St. Mary's beacon., 1858-05-20


marvellous acutenessof the Greeks in scenting
money. The morning after our arrival a
flock Of ravenous Zuliote refugees alighted on
our decks. attracted by Byron's dollars. Lega,
the steward, = thorough niser, coiled himself
on the money chest like viper. Our sturdy
skipper was for driving them overheard with
hand-plkes. Byron came or deck in exube-
rant spirits, pleased with their savage aspect
and wild attire, and, as was his won't promised
great deal more than he should have done !:
day and night they clung to his heels like
pack of jackals, till he st6od It bay ike
hunted lion, and was0ma lsesn OF. by
shipping them to the MoFea. On Colonel Ma
piers return 20 the island, he warmly urged
| Byron, and indeed all of us, to take up our
quarters at his house from first to last, all the
English. on the island, the military as well rs
the civilians, We'd with each other in friendly
anil hospitable acts. Byron preferred staying
on board; every afternoon he and crossed the
harbor in . boat, and landed on a rock to
bathe; on one Of these occasions he held out
his right leg to NE, saying.
| al hope this accursed limb will be knocked
! oil in the war;
at won't improve valir swimming" I an
swcrcd; Il will exchange legs if you will give
me n portion Of your brains"
! You would repent your bargain he said !;
"at times feel my brains boiling as Shely'S
did whilst YOU were griiling him."
! After bathing, we landed i'll IN olive grove
eating our frugal supper under the trees. Our
: Greek passengers during the voyage said. that
/ the Greeks generally were in favor Of mon
! archical government; the Greeks on the is
( lard confirmed this, saving it was the only way
I "f getting rid Of tic robbcr chiefs who now
! tyrannizcd and KEEP: the country in state Of
anarchy: and as they must have a foreigner for
king, they could not do better than elect
Byron. The Poet treated this suggestion
! lightly, saying. "If they max" me the offer, |
may not refuse it, ] shall take care Of ny
OWE 'Sma PECULIAR for if it don't suit nv
humor. shall, ike Sancho ahdicatc Byron
! several times alluded 10 this, in bantering
! vein; it left an impression on his mind. Had
/ he lived to reach the congress Of Salona as
! commissioner Of the loan. the dispenser of
! million silver crowns would have been offered
! a golden one.
! Our party made All excursion TO the neigh
boring island of Ithaca; contrasted with the
arid wastes and barren red hiils Of Cephalonia.
! the vcrdant valleys, sparkling streams, and
! high land, clothed in ever green shrubs, were
Strikingly beautiful. After landing, it was
| proposed to Byron to visit some 0f the locali-
! tics that antiquarics have dubbed with the I'll
| ties "f Homcrs school-Civsscs' stronghold
! etc; he turned pccvishy away. saying to me,
| "Dn lock like one of those emasculated fogies?
Let's have \ swim. detest antiquarian twad-
! de Do people think have no lucid inter
! vals, that came to Greece to scribble more
nonsense I will show them that | can do
| something better | wish had never written
line. to have it cast in my teeth at every
/ ,lo Ii
some place where we might pass the night. rs
! we could not get mules to so on until the next
day.
After long swim. Byron clambcred up the
rocks, and exhausted 10y his days work, fell
asleep under the shade Of wild fig-trce ut the
mouth Of u cavern. GAMBIA having nothing
! 10 do, hunted him out, and awakened him
| from pleasant dream. for which the Poet
cursed him. We fed of figs and olives, and
! passed our night at a goatccrd'S cottage
sIn the morning we rode through the plea
Sant little island to Vathy, the capital The
! Resident, Capt Knox, his lady. aud every one
! else who had house. opened their doors to
welcome u.s. and the Pilgrim was received as
! if he had been a prince. On the summit of a
high mountain in the island, there is an an
cicnt monastery, from which there is a mag
ni6cent view o.. the Ionian Sea, Greece. and
many islands The day after our arrival we
assembled it, our party amounting to ten or
twelve including servants and muleteers As
/ usual il was late when we started there was
not breath Of air, and the heat was intense.
| Following narrow zigzag path between rocks
and precipices in single file, as our mules crept
upwards our difficulty increased, until the path
became merely stone steps, worn by time and
travel in the solid limestone. We all dismount-
ed but Byron he was jadcd and irritable. as
he generally was when deprived Of his accus-
toned midday siesta, it was dusk before we
reached the summit Of the mountain. The
Abbott had been appriSed by the Resident of
our visit; and when We neared the monastery,
| files OF men stood on each side Of our path,
hearing zine torches. On coming up to the
walls we saw the monks in their grey gowns
ranged along the terrace, they chaunted
hymn Of glorificati0n ard welcome to the great
lord saving, Christ has risen 10 elevate the
cross, and trample on the crescent in our be-
loved Greece" The Abbot, clad in his sacer-
dotal robes, received Byron in the porch, and
conducted him into the great hall, illuminated
for the occasion the monks and others clus-
tered round the honored guest; boys swung
censers with frankincense under the Poets
nose. The Abbot, after performing a variety
of ceremonies in a very digni6cd manner, took
fir m the folds of his ample garments roll of
paper, and commenced intoning through his
nasal organs a turgid and intermsHable eulO-
gium on my "Lerdo Inglesc," in q polyglot Of
divers tonges while the eyes of the silent
monks. anxious to observe the effect of the ho-
ly fathers eloquence, glanced from the Abbot
to the Lord
Byron had not spoken word from the time
we entered the monkery; thought he was
resolved TO set us an example OF proper be-
havior. No one was more surprised than |
was, when suddenly he burst into u paroxysm
Of rage, and vented his ire in torrent Of Ital-
ian execrations on the holy Abbot and all his
brotherhood. Then turning to US with fash
ing eyes, he vchemently exclaimed:
"Will no one release me from the presence
of these pestilential idiots they drive me
mad |" Seizing n lamp, he left the room.
The CONSERVATION of the monks at this ex-
ploSion of wrath may imagined. The amazed
Abbot remained fsS snms time rsoeiOnless. his