egrin Government, they had lived on nothing but hay, and the
owner, who was driving them, said that they would soon die, and that
when they did he would not receive a penny and would be a ruined man. He
added pathetically--

"One does not like to see one's beasts die like that, for after all one
is fond of them."

We arrived after dark, and ordered supper for three. The inn lady was
scandalized.

"But that is a common soldier," she said. "There are many fine folk in
the dining-room, arrived to-day. The General--"

So we dined upon the landing.

The next day we got up very early, went down to the dining-room and
found it was full of sleeping forms; we had coffee in our room.

We wandered round the market. It was still too early, people were
arriving and spreading their wares, men were hanging bright carpets on
the white walls. Beggars were everywhere, exhibiting their gains in
front of them. If one could understand they seemed to cry like this--

"Ere y'are, the old firm; put your generous money on the real thing. I
'as more misery to the square inch than any other 'as to the square
yard."

We found bargaining impossible, as they only spoke Albanian, and we
could only get as far as "Sar," how much.

Pavlovitch turned up later and was very helpful. We hurried him to a
silver shop which was displaying a round silver boss. He beat them down
from sixteen to ten dinars, after which we plunged into a side street
filled with women squatted cross-legged behind a collection of
everything that an industrious woman who owns sheep can confection.

"I have nothing for thee," said an old woman to Jo, who peered into her
basket--Pavlovitch translating.

Jo withdrew a tiny pair of stockings--a marvel of knitting in many
coloured patterns.

"What about these?" she said.

"Hast thou children?"

"No; but how much?" said Jo.

The price was four piastres. Jo gave four groschen and the old woman
peered anxiously at the money in her palm.

"It is too much," she said.

Pavlovitch explained that somehow four groschen worked out to more than
four piastres; but we left her to calculate what fractions of a centime
she had gained.

Our old innkeeper looked very truculent when we entered.

"Are you going to lunch here?"

"No; we left word."

"Then you can't stay here."

[Illustration: IN THE BAZAAR OF IPEK.]

[Illustration: STREET COFFEE SELLER IN IPEK.]

We pointed out that her meals were bad and very dear. She retal