overtook their portmanteaux.

Oddly enough, Mr Burne expressed the most concern about their new
purchases, the weapons and ammunition, which had been sent on to the
steamer by the landlord as soon as they arrived from the store.

"Such things must be so tempting to the people who see them," said the
old lawyer.

"But they were all carefully packed in cases," said the professor.
"They would not know what was inside."

"Nonsense, my dear sir. We English folk would not have known, but a
Greek or a Turk would. These people smell powder just like crows in a
corn-field. I'm afraid that if we don't make haste we shall find our
things gone, and I wouldn't lose that gun for any money."

The landlord came back in about a couple of hours to say that he had had
no success, but that it would become known that he had been inquiring,
and an application might be made.

This turned out correct, for as the travellers were seated that evening
over their dessert, enjoying by an open window the deliciously soft
breeze, as Lawrence partook of the abundant grapes, and the professor
puffed at a water-pipe--an example followed by Mr Burne, who diligently
tried to like it, but always gave up in favour of a cigar at the end of
a quarter of an hour--the waiter brought their coffee and announced that
the master of a small vessel desired to see their excellencies.

The man was shown in, and proved to be a picturesque-looking fellow in a
scarlet cap, which he snatched from his curly black hair and advanced
into the room, saying some words in modern Greek whose import the
professor made out; but his attempts to reply were too much for the
skipper, who grew excited, shook his head, and finally rushed out of the
room, to the great amusement of Mr Burne, who knocked the ash off the
cigar he had recently lit.

"That's what I always say," he cried. "Book language is as different as
can be from spoken language. I learned French for long enough when I
was a boy, but I never could make a Frenchman understand what I meant."

"Let's ring and inquire," said the professor, to hide a smile. "I hope
we have not driven the fellow away."

"Hope you have, you mean," said Mr Burne.

The professor rose to reach the bell, but just then the landlord entered
with the Greek sailor, who smiled and showed his white teeth.

With the landlord as interpreter the matter became easy. The man was
going to sail in three days, that was as soon as the little vesse