34 MIDWINTER IN THESSALY 



little winged game after the quails have left. Bustard, 

 it is true, are tolerably plentiful; but they are keenly 

 looked after by local gunners, who may be seen bringing 

 them in for sale, slung on the saddles of their mules or 

 ponies. 



But our kind friends in Larissa were determined to 

 provide us amusement of the kind dear to Englishmen, 

 and the Demarch arranged for us an expedition to the 

 preserves of a Turkish landowner, distant about ten 

 miles from the city, on the southern spurs of Mount 



It was a glorious morning when we set out. Not a 

 cloud floated in the sky, the gale had subsided, there was 

 a delicious freshness in the air, and to the north Mount 

 Olympus rose clear and glistering, betokening steady 

 weather. As above mentioned, there is only one street 

 in Larissa over which a carriage can be driven, and as 

 this does not lead in the direction we wished to go, a long 

 detour had to be made after leaving the eastern gate of 

 the city ; here axle-deep in ploughed fields, there bump- 

 ing through Moslem cemeteries, and wholly over ways 

 which any London cab-driver would pronounce impass- 

 able. However, after a couple of miles of this work, we 

 gained the new Greek road running straight and fair to 

 Hagyia, and the procession of three carriages rattled on 

 at a good pace. A diversion was caused in crossing a 

 stream some five miles from the start, where two small 

 grebes were sighted on the water. A great loading of 

 guns took place. The English chasseiws were invited to 

 descend and open the sport ; but they waived the privilege, 

 declaring the birds not to be ducks, but only plongeurs, 

 and therefore not worth powder and shot. It was clear 



