The Turks had long been besieged7 here. Negotiations8 had at one time been carried on with a view to its surrender, and had the Greeks acted in good faith they could have gained possession of the place before Dramali advanced to its relief. Six weeks before, the Turks, having entirely9 consumed their provisions, signed the capitulation. The Turks had little faith in the Greeks observing its conditions, but were of opinion that it would be better to be massacred at once than to slowly die of hunger. By the terms of capitulation the Turks were to deliver up their arms and two-thirds of their movable property, while the Greeks were to allow them to hire neutral vessels12 to transport them to Asia Minor13; and bound themselves to supply them with provisions until the vessels arrived to take them away.
The Greek government at once sent some of its members to Nauplia to register the property of the Turks. These immediately pursued the usual course of endeavouring to enrich themselves by secretly purchasing the property of the Turks, and by selling them provisions. The Greek ministers took no steps to charter neutral vessels, professing15 that they were unable to raise money for the purpose, but really delaying to enable their secretaries at Nauplia to make larger gains by bargaining with the wealthy Turks there. The Turks having now got provisions enough to enable them to hold on, were in no great hurry to conclude the surrender, as they knew that Dramali was advancing. Such was the state of things when the schooner16 arrived in the Gulf of Argos, and landed the party on the opposite side of the gulf.
They at once proceeded into the interior, stopping at every village. At each place they came to messengers were sent out to summon the peasantry of the neighbourhood to come in. When they had assembled Mr. Beveridge harangued17 them, pointing out that now or never was the time to win their independence; that if the Turkish invasion were rolled back now they might hope that the enemy would see that such a country could not be conquered when the inhabitants were determined18 to be free, for that if they thoroughly19 established their hold of it, and occupied all the fortresses20, there would be no chance of their ever again shaking off the yoke21. He said that he himself, an Englishman and a stranger, had come to aid them as far as possible, and that all unprovided with arms, or lacking ammunition22, would receive them on going down to the ship anchored in the bay.
At each place, previous to addressing the assembly, he had distributed money among the local leaders and priests. These seconded his harangues23, and numbers of the men went down to the coast and obtained guns and ammunition.
While Mr. Beveridge was travelling over the country the army of Dramali was advancing unopposed. The troops which the central government had placed to defend the passes fled without firing a shot, and Dramali occupied Corinth without resistance. The Acropolis there was impregnable, but the commander, a priest named Achilles Theodorides, in spite of his Christian24 name and the fact that the citadel was amply supplied with provisions, murdered the Turkish prisoners in his hands, and fled with the garrison25 as soon as Dramali approached the place.
The ease with which the Turkish general had marched through Eastern Greece and possessed26 himself of Corinth, raised his confidence to the highest point. It had been arranged that the Turkish fleet should meet him at Nauplia, and he therefore determined to march with his whole army there, obtain possession of the stores brought by the fleet, relieve the town, and then proceed to the conquest of the Morea. Two of his officers alone disagreed with him. Yussuf Pasha and Ali Pasha, the latter of whom was a large land-owner of Argos, and both of whom knew the country well, proposed that Corinth should be made the head-quarters of the army, and great magazines be formed there; that the army should be divided into two divisions, one of which, under Dramali, should march to Nauplia and then recover Tripolitza, while the other should march along the Gulf of Corinth to Patras, recovering possession of the fertile province of Achaia. Dramali, however, confident in his power to overcome any opposition27 that might be made, determined to carry out his own plan, and started with his own army for Nauplia.
Owing to the fact that Dramali had met with no opposition, and had advanced with much greater rapidity than was expected, the preparations for resistance were altogether incomplete at the time he moved forward from Corinth, though the people were firmly determined to resist his advance from Nauplia. Accordingly, to the great disappointment of Mr. Beveridge, he moved without opposition through the narrow defile29 of Dervenaki, where a few hundred men could have successfully opposed the advance of an army, and arrived without firing a shot at Argos, almost within sight of Nauplia, sending forward Ali Pasha with five hundred cavalry30 to take the command at Nauplia.
