Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-05-15


us, but there were other things, even a
diminutiye omeletta confettura, and
oranges to quench our thirst.
The next morning we made our
usual early start and took a short cut
| through the mountains almost getting
| into trouble with the Alpheius by so
/ doing, but we finally found a place
| where we could ford the river. The
! water came up to our toes and to the
| horses bodies. 1t would have been a
| disastrous place for spill but no
| body spilled; and we went on in a
/ gentle rain to MegaIopolis We are
| Independent of the weather and the
rain did not prevent us from going TO
see the ruined theater and temple and
! listening to Professor De Cou's dis
| cussion Of them. | have seen so many
| Roman and Greek theaters that I never
! expect to remember where the lower
| seats had backs and where the upper
seats had backs. From Megalopolis
We took train to Kalamata on the
| cOast-five hours on the slow-moying
/ tOy-train of Greece. We we're glad to
| get something to eat at Kalamata at
half-past nine. Eleven hours is a long
| stretch to be up and doing without
food, That night we had beds and it
was Sunday, but | fear we were little
mindful of that fact.
On Monday we began operations at
| 4, ate piece Of bread and an orange
and caught the train for an hours ride
to little up-cOuntry station where we
found mules to climb Ithome. That
was short ride and a high one. $500
feet, Messemo is a beautiful district,
the plains are larger and more fertile
than in Arcadia and the harbor from
lthOme was a perfect half circle of
smooth, blue water that reaches all
the way to my home. | watched it the
two hours Of the Eide and beyond it
the snow-capped Taygetus which we
were to cross. On the top of the noun
| tain is a sanctuary which has been a
place of worship ever since the Greeks
built there temple to Zeus several
hundred years before Christ. We went
down the mountain and on to Messpne,
saw there a theater and ruins of many
unknown buildings. Great columns
stand up in the midst of vineyards
and the fences are filled out with all
kinds of marble fragments 1t was
tantalizing to have so much to work
with and to be able to do SO little.
Mr. De COu read what Pausanias SAYS
was there and we tried to fit the frag-
ments to the description but we could
not. The old city wall and some tow
ers are we'll preserved. They used
such gigantic blocks that am curious
about the machinery that swung them
into place
single stone was 20x3x4.
The wall is double with dirt
and stones filling the space be-
tween. | should not have wished to
be the enemy that charged up the hill
and stOrmed the wall. But it's great
strength did not save the city That
was one of the most interesting sites
since Syracuse. We went back down
the hill, through olive groves to the
valley and sea in the sunset; waited
an hour at the station and reached
kalamata for a late dinner after
another ten hour stretch without food.
That night at dinner the British con-
sui called uqon us. He spoke only
Greek. He tried to dissuade Mr.. De
Cou from taking us over the pass and
then insisted upon our having a
mounted guard, | don't know wether
as a protection against cutthroats,
said to be numerous, or to ride for
help in case any of us went over the
edge. Mr.. De Cou made us all little
creepy in talking of the risk He said
he had noticed that some of us seemed
troubled by the steepness of the path
when on the edge of precipice and he
wanted us to know we were attempt
ing no childs play. l was almost
ready to back out, but | remembered
the upper lip and was firm and had
the time of my life-really an eXper-
fence
We We're ready on mules this time
when our guards came dashing up,
one on a white horse and one on a
black. They were in full uniform, long
blue oyercoats, swords and their guns
across their backs. We rode single
file, the black horse way ahead; then
Mr. De Cou and his ominous pistol;
the four women, Mr. Sanford and the
other guard. We made quite a train
filing over the mountains and up. The
black horse was a delight Again and
| again he was outlined against the sky
1t was windy and his name blew and
he waited impatiently for us. We were
| proud of our guard and forgot the cut
threats. That morning we lunched in
a windowless room which opened with
an arch into the stable. We were
Obliged to remain inside to be court
eous but it was disagreeable. The
muleteers drank in one corner the
soldiers in another. and we in the
center. standing upon a dirt floor
around a dirty table, We We're only
! too glad to start on, though It was
raining Later it began to rain in
| earnest, and after the water had been
| coming down in torrents for some
time Mr. De Cou called back that it
would be better across the divide. We
/ laughed and joked till the muleteers
| asked how we could be so cheerful in
such a storm. Then came the thunder
rolling through the mountains, echo
ing and re-echolng, and the wind in
the pines; and at last we were high
j enough to have snowstorm. 1t
wasn't really comfortable, for it was
sleet and it cut across my face and
the water stood on my glasses and
ran behind my ears and went every