FIRST AT A FEAST, AND LAST AT A FIGHT. 63 the habit of abusing his bravest soldiers by way of encouragement. We must not therefore attach too much importance to his satirical remarks upon the 'conduct of Ulysses, and of his valiant soldiers. He mentions the Cephalonians by name probably because they were in advance of the Ithacans and Zantiots; and were also the strongest in number. According to Agamemnon they were at first rather backward in coming forward. The king of men did not scruple to utter severe reproaches against Ulysses and his generals. They were eager, he declared, to accept his invitations to dinner, and "to consume at his banquets plenty of roast meats and sweet wines;" and yet when a battle was to be fought they preferred to play the part of spectators "until other divisions of the Greeks should advance and commence the battle." First at the feast, and last at the fight; such, in brief, was the royal accusation.* Ulysses, however, repelled the charge with generous, though somewhat insubordinate, indignation; and the glory which he subsequently acquired (up to the fall of Troy on the 11th of June, B.C. 1184) amply vindicated his character and that of his valiant Ionians. The external appearance of Cephalonia, rugged, * Perhaps Molière had this passage in view, when he made one of his valets exclaim to a pugnacious master, who wished him to join in his quarrels, "A table comptez moi si vous voulez pour quatre, mountainous, barren, and gloomy, presents a strange contrast to the singular and soft beauty of Corfu. Yet in the interior of the former island there are some picturesque valleys; whilst from the top of the Black Mountain may be enjoyed, in clear weather, a magnificent view, embracing all the Ionian Islands except Cerigo, as well as a considerable part of the continent of Greece. But this subject, as well as the classical and other objects of interest in this and all the other islands, are fully described in Murray's Handbook; so that I need only mention, and that slightly, such objects of local interests as have particularly attracted my special notice. The Black Mountain of all Ionian localities presents the greatest charms to an Englishman, especially during the hot weather. There, at the Resident's Cottage, shaded by a forest yet accessible to the breezes, the thermometer is in summer usually sixteen, but often twenty degrees of Fahrenheit lower than in Argostoli. The cottage (which I repeatedly visited and stayed at) is about 3800 feet, and the highest summit is 5246 feet above the level of the sea. To this last point, I, to my great regret, only once ascended; but I was well rewarded for my trouble. I rode on a mule, in some places alarmingly near the edges of deep precipices. It was a most beautiful ride through picturesque woods of lofty dark pines* with occasional glimpses of the *It is from its peculiarly beautiful dark pines that the mountain obtained the epithet of Black. BLACK MOUNTAIN RARELY VISITED BY NATIVES. 65 valley below. From the summit, at which I arrived before sunrise, I had in spite of a mist (which rose at the same time as the great luminary) a very extensive view. Corfu was indeed concealed in a fog; but Cephalonia itself, Zante, Ithaca, and a part of Acarnania were visible. The light shone beautifully on the silver line of the Achelaus as it flowed winding to the sea. I sat upon the pile of stones which crowned the highest peak, and on which the ancients were wont to sacrifice to Jupiter. At the foot of the heap of stones lay innumerable minute fragments of the bones of the animals which had been offered up on the rude altar. To pass a day or two at the Resident's Cottage, on the beautiful mountain, appeared to me, during the hot season, as the summit of human happiness. So great is the force of contrast between such a cool spot and the sultry stifling plains below. The natives (except municipal officers and other official persons) were never known to ascend even as far as the cottage. But it always was the favourite resort of English visitors; whether civilians, or naval, or military men. As the loftiest, freshest, and most bracing spot in the Seven Islands, his Majesty the King of Greece would do well to make it his summer residence in July and August, the two hottest months of the year. He would then, without quitting his own kingdom, enjoy a climate as pleasant as that of France or England. At a small ex pense the cottage could easily be converted into a rural retreat, where Royalty with a few attendants might find a grateful temporary repose from the cares of state. The modern town of Argostoli began to be built in 1680. But Fort George was then, and continued long afterwards to be, the seat of Government. Argostoli has about 10,000 inhabitants. Lixuri, the second town, situated on the other side of the harbour, has 8000. It would, I think, have been an advantage to Cephalonia if the two towns could have been concentrated into one large one. Such a want of concentration has ever been the bane of the island. One of the principal reasons which prevented the latter from playing so great a part in ancient history as was played by Corfu, was its then division into four independent cities. These were Cranii, Pale, Samos, and Pronos. Nearly all visitors were in the habit of inspecting the two mills, which are situated less than a mile from the western side of Argostoli. The earliest established was discovered by Mr. Stevens, an Englishman long resident in the island. He was walking one day (as he informed me) along the shore, when he fancied he heard water falling under ground. He soon perceived a small hole, by which the salt water trickled into what he believed to be a natural stream of fresh water, which was a few feet below the level of the sea. He opened out the hole, built a mill, SALT WATER BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE SEA. 67 and regulated by artificial means the flow of salt water from the harbour. When the mill was stopped for twenty-four hours, Mr. Stevens was of opinion that the water became fresh. To this day he believes in the fresh water theory. A Signor Migliaressi built another mill near to that of Mr. Stevens, which he also afterwards purchased. He is still, and has long been, the proprietor of both mills. He totally disbelieves that there is any fresh water in the stream that works them. He feels confident that the apparent freshness of the water after the mills have been stopped for many hours, arises partly from its filtration through the rocks, but chiefly from the salt falling to the bottom of the stagnant water. I am inclined to believe that the Greek is right, and that the Englishman was deceived by appearances. In either case, the difficulty of comprehending why this water is below the level of the sea remains a mystery to every one. Admirals, generals, bishops, and distinguished civilian visitors seldom failed to examine minutely this interesting phenomenon. The late Bishop of Gibraltar, whom I accompanied to the spot, took an especial interest in the subject, in connexion with the theory of earthquakes, which will be related in a subsequent chapter. The stranger, on his first arrival in Cephalonia, may, by certain circumstances, be easily reminded of the well-known fairy tale called "Puss in Boots." |