Page:Travels & discoveries in the Levant (1865) Vol. 1.djvu/33

Rh guard present were two soldiers whose brother he had killed, and they rushed in and stabbed him with their swords till he was disabled, when the executioner finished the work of the law with a long-knife. I was assured that such scenes are by no means uncommon at executions at Patras.

As the Austrian steamer did not come in, we proceeded to Vostitza in a small English steamer, which having to tack against a head-wind, took twelve hours for this little voyage. On landing at Vostitza we were very kindly received by a Greek agent of Mr. Wood, to whom I had a letter of introduction. At this port a large portion of the currants are shipped for exportation, and we saw on our arrival the materials of many a future plum-pudding rolling down to the beach in casks. The currant merchants here complain at present that the supply of currants is too abundant for the demand. It appears that the growers of currants have adopted the plan of cutting rings in the bark of the tree, just below the bunches, by which process a greater quantity, but an inferior quality of fruit, is produced.

The scenery here was very grand; snow-capped mountains hemmed us in on every side; both here and at Patras the ground near the shore has been rent and convulsed by earthquakes into strange fantastic forms. The market-place presented a strange appearance to our civilized eyes, and we gazed with wonder on the wild-looking shepherds' dogs; the men in their shaggy dresses, seated on a pile of baggage on the top of small mountain