and what terror I had undergone.

CHAPTER V.

Contradictory reports--Departure from Constantinople on board the
Archduke John--Scene on the steamer--Galipoli--The Dardanelles--
Tschenekalesi and Kilidil Bahar--The field of Troy--Tenedos--Smyrna--
Halizar--The date-palm--Burnaba--The Acropolis--Female beauty--
Rhodes--Strong fortifications--Deserted appearance of the town--
Cyprus.

The extremely unfavourable reports I heard from Beyrout and
Palestine caused me to defer my departure from day to day. When I
applied to my consul for a "firmann" (Turkish passport), I was
strongly advised not to travel to the Holy Land. The disturbances
on Mount Lebanon and the plague were, they assured me, enemies too
powerful to be encountered except in cases of the most urgent
necessity.

A priest who had arrived from Beyrout about two months previously
affirmed positively that, in consequence of the serious
disturbances, even he, known though he was far and wide as a
physician, had not dared to venture more than a mile from the town
without exposing himself to the greatest danger. He advised me to
stay in Constantinople until the end of September, and then to
travel to Jerusalem with the Greek caravan. This, he said, was the
only method to reach that city in safety.

One day I met a pilgrim in a church who came from Palestine. On my
asking his advice, he not only confirmed the priest's report, but
even added that one of his companions had been murdered whilst
journeying homeward, and that he himself had been despoiled of his
goods, and had only escaped death through the special interposition
of Providence. I did not at all believe the asseverations of this
man; he related all his adventures with such a Baron Munchausen air,
assumed probably to excite admiration. I continued my
investigations on this subject until I was at length fortunate
enough to find some one who told an entirely different tale. From
this I felt assured at least of the fact, that it would be almost
impossible to learn the true state of the case here in
Constantinople, and at length made up my mind to avail myself of the
earliest opportunity of proceeding as far as Beyrout, where there
was a chance of my getting at the truth.

I was advised to perform this journey in male attire; but I did not
think it advisable to do so, as my short, spare figure would have
seemed to belong to a youth, and my face to an old man. Moreover,
as I had no beard,