Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-31

punted across. Then we rode swiftly
into the mountains. II was my first
sight of that country. beautiful AS a
dream. that has in il the hint of
dragon.
As the road went up the hills. the
heat grew in intensity in spite of the
trees. We climbed a steep path,
through luminous oak forests. which
tantalized with their suggestion of
GOODNESS, and whose underlight Is 80
like the impression one gets at the
turn of a dive of sunlight seen through
the green Mediterranean.
Finally. we arrived, AZ the sun set.
at a hamlet, the second in our day s
Journey. called Chereti. Progress be
came very slow. Men with rifles met
us and paused and hallooed to other
men with rifles. none OF whom spoke
Turkish We were escorted through
meadows of rich grass, well l. riSa:ed
with small bikes, to one-storfeu
house, where the patriarch of huge
family offered us hospitality. RIA
entered upon voluble conversation
with our host. who gave us the lugu-
brious news that there were still SINE
hundreds of tribesmen holding the
pass ahead of US. | asked for water
In the excitement of talking, Bairam,
our host, had deposited his rife at
some yards from il. He took 1t ny
again instantly and went to" draw
water from a well 80 yards away.
4 -
A s in Arabia. 80 in Albania, one
Z a feels certain reluctance to say
good bye to fertility. because fertility
is almost equivalent to guara nice OF
security. Where land is cultivated the
people have a stake and feel respon
sible for their actions; cultivated land
Is a hostage for good behavior.
AT dawn we had cup OF Turkish
coffee. Our Christian muleteer, a
Malisor. was in the highest spirits and
sang in the woodland way, arousins
the resentment OF Ria: When asked
him why he, too, could not be cheer
full, he answered. angrily: He Is re-
sponsible for four horses; / am re
sponsible for you"
ANYHOW, we have the bess1 OF the
Lord of the horses said |.
His bessa.'' said Ria, with
wealth of abuse, lis not worth a TAR
thing. Son OF dog. may he eat
dirt After this amiable expression
taciturnity covered him like CLOAK.
The morning OF the day before we
had ridden through green meadows,
where the hedges may have been &C
cidental, but the lie of the land was
like Devonshire, until a window IN
the hedge showed those white noun
tains which give the country its name
Albania has great advantage OVER
nj her countries: there Is water every
where. | remember one waterfall set
in rosemary. and the water was some
times so clear that its mother, ],
seemed. must have been crystal, not
rock.
| left my little pony free and walked
behind 1t, watching It's fou" clever
solidly placed heels tinkl!nS up and
down the rocks Of the steep pain
! but when l wanted 20 ride ana Wen,
| forward to catch my animal, he kicked
me. with accuracy and amazing viGor
| bet ween the knee and the thigh.
| It may have been because we had
had little food. or because Of the pain
| hut this kick made me faint.
RIA said: Where did this beast
God rive IL trouble. strike YOU and
insta ntly ma ssaged my leg with fury
arise he said, walk; II the leg Is
not broken, all will be we'll And sc
| It was. l suggest instant exercise az
| a sure remedy to all VINO SuHer the
| same misfortune.
Az we marched I looked st a view
that was srand-stripped of forest ano
where the mountains were rugged
and naked. l said to Ria: Here. al
any rate, you need feel no RESPONSE
hility for me. We can see for miles
Talk more cheerfully. Make The wa!
pleasant with conversation. If there
! we're bad men, could we not see
| them?"
! "How can we see" he answered
Have we telescopes, as they hove
! They have begun to he up-to-date
| in the Balkans. a foreigner on
holiday in these countries does not &c
| Justice to the people: in those days
| they hunted or were hunted and theii
lives were generally in immediate
peril. The traveller fOrgets ina
| though occasional danger Is exhilara
ting, its constant presence IL wearing
| We crawl on tired horses INTO 8
new scenery. which | thought al
magnificent as any l had ever seer
| in Europe.
| The country in itself was high
adventure. Everywhere gorges f1unt
water headlong into valleys. and sc
J clear was the air that the farthes'
! boundaries were as clean-cut as the
| impressions on coin. Though we
were not riding on dizzy heights the
path was dangerous: often for 81
yards at time it was only foot OF
| eighteen inches broad, and sometimes
| frayed on the turn of a corner for q
few inches into invisibility.
1t was impossible to dismeunt, ant
one could only watch the stones fall
ing from the path down to wher'