Had the Turkish fleet now arrived with supplies, as had been arranged, it is probable that Dramali would have overrun the Morea, and that the revolution in Greece would have been stamped out; but instead of doing this it passed round the Morea to Patras in order to take on board Mehemet, who had just been appointed Capitan Pasha. Dramali therefore found himself at Argos without provisions, as, relying upon obtaining supplies from the fleet, he had not encumbered31 himself with a baggage train.
The members of the Greek government whose head-quarters had been at Argos, had fled precipitately32 at the approach of Dramali. Argos had been crowded with political leaders and military adventurers who had gathered there in hopes of sharing in the plunder33 of Nauplia. All these fled in such haste that the national archives and a large quantity of plate that had just been collected from the churches and monasteries34 for the public service, were abandoned. A wild panic had seized the inhabitants, whose numbers had been vastly increased by refugees from Smyrna, Chios, and other places, and thousands deserted35 their houses and property, and fled in frantic36 terror. As soon as they had left, the town was plundered37 by bands of Greek klephts, who seized the horses, mules38, working oxen, and carts of the peasantry round and loaded them with the plunder collected in the city, and the Turks, when they entered Argos, found that it had already been sacked.
While, however, the ministers, senators, and generals of Greece were flying in panic, the spirit of the people was rising, and a body of volunteers took possession of the ruined castle where the ancient Acropolis of Argos had stood, and defended the position successfully against the first attack of the Turks. Of all the Greek leaders, Prince Demetrius Hypsilantes alone showed courage and presence of mind. Hastening through the country he addressed energetic harangues to the people, who responded enthusiastically to his impassioned words, and took up arms without waiting for the call of their nominal40 leaders. The work of the little English party now bore fruit, and the peasants, with arms in their hands, some without leaders, some commanded by their captains and primates41, flocked from all parts of the Morea towards the scene of action.
Having seen the work well begun, Hypsilantes hastened back to Argos, and, accompanied by several young chiefs, threw himself with some eight hundred men into the ruined castle, raising the force there to a thousand men. The place was, however, badly supplied with provisions and water, and the Turks closely invested it. The object with which the first volunteers had occupied the place had been gained: the advance of the Turks had been arrested, and time had been given to the people of the Morea to rise. Hypsilantes and the greater portion of the garrison accordingly withdrew during the night; but a small band held it for three days longer, cutting their way out when their last loaf was finished on the 1st of August, having occupied it on the 24th of July.
By this time the Greeks had five thousand men assembled at Lerna, the port of Argos, where the cowardly leaders had embarked42, and they held a very strong position where the ground rendered it impossible for the Turkish cavalry to act. Other large bodies of Greeks occupied all the mountains surrounding the plain of Argos. Had Dramali, when he first found that the fleet had gone past with the supplies, returned to Corinth, he could have done so without a shot being fired; but it was not until the 6th of August, after wasting a fortnight, that he prepared to move. He had brought with him from Corinth ten thousand men, of whom half were cavalry, and already much greater numbers of Greeks were gathered round him. Kolokotronis was nominally44 in command, but the villagers obeyed their local leaders, and there was no order or system among them. Had there been, they could have occupied strong positions on the various roads leading up to the hills, and compelled the surrender of the whole Turkish army. Instead of doing this, each of the local chiefs took up the position that seemed to him to be best.
The advance guard of the Turkish army consisted of a thousand Albanians, trained and seasoned troops. These were allowed to go through without even a skirmish. A body of cavalry were then sent forward along the road by which they had come, and ordered to occupy the Dervenaki defile, which Dramali had left unguarded behind him. They found the Greeks intrenched there. The first Turkish division therefore moved by another pass. Niketos, one of the bravest of the Greek commanders, with two thousand men barred the valley and fell on their left flank, while another body of Greeks, under Hypsilantes and Dikaios, attacked them on the right. The Turkish cavalry charged forward and tried to clear the valley, but a picked body of marksmen, on a low hill overlooking a ravine, shot them down and blocked the ravine with the bodies of the horses and their riders.
