hen carrying a kilo of cheese, I with a bottle of beer
inside my shirt, as a very small treat for the other fellows.

_July 30th._--Stephen, Dickie, and I set off at 9.30 to have a day's
enjoyment at Varos, a village we had heard a good deal about. The day
was scorching but we covered the 6 miles, via Lychkna, at about 3-1/2
miles an hour. In the last-mentioned village we were studying a notice
on a house door when we discovered a nicely dressed woman beside us,
evidently regarding us with some interest, and, what was most
unusual, with a smile on her face. "Are you English?" said Stephen.
"No," she replied, "but I have been in England." "What part?"--answer
"America". She went for her husband, who, she said, would give us
beer, although she admitted it was forbidden, but he was hard as
adamant and absolutely refused, saying "He cared for the notice" we
had been reading. This vowed dire punishment on all who dared to
supply anyone with alcohol. We shortly afterwards reached Varos, with
its twelve windmills all in a row. This being in French occupation
there is no prohibition for the British, so we searched out a suitable
place for a cooling drink, and chose a very interesting spot in the
village square. All the shops are somewhat alike, bare, black rafters,
with earth or stone floor, and in this particular one a flock of
swallows had their nests in every niche in the ceiling. Each of us had
a bottle of beer on the pavement, alongside a French sentry whose sole
duty was to see that no Frenchman had a drink. He seemed to think that
it was unfair that his countrymen were not allowed to quench their
thirst, so he defied the law by having a drink with us, and allowing
every Frenchman who made the request to enter and have his big
water-bottle filled with water--but really with red wine, a whole
litre of which they could buy for sixpence. Delicious wine it was,
although rather sweet.

We had very interesting talks with several of the younger men, who had
all been in America, but had been recalled by their Government lately,
when there were signs of Greece taking the field, which, according to
our informants, she would do in September. All we spoke to seemed very
desirous to have a blow at Turkey, they wished the Turk turned out of
Europe. I had an idea there were no schools here, but I was told every
village had its two schools. Young children were taught together, but
as they grew up the sexes went to different schools, a