The Stoyteller. WITH THEOREM INSURGENTS.

Waikato Argus, Volume II, Issue 121, 17 April 1897, Page 1 (Supplement)

The Stoyteller. WITH THEOREM INSURGENTS.

—« — AN ADVENTUROUS WEEK. , . . CHATTER IV.—CONCLUSION*. It was noon when our flight ended in n gray faded settlement, girdled by cliffs save where we had come upon it, and where a narrow defile led from it clown to the coast. The church-bell was jingling for somo unappireut reason as wo reached the dishevelled building itself. We were soon surrounded by the villagers, agape for intelligence. They received the news of the patriots' reverse in silence—at lea3t tho men did ; the women wept. Happily, there was an apothecary here. We conveyed Naylor to his house, prepared to hoar the worst, for the poor fellow's face told its own tule. The man wore horn spectacles that gave him an owl-like look. His tedious pedantry was also suggestive of tho owl's sham demeanour of exceeding wisdom. De Blestant was worth two of him as a medical man. But neither of them, nor all the physicians in the world, could giro Naylor his life blood again. «Do stop them bothering about me, old fellow.' he whispered at length. ' I know I'm booked.' 1 said what I couM to persuade him to think otherwi?e, and told him wo were within a mile or two of the port off which the Panhellenion lay. - Once we get you on board, you'll do,' I said, hoping against hope. The mention of the steamer seemed to brighten him. * Are you sure you can get to her V ho asked. The apothecary laughed to scorn the idea that one little defeat in tae mountains meant the collapse of the insurrection. According to him, it was rather the very thing that was most wanted to make the Christians fight their b?st. No Turk would dare from tho north tc invade the southern ravines of the Madara Vouna; and that was tho only direction open to them. 'Then there's one thing you can do for me,' Naylor continued, speakin" with more and more difficulty as the internal bleeding progressed. 'Whatever it is, I'll do it,' I eaid. ■ My notes —take them with you. You'll be returning to England Y 'As soon as I can—with you.' He shook his head, smiliug agaiu. He knew better than that. • Made on the spot, you know, they have value,' he murmured. - You protrise Y I told him 1 would try to do something more arduous than that if he wished it. •There's nothing else,' he replied. ' I'm just a straw in the wind : no wife, brother, sister, or any one. Thank God for it, too !' We could do nothing hut watch over him to tho last, Thero were moments when I should have enjoyed the excitement of defending the apothecory's house against attack : this patient waiting for the end of a bold, reckless life was so miserable. But no such chance offered. The village was still as tho grave, except when the cracked church-bell jangled periodically, and that was worse than the brooding silence. Once he rallied De Blessant about his inadequacy as a prophet. ' Oh, but, mon cher garcon,' retorted the Frenchmen, ' who knows 1 I may follow you soon. I shall revenge you, for one thing. Give me a death like yours a thousand times sooner than on my feather-bed in Paris.' To which poor Naylor replied almost inaudibly, with a painful attempt to laugh : ' Bunkum, my dear fellow !' Towards eight o'clock he breathed his last, making mo feel wretchedly alone. Though I had known him but a few dayp, I had learned to love him as a friend. Almost his last words were an injunction to us not to bother ourselves with his body. The Sphakia churchyard, he said, was good enough for him, if it wag good enough for the Sphakiots. And that was what we did with him the following morning. There were graves ready dug in the churchyard—ominous sign ! —and in one of them (which the sun shone on more than on the others) we laid him, in the presence of all the village, including several other patriot refugees from Thvatis's army. What had become of tho bulk of our fighting friends we did not learn until that afternoon. Then we made our way to the coast and, under guidance, skirted the tremendous spurs of tho Madara Vouna until wo reached the snug creek in which the Panhellenion lay like a nut in its kernel. Hero the confusion was bewildering. The p\triots made bright patches of colour in the cramped place, and their chatter and declamations raised ecbos for the mountain walls to toy with and cast out (so one fancied) almost to the lazy cruisers in the offing. Some two hundred of them were believed to have been killed ; and, wors*j still, the wounded had had to be left. Under the circumstances, it seemed small consolation that more Moslems than Christians had come to thejJjJLend in the affray. Thyatis was Vot here when wo arrived, But he was looko 1 for every moment. Pending his and

