THROUGH WILD EUROPE 129 



saturated clothes, but very contented with the liberal 

 backsheesh I had given him for bringing them safely. 



Halting again at the Bey's for something to eat 

 and to rest the horses, in the middle of the day, we 

 pushed on as hard as we could, and reached the 

 shores of the lagoon in the evening. Before night 

 fell we had pitched the tent in the forest, and made 

 a rousing fire. 



The villagers were amazed at our preferring to 

 sleep in the forest, affirming that it was not safe, 

 many robbers being known to be about ; and they 

 pressed us repeatedly to put up in the village. One 

 man was quite importunate in begging us to sleep 

 at his house. But we were a strong party, four men 

 besides ourselves, all of us well armed with Martinis 

 and magazine rifles ; and we decided to stay where 

 we were and chance any attack. 



As a matter of fact two nights passed off peace- 

 ably, although there was a certain amount of danger 

 — or would have been for a weaker party. And we 

 were much more comfortable in the well-appointed 

 tent with our own things and Marco to wait on us 

 and cook, than in a smoky and dirty native hut. 



We slept comfortably if not luxuriously, B in 



his camp-bed, and I in my sleeping-bag and rug 

 placed on an indiarubber ground sheet, my constant 

 companions in all these wanderings in strange 

 countries, bird-hunting and collecting. 



