MAGNIFICENT PROSPECT. 109 



ing, and to resign the possession of the other 

 exclusively to us, and which said request we were 

 obliged to enforce by placing barricades across 

 the part we intended her to occupy. We soon made 

 a fire, hashed some mutton we had brought from 

 Corfu, and after a meal, to which our ride of 

 thirteen hours was an excellent sauce piquante, 

 we were warbled to rest on our hard couches by 

 the plaintive notes of innumerable nightingales, 

 with which the adjoining woods abounded. 



On rising the next morning with the sun, the 

 extreme beauty of the scenery in the neighbour- 

 hood of this solitary khan — this oasis in the 

 desert — the green valleys and plains, rich with 

 herds of cattle — the near hills covered with a 

 quantity of dwarf oak, which had apparently been 

 burnt not many years back, the limestone moun- 

 tains more barren in appearance, yet well wooded 

 and rich in pasture — the bold features of vast 

 Tomoros rising majestically in the distance, and 

 reflecting from its snowy ridges the brilliant rays 

 of the bright orb of day, made an impression 

 upon me which I shall not readily forget. As 

 I sat on the green grass outside of the khan, 

 whilst our servant was preparing our breakfast, 



