He Had A Good Dose That Quickly Restored His Usual Spirits, As
I Heard Him Relating Stories In The Servants' Tent Which Created Roars
Of Laughter.
Christo was an excellent, hard-working fellow, who having passed his
life at sea, was exceedingly handy, and combined the usual good
qualities of a sailor with the art of cookery and a certain knowledge
which enabled him to act as interpreter.
He was as clever in lashing up
a van with raw hide as in preparing a dinner at the shortest notice, and
his mayonnaise would have raised the envy of many a professor in
England. His English varied like his dishes, and upon certain days there
was a considerable vagueness in his language, while at other times he
expressed himself clearly. Upon one of these foggy intervals I asked him
"Why the people had made so much noise during the night?" and he
replied, that "A little hen-horse had made one child in the stable!" He
intended to explain that a pony had foaled in the stable. When he first
joined us he frequently rambled and confused his genders, and termed all
females "hens," which at times had almost as ludicrous an effect as the
mistakes of my African cook, who invariably called "cocks and hens"--
"bulls and women." I never had so useful a man in travelling, as he
excelled at tent pitching and arranging the luggage on pack-animals, and
took the lead in everything; in addition to which he showed a great
interest in interpreting, which is a rare quality in a dragoman.
We selected a road upon higher ground for our return to Lefkosia, and
thus avoided the watercourses which had caused so much vexation and
delay upon our former journey. The first night's halt was at the long
stone bridge across the Pedias river, about twenty miles from Kuklia,
opposite the village of Kythrea at four miles distance--this was only
constructed eight years ago, and it was already rendered impassable by
the overflow of the torrent, which had carried away a considerable
portion. On the following morning we arrived at the capital, and were
once more hospitably received by Sir Garnet and Lady Wolseley.
CHAPTER VII.
KYRENIA AND THE NORTH COAST.
The change from camp-life to the luxury of Government House, with the
charm of the society of Sir Garnet and Lady Wolseley and officers of the
staff, was a most agreeable interlude in the usually monotonous journey
through Cyprus. The view from the verandah had changed, and was
certainly not charming, as the few green tints that had looked hopeful
on our former visit had turned to brown; but the house within more than
compensated for the cheerlessness of the exterior landscape. A picnic
excursion to the castle of St. Hilarion had been arranged for the 29th
instant by Colonel Greaves, C. B., chief of the staff, who kindly
included us in the invitation. This point was seldom visited, as it was
situated 3240 feet above the sea upon the sky-line of the crags above
Kyrenia, and the ride there and back covered a distance of about thirty
miles from Lefkosia.
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