ore its usual air of "the ballet" when we arose. The ladies
dressed all in their best clothes, and with great flowing veils and wide
skirted coats were hobbling to church. The shopkeepers, with their long
black and white legs and coloured shirts, were lounging about the low
counters of their shops, smoking and drinking coffee brought them (on
little swinging trays) by boys.

The British consul had taken up his quarters at the "Maison Piget." The
house was gated, as are all Albanian houses, but this gate was like an
old feudal portal. The doors were wonderfully carved and were opened by
our old friend the Wolf. We had thought him to be a servant of Suma's,
but it appeared that he belonged to the British Empire.

The house was crammed full of arms: a little cannon threatened us on the
stairway, swords, claymores, creeses, falchions, scimitars, glaives,
dirks, and yatagans were nailed on all the walls, and there were muskets
of every sort and size, heavy arquebuses from the north and gas-pipe
guns and Arab horsemen firelocks with polished stocks like the handle of
a corkscrew, all inlaid with gold, silver, and mother-of-pearl.

"Yes," said the consul, gazing reflectively, "he had a taste for
weapons. And also for old cookery books."

The consul said that he thought that there was a boat at San Giovanni.
We cheered, for our luck seemed to be holding, and while he went off to
the Italian consul we went to the governor to beg for transport. Neither
consul nor governor was in, but we caught the Italian consul in the
afternoon. He admitted that there was a boat, but warned us that it was
no nosegay. He said that two Frenchmen who had thought of taking it had
sent him back a telegram which had quite unnerved him.

"Et je n'ai jamais dit qu'elle etait une Transatlantique," he said,
waving his arms.

He said that the archbishop had told him that a party of English had
come into the town last night, "en haillons," but that he had not
believed it possible. However, he had seen two of us in the street that
morning, and had realized that it was true.

We said that any boat would do. He warned us of the danger of
submarines.

At the consul's house we found the captain of the Miridites awaiting us.
He was a heavy-looking man with European clothes and a fez. After the
ceremonious coffee he made a set speech, saying that he was paying his
duties to the great British Empire, and that England was their only
hope. The consul sat rat