"In insurrections, such as we occasionally have in Albania and Crete, it is imperative sometimes to make an example. But I am not bloodthirsty."
"No; from your conversation I should take you for a lamb," said I.
"I am not bloodthirsty," continued Gregorios. "I should not care to kill a man who was quite defenseless, or who was innocent. Indeed, I would not do such a thing on any account."
"You amaze me," I observed.
"No. But I like fighting. I enter into the spirit of the thing. There is really nothing more exhilarating,—I even believe it is healthy."
"For the survivors it is good exercise. Those who do not survive are, of course, no longer in a condition to appreciate the fun."
"Exactly; the fun consists in surviving."
"One does not always survive," I objected.
"What is the difference?" exclaimed Balsamides, who probably shrugged his shoulders, in his dark corner of the carriage. "A man can die only once, and then it is all over."
"A man can also live only once," said I. "A living dog is better than a dead lion."