LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1680, 9 July 1879, Page 3

LITERATURE.

A C WE ON SALAMIS. Chapter I. 'Waring!' I cried, rapping again at the door. Still no answer. I continued to rap, and at last opened tho door and entered the apartment if the Hotel Napoleon consecrated to the u-e of Mr Charles Waring, agent in the Pirajus of a large American commercial establishment. On entering his bed-room. I found the bed just as the Greek waiter had left it, with the mosquito-net inviting one within its graceful folds. While meditating what strango occurrence could have induced Friend Charles to stay so long away from home, when it was certain that his presence would be required by others, whose business would bo equally pressing with mine, I was accosted by Demetrius, the waiter aforesaid. ' The Kyrios Waring did not come homo last riight,' he said, with a sententious shake of the head. ' Where was he, then, you rascal ?' ' I don't know; Mr Waring went out jußt after you yesterday, and said he would be back in half an hour.' _ • Has anybody been looking for him? • Yes, air ; the French consul and Mr D They wanted very much to see him; they said they were on businets of importance.' ' They did not say what it was V ' They left this note,' he answered, handing a small folded paper. 'They seemed

very much annoyed at not finding him, as he had promised to be in at that time." Waiting's absence, at a timer when I knew ho was much in request, seemed altogether inexplicable, and to call for farther inquiry. On any other occasion an irregularity of the kind would not have roused my curiosity in the least, but these days were of peculiar significance, and much more so to the young American than to me. That he should have missed his appointment on the previous day, when, in such a tjwn as the Piraeus, it is so easy to return, however far one may have wandered, was more striking than his Bleeping abroad.

Putting the note of the French consul in my [pocket-book, I betook myself to the coffee-house on the quay, whore I expected to receive some intelligence. The waiter was bustling about among a lot of red-capped customers, and I had to wait some time before I questioned him particularly. A few words told all he knew. Waring had started the previous evening for a sail, and had not yet returned. There was nothing novel or strange in the information, but I did not like the tone in whioh it was given. I asked again and again who went with bim, bnt could obtain no answer. A feeling of insecurity came over me, for which I could not account, and yet, under the circumstances, nothing was to be done. To give the alarm—make a row, to use a vulgar but expressive term —might be wisdom, and also it might be folly; but the ohances of it proving the former were not worth the ridicule incurred in case it turned oat the latter. A nasty thought too, forced it»olf on me, viz., the- fondness of the Greeks for attributing drunkenness to English-speaking people, and I feared the consequences of publicity where, whatever the circumstances, common rumor would assign the bottle as the excuse,

By eight that evening we were to be present at an important ceremonial, where especially Waring was needed, and yet the fear of compromising either of us- so floated before my eyes as to prevent my seeing some one of the half-amphibious creatures who loitered about, to pick np what he might know or make direct inquiries. I waited awhile, considering what it was most fitting for me to do, to have at once the air of being active and the satisfaction of not raising too great a dust. And what was my determination ? To take a bath. To accomplish my action in doing so, it was desirable to take a boat which wonld afford a pretext in many ways, and at the same time I should enjoy the air and the delicious water till the sua became too hot for outdoor exercise.

The most frequent bathing place at the Piirens is an inlet in the rocks at some distance from the port, not far from the narrow entrance into) the natural harbor. What its Greek name may be, I do not.know, but in our polyglot society it went by the title of the Bai Russe. Jumping into the first boat that met my eye, I told the man to row thither, and soon reached it. To spring ashore, tell the boatmen to drink some raki and wait, and to enter the bathing house, was the work of an instant. Then came a plunge into the water, a foretaste of Elysium, a sensation which makes the imagination of the ancients no miracle. To float on the surface and look down into the greet, sunlit cavities below, surrounded by wild rocks glittering in the first fullness of,tho morning sun, is a pleasure alone worth travelling to Ureece for. I paddled about so lone; that on coming out I felt a chill, which obliged me to essay the cheer of one of the Kapaeneia. I passed the bar, and entering a email private room, sat down and ordered a bottle of wine and some bisouit. The man supplied me speedily, bringing however a long stone bottle instead of a glass one. That I took scarcely any note of, as the first glass gave me such a welcome feeling of warmth that my heart expanded, and led me to open a conversation

Nothing was to be gleaned from the landlord about Waring; he even professed not to know him personally, although he came regularly to the bath, and preferred giving me an account of some monetary affairs, followed by an expatiation on the virtues of his oppressed country, and the incredible vices of Turks. I fanned his enthusiasm on the latter point into a flame by insinuating that things were not always as black as they were painted.

