acrossasiaminoro00chiluoft

2 ACKOSS ASIA MINOR ON FOOT
on foot ; through uo fault of my own I had started
late, and now winter seemed to be upon me.
Presently the captain joined me in my place of
shelter. He was a veteran in the Black Sea trade,
whose opinion as to the weather likely to follow
would be worth having. But I would not ask him
for it, he being a genial old man, likely to say the
thing acceptable to his passenger ; so I left him unprompted
and hoped to hear his honest views. He
began by turning up the collar of his uniform overcoat,
and settling it about his head. Then he glanced
around, and his eyes rested professionally on a big
white Turkish steamer — in lighter trim now than
when she carried bananas between Jamaica and Avonmouth—that
had hung close astern of us all day.
As she rose to the steep-sided surges she showed
twenty feet of keel ; as she plunged it was in a
smother of spray that went over her funnels.
"The winter of the Black Sea," said the captain,
while he looked— "it is terrible."
"Winter!" I cried. "Do you call this winter?
Why, three days ago it was scorching summer in
Constantinople. There's a whole hot autumn to
come," I declared vigorously. The captain shook
his
head slowly.
" There is now no more of summer or of autumn ;
it is the winter," he said with conviction. And then
he continued cheerfully :
" But I care nothing. In
one other year I sail no more on any sea, and live
alwa3's in the beautiful city Trieste." His interest
next turned to myself, as the only English passenger
on board.
" You go to Trebizond," he inquired, " for the new
harbour that the English make ? " I said that
Samstin was my destination.
" Ah ! I know. They make the new harbour of
Samsi\n too. They make the harbours, then they
say: 'It is mine!' like the gold-fields of South
Africa." He illustrated his meaning more completely
by a forcible two-handed grab.