Towards the interior of the country are a few outlying hills, backed by picturesque mountain scenery of a much grander character than at Baffo. As I looked upon them, the sky became overcast, and the sea overspread by long masses of rain clouds, through which at intervals streamed the rays of the western sun, which, falling on the water, covered its surface with gleams of dazzling brightness. Some portions of the lovely scene seemed bathed in gold, only made more conspicuous by the darker tints of deepest blue and purple. The play of light and shade was continually changing, forming altogether a scene of tranquil loveliness not easily to be forgotten. I should not like, however, to live here alone. Every place to which the reputation of antiquity attaches itself, has its guide and dealer in curiosities, although he knows no more about them than the crows know about Sunday. The man who accompanied me in my explorations came, as he said, from Mitylene, and was educated enough to be able to quote the poems and rhapsodies of Sappho. The owner of a neighbouring farm, here made his appearance, a stately Turk, in frock-coat and boots, with a head of hair like that of a plough-boy. We went together, about a quarter of an hour’s walk, to see the “Queen’s Cave” (σπήλαιον τῆς ῥηγίνας) which was upon his estate. This gentleman informed me, that until about ten years previously it had been almost entirely filled up, but, that when the French came to explore, he had had it opened. Nothing, however, was found in it except a great stone slab, about five feet square, which was leaning against one of the walls, and was covered with inscriptions on both sides. The Frenchmen, after a great deal of trouble, succeeded in getting it out. It was, however, so heavy that they broke it to pieces, before taking it with them in their boat. Cesnola tells us that on descending into the cave he found that it consisted of four chambers, or tombs excavated one behind the other in the solid rock. Each of the two first contained four graves; the third had fewer, and in the last and smallest, there were none. “We found,” he continues, “several other tombs upon the side of the hill, some of them open and some of them filled up. My guide told me that before his time they had been thoroughly ransacked, and their contents, which consisted of several gold chains and sundry earthenware vessels, were taken away. There were also remains of buildings upon the highest point of the hill, around the foundations of which considerable excavations had been made, revealing, that the edifice had been a square tower, one side of which had been cleared of rubbish, but the hoped-for treasures, which had been the incentive to all this labour, had not been forthcoming. The tower seems to have nothing in common with the other building, and appears to have been simply a watch-tower used in former times to give warning of the approach of pirates.”
With still increasing pleasure, I continued to gaze upon the vernal landscape in which all the great historical features of the place were distinctly traceable, and I would willingly have lingered longer upon this enchanting spot, had I not been recalled to more practical matters by my landlord, who summoned me to table, where I was soon enjoying a meal consisting of excellent soup, fresh eggs, maccaroni, and bean salad, together with some exceedingly good wine.
After dinner the landlord took a seat beside us upon the terraced roof of the house, and we enjoyed a most delightful evening. Close to us, in a neighbouring court-yard, sat a Turkish family, who laughed and joked apparently in high spirits. Our hostess was still quite a young girl, and very pretty, her large flashing eyes, white glistening teeth, and delicately-shaped limbs, formed quite a picture. At first, when spoken to, she seemed embarrassed and bashful, and only giggled, but as conversation went on she became more companionable, seated herself upon the doorstep, and chattered away merrily. It is a pity that in these Eastern climes female beauty is so evanescent; even before girlhood is passed, their charms have disappeared, leaving nothing behind but a tawny skeleton.
The night was delightful, the air balmy and soft, and each breath of wind seemed to bring with it the perfume of a thousand flowers. The silver stars so sparkled and flashed in the clearness of the atmosphere that they seemed to have descended towards the earth.
Owing to the warmth of the night the door of my apartment was open, and as I lay in bed contemplating the dark blue sky, I could fancy that my vision penetrated beyond the stars into the depths of the firmament. My mind was so filled with reflections on the worship of the Cyprian goddess that I could not sleep. Scenes that I, not long before, had witnessed in Egypt, during the feast of Machmal, presented themselves vividly to my mind. According to ancient custom, the ruler of Cairo sends every year a valuable piece of cloth, in which to wrap the holy stone, the Caaba. The setting out of the great caravan which bears this cloth to its destination is celebrated by a general festival, during the continuance of which the fanaticism of the Mohammedans fully displays itself. It was impossible to think of the great black meteoric stone and the ceremonies connected with it, without being forcibly reminded of the cone-shaped stone worshipped with similar rites by the Paphian priesthood. The Caaba stands surrounded by a wall, exactly as did the Cyprian idol: even the doves of Venus are not wanting in the temple court of the Caaba, where they are regarded as sacred birds. In the sanctuary of Jupiter Ammon, in the Lybian Desert, the idol was a stone of a conical shape, ornamented with emeralds and other jewels. In the temple at Delphos a similar stone was worshipped, was daily anointed with oil, and on high festivals was wrapped in white wool. In the same manner we find that in ancient temples, more especially in Syria and Asia Minor, Bethylia were worshipped; sacred stones, whose name, derived from Bethel (the place of God), indicates their Semitic origin; these stones were all meteoric, and it is natural enough that when such masses have fallen amid thunder and lightning, they should be believed to be of heavenly origin, and to possess extraordinary attributes.
CHAPTER XVIII
SUMMER RESIDENCE IN CYPRUS.
In an account given by General Cesnola of a similar journey to mine, across a portion of the island, he states that travellers in Cyprus will find it much more convenient to purchase, than to hire, animals, and speaks in high terms of the well-broken mules and donkeys he found. These donkeys, of a breed peculiar to Cyprus, are glossy and sleek, with large eyes; they are very intelligent and can travel as fast as a mule.
The same authority tells us the muleteers are as a class excellent and trustworthy, even under the temptation of conveying large sums of money from one town to the other. When a native is about to proceed on a journey he goes to the khan, a kind of inn, and there selects a mule to his liking, and bargains with the owner of it for a lump sum for the entire trip, or at a rate of so much a day. The latter mode is preferable, for should the mule prove unsuitable, the traveller would be at liberty to change it on the road if he found a better. The former method, however, is generally adopted by the natives for the sake of economy. He appoints the hour at which he desires to start, and the muleteer as a rule arrives at the house an hour or two later. A kind of native saddle is placed on the back of the mule, called “stratouri,” across which are hung, in such a manner as not to incommode the traveller, two large canvas bags, which contain his private effects, and provisions for the first day’s journey. Several coloured blankets or quilts, according to the season, are then piled on the stratouri to be used as a bed at night.