PARTY OF ALBANIANS. 47 



energetic, till, our curiosity being able to with- 

 stand it no longer, we jumped upon deck. We 

 there found Giovanni engaged in a parley with 

 ten Albanians, who had come down to the shore 

 on the main-land side, and, immediately on their 

 arrival there, had hailed the vessels at anchor 

 to give them something to eat, or they would fire 

 upon us. Giovanni very properly told them that 

 they might fire if they pleased, but we could 

 do the same, and that we would not be terrified 

 into giving them any thing. They became more 

 loquacious and threatening, and Giovanni more 

 firm. He laughed at them, dared them to fire, 

 and at last worked them up to such a pitch of 

 fury, that four of them started to go round the 

 peninsula and come upon us in the rear, where, 

 from behind the rocks on a hill which commanded 

 our decks at a distance of not more than fifty 

 yards, they could fire upon us almost with impu- 

 nity, whilst the others continued the parley until 

 the four should reach the position, which it would 

 take them about a quarter of an hour to arrive at. 

 To decide upon our line of defence was the work 

 of an instant. We were more than a match for 

 the six Albanians who were left on the shore, so 



