The Osceola times., 1877-08-18
CESNOLA'S TRIALS.
Some Trouples the GeUeral Endured In
the Gaterest of s~ieuee.

of the consulate were not burdensome.
One day he saw in bazar at Lanarka, n
/ town on the southern coast where he
lived, some terra-cotta heads finely sculp'
tured; and, having asked the salesman
where they came from, learned that they
had been found on a spot about a mile
off. This very trihing circumstance led
to the beginning Of lis labors as an ex'
plorer; for be Immediately went to the
place, hired two or three men to dig ior
him, and in two years obtained nearly
| six hundred heads, statuettes and statues,
at depths varying from six inches to TWO
feet. So much for a beginning. by the
death of a near relative, he soon came
into possession of ten thousand dollars.
He spent every dollar of it, and more
than sixty thousand dollars besides, dur
| ing his ten years ol exploration
The difficulties that he encountered
make the story of his triumph romantic.
| Fir,t and foremost in his way was the
coyetous, ignorant, treacherous, fanatlcal
Turk, who rules in Cyprus. The sultan,
| indeed, allowed him to dig, but the gov
ernor.general of the island and the local
authorities we're suspicious and fault
finding. They bothered him with their
interference, and often set the MOB on
his men. Little knew they OF the real
value OF his treasures, except, OF course,
what they learned from the Europeans
But their cupidity was great, and 30 was
the cupidity of the populace. On one
occasion. General Cesnola, asleep at MD
niuht in his house, was awakened by the
paving of horses in his courtyard, and
BY the loud talking o! the riders. Dress
| ing himself in haste, he ran down stars,
and found that his visitors were courier'
come to tell him that mob had taken
possession of his digging some distance
off, and were preventing the removal OF
some sculptures which he had excavated-
While they were telling their story, a
third courier arrived with the intelligence
that two policemen had appeared ON the
scene, and Mad claimed possession OF the
sculptures in the name of the sultan
The general did not wait for any more
arrivals, but, mounting mule, galloped
to the spot.
II was about half.past one o'clock in
the morning when he reached it, and the
sight that confronted him he has not for
gotten. The people had lighted fires on
the desert plain, and were bivouacked
there. They made the night hideous
with their shouts and contentious. Each
walking figure cast its shadow in the
freight around the encampment was
blackness OF darkness above it thick
and starless sky. What should ba done
with this noisy, fighting crowd? The
tactics of United States general, and
the sense Of Solomon would not have
been out of place. Gen. Cesnola had at
least one of these qualifications he was
Federal general. Comprehending the
situation at once he rode up to one OF
the Turkish policemen present, and
asked him to take charge OF the mule,
reeking with foam, and TO walk the ami
NAL around slowly for its health. The
officer consented. His companion was
then called, and requested to disperse the
crowd. He proceeded 10 do 80; ano
before the throng seemed to know wha
the American consul, whom they hao
recognized, was about, the general ha'
his sculptures carefully placed upol
carts, had given them and his mule T.
the care Of one Of his servants, and ha'
seen them safely started some distanc
on the way to his house. He then pu
himself under the care of the tw
policemen, and, followed by the NOS
! but almost unaccountably harmless rat
! bic. proceeded to the nearest village, an
found a shelter and a wooden shuttle
Wrapping himself in quilt, he 500
fell fast asleep.
The town of Paleo Paphos is especial
attractive TO the explorer. 1t gave il
r name to the Paphian queen who wa
born of the foam. General Cesnol
, though that the ruins of castle thei
might cover the site of one of the al
cient royal palaces. The ruins WEI
used by their owner rs q stable for h
camels and donkeys but, when I'll
diggings began, this man looked for gol
beneath them, He watched the digger
and dogged the footsteps OF their chiei
and, when his interference had b,
come almost uncomfortable, the gel
eral promised to give him a
the gold that was founC
As the work proceeded, and no gol
made its appearance, the old man-hl
name was Osman Aga--threatencd on
day that, il before sundown he got non
of the precious metal, he would put a
end 10 the operations. The men wer
then forty-ene feet below the surface
and had struck the foundation of wha
seemed to be the very palace that the
were in search of. Something must b
done to appease the cupidity OF the Turk
General Cesnoa happened to have in hi
pocket two gold coins of the Empero
Heraclius, which, by the way, were yer
common in Cyprus and he remembers
how the King of Naples used to do a
Pompeii when taking royal visitors on
to see the excavations. Beckoning to hi
foreman, he slyly slipped these coins int
the mans hand giving him to understan
that they were TO be buried, and the
dug up Tor the benefit of Osman Aga
After that the aged owner of the plac
was eager to have the work go on rs ias
as possible, and his eyes twinkled at tn
thought of the possessions that might b
in store for him. The next day, at tn
depth OF fifty-two feet, the workmel
reached virgin soil, and soon afterwaI,
the excavations were abandoned, tn
results not having been encouraging.
The peasants of Cyprus PERSISTENT
refused TO work with iron spades an,
with whtelbarrows. and their refusa
was one OF the principal obstacles en
countered, Although those useful i'm