SUPPER SCENE WITH COLOCOTRONI. 179 



" No," said I, " but I have some coal." 



" Oh Kaimeno ! I am burnt no gunpowder, but coal* what 

 thing is this ?" 



I ordered one of the men to bring up a basket of coal, and, in the 

 meantime, endeavoured to explain to him its uses. 



" Ah," said he, " I am down upon you (few persons are aware 

 that this is purely a Greek idiom) it is charcoal !" 



The basket was placed before him, and having persuaded himself 

 that it was bondjide charcoal, and of no greater weight, he attempted 

 to lift a huge lump of it, but not having put sufficient strength to it, 

 he lost his equipoise, and tumbled head foremost into the basket. He 

 jumped up in a fierce passion swore with an oath that my mother 

 was an impure person that he had been very familiar with my faith 

 that the Franks were all liars, and that he was too cunning 

 to believe that the devil himself would ever think of making a fire 

 with black stones, and ended, by attempting to fire his pistol at the 

 coal, but it flashed in the pan, which Greek pistols very often do. I 

 calmed his rage by taking him forward to the caboose, and shewing 

 him the coal in combustion. Snatching up a small quantity, he put 

 it in his pipe and smoked it ; finding it unpleasant, he tasted a piece 

 raw, carefully wrapped it up in a piece of paper, and deposited it in 

 his pocket. 



The discovery of the fact that Frank fires were fed with black 

 stones, completely overwhelmed the faculties of the poor Tchaous. 

 For the combustion of such a material he could find no parallel, and 

 he who had come on board as proud as a Padisha, prepared to quit 

 the brig as humble as a chidden dog. The individual who held the 

 main ropes squinted after a most sinister fashion, with his left eye. 

 The Tchaous started back as though Apollyon had bestrode his path, 

 but suddenly recollecting the counter-charm, he spat copiously over 

 his shoulders, first to the right and then to the left, and blowing in 

 the man's face as he passed him, descended to his boat, which by this 

 time had returned. He sat himself sulkily down in the stern-sheets, 

 and commenced making the sign of the cross, which is done by the 

 Greeks as follows : They join the thumb and two first fingers to re- 

 present the Trinity, and then, pretending to pick up dirt from the 

 ground, they touch the forehead, the pit of the stomach, the left 

 breast, and then the right ; which series of actions the Tchaous con- 

 tinued as long as he remained in sight. There is a sect amongst the 

 Greeks who make the cross from right to left, but they are held in 

 abomination by the orthodox cross-makers. 



Meanwhile I had despatched a boat with my " fbaksheesh" to the 

 General, who in return invited me to supper, which invitation I very 

 readily accepted, glad of an opportunity of making the acquaintance 

 of so notorious an individual as Colocotroni, and thinking thereby to 

 learn how I might dispose of my cargo, so as to meet the intentions 

 of my employers. 



* Till the arrival of the pompori or steam-boat, the Greeks, with some few 

 exceptions, could form no idea of mineral coal, and the landing of the first cargo 

 at Napoli created as much sensation as the news of a great victory. 



j- Baksheesh is a Turkish word, signifying a present. 



Q 2 



