MOUFFLON-STALKING IN CYPEUS 341 



seven mules overtook us not much before ten o'clock, 

 and we mounted. Our road, a fair carriage one, with 

 almost universally good gradients, led at first over an 

 uninteresting and burnt-up plain, dotted with carob 

 and a few olive-trees. This gradually gave way to 

 rolling foot-hills. We passed the military hut en- 

 campment at Polimedia at some little distance, but 

 no other human habitation was to be seen. At a 

 little khan we dismounted for grapes and coffee. 

 During the halt one of the mules kicked off his load, 

 and we left the men reloading, not to see them again 

 for some hours, and pushed on. The road was perhaps 

 somewhat more animated than usual, for the summer 

 exodus to Mount Troodos was at an end ; we met 

 officials, their baggage, and Greek sutlers at frequent 

 intervals. Nevertheless we were pretty sick of our 

 hot march before we reached Silikou — a khan pre- 

 tentious enough to call itself a hotel — and lunched 

 under some plane-trees by a purling stream. It was 

 then half-past three, and we saw little chance of reach- 

 ing Pano Platroes, our intended sleeping - place, by 

 dark, though we urged our pack - train to haste as 

 they passed us here. 



In less than an hour we were ourselves on the road 

 again, but darkness was closing in ere we reached 

 Peripedhi, only to find our pack-train unloaded. There 

 was, however, no possible place to sleep, and to un- 

 pack tents seemed a nuisance. In some difficulty we 

 took the liberty of consulting the English owner of a 

 large wine factory here, and he most hospitably asked 

 us to make use of his house. Tired as we were, 

 we were only too glad to accept. Going up to the 

 factory we found the camp of the British Army of 

 Occupation — one company of the Sherwood Foresters 