The pressure from behind increased, and a body of well-mounted horsemen managed to dash through and reach Corinth in safety. Behind them the slaughter45 was terrible. The Turks were shot down in numbers, and fled in every direction. Many were killed, but more succeeded in escaping, for the Greeks directed their whole attention to plundering46 the great baggage-trains, consisting of mules and camels laden47 with the valuables of the pashas and the rich spoil that had been gathered in their advance. The news of the destruction of the first division of his army astounded48 Dramali; but it was impossible for him to remain at Argos, and the following day he moved forward by another road up the steep hill known as Kleisura. Dikaios opposed them in front; Niketos and Hypsilantes fell on their left flank.
As on the previous day, the baggage-train proved the salvation49 of the Turkish soldiers. The Greeks directed their entire attention to it; and while they were occupied in cutting it off, a brilliant charge by a chosen band of Turkish horsemen cleared the road in front, and Dramali, with the main body of his cavalry, was enabled to escape to Corinth. His military chest, and the whole of the Turkish baggage, fell into the hands of the Greeks. The troops under the immediate14 command of Kolokotronis took no part whatever in either day’s fighting, the whole of which was done by the two thousand men under the command of Niketos, under whom Dikaios and Hypsilantes acted. As Kolokotronis, however, was the nominal commander, the credit of the defeat of Dramali was generally ascribed to him.
The Moriots returned to their native villages, enriched by the spoil they had gathered. The party from the schooner had been spectators of the fight. They had scarcely expected so good a result, for the disorder50, the want of plan, the neglect of any attempt to seize and occupy the roads, and, above all, the utter incapacity of Kolokotronis, seemed to render success almost hopeless; and, indeed, out of the fourteen thousand Greeks assembled but two thousand fired a shot.
Fortunately the brunt of the Turkish attack fell upon the one little division that was ably commanded. Had the main body aided them, not a soldier of Dramali’s army would have escaped. As it was, their loss in men was comparatively small; but the total destruction of their baggage-train, and, still more, the disorganization and depression which followed the disaster, inflicted51 upon them by an enemy they despised, completely paralyzed them, and no forward move was again attempted. Dramali himself was utterly52 broken down by the humiliation53, and died at Corinth two months later.
Mr. Beveridge was well contented54 with the success, which was due partly to his efforts. He had expended55 upwards56 of five thousand pounds, and eight thousand muskets57 and a large quantity of ammunition had been distributed from the schooner to the peasants. The victory ought, he felt, to have been much more conclusive59; but the spirit awakened60 among the Moriots, and the confidence that would be engendered61 throughout Greece at this victory over an army that had expected to overrun the whole country without difficulty, immensely improved the chances that Greek independence would be finally established.
There was, however, one unfortunate consequence of the affair. The success of these armed peasants at Argos confirmed the Greeks in their idea that discipline was wholly unnecessary, that regular troops were a mistake, and that all that was needed to conquer the Turks was for the people to muster62 under their local leaders whenever danger threatened. This absurd idea was the cause of many heavy disasters which subsequently occurred. When the second day’s fighting was over the English party made their way back to the schooner.
“I congratulate you heartily63, sir, on the success the Greeks have gained,” Martyn said; for the news of the victory had already reached him.
“Thank you, Martyn. It might and ought to have been a great deal better. Still, I am very thankful that it is as good as it is. I can feel now that, come what may, my mission out here has not been altogether a failure. We have done much good work in the cause of humanity. My work during the last three weeks has been exactly what I pictured it would be before I left home. By my personal efforts I did a good deal to arouse the enthusiasm of the peasants. My money increased my influence, and the arms we brought out contributed largely to the success of the fight. I am pleased and gratified.”
“What sort of time have you had, Miller64?” Martyn asked his comrade as they walked up and down the quarter-deck together, as Mr. Beveridge descended65 to his cabin.
“It has been good enough, for we have done a lot of tramping up hill and down. The chief bought a horse the day he landed, or I am sure he never could have stood it; it was pretty hard work even for us. You should have seen him, day after day, haranguing66 crowds of villagers. Of course I could not understand a word he said; but I can tell you he worked them up into a regular frenzy67; and the way they shouted and waved their hands, and, as I imagine, swore terrible oaths that they would kill and eat every Turk they saw, was something tremendous. It quite electrified68 our fellows, who have been accustomed, I suppose, to consider the chief as a quiet, easy-going gentleman, and they cheered and shouted as loudly as the Greeks. Zaimes and his brother went off on expeditions, on their own account, to villages we could not spare time to go to. We were all right as to quarters and grub. The primates and captains, or whatever the leaders call themselves, naturally made a lot of us—and no wonder, considering how the chief scattered69 his money among them all. The mule39 that carried the money was pretty heavily laden when he went up, but the boxes were emptied before we returned. The food, of course, was pretty rough, though it was the best they had; but one has been spoiled for roughing it by our living here.”
