252 BIRD-HUNTING 



he hadn't always been very moderate in his wants I 

 might have thought that he had followed me from 

 place to place, but I could hardly suppose it worth 

 anybody's while to walk fifty or a hundred miles for 

 the chance of a crown or two. Here he wanted two 

 crowns to make his way to Durazzo, I think. It 

 was quite worth this small sum to be rid of him, for 

 I knew that as long as he remained there he would 

 waylay me every day. So I gave it to him and he 

 departed, after trying to kiss my hand to show his 

 gratitude. 



Another more interesting visitor was an elderly 

 Montenegrin. He told me he had collected birds 

 for many years with Count Alleon of Constantinople, 

 both in Turkey and in the Dobrudscha, and pressed 

 me to visit him at his house in a neighbouring hill 

 village, where he had bought a small farm. Accord- 

 ingly Marco and I walked over one day, and were 

 most hospitably received : too hospitably in one way, 

 for he pressed his home-grown wine on us as if it 

 was of the choicest vintage, and though it was like 

 vinegar in its exceeding sourness, I had to drink 

 it freely to avoid hurting his feelings. We had a 

 good dinner, and slept there a night in the hope of 

 getting a brace or two of Greek partridges in the 

 morning, for he said there were a good many on the 

 surrounding hill-sides. Unfortunately the next day 

 was wet; and though we turned out and made an 



