Had the director of the Hamburg Botanical Gardens said to me when I left Germany:  “My dear Hermann Schultz, I want you to go to Greece and draw up a report on the remarkable system of brigandage obtaining in that land,” I might bravely have begun by going for a ride outside Athens, as my American friends, John Harris and William Lobster, did.  But I had merely been sent, at a salary of L10 a month, to collect the rarer specimens of the flora of Greece.  I therefore began by studying the native plants in the royal gardens; and put off the work of searching for new species and varieties.

John Harris and William Lobster, who lodged with me at the shop of the pastry cook, Christodulos, in Hermes Street, were persons of a more adventurous temperament.  Borrowing the only two horses that Christodulos possessed, they rode out into the country.  But they had scarcely gone a mile when they were stopped by a band of brigands, and urgently invited to pay a visit to the King of the Mountains.  The Americans refused to go, as the King of the Mountains had an unkindly way of holding his visitors to large ransoms, and killing them if the money were not quickly paid.  But the brigands—­there were fourteen of them—­insisted, and got out ropes and began to bind their captives.  Neither Harris nor Lobster was made of the kind of wood of which faggots are composed.  They drew their revolvers, and used them with astonishing effect.  They lost the horses, but got safely back to Athens.

“I suppose I mustn’t grumble over two horses,” said Christodulos.  “I served under Hadgi Stavros, the King of the Mountains, in the War of Independence, and earned enough money to set up in business.”

Then, over a bottle of Santorin wine, Christodulos related the story of the great brigand chief.  Hadgi Stavros was by far the most popular leader among the insurgent Greeks.  His hatred of the Turks did not blind him to such a point that he passed through a Greek village without plundering it.  A vigorous impartiality enabled him to advance his fame by increasing his wealth.  Lord Byron dedicated an ode to him, and sympathisers with the Greek cause throughout Europe sent him subsidies.  The result was that when Greece was at last liberated from the Turks, Hadgi Stavros returned to his old trade with a large capital, and a genius for organisation which enabled him to revolutionise the business of brigandage.  He entered into arrangements with army officers and politicians, and saw to it that his allies were entrusted with the government of his free, enlightened and progressive country.

“But the pity of it is,” continued our honest host, “that poor Hadgi Stavros is growing very old and has no son to succeed him.  For the sake of his only daughter, he is investing all his wealth in foreign stocks and shares, instead of using it to extend his business.”

“I say, I should be glad of an introduction to Miss Stavros,” said John Harris.  “I wouldn’t mind throwing up my job as captain of the Fancy, now lying at the Piraeus, in order to marry the richest heiress in Greece.  Do you think it is worth getting captured for the sake of meeting her?”