“I found a difference, I can tell you, Miller, since you went, and I am heartily glad that Marco is back again. How has the doctor got on?”
“I think he has found it harder than he expected,” Miller laughed. “He confided70 to me to-day that he shall not volunteer for another expedition. But I was very glad he was with us; for Horace, of course, was always in the thick of it, with his father, jawing71 away with the village notables, and I should have had a dull time of it if it had not been for the doctor, whose remarks upon the real enthusiasm of the peasantry and the bought enthusiasm of their leaders were very amusing. The doctor does not say much when we are all together; but he is not at all a bad companion, and there is a lot of dry humour about him. And now I sha’n’t be sorry when supper is ready, for we have been on our legs since daybreak, and I have had nothing to eat but some bread we carried with us and some wine with which we had all filled our water-bottles.”
After this, for a time, the Misericordia had a quiet time of it cruising idly about among the Ionian Islands, and then crossing to Venice, where they stayed for three weeks. Then they crossed the Adriatic again, and put in at the port of Missolonghi. Mr. Beveridge was very anxious to hear the result of the battle that was expected between the Greek army, under Mavrocordatos, and the Turks advancing south. He had himself strongly wished to go with the Greek army, but had been dissuaded72 by Horace.
“My dear father, if we do any fighting at sea, we assuredly do our share without taking part in fighting on shore. When we have once seen the Greeks make a successful stand it will surely be time enough for us to take any share in the matter. The Philhellenes will fight, that is quite certain; but I think the odds73 are all against the Greeks doing so. Besides, as you have often said, Mavrocordatos is no more fit to command an army than any old woman in the streets of Athens would be. He knows nothing whatever of military matters, and will take no advice from those who do. I think there would be a tremendous risk in joining the Greek army, and no advantage to be gained from it. Of course, if you wish to go I will go with you, and we can take some of the men if you like; but I certainly think we had better keep away from it altogether.”
And so, instead of joining the Greek army, they had sailed to Venice. As soon as they dropped anchor off Missolonghi Horace was rowed ashore74 to get the news. He returned in an hour.
“It is lucky indeed, father, that we went to Venice instead of with Mavrocordatos.”
“What, have the Greeks been beaten?”
“Completely smashed up, father. I have been talking to two or three of the Philhellenes who were lucky enough to escape. Mavrocordatos sent the army on to Petta, and established himself some twenty miles in the rear. His chief of the staff, General Normann, felt the position was a very bad one, but could not fall back when the Turks advanced, as he had no orders. The regular troops, that is, the one regular regiment75, the hundred Philhellenes, and a body of Ionian volunteers, were stationed in a position in front. The Greek irregulars, two thousand strong, were placed some distance in the rear, and were to cover the regulars from any attack from that direction. Two leaders of the irregulars were in communication with the Turks; when these advanced, the eight hundred men in front, who had two guns with them, repulsed76 them; but Reshid Pasha sent round six hundred Albanians, who advanced against a strong position in the rear. The whole body of the Greek irregulars bolted like rabbits, and then the Turks in front and the Albanians from the rear attacked the front division on all sides. They fought gallantly77. Of the hundred Philhellenes, seventy-five were killed, the other twenty-five broke their way through the Turkish ranks. The Greek regiment and the Ionians were cut up by the Turkish infantry78 fire, followed by charges of their cavalry. Half of them were killed, the others broke their way through the Turks. So out of the eight hundred men over four hundred were killed. They say that not one surrendered. So I think, father, it is very well that we did not go up to see the fight, for you would naturally have been somewhere near the Philhellenes.”
“This is bad news indeed, Horace.”
