318 SHORT STALKS 



the stables, which are generally under the same roof, and 

 of burnt camels' dung, which is the only fuel in these 

 villages of the plain, and it will be seen that a man must 

 harden liis heart to enjoy himself. Your welcome is, 

 however, nearh' always cordial. When 3'ou are estab- 

 lished the villagers troop in, to the numljer of a dozen or 

 more, and seat themselves without restraint. Their man- 

 ners are courteous, but they show their friendly feelings 

 towards strangers, chiefly, by telling pleasant lies. As 

 one is truly a guest of the village, it is impossible to resent 

 this very natural attention. 



Travelling in the interior, is, at the present time, 

 perfectly safe, and there are no thieves because there is 

 nothing to steal. Scarcely any of these small cultivators 

 carry guns. I had a revolver somewhere in my luggage, 

 but I was far too much afraid of it to load it. Su<-h 

 organised l^rigandage as there is, takes place within 

 reach of big cities like Constantinople, Salonika, and 

 Smyrna, where the scum of the Levant congregates, and 

 where information of possible good hauls may be obtained. 

 Osman was the last professional gentleman who exploited 

 the country near the latter city. To save further trouble 

 the authorities enrolled him and his whole band as 

 gendarmes, but the proverbial rule did not work wel] in 

 this case. They began, like the law otiicers of the crown, 

 to combine a little private practice with their official duties. 

 Summoned to Smyrna to account for this, they came to 

 the Konak, 1)ut with revolvers concealed in their belts. 

 When their arguments failed to convince, they used more 

 forcible ones and shot two or three policemen and specta- 

 tors in the court-house itself. But somebody had taken 



