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By this you can judge the wealth of these Mameluke beys, for each of these servants cost them two hundred patras. But this expense was the smallest. There were, besides, the women, the beautiful Arabian horses, the splendid weapons, the Damascene blades, the glittering jewels, the costly cashmere shawls: all this belonged to the household of a Mameluke bey.
The population of Patras still affords a fine study of the 'dirty picturesque, with clothes mostly home-made; sheepskin cloaks; fustanellas or kilts, which contain a whole piece of calico; red leggings, and the rudest of sandals; Turkish caps, and an occasional pistol-belt. The Palikar still struts about in all his old bravery; and the bourgeois humbly imitates the dingy garb of Southern Italy.
Her heavy veil of mourning fell aside as she hastily rose and joined her attendants, disappearing in the crowd. "Madama da Patras! Could it be Madama da Patras, mother to the King, kneeling on the pavement in the night!" "Her heart is broken with grief, and she thought not to be seen, poor lady."
At Athens he met an old fellow-collegian, the Marquis of Sligo, with whom he soon after travelled as far as Corinth; the Marquis turning off there for Tripolizza, while Byron went forward to Patras, where he had some needful business to transact with the consul.
When a man is in pursuit of his love and success is known to be at least remote, it often relieves his strain if he is deeply bored from time to time. The train was really obliged to arrive finally at Patras even if it was a tortoise, and when this happened, a hotel runner appeared, who lied for the benefit of the hotel in saying that there was no boat over to Mesalonghi that night.
Soon after he returned to Patras he fought a duel, and thereby forfeited his stall. He now renounced the clerical profession, and married a wealthy heiress. She died shortly afterwards, and he married the daughter of the Admiral Marco Giustiniani. He now entered upon political life, and soon showed brilliant talents.
About the middle of February, when the artillery had been got into readiness for the attack on Lepanto the northern, as Patras was the southern, gate of the gulf, still in the hands of the Turks the expedition was thrown back by the unexpected rising of the Suliotes.
In time he passed as in a vision from wretched Brindisi to charming Corfu, from Corfu to the little war-bitten city of Patras and from Patras by rail at the speed of an ox-cart to Athens. With a smile of grim content and surrounded in his carriage with all his beautiful brown luggage, he swept through the dusty streets of the Greek capital.
The string was tightened, and buried itself, cutting deeply into the flesh of a neck once as fair and smooth as the polished marble of Patras. For the first moments my torture was excruciating my eyes were forcing out of their sockets my tongue protruded from my mouth my brain appeared to be on fire but all recollection soon departed. "Staffir Allah!
"We've been two nights on the way, Patras and Pyrgos. That gave plenty of time to the magician to work the spell. Come along." This time she did not hold him back. Her eagerness was as great as his. Certainly it was a very ordinary camp, scarcely, in fact, a camp at all.
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