Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-08-05
WITH THE CHARCOAL BURNERS

Iney were Wild men-thoSe charcoal
burners. They lived close TO the blue
heavens. but they were wicked. Some of
them were Albanians, some were from
Salamis. l hated both.
was starving when l came TO their
mountain with its ragged peak l had
come from village near to Athens.
was tramping to Stolia And so soon as
l saw their blue clothes my belly ached
more strongly for food, but l had no
money.
1t was a July day. The fierce sunshine
was scorching the rocks. l was very
weary, for / had walked far, yet when
saw them hurling the oak logs from the
lofty rocks above me l began to climb
slowly toward them. 1t was difficult
work for me, who had lived upon plain,
and then the great logs that came crash
ing past me toward the road beneath
they frightened ME. The careless ones
above, they did not mind this. 1 was
only stranger, and they laughed when
the sharp rocks struck white splinters
from the logs and threw them at my feet
"Prosechete." take care) / shouted, and
the rocks about me they shouted, prose
chete!'
L1iShci liiShSl Niiihbtus NOuiu
see great depth of air below me, and
yet l had not come to them-those char
coal burners. May St. Constantine
guard me.'' prayed, for the rocks were
yielding with clatter and crash to my
touch, and the sunshine was falling in
golden flakes through the whirling dark
ness of my faintness. And of surety
it was he who took me by the hand and
led ME from danger into safety, to there
where the charcoal burners were hew
ing at the strong oaks.
They would give me bread, they would
give me money-they said so-but II
was to work for them during many
weeks. | ate, drank red wine. Then
they placed heavy ak in my hand and
pointed to an oak that hung over the
great depth Of air. l understood, but 1
trembled as l came to its roots, and the
little bird that flew gayly away from its
branches-l wished for its wings.
The ak was sharp, the wood was hard,
the splinters they fell like feathers from
the breast of an eagle that is shot. But |
Il had been brought up ON the plains,
and as watched the white splinters fall
my ak missed the tree, it Glove the air,
and its shining steel went grinning to the
stern rocks, far, oh. far below. They
were angry, those men. They said, You
wingless owl, go down and hither fetch it
for your work" 1t was a terrible thing,
but went. For what could do, who
was to work for them during many
weeks? Those men. they were wild.
Their rocks, they frowned. And though
they laughed Mt me, and 1 felt for my
knife, | dare not use it. l hated them,
and l hated their work, for l was not
a slave.
One day their master said to me, "An-
tonios, you will go with the mules to the
ship that lies in the bay" Let it be so,'
I answered. Then l and some of those
others we flied baskets with the black
charcoal. and when we had filled them
we tied them upon the backs of the
mules. There were many mules. and
each mule carried two baskets, one Oh
each side of its back. 1t was so that /
and those other men were to ci-:,;- the
shore of the bay. l had been there n'scr
before. | was to go there again. The
master said so.
The mule bells were ringing. And the
mules they followed one another along
the twisting path. l, who came last. !
could see their brown bodies sinking low
er and lower down the mountain. I could
see the heavy baskets swaying from side
to side. Hun, hunw | shouted to Po-
lixeni, the last mule, and cracked my
whip above her head.
Bah! But there We're many of us. We
carried much charcoal
Time passed The mule bells rang
through a green forest of stonepines, then
out and away over red rocks. Later their
music was drowned in the roar of a
hasty stream that rushed with white
foam from rock to rock. 1t was now that
the mules walked very cleyerly, for the
red rocks were slippery with the spray
that came to them through the strong
sunshine. Presently / lost sight of the
mules in front of me, for they had passed
around great rock and away from the
clamorous stream.
We had come far, but there was the
sea below us. 1t was very blue; it was
very quiet; its waves were asleep. |
could see the ship: it was lying by the
shore. l could see the ship, but its sails
were folded: it did not move. The mule
bells were ringing; they were ringing
through an olive grove; they were ring
ing past white walled church. | cross
I'd myself. And as | gazed over the sea
4 white dove flew gently betwixt the
olive trees and down toward the yellow
strand below.
"Huu. hum the men were shouting.
They were coming to the sea. Quick,
quicker went the leading mules. Quick,
quicker went Pcixcn. 1t was then that
he cords of the baskets broke and that |
he charcoal was shed upon the rough |
stones. 1t was not my fault. But those |
,thers, they laughed, and they said, You
must pick it up. Antonios." And with |
hat the mule bells that had stopped ring |
ng to my shout rang on again, through |
md through the olive grove, down and |
lown toward the sea. But II was to |
,ick up the charcoal, then follow those
'thers who went to the sea.
l was alone Polixeni stood by my |
ide. The sun was fierce, and so was my
wrath as l stopped to the scattered char
'oal. They were here, they were there,
is litffe pieces. And as l gathered them
Up with bent back the sweat dropped off
ny brow. | hated it, that work. | hated
so that rose to my feet. | looked at
ooliXeni. She was a good mule; she
raveled fast. "She travels fast" l said
o myself as | climbed upon her back.
She travels fast" l said again to my
elf as / rode away from the charcoal.
She travelled fast, for / never saw those
thers again. And when l came to Stolia
t was riding upon the back of PoliXcni