by
such a door, lived Colonel Warren, my host, and under his roof, the
morning after my arrival, I first definitely felt that I had left the
West behind me, when I found that a noise by which I had been just
awakened, and which sounded like the cawing of a rook, was that of the
muezzin borne from a neighboring minaret and requesting me to adore
Allah.

Colonel Warren was an ardent antiquarian, nor was he altogether
insensible to the fascination of business ventures. He was not only
eager to tell me whatever he knew of the architectural curiosities of
the island, ancient and medieval, but he also offered me every
assistance in my quest of the precise spot where, according to Sir
Samuel, the green marble was to be found. He at once put me into
communication with the owners of mules and carriages, with guides and
with other persons whose aid would be necessary for me in reaching and
exploring the mountains in whose fastnesses the treasure was concealed.
He also introduced me to a charming professor from Edinburgh, who, in
some official capacity, was excavating Phoenician tombs, and who, by
way of taking a holiday, was willing to be my companion. Accordingly one
morning we set out in a carriage which brought us to the foot of the
mountains where the rough road, made by the English, ended, and where
mules awaited us, on whose very disagreeable backs the rest of our
expedition was to be accomplished. Sir Samuel Baker's maps and
descriptions provided us with outstanding landmarks, which were more or
less unmistakable. The spot which we were seeking lay high up in the
clefts of a curious mountain known as "The Five Fingers," and was marked
by a ruined church, a cave, and a lonely cypress tree. Our first attempt
to find this spot was a failure. Our second attempt was successful.
There could be no mistake about it--the lonely cypress was there, the
cave and the church also. There, too, after a long search, we discovered
fragments of stone--duplicates of Sir Samuel's specimens. But these
were fragments only. Nothing could be found that was larger than a large
pebble. The potential quarries of which Sir Samuel had spoken were
children of his own imagination, and the only good they did us was to
illustrate how easily practical men may deceive themselves--even when,
like Sir Samuel, they are usually keen observers. We did indeed bring a
few specimens back with us, but to the marble quarry as a practical
project I had already said "