IN THE MOREA. 



53 



green before it, we found near a hundred people of 'both. sexes and of 

 all ages assembled, and partaking of the chief's hospitality. They 

 flocked from all the neighbouring villages, and were dancing with 

 great vivacity. The men during the dance, repeatedly fired their 

 pistols through the windows, as an accompaniment to their wild 

 gaiety ; and the shouts and laughter and noise were indescribable. 

 Among other dances, the Ariadne, mentioned in De Guy's Travels, 

 was introduced, and many which we had not yet seen in Greece. 

 The men and women danced together, which was not so usual on the 

 continent as in the islands. On my complimenting the Capitano on 

 the performance of his lyrist, who scraped several airs on a three- 

 stringed rebeck, here dignified with the name of Kv^, a lyre, he told 

 me with regret, that he had indeed been fortunate enough to possess 

 a most accomplished musician, a German, who played not only Greek 

 dances, but many Italian and German songs; but that in. 1794 his 

 fiddler, brought up in the laxer morals of western Europe, and un- 

 mindful of the rigid principles of Maina, had so offended by his 

 proposals the indignant chastity of a pretty woman in the neighbour- 

 hood, that she shot him dead on the spot with a pistol. As evening 

 approached, the strangers departed to their homes after a rifle salute, 

 in the manner and form observed to us on our leaving the boat the 

 day before. We again passed the night at Christeia's house, and set 

 out for Vitulo the next morning. 



April 16. — We left Platsa on mules, attended by a strong escort of 

 armed men, sent with us by the chief's direction. We first pro- 

 ceeded eastward up a narrow rocky vale, and then turning to the 

 south, ascended by a winding road up a high ridge of crags. We 

 past some villages with scanty spots of cultivation round them, and 

 keeping high along the side of Taygetus came in about two hours to 

 the verge of Christeia's territory. Here our escort left us, and a 

 guard belonging to one of the chiefs of Vitulo took charge of us, and 

 conducted us down the southern side of the promontory of Platsa to 

 their master's, wnich is at two hours' distance. 



