A VISIT TO THE MONASTERIES 0? MOUNT ATHOS. 153 



r as brought in, having on it small cups of black 

 coffee and of spirit, a dish of jam, a glass jar con- 

 taining pure water, and a pile of spoons. I felt quite 

 uncertain what to do, but eventually drank up a cup 

 of coffee and one of spirit, the first of which I should 

 have taken last, then took a spoonful of the jam, 

 which I defiled by putting the same spoon back into it 

 and which should have been taken first to promote, I 

 suppose, thirst ; and finally crowned my misdeeds by 

 drinking up the water which was intended to be used 

 by each one for depositing his spoon in after taking a 

 mouthful of preserve. But as similar formalities were 

 repeated on my arrival at each monastery I visited, I 

 soon learned the correct way. The good old monks, 

 moreover, pardoned my mistakes, and soon wrote out 

 the necessary circular letter to the monasteries, which 

 I visited in succession, spending a night or more at 

 each. I usually sent on the letter and luggage ahead, 

 before entering the convent, where, on my arrival, 

 the guest chamber and a meal were found ready pre- 

 pared, and the tedious ceremony of coffee-drinking and 

 reception by the Archimandrite was avoided. This 

 was inflicted upon my dragoman, who bore it bravely 

 for a few days, but at last declared, perhaps as the 

 result, that he was ill ; so I sent him back to the port 

 of Daphne to await the returning steamer to Stamboul. 

 This occurred at the consent of S. Dionysio. I found, 

 however, that I was far better off without him, for if 

 any monk spoke Italian or English he was always 

 brought forward as interpreter, while my very igno- 



