ALBANIAN MARRIAGE PARTY. 13 



one of our party observed a female on horseback 

 in the midst of the attacking body of skirmishers. 

 "Very odd," thought we all. In an instant we 

 perceived another walking by her side. " More 

 and more unintelligible." We had heard that 

 the Albanians were a curious race, but for our 

 lives we could not comprehend what two females 

 could possibly have to do with so warhke a look- 

 ing party. As soon as Giovanni saw the women, 

 he began to laugh. We stared, and for a few 

 moments he could hardly recover his gravity 

 sufficiently to explain to us, that, so far from 

 having any hostile designs upon us, the apparently 

 belligerent host of Albanians was a peaceable 

 Greek marriage party, escorting home the bride 

 and bridegroom to their own village, and, ac- 

 cording to their custom, testifying their glee and 

 delight by shouting and discharging their guns 

 and pistols. 



They stopped when they came to the spot 

 where we were resting, and we soon became 

 great friends. The bride was well covered with 

 a thick veil, sufficiently transparent, however, 

 to let us see that she was very young, I should 

 say not more than fifteen years old, and rather 



