THROUGH WILD EUROPE 151 



Returning to the village I found our supper nearly 

 ready, and the floor of a carpenter's shed adjoining 

 swept out and more or less tidied up for our recep- 

 tion. Squatting around the wood-fire on the floor 

 we dined in company with some labourers, who 

 were discharging goods from a barge, Montenegrins 

 and Turks ; and very good company they were. 

 Turkish coffee followed the stew, and cigarettes, of 

 course ; after which we all lay down round the fire 

 and slept comfortably. 



The morning was very unpropitious for our work. 

 Heavy and continuous rain delayed our start for 

 some hours. A boat and a couple of men had been 

 engaged to take us to a likely marsh on the Albanian 

 side ; all the luggage was piled up amidships and 

 covered with my waterproof sheet, while Djourasch- 

 kovitch and myself huddled together in waterproofs 

 at the stern, covered or partly covered with an 

 umbrella he had thoughtfully borrowed from the 

 hotel. He had forgotten the trifling ceremony usual 

 in such cases, of asking permission from the owner ; 

 but I did not feel inclined to find fault with him, and 

 only regretted that he had not brought away two 

 instead of only one. 



As soon as we reached the open water it became 

 evident that we could not possibly reach our in- 

 tended destination. The wind was blowing half a 

 gale, and the waves threatened every moment to 