“It is, father; but how the Greeks could suppose that it was any use getting up a regular army, consisting of one regiment of six hundred men, to fight the Turks, is more than I can imagine. As to their irregulars, except for fighting among the mountains, I do not see that they are of the slightest good.
“I am awfully79 sorry for the foreign officers. After coming here, as they did, to fight for Greece, and then forming themselves into a corps80 to encourage the natives to fight, to be deserted and left to fight a whole army is shameful81. Those I spoke82 to are terribly cut up at the loss of three-quarters of their comrades. The Turks are advancing against Missolonghi. The Suliots have made terms, and are to be transported to the Ionian Islands. The British consul83 at Prevesa guarantees that the terms shall be honourably84 kept on both sides.”
Mr. Beveridge went ashore later, and returned completely disheartened by his conversation with the leading inhabitants. He learned that, so far from the defeat at Petta convincing the Greeks that it was only by submitting to discipline and forming regular regiments85 that they could hope to oppose the Turks, they had determined, on the contrary, that there was no hope of fighting in that way, and that henceforward they must depend entirely upon the irregulars.
“Their blindness is extraordinary,” he said. “They saw that, few as the disciplined men were, they repulsed the attack of the Turkish troops in front, and were only crushed when totally surrounded; while, on the other hand, two thousand five hundred irregulars were unable even to attempt to make a stand against six hundred Albanians, but deserted their comrades and fled after scarcely firing a shot; and yet in the future they intend to trust solely86 to these useless bands.
“At present everyone is quarrelling with everyone else. While Reshid Pasha is preparing to invade Greece the captains and primates, instead of uniting to oppose them, are quarrelling and fighting among themselves for their share of the national revenues. The district of Agrapha is being laid waste by civil broils87; the province of Vlochos is being devastated88 by the bands of two rival leaders; Kravari is pillaged89 alternately by the bands of two other scoundrels; Gogos and half a dozen other captains have openly gone over to the Turks. There is only one hope I can see,” he added bitterly.
“What is that, Mr. Beveridge?” Martyn asked.
“It is, that the Greeks will continue their civil broils until they make their country a complete desert; and that the Turks, finding that they can obtain no food whatever, will be obliged by starvation to quit the country. One thing I am resolved upon, and that is, that until the Greeks fight for themselves I will do nothing further whatever in the matter. I will still try to save women and children, but I will do nothing else. I will neither interfere90 with Turkish commerce nor fire a gun at a Turkish ship of war. We will lower our long gun and four of the others down into the hold, Captain Martyn, and we will cruise about and enjoy ourselves for a bit.”
“Very well, sir. It is just a year since we arrived out here, and a little peace and quiet and amusement will do us no harm. I don’t know how it would be with our flag, and whether we can sail into Malta or into the Italian ports with it, or whether we can hoist91 our own again.”
“The papers are all right, I believe,” Mr. Beveridge said. “You see, she was nominally sold to the agent here of a Greek firm in London, and is therefore registered as the property of a Greek subject. I have papers signed by them selling the vessel11 again to me, with blanks for the dates, which can be filled in at any time; but these, of course, I could only fill in and use in the event of my deciding to leave Greece altogether and return to England. So that, at present, we are simply a Greek ship, owned by natives of that country, and holding letters of marque from the Greek government to act as a privateer. I do not think that the transaction would be recognized by any European power in the case of two European belligerents92; but this is an exceptional case, as the sympathies of all the Christian powers are with the Greeks. As far as the Turks are concerned, it makes no difference; whether Greek or English, they would hang us if they caught us. But I don’t think any very close inquiries93 are likely to be made in any European port. Our Greek papers are all correct, and as we know that the account of our having saved large numbers of fugitives94 from Chios has been in the English papers, and doubtless our interference to save the Turks at Athens has also been published, I think that we should be received well by the sympathizers of either party.”
The next morning they sailed to Corinth, where they remained a few days. John Iskos, Mr. Beveridge’s agent at Athens, came across to see him. He informed him that he had sold but a very small portion of the goods consigned95 to him in the prizes, but had shipped the great bulk in neutral vessels and consigned them to the firm in London; the vessels themselves he had disposed of to Hydriot merchants. He recommended Mr. Beveridge to hand over to him the store of silks and other valuables that had been retained on board the schooner, and he would put them at once on board an Italian ship at present in the port, and consign96 them to a Greek house in Genoa, as he certainly would not obtain anything like fair prices for them in Greece.
