THE OLDEST MONASTERY IX GREECE 



:^.l 



trip, and spoke a little French. Although 

 my French is as uncertain as that of a 

 girl at a boarding-school, we exchanged 

 some ideas. 



Later, as they opened a lunch-box, they 

 offered me at intervals, first a sandwich, 

 next an egg, later wine, grapes, and a 

 pear. I began by declining, but the re- 

 served youth at my side again manifested 

 his interest in me. He had not been in- 

 cluded in the luncheon party, but he 

 plainly disapproved of my course of re- 

 fusal. At each offer he would assure 

 me. "Yes, good." and when I still re- 

 fused, he became so earnest and insistent 

 that I suspected that he was attempting 

 to save me from a seeming discourtesy. 



On leaving the train. T secured a 

 donkey at a khan near by. The little beast 

 proved of value, for the monastery is 

 3,000 feet above sea-level, in the face of 

 a large cliff'. 



Soon I caught my first glimpse of the 

 monks' home, apparently rising out of a 

 leafy bower and plastered against the 

 bare gray rock of the moimtain. The 

 winding path the donkey followed was 

 not a little romantic, at times completely 

 shut in by trees and shrubs, and later 

 emerging and affording an extensive pan- 

 orama. The tiny brook that crossed the 

 path again and again, or the several 

 brooks, I know not which, made pleasant 

 music in a country where the soil is rocky 

 and the rainfall slight. 



HOW IBRAHIM PASHA OVERREACHED 

 HIMSELF 



The i)ath as it approached the monas- 

 tery became steeper and api)ealed strongly 

 to the imagination ; for this was the spot 

 where the great Turkish commander, 

 Ibrahim Pasha, had been kept so long at 

 bay. During the war of independence, 

 nearly a century ago, it was the monks 

 from this vicinity who had first urged the 

 people to throw off the hated yoke. 



Naturally when Ibrahim Pasha had re- 

 conquered much of the Peloponnesus he 

 thought in passing he would take the 

 monastery of ]\Iegas])elaeon and possess 

 himself of its treasures; but the warlike 

 monks, re-enforced by a few Pallikars. 

 placed two cannon on the cliff above and 

 eft"ectually barred the progress of the 



Turkish army up the steep and narrow 

 path. 



However, Ibrahim, being a man of 

 iron, was not to be thwarted. .\fter 

 spending some weeks in vainly trying to 

 reach the monastery by the path, he sent 

 a force whicli with great labor succeeded 

 in gaining the heights above. One can 

 fancy what then must have been the 

 terror of the women and children who 

 had taken refuge with the monks and the 

 exultation of Ibrahim. 



But a surprise came when his men be- 

 gan to roll down rocks from their vantage 

 l)oint and discovered that the monasterv 

 clings so closely to the overhanging cliff 

 that the huge missiles fell wide of their 

 mark. Doubtless as the boulders went 

 crashing down the mountain-side thev 

 drove more than one startled and angry 

 Turk to shelter. 



A lIOSPITAr.LE WELCOME 



As I approached by the path, I came 

 up directly underneath the monastery, 

 whose huge wall rose 50 or 60 feet, with 

 six stories of wood superimposed on this. 

 A large bell rang to announce my arrival, 

 and many a curious head peered down 

 on me. 



I slid off my donkey on reaching a 

 platform before the monastery, and a 

 lean, hungry-looking youth, bristling with 

 a four days' beard, took my bag and led 

 me up the stone steps into a building 

 adjoining the monastery. The Xcnodo- 

 chos, a monk whose duty it is to provide 

 entertainment for pilgrims and visitors, 

 greeted me and soon had brought good 

 cheer in C(^ffee, Turkish style — nuiddy 

 with pulverized grounds and very sweet. 

 yiost travelers are fond of it. 



"Anglos?" he asked. 



"Oclii [Xo], Amerikanos." It was not 

 a long conversation, but both of us were 

 pleased at having exchanged an idea and 

 by common consent lapsed into silence. 



The large room into which I had been 

 shown on arrival had eight coverless 

 couches, which I supposed I was to share 

 for the night with six Greek pilgrims, 

 who had come to this their holy place. 

 My supper was served in this room, but 

 not with that of the pilgrims. I feasted 

 in the august company of my own .soli-^ 



