'rill', iwriii:!; oi' ai.i, 'I'iiI': coat^^ 205 



snp})()sc(l lio liad liccii born so. Tliis was because 1 had 

 sent lilm a laroe sum." Hero tlie stationmaster [>in 

 111 the fullowiug original observation ; '" In this country 

 the man who is ricli is innocent like one ])ig(^on." " At 



hist jMr. I* i-'ot me out. It was all l"oll\-. but I should 



never have o'one to the mountains l)ut for that woman." 

 The oentleman mentioned was connected with the Otto- 

 man Kailway. Boid)a had made himself extremely useful 

 to this Comi»anv, and its ensfineers, in niakiuu' their exten- 

 sion, owe(l inueh ti> his inlluence. In fact, he is crtiviss to 

 the chief engineer now, and a highly-respected eharaeter. 

 No one would hesitate to trust him with a hundred ])onnds 

 oi' any other sum, and a more suitable chaperon for young- 

 ladies could not be fouiul. That is the story as he tohl it 

 to us, anil I have no doubt it is in the main true. 



There does not ai)])ear to be anv brioandaoe in that 

 part of the country now, though the Agha of the village 

 assured us, with undoubiiug faith, that ihei'e was a brigand 

 about, whom no bullet couki penetrate. This story liad 

 a foundation in fact, as we aftoi-wards diseovered, l)ut it is 

 too (•ommon}>lace to be worthy of narration. 



( liveii a bi'oken (diff, searcelv an\' part of which was 

 more than an hour's walk from our camp — for the goats 

 inhabited oid\- the steep side of ilie mountain — it will be 

 thouii'ht that the task of securini!' an adeiiuale nundier of 

 specimens was an easy one ; luit, as ni\- i^\renean hunter, 

 in whose company I have cut to pieces man\' ]iairs of boots, 

 put ii. after two or tlii'ee days' experience, "■ Le eo(|uin est 

 ruse connni' le "liable !" The excellent eyes and eai> with 

 which the creature is endowed would not. however, lia\c 

 saved him tVoin our scientific approaches if he had not been 



