104 GORAM. [chap. XXV. 



me mucli by their strange ideas concerning the Russian 

 war. They believe that the Russians were not only most 

 thoroughly beate/U by the Turks, but were absolutely con- 

 quered, and all converted to Islamism ! And they can 

 hardly be convinced that such is not the case, and that had 

 it not been for the assistance of France and England, the 

 poor Sultan would have fared ill. Another of their 

 notions is, that the Turks are the largest and strongest 

 people in the world — in fact a race of giants ; that they eat 

 enormous quantities of meat, and are a most ferocious 

 and irresistible nation. Whence such strangely incorrect 

 opinions could have arisen it is difficult to understand, 

 unless they are derived from Arab priests, or hadjis re- 

 turned from Mecca, who may have heard of the ancient 

 prowess of the Turkish armies when they made all Europe 

 tremble, and suppose that their character and warlike 

 capacity must be the same at the present time. 



GORAM. 



A steady south-east wind having set in, we returned to 

 Manowolko on the 25th of April, and the day after crossed 

 over to Ondor, the chief village of Goram. 



Around this island extends, with few interruptions, an 

 encircling coral reef about a quarter of a mile from the 

 shore, Adsible as a stripe of pale green water, but only at 