The operation occupied two days, but all the most valuable goods were retained, as the prizes might have been recaptured by Turks on their way to Athens. The prizes had been brought in by Miller and Tarleton alternately, Marco or Zaimes accompanying them to interpret, the crews being taken back in native boats to Naxos, to which island the schooner had made several trips to pick them up.
For the next two months the schooner cruised in Italian waters, from Venice round to Genoa, putting in to many ports, making a circuit of Sicily, and paying a short visit to Malta; then learning that the Turks were about to besiege6 Missolonghi, and that the town was going to resist until the last, they crossed over there in the second week in November. They found that the port was blockaded by some Turkish ships from Patras, but that some Hydriot vessels were expected to arrive shortly. Mavrocordatos was himself in the town organizing the defence, and taking really vigorous measures for holding out to the last.
A week later seven Hydriot brigs arrived; the Misericordia, which had again mounted all her guns, joined them; but as they approached the port the Turkish vessels got up all sail and made for Patras, and the Greeks entered the port. Missolonghi was protected by a low mud wall, with a ditch six feet deep by sixteen feet wide. It contained but a foot of water, but at the bottom was a deep clay, rendering97 it quite impassable. There were eight guns mounted on the ramparts, and Mr. Beveridge landed at once six more of those still lying in the hold, with a supply of ammunition for the whole.
As soon as the port was open a thousand men crossed over from the Morea under the command of partisan98 chiefs, and from time to time others came in, until the garrison, originally but six hundred strong, was increased to two thousand five hundred. For some weeks nothing was done; but on the eve of the 6th of January, which was the Greek Christmas-day, a Greek fisherman brought in news that the Turks were preparing to assault the next morning at daylight, when they believed the Christians99 would generally be in their churches. Forty men were landed from the schooner to take part in the defence. At daybreak the defenders100 were all in their places, hidden behind the rampart or concealed101 in the houses near.
The storming party was led by eight hundred Albanian volunteers. One division was intended to scale the wall on its eastern flank, while another was to endeavour to penetrate102 the town by wading103 through a shallow lagoon104 at its eastern extremity105. The whole Turkish army turned out, and suddenly opened a tremendous fire of musketry against the ramparts, while the storming parties moved forward. The defenders remained in their concealment106 until the Albanians were close at hand, and then, leaping up, poured their fire into them. Expecting to take the defenders by surprise, the Albanians were astounded at the sudden and heavy fire poured into them, and at once broke and fled in confusion. For some hours the Turks kept up a heavy fire, but did not renew their attack in earnest. Tons of ammunition were fired away on both sides, and then the Turks fell back to their camps, and on the following day raised the siege.
The wildness of the fire was evidenced by the fact that only four Greeks were killed. The blue-jackets from the schooner joined in the fire upon the storming parties, but when it was evident that the Turks had no idea of renewing the attack they returned on board ship. Their remarks upon the combatants were the reverse of complimentary107.
“It is well-nigh enough to make a man sick, Tom,” one man said to another in Horace’s hearing. “To see them both blazing away good powder and lead like that, I reckon to be downright sinful.”
“You are right there, mate. It is a downright waste of the gifts of Providence108. Why, there was powder and ball enough to have killed a good five thousand Englishmen and Frenchmen thrown away in accounting109 for four or five of them yelling fellows. It is more like play-acting than fighting. Why, if you was to arm a couple of gals’ schools and put ’em to fire at each other they would do ever so much better than that. And to think them Greeks calls themselves Christians and don’t know how to aim a musket58 no better than that; they might just as well be heathen.”
While Missolonghi had been resisting successfully, the Turkish garrison of Nauplia had at last surrendered. After Dramali’s army had abandoned it the only hope that remained to them was that the fleet might return. The Greeks retained possession of a small fort that had been given up to them at the time that the first negotiations for surrender were going on. From this fort combustible110 missiles were fired into the town, and a brisk cannonade kept up with its defences, but without much damage being done on either side. On the 20th of September the Turkish fleet appeared off the entrance to the gulf, and the Greek fleet from the islands of Hydra111 and Spetzas stood out to meet them.
