of some half-dozen houses which lay between us
and her domicile. It came out that she herself had been saved by flying
to the English consulate. It was a comfort to hear this--and to hear it
in a way that involved the fact of an indefinite number of refugees
having found the same shelter. Many rejoice to say that the French
consul was the only efficient protector in that day of horror; and of
these times, though so recent, it is not easy always to get such correct
information as may sustain a contradiction of popular report.

In a country of such limited resources in the way of amusement, it was
not very easy for our zealous friends to cater for us, during the long
days that we had to await the answer from the Caimacan. Riding was out
of the question, and there were no antiquities within reach. Thus were
we cut off from the two great resources of men in our position. But they
played their part of entertainers hospitably and well. They told us long
stories of the courts, and of what was to be seen in actual service in
the camp of the Egyptian viceroy. Above all, they did us good by showing
how thoroughly happy the whole party had been rendered by our coming. We
were only afraid that they might become a little too bumptious on the
strength of it, and be after giving us another job. But they did more
than simply bear us company; they bore us to the cool grove, which I
have said we could descry from the deck of our ship, there to be
introduced to certain worthies, and to make _kef_ in their company.
Nothing to my mind comes up to an _al fresco_ entertainment--in proper
season and country, be it understood; for an English gipsy party is a
very different affair.

Our host conceived it to be a duty incumbent on him to develop, on this
occasion, the full power of the resources of Adalia. We should have been
far better satisfied if he had contented himself with