200 SHORT STALKS 



the Pyrenees. Our following, as happens on these trips, 

 was rather a large one, and the commissariat required some 

 foresight and generalship, for the country does not produce 

 much that is acceptable to European palates. 



Our cook, who was distinguished l)y the title of Iladji, 

 having once visited Mecca, seemed to think that all further 

 effort in life was unnecessary, and that Providence would 

 send whatever it was felted that we should receive ; but 

 his manners, I must say, were beautiful, and he had a 

 sweet, responsive smile, Omar, a fine young Turk from 

 the neio-hbourino- villao-e, knew somethino- about hunting;-, 

 and I got very fond of him, though our commuuications 

 were confined to dumb-crambo. During the whole trip I 

 only encountered one Turk whose behaviour was rough. 

 Indeed, he was a Yuruk. The oenuine Turk has nearlv 

 always the manners of a courtier. This exception was 

 Metiut, another hunter of repute from Chardak, whom we 

 employed for certain drives, and whose whole manner ex- 

 pressed the rooted opinion that dogs of Christians were 

 only fit to act as " stops " for the likes of him ; but even 

 he softened to the diplomatic flatteries of Findlny, who 

 addressed him constantly as " my pet lamb," '' my sucking- 

 dove." My preconceived notions of Christian and Turk 

 received a rude shock. Up here there were scarcely any 

 native Christians, but nearer the coast they abounded. A 

 more villainous-looking lot I never saw, but it was probably 

 only the scum that gathered at the railway stations, and 

 one should not generalise in this way. 



But I have still to describe the most important member 

 of my staff. I had heard before my arrival that a " retired 

 brigand " had been secured for our service and protection. 



