304 THE IMAGE OF WAR 



brought our cutter from Pelagonisi, it being arranged 

 that I should have a last try next day, whilst my 

 partner arranged the packing - up and shipping of 

 the things. 



The night began badly ; our old dragoman and cook 

 let my best cap, which he was drying, fall into the 

 fire, and, when blamed, turned indignantly on me — 



" What for you cry out for brandy and water, 

 then ? " 



But this was a trifle. The wind increased to a 

 gale, with torrents of rain, and unfortunately Y. had 

 not brought the outer fly of the tent. A small hole 

 above my head awoke me by dripping on me, and an 

 attempt to repair it by sticking in a copying-ink 

 pencil only changed the stream to one of violet ink. 

 I moved my bed out of the way, but an hour or two 

 later the whole thing descended on my head (I was 

 on the windward side). Shouts of "Thomas!" at 

 last brought the poor fellow out to re-drive tent- 

 pegs ; for the "individual" had prudently fled to the 

 monastery. 



All through the trip I had suffered from cold, not 

 having given the " isles of Greece " credit for such 

 a winter climate, but this night it was both wet and 

 cold that banished sleep. 



v., who was on the lee-side and well provided with 

 fur karosses, did better. Cold and miserable I waited 

 for daybreak ; at last it came. Thomas's tent had 

 been down twice, and he was in a miserable plight. 

 The place in which our camp was pitched was ankle- 

 deep in slippery mud, and the very side-pockets of 

 the tent were full of water. Fortunately I had, by 

 a mere accident, not put my telescopes in them as 

 usual. 