Soon I bad the satisfaction of seeing my company increased by my boatman and others, who when the master's breath failed, took up his harangue two at a time. I offered them wine, but all declined, avering that they did not drink it of a morning. • You've got Oriental habits,' I said, unguardedly. ' you are all half Tnrk3 !' ' We are no drunken Englishmen, then, at least 1' burst out the landlord. ' Drunken! what do you mean ?' ' Why,' put in a bystander, ' you English drink night and day, and the Americans too for that matter.' ' Yes, like the gentleman yesterday,' said another. • What gentleman ? No one replied, and the idea that struck me passed away, as, irritated by their insulting mien, I told them the Turks were the better men. ' Say that again,' said the landlorl, in a hoarse voice, wilh a threatening look. ' I shall say it as many times as may please mo.' • But not to me—look you 1' and he threw back his bread chest—he was a powerfully made man —and imitated the gesture of one using a knife. ' That's what I'll give to any one who insults my country, whether he be a drunken Bnglishman or not.' ' You want me to throw this bottle at your head,' I answered, suiting the motion to the word.

My arm was arrested by my boatman, who to my astonishment told me to be quiet, or he would take me by the ears and march me off.

This was too much to be borne, and, brought back to my coolness, and looking into the surrounding faces, I discerned an expression that I could not comprehend, but that made me seriously uneasy. I remarked, too, that though I had only drank a couple of glasses of wine, I felt all the symptoms of intoxication, and a look into a mirror hanging on the wall showed my face marked with led and white patches and my eyes half glazed. I turned from one to the other. uncertain how to act, when the landlord proposed taking me down to the boat and getting me off •Get hold of the fellow,' said he advancing. The boatman made a fresh graap at tho arm from which I had shaken him, and two others essayed to get behind me. This sobered me completely, though all seemed an illusion of the senses, and springing back, I got on the table and leapt through them before they could stop me. They turned and gave chase, and I took refuge behind the bar. Going backward, with one arm stretched out to feel tho way, and the other brandishing the stone bottle, my hand struck against something familiar. It was my coat, which I had not missed till then, and which I had taken off while resting. In the pocket was, beside a considerable sum of money, a neat little Adams' revolver, which I presented at my pursuers before they could seize me. Throwing my coat over my left arm, I pressed on them, uttering savage threats, mingled I fear with some strong vernacular, while one and all gave way as the polished barrel met their view. To pass through the establishment and make my way to the boat was |my first impulse, and having accomplished that, I turned to see if there were no other bathers whom I could call to my assistance or who might explain this marvellous scene. But no one appeared. The flag fluttering on the opposite shed was the only sign ot life beyond my five assailants, as I now saw them to be, crowding! the causeway and cursing and hooting. As I saw no firearms, that did not affect me, and taking my pistol in my teeth, and undoing the chaiD, 1 made shift to push the boat into tho open water. This had evidently not been expected. I worked at the oar so energetically that I was at least forty yards out ere they had settled to their places. To shako sail lcose was the next thing. This was easy enough in such a craft, and I had to lash it fast and settle to the tiller while they cleared the piles. The wind was blowing seaward, so, incapable as I was of manoeuvring, I had no alternative but to stand out from the harbor, and the sail bellied splendidly as I brought the bow round. . My pursuers were n:t idle. Their sail followed mine, aided by two oars that flushed in the light as if they would eat up the distance between us. I contrived, however, to keep ahead, as mine was both the better vessel and lighter by the difference of the I crew. Meanwhile I tried in vain to comprehend what was passing. I thought for a

