uit garden, the people standing
outside and staring hard at the strange visitors who came along the
shore, one of whom plumped himself upon the edge of a boat that was
drawn up on the sands, another throwing himself down, hot and panting
with exertion, while the two who were left a little way behind strode up
more leisurely, one of them to ask for refreshment and a resting-place
out of the sun.

"There is no mistake about it, Lawrence," cried the professor eagerly,
"you couldn't have done that in England."

Lawrence laughed.

"But I am completely tired out," he exclaimed, wiping his face. "I
could not have gone any further."

"Neither could I," groaned Mr Burne. "Oh, my back, my back! Who won,
Preston?"

"A dead heat, decidedly," said the professor laughing; but he was
watching Lawrence the while very attentively, and asking himself whether
he was letting the lad over-exert himself.

One thing, however, was plain enough, and that was that the sick lad had
been allowed to droop and mope in his ailment. The serious disease was
there, of course, but he had been nursed up and coddled to a terrible
extent, and this had made him far worse than he would have been had he
led an active country life, or been induced to exert himself a little
instead of lying in bed or upon a couch day after day.

The people seemed disposed to resent the coming of the strangers at
first, and declined to supply them with either food or a resting-place,
till Yussuf drew out some money, and assured them that they would be
paid for everything that was eaten. Then they grew more civil, and
Yussuf explained to his employers that the reason for the people's
churlishness was, that they were often obliged to supply food or work by
some tyrannical government officer or another, and the only payment they
had was in the form of blows if they complained.

The payment after they had supplied a meal of curd and milk with bread
and fruit completely altered their demeanour, and upon its being
intimated that a boat was required to take their visitors over to
Ansina, quite a dispute arose between the owners of two as to which
should have the honour and profit; but all was at length settled
amicably by Yussuf, and that evening, fairly provisioned by the combined
aid of the tiny village, the best of the boats hoisted its sails, and
the shores of Cyprus began to look dim as the night fell, and the
travellers were once more on their way.

The winds were