Unfortunately Admiral Kanaris was not present. For four days the two fleets remained in sight of each other, firing at such distances that no harm was done on either side. There was nothing to have prevented the Turkish admiral relieving Nauplia and landing the troops and provisions in his transports; but he feared to enter the gulf, while the Greeks shrank equally from an attack upon him. After thus exhibiting for four days his cowardice112 and incapacity, the Turkish capitan-pasha abandoned Nauplia to its fate. The resistance only continued because the Turks could put no reliance upon the oaths of the Greeks. Women and children dropped dead from hunger in the streets; the soldiers were so weak from starvation that but few were able to carry their arms. The citadel was at last abandoned simply because the soldiers who went down into the town to fetch the scanty113 rations28 for its defenders were too weak to climb the hill again; and the Greeks, as soon as they learned that it was abandoned, occupied the position. Kolokotronis and a number of other leaders, attracted by the prospect114 of booty, hurried to the spot like vultures round a carcass.
Negotiations were again opened, and the Turks surrendered on the terms of the Greeks engaging to transport them to Asia Minor, allowing each to retain a single suit of clothes, a quilt for bedding, and a carpet for prayer. As soon as the terms were signed, Kolokotronis and the captains entered the town with their personal followers115 and prevented all others from entering. The soldiers assembled before the gates, declaring that they would not allow the chiefs to appropriate to themselves everything valuable, threatening to storm the place, murder the Turks, and sack the town. Greece was saved from fresh dishonour116 by the timely arrival of the English frigate117 Cambrian, commanded by Captain Hamilton. He was a strong friend of Greece, and was known to many of the Greek leaders.
He at once held a conference with them, and in the strongest language urged upon them the necessity of taking measures for the execution of the capitulation, for that another breach118 of faith, another foul119 massacre10, would render the name of Greece despicable in civilized120 Europe and ruin the cause of the country. Hamilton’s character was greatly respected, and his words had their effect. He insisted upon their chartering ships to embark43 the Turks. He himself took five hundred of them on board the Cambrian, and nine hundred were embarked in the Greek transports. This interference of Captain Hamilton excited great anger in Greece.
The Turkish fleet did not escape absolutely scathless after its inglorious departure from Nauplia. Although unmolested by the Greeks, it sailed north, and anchored inside the island of Tenedos.
Kanaris persuaded the people of Psara to fit out two fire-ships. He took the command of one, and both sailed for the Turkish fleet, which they approached at daybreak. Two line-of-battle ships were anchored to windward of the rest of the fleet. Kanaris undertook the destruction of the ship to leeward121, that being the most difficult operation. He succeeded as well as he had done on two previous occasions. He ran the enemy aboard to windward, lashed122 the fire-ship there, and fired the train. The Turk was at once enveloped123 in flames, and the whole of the crew, eight hundred in number, perished.
But Kanaris seemed to be the only Greek naval124 officer who had the necessary courage and coolness to man?uvre successfully with fire-ships. The other captain ran his fire-ship alongside the man-of-war which carried the flag of the capitan-pasha. The position of the fire-ship was, however, ill chosen, and after being set on fire it drifted away without doing injury to the Turk. The rest of the Turkish fleet cut their cables and made for the Dardanelles, while one corvette ran ashore on Tenedos. Another was abandoned by her crew. Kanaris and the crews of the two fire-ships returned safely to Psara in their boats.
