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CHAPTER XVII.

ZANTE.-QUARANTINE.-PITCH SPRINGS.-RETURN.

[22ND FEBRUARY TO 2ND MARCH.]

WE had arrived at Zante at, or about, twelve at night, and did our best to persuade the health-officers next morning that it was before that hour, in order to avoid an additional day of quarantine. We thought ourselves justified in employing all our oratory on the occasion; because, having been asleep, we could not pledge ourselves to the precise fact: and we succeeded; but whether owing to our eloquence, or the officers' leniency, I know not. After their official visit during which we went through a great deal of dumb-show-such as slapping

our sides and chest, which seems to be the main proof of the non-existence of plague, but which is a most ludicrous exhibition of antics, when, as in our case, there may chance to be thirty or forty going through the same motions, like children at an infant-school-a mitigated sentence, as they would say at Bow-street, of eight days' imprisonment was passed upon us, and we crossed the little bay to the lazaretto, which standing on the opposite side from the town, tantalizes its inmates with a view of the pleasures of society, under a strict prohibition from sharing them.

Here we had the pleasure of again meeting Mr. and Mrs. Hill, the American missionary and his lady, whose kindness during our stay at Athens has been already acknowledged, and who had just arrived from the capital, the lady being on her way to visit her friends in America. There was also a party of travellers-some overland from India-all waiting the arrival of

the steamer, expected from Corfu in ten days.

We had therefore what anywhere else would have been an agreeable society, but. in this quarantine prison nothing can be agreeable, and the time crawled but heavily along, our chief occupation being to watch the boat which brought over our breakfast and dinner from the town, then devour the contents, and in due succession watch the next arrival. A few newspapers, kindly lent to us, gave an insight into the occurrences of the preceding month in the European world, from which we had been as completely shut out as if we had descended into the pit of Acheron. These, with the help of a few books, and the putting our notes and sketches into order, afforded us some little occupation, and rendered the day less wearisome than I had anticipated.

While here we heard of an insurrection of the Suliotes in Roumelia. It is the

fashion here-I know not how truly-to suppose a Russian intrigue in all such occurrences, and to believe that they foment disturbances in order that their interference may be solicited. The report is that 2000 insurgents have taken one or two towns, cashiered the authorities, and desired them to tell the government at Athens that they are coming thither to demand their rights. They are now besieging Missolonghi, which it was at first feared would not hold out; and to its relief were directed those troops whose perilous salute Mr. Johnstone had undergone in the Gulf of Lepanto. The leaders of this movement are said to be nearly connected with some of the king's own personal attendants, who are reported to have not been ignorant of the treasonable intentions of their relatives.

A few days more brought intelligence that a small body of troops from Patras― with, I suppose, the assistance of Mr. Johnstone's friends-had speedily put down this

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disturbance, with the loss but of a single life, that of a Bavarian officer of engineers, who being at Patras on his way home, was requested to accompany the troops to Missolonghi. He was shot through the head while pointing a cannon from the ramparts.

I have already hinted my opinion that there are still the remains of the same kind of feud which has existed from the earliest days, between the northern and southern Greeks between Thessaly and Macedon, and now generally called Roumelia

Hellas proper. If King Otho shall be able to play off his Hellenic against his Roumeliote subjects, he may be able to keep the whole in order; but I confess we saw many symptoms which led us to doubt the permanence of the present arrangement, without a strong guarantee, and, probably, the direct interference of the great

powers.

The day before our quarantine would