moment of casting loose the sheet, and awaiting them, pistol in hand, and demanding an explanation j but recollecting how uncertain the nse of firearms is on the water, and the ft ar that ere I could speak or act a blow from an oar might end matters, kept me in my place. What a piratical attack in open daylight coald mean was beyond me. That I was druok I kuow, and yet not how I became so, asd this was no time for wisedrawn conclusions. My cogitations brought me no nearer a solution of the difficulty, and I strained every nerve to retain what start I possessed by a skillful management of the helm. The wind was in my favor, blowing steadily off the land, and not in those sharp, short gustH so common [close inshore, and which would have done my business at once. Tying the tiller with my handkerchief, I sprang forward and threw over a couple of cannon balls and some stones that served as ballast, a most dangerous proceeding, but one that made me gain for the moment. Returning to my seat I inspected my revolver, of which only one barrel proved to be loaded, a want I could fortunately supply out of my coat pocket. The mouth of the harbor was fast receding In the distance, and I saw with great apprehension that the slight gains were now more than overbalanced by an additional sail being hoisted, and as the men returned to their seats I saw distinctly the barrel of a long pistol, such as the brigands use, flashing in one of their belts. Looking] ahead I could not decide which to do, to steer boldly for looming in the distance out at sea, or bend into the strait between Salamis and the mainland which I was swiftly approaching. The wind decided this for me. While shooting on at great speed, catting a white track like a steamer, all at once the boat heeled over and the sail flapped against the mast. Before I could lay her again to the wind, my friends astern were so near that I could count their teeth. As they crossed however the same spot, they were similarly delayed, and I again made good my place. On we kept, over water as bine as the sky, and amid hills so clearly marked that they seemed to step into the waves and stretch their arms forth to us. The blast continued with increased strength, and I remarked that the wavelets showed white crests as they rose and fell, and a thought passed my mind of what might happen to me if a gust thrown back from either side should catch me. Once, twice a shock came that indicated something of this kind in preparation. I delayed as much as I could but no alternative was left, so I turned the bow shoreward and made ready for the last act. A shout behind spoke the triumph of my pursuers, who imagined me already in their grasp. Not much space intervened, and less than two minutes would witness my escape or fall, when I heard a grinding sound, and my craft hung till I thought the mast would go over, and then —burst fren ! So rapidly did this pass that it was not perceivad by the Greeks, and though the bow was close to the land, I turned round and saw them ride right on the sand bank, and witnessed with a joyful heart the fall of mast and sail, leaving them for the time helpless and even in danger. I caught the right moment and beached the boat on a smooth slip of sand, on to which I could jump dryshod. I stopped to pull on my ooat and examine my pistol, waved with my hand a polite farewell to the gentlemen busied with their wreck, and then betook myself to my journey among the rocks. Chapter 11. The ascent from where I landed was difficult enough. The cliffs rose almost perpendicular from the slender slip of white sand on which I beached my boat, and the only path was a narrow fissure which afforded here and there a foothold; dwarf shrubs, too, of the hardy kind, common to dry climates, served as a support, though suffi ciently precarious, and sometimes, throwing myself back, I had to rely chiefly on friction to keep me np while I drew breath. The opening facing the water at the outset soon vanished behind a projecting rock and shut my foes from my view, which inspired, as is often the case, a feeling of security which made me cooler and more skilful in my task. I had just placed my hand on a ledge, bavins attained whi«h T hoped to find my pelf on a level ground, when I was startled by the report of a pistol. From my position I could not distinguish whether It came irom above or below, as sound rebounds in an enclosed space with confusing rapidity, and I stopped, with arm outstretched, fearing to thrust myself into the lion's mouth if I broke cover. 1 waited till I was weary, but this in my condition may have been a very short time, and every limb trembled with the exertion and the fear that, in spite of my self-command. was gaining upon me. Gathering all my strength, I was about to take the last step, when a second report struck on my ear, this time distinctly from above and evidently a gun. I could not doubt the double discharge wai the sign for united chase, and that as soon as worda had been exchanged I should find myself between two fires, and compelled to surrender, and to endure what I feared from its vagueness worse than death. (lo be continued.")