Yussuf the Guide Part 14

They were walking towards the landing-place nearest to where the Greek's boat lay, and further conversation was stayed by Yussuf coming to them.

"The boatman will not believe, excellencies," he said, "that there is no more luggage. Have I got all?"

"Yes; all our luggage went on by the steamer to Ansina."

Yussuf bowed and went back to the landing-place, where a small boat manned by the Greek and one of his men was in waiting, and in the travellers' presence Yussuf explained about their belongings.

The Greek listened with rather a moody expression, but said no more; and in a very short time the little party were pulled to the side of a long light craft, about the burden of a large west country fishing lugger, but longer, more graceful in shape, and with the fore-part pretty well c.u.mbered with baskets, which exhaled the familiar ether-like odour of oranges.

The accommodation was very spare, but, as the weather was deliciously fine, there was little hardship in roughing it in the open--provision being made for the invalid to stay in shelter as much as he liked.

They began to find the value of their guide at once, for he eagerly set to work to find them seats by improvising places in the stern; showing how he had arranged the provisions and fresh water, and offering Lawrence some ripe grapes as he made him comfortable where he would be out of the way of the men hoisting sail, and getting clear of the many boats lying at hand. First one and then the other long tapering sail was hoisted, each looking like the wing of a swallow continued to a point, as it stretched out to the tip of the curved and tapering spar; and as these filled the light vessel careened over, and began to glide swiftly through the bright blue sea.

After lending some help the Greek skipper went behind his pa.s.sengers to the helm, his crew of three swarthy-looking fellows, each with his knife in his belt, threw themselves down amongst the baskets forward, and as the pa.s.sengers stood or sat watching the glorious panorama of town, coast, and shipping they were pa.s.sing, Yussuf calmly shook his loose garment about him, squatted down beside the low bulwark, and lighting a water-pipe began to smoke with his eyes half closed, and as if there was nothing more to trouble about in life.

"'Pon my word!" said the old lawyer. "What a place this boat seems to be for practising the art of doing nothing comfortably!"

"Yes," said the professor, taking in the scene on board at a glance.

"It is typical of the East. You must get westward to see men toiling constantly like ants. The word business does not belong to these lands."

"You are right," said Mr Burne.

"Well, it is the custom of the country," continued the professor, "and while we have no hard travel to do, let us follow these people's example, and watch and think."

"There is no room to do anything else," said Mr Burne grumpily.

"How delicious!" said Lawrence as if to himself.

"What, those grapes!" said the professor smiling.

"I beg your pardon!" exclaimed Lawrence, starting and flushing again like a girl. "No: I meant sitting back here, and feeling this beautiful soft breeze as we glide through the blue sea."

"You like it then?" said Mr Burne smiling.

"Oh, yes! I don't know when I felt so well and happy. It is delightful."

"That's right," cried Mr Burne. "Come, now; we must throw the invalid overboard."

Lawrence laughed.

"I mean the disease," said Mr Burne. "No more talking about being ill."

"No," said Lawrence quietly, and speaking as if he felt every word he uttered to be true; "I feel now as if I were growing better every hour."

"And so you are," cried the professor. "Come, don't think about yourself, but set to work and take photographs."

"Nonsense!" cried Mr Burne; "let the boy be, now he is comfortable.

Photographs indeed! Where's your tackle?"

"I mean mental photographs," said the professor laughing.

"Then, why didn't you say so, man? Good gracious me, if we lawyers were to write down one thing when we mean another, a pretty state of affairs we should have. The world would be all lawsuits. Humph; who'd think that Smyrna was such a dirty, shabby place, to look at it from here?"

"A lovely scene certainly!" said the professor. "Look, Lawrence, how well the mountain stands out above the town."

"Humph, yes; it's very pretty," said the lawyer; "but give me Gray's Inn with its plane-trees, or snug little Thavies' Inn. This place is a sham."

"But it is very beautiful seen from here, Mr Burne," said Lawrence, who was feasting on the glorious sunlit prospect.

"Paint and varnish, sir, over rotten wood," snorted Mr Burne. "Look at the drainage; look at the plagues and fevers and choleras they get here."

"Yes," said the professor, "at times."

"Bah! very pretty, of course, but nothing like London."

"With its smoke," said the professor.

"Fine healthy thing, sir," cried the old gentleman. "Magnificent city, London!"

"And its darkness and fogs," said Lawrence.

"Well, who minds a bit of fog, so long as he is well?" cried Mr Burne.

"Look here, young man; don't you find fault with your own land. Stick up for it through thick and thin."

"For all of it that is good, my lad," said the professor merrily, "but don't uphold the bad."

"Bad, sir! There's precious little that's bad in London. If you want to go a few hundred miles there, you can go at any time and get good accommodation. Not be forced to ride in a market-boat with hard seats.

Bless me, they are making my back bad again."

"Oh, but, Mr Burne, look, look, the place here is lovely!"

"Oh, yes, lovely enough, but, as the fellow said, it isn't fit to live in long; it's dangerous to be safe."

"What do you mean?"

"Earthquakes, sir. If you take a house in London, you know where you are. If you take one here, as the fellow said, where are you? To-day all right, to-morrow shaken down by an earthquake shock, or swallowed up."

"There are risks everywhere," said the professor, who seemed to be gradually throwing off his dreamy manner, and growing brighter and more active, just as if he had been suffering from a disease of the mind as Lawrence had of the body.

"Risks? Humph! yes, some; but by the time we've finished our trip, you'll all be ready to say, There's no place like home."

"Granted," said the professor.

"Why, you're not tired of the journey already, Mr Burne?"

"Tired? No, my boy," cried the old man smiling. "I'm in a bad temper to-day, that's all. This seat is terribly hard and--oh, I know what's the matter. I'm horribly hungry."

He turned his head to see that Yussuf had finished and put away his pipe, and was busy over one of the baskets of provisions, from which he produced a cloth and knives and forks, with a bottle of wine and several other necessaries, which his forethought had suggested; and in a short time the travellers were enjoying a rough but most palatable _al fresco_ meal in the delicious evening, with the distant land glowing with light of a glorious orange, and the deep blue sea dappled with orange and gold.