Page:The invasion of the Crimea vol. 2.djvu/355

 ACROSS THE BLACK SEA. 326 decidedly they might do so ; but he explained that chap. it would be necessary for them to land at the Lazar- ^^^' etto, and consider themselves in strict quarantine. On the following day the place was occupied by a small body of English troops. The few- Russian inhabitants of the place, being mainly or entirely official personages, had all gone away, but the Tartar inhabitants remained ; and al- though these men did not exhibit, as some might have expected, any eager or zealous affection for the allies of the Caliph, they seemed inclined to be friendly. Thoughtful men cared deeply to know whether between these natives and the Allies the relation of buyer and seller could be established — for it was of vital moment to the success of the expedition that the Allies should be able to obtain supplies of cattle and forage in the invaded country; and it was probable that much would turn upon the success of the first attempt to make purchases from the people of the country. The first experiment which was made in this direction elicited a curious proof of the difficulty which there is in causing mighty nations to act with the forethought of a single traveller. It was to be expected that, at the commencement of any attempted intercourse, the willingness of the natives to sell would depend upon their being tempted by the coins to which they were accustomed ; because just at first they would not only be ignorant of the value of foreign money, but would also dread the consequence of being found in possession of coin plainly re-