the other leaders' coming, the captain of the Panhellenion could say nothing about his return (or atteruped return, as might be) to tho iEgeau. He had already disembarked the cargo of arms, ammunition, and provision! seat by tho insurrectionary agents in Athens, and had ballasted tho boat in readiness for the next trip at an hour or two's notice. Do Blessant got his letters, '• T say here.' he repeated, when I asked him if they made him alter Ins plans. ' I am like le bon Naylor ; there is no one except-, la petite to whom I report myself, and she will excuse.' He was not to be dissuaded. It was the first defeat with which he had been associated in Orcte, and his Frenc'i blood thirsted f.o avenge it. So he said, find his gallant looks bore out his words. Tho Sphakiots could have, done with a hundred men •like him j and so, perhaps, could Crete. As for me, I was very uncomfortable. The old business instincts were fidgeting in me. 1 was wronging ray partner and all who depended on U 3 by this misapplication of my time. Moreover (and chiefly, I daresay), I had had quite enough of war, especially this guerilla warfare in the mountains, My legs were stiff as an old man's with their unwonted exercise. The captain of the Fanhellenion could speak a moderate amount of English, and was disposed to be friendly. I was hesaid, welcome to sleep on the steamer, so that I might not miss the chance of getting to Greece, whenever that presented itself. But he warned me of tha new danger I was facing in thus getting aboard a vessel that would be blown to bits by the first Turkish gunboot that got the opportunity. Of this, however, I took small heed. Merely on the balance of risks, the Panhellenion was the thing for me. And besides, from the twinkle in the captain's eye, I surmised that the patriot ship was not to be overtaken by any ordinary cruiser of the Sultan's fleet. The rest of that day was spent amid the babble of the insurgents. De Blessant and I both agreed that they were oven better at talking than lighting. But they need not have quarrelled among themselves as they did. This seemed to be the worst portent of all as to the final iasue of the revolt. Thyatis was expected hourly, but he did not show until the next day. Then he appeared, haggard, fierce with a bandaged arm, and a 'do-or-die' demeanour that was not encouraging. The Turks had so far been content to establish themselves securely in two of the blockhouses. Their aim, he said, was some light artillery up from the plain. Until that was done, they would not venture on aggressive movements to the south. So far well. This nsws, and the knowledge that thero were still thousands of lighting Sphakiots left restored the spirits of the warriors by the seaboard. Whatever else had happened to Thyatis, ho had not lost energy, and in a few hours his influence invigorated the tone of the place. The Panhellenion's cirgo was very welcome, and the letters from Athens about future supplies were also favourable. As the upshot, it was decided that weather and the situation of the cruisers permitting, the Panhellenion should be off that night. And so I prepared to look my last at Crete—if not for ever, at least for a very lons time. I had, of course, resisted Thyatis'a warm invitation to continue with him and his men. Even for the moral encouragement's sake I did not think it worth while to offer myself as a sacrifice to the Sphakiots, like poor Naylor. The cruisers somehow seemed to have got an inkling of what was in the wind. As the day waned they stood closer inshore than hitherto, and, either for pastime or a menace, fired big guns landwards. Probably the victorious Moslems above had found a means of signalling their news to them, and this had momentarily inspirited the lethargic admiral who was in charge of the blockade. ' It is nothing,'said Thyatis, with a contemptuous upheaval of his nostrils, when I mentioned the firing and hoped it would not imply increased vigilance. ' We would run under their noses, and they would not see us.' But I was not so sure, The highlander's temperament was of two unreasonably sanguine a kind to fit well into what I suppose I may call my British prudence. Thero was a young moon this night. The thing was pretty to see, in combination with the silvery rippling and throbbing of the Mediterranean and the stupendous dark mountain wall at our backs. But I would rather not have seen it. The young thing would grow in size and luminosity every day, and thus the loss of each opportunity of getting out of Crete would add to the probability of our not getting out i)!' it at all. But such thoughts wore not to be encouraged, Tho Panhellenion's furnace lires were already glowing, and when the captain gave the word, it only remained for the engineers to let us loose. Eleven o'clock was the time fixed for the start. Once a it a in my pulse began to rise as this hour drew near. I had to abake hands with Thyatis