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gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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acorns
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| n.橡子，栎实( acorn的名词复数 ) | |
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fortified
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| adj. 加强的 | |
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citadel
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| n.城堡；堡垒；避难所 | |
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fortifying
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| 筑防御工事于( fortify的现在分词 )； 筑堡于； 增强； 强化（食品） | |
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besiege
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| vt.包围，围攻，拥在...周围 | |
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7
besieged
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| 包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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8
negotiations
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| 协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过 | |
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9
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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massacre
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| n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀 | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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13
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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professing
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| 声称( profess的现在分词 )； 宣称； 公开表明； 信奉 | |
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16
schooner
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| n.纵帆船 | |
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17
harangued
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| v.高谈阔论( harangue的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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19
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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20
fortresses
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| 堡垒，要塞( fortress的名词复数 ) | |
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21
yoke
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| n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶 | |
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22
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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23
harangues
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| n.高谈阔论的长篇演讲( harangue的名词复数 )v.高谈阔论( harangue的第三人称单数 ) | |
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24
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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25
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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26
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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27
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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28
rations
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| 定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量 | |
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29
defile
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| v.弄污，弄脏；n.(山间)小道 | |
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30
cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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31
encumbered
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| v.妨碍，阻碍，拖累( encumber的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
precipitately
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| adv.猛进地 | |
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33
plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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34
monasteries
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| 修道院( monastery的名词复数 ) | |
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35
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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36
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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37
plundered
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| 掠夺，抢劫( plunder的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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38
mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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39
mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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40
nominal
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| adj.名义上的；(金额、租金)微不足道的 | |
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41
primates
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| primate的复数 | |
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42
embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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43
embark
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| vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机 | |
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44
nominally
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| 在名义上，表面地； 应名儿 | |
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45
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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46
plundering
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| 掠夺，抢劫( plunder的现在分词 ) | |
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47
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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48
astounded
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| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
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49
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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50
disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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51
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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53
humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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54
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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55
expended
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| v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽 | |
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56
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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57
muskets
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| n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
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58
musket
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| n.滑膛枪 | |
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59
conclusive
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| adj.最后的，结论的；确凿的，消除怀疑的 | |
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60
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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61
engendered
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| v.产生（某形势或状况），造成，引起( engender的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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62
muster
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| v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册 | |
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63
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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64
miller
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| n.磨坊主 | |
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65
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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66
haranguing
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| v.高谈阔论( harangue的现在分词 ) | |
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67
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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68
electrified
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| v.使电气化( electrify的过去式和过去分词 )；使兴奋 | |
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69
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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70
confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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71
jawing
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| n.用水灌注 | |
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72
dissuaded
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| 劝（某人）勿做某事，劝阻( dissuade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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73
odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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74
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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75
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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76
repulsed
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| v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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77
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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78
infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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79
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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80
corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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81
shameful
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| adj.可耻的，不道德的 | |
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82
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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83
consul
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| n.领事；执政官 | |
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84
honourably
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| adv.可尊敬地，光荣地，体面地 | |
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85
regiments
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| （军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物 | |
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86
solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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87
broils
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| v.（用火）烤（焙、炙等）( broil的第三人称单数 )；使卷入争吵；使混乱；被烤（或炙） | |
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88
devastated
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| v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的 | |
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89
pillaged
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| v.抢劫，掠夺( pillage的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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90
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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91
hoist
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| n.升高，起重机，推动；v.升起，升高，举起 | |
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92
belligerents
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| n.交战的一方（指国家、集团或个人）( belligerent的名词复数 ) | |
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93
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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94
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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95
consigned
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| v.把…置于（令人不快的境地）( consign的过去式和过去分词 )；把…托付给；把…托人代售；丟弃 | |
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96
consign
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| vt.寄售（货品），托运，交托，委托 | |
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97
rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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98
partisan
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| adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒 | |
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99
Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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100
defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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101
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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102
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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103
wading
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的现在分词 ) | |
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104
lagoon
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| n.泻湖，咸水湖 | |
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105
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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106
concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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107
complimentary
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| adj.赠送的，免费的，赞美的，恭维的 | |
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108
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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109
accounting
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| n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表 | |
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110
combustible
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| a. 易燃的,可燃的; n. 易燃物,可燃物 | |
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111
hydra
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| n.水螅；难于根除的祸患 | |
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112
cowardice
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| n.胆小，怯懦 | |
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113
scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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114
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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115
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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116
dishonour
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| n./vt.拒付（支票、汇票、票据等）；vt.凌辱，使丢脸；n.不名誉，耻辱，不光彩 | |
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117
frigate
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| n.护航舰，大型驱逐舰 | |
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118
breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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119
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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120
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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121
leeward
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| adj.背风的；下风的 | |
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122
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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123
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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124
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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