and De Blessant and wish them ' Godspeed' in their enterprises. Tho form; r humili ited me by thanking me for what I had done for the cause : he did it with his old exuberance ofSDcech and earnestness ; and hi; ended by entreating me to try to interest tho British Government on the patriots' behalf. I made no rash promises. ■Adieu, mon ami, et bon voyage,' said De Blessant, when we had drunk to each other ; ' wo shall me"t in Paris some day, and you shall see me decorc by the Cretan liepublic' ' Yes,' added Thyatis, ' That will be it—remember,' 1 am still remembering. But there is no Cretan Republic, and therefore no decoration for Gaston do Blessant, whom besides I have not seen since. He may bo dead, like Naylor j or he may bo* the sage, corpulent father of two well-grown children, and the husband of a discreet wife in the Chausseo d'Antin or elsewhere, for all I know to the contrary. The enthusiasm of youth dies with one's youth ; very properly, no doubt. We were on the point of starting, when there was a cry to stop. A little boat pushed off, with three men in it and two rowers. Our passenger list was to be increased by these three. I watched them come aboard, and suddenly my heart became agitated as I recognised the venerable beard of Nicolopoulos. Yes, it was ho, unmistakably. I went up to him, held out my hand, and said I was glad te-seo him. But I was really nothing of the kind. It would have been very different had his daughter been with him. Alone, however, bound for Athens at such a time, and that beautiful girl left in a land like Crete ! He said ' Good-evening' in mechanically, a 3 he just touched my palm. The Panhellenion began to move There were subdued shouts of goodwill towards us. as we stole darkly towards the rockey mouth of our haven. Not a light was allowed on board to give the least hint of us to the cruisers. Nicolopoulos was about to lose himself in the throng on deck, when I checked him. I was impressed by a sort of hang-dog expression on his face seen in the starlight. Also, I was sure he had not recognised me. ' Forgive me,' I said, ' but has anything happened Y Now he seemed to realise that it was English, not Greek, that was spoken. He looked at me. I do not want to see a look like that Again on any man's face. • Oh,' ho said hesitatingly, with a bitter smile, ' it is you, Mr Graham. So we are to be fellow-passengers ! It is well.' ' What is wrong 'f' I urged. 'ls anything the matter Y 'The matter! Yes, much, sir. They have taken my daughter from me. She is condemned. She is a leper, like her mother. Gracious Heaven ! I knew it was in her ; but I loved her so much. The demons ! It is because I hat) the Government. That is what is the matter, Mr Gaaham. I wish to see the captain. Helena a leper, and ca?t out into that sebtlemeut of pitiable misery, that place of horror ! Nicolopoulos's words seemed to blast me as her seizure must have blasted him. I sab on a heap of rope, and could think of nothing else as we sped rapid[y along, hugging tha shore, with hardly a whisper on board. I did not go to bed that night. Somehow, too, I did not feel as glad as I ought to have felt when the captain came among us and toll me, as well as the rest, that the worst risks were over. It must have been two o'clock in the morning then. With Nicolopoulos I did not exchange another word, What could I say ? But I felt for him, deeply unforgetoblyWe reached Athens in the evening, and all was well. A week liber I was in London, considerably browner than when I had left Victoria Station some five weeks earlier, and considerably more experienced, A few dried rose-leaves are now all the visible remembrances I possess of my stirring week in beautiful, and still uuhappy, Crete. I fulfilled poor Naylor's request. His ' copy ' was printel and read ; but it would have been better appreciated if the readers could have known him as I had. After all, perhaos, ho was not greatly to be pitied. He might have died in a worse cause than that of Cretan freedom : hit in front, too. [The End]