Page:Troja by Heinrich Schliemann.djvu/78

modern travellers for remnants of ancient Troy, whereas in reality they have likewise been brought hither from Ilium, and have been used to ornament the "konak (mansion) of a Turkish Aga, which still existed here a century ago, and of which we find a fine engraving in Count Choiseul-Gouffier's Voyage pittoresque de la Grèce. The road leads from Bounarbashi over the heights of which the Bali Dagh is the north-eastern spur, and close to a still unexplored "heroic tomb" (see the large Map of the Troad). It turns gradually to the east, and descends to the winding bed of the Scamander, which we had to pass not less than six times in one hour; leading afterwards, across long tracts of uncultivated land thickly overgrown with dwarf oaks, juniper, etc., to Iné, where I was kindly received by the Caïmacam (mayor) Chevket Abdoullah, who has some education and speaks French fluently. He gave me two additional gendarmes, the country being very unsafe. It was in the height of summer; my thermometer marked 34° C. = 93° 4 F. in the coolest room of the mayor's house. I arrived in the evening at Beiramich, and the next morning early on Mount Kurshunlu Tepeh (see the small Map of the Troad, No. 140, p. 303). The temperature was already at 8 A.M. 36° C. = 96° 8 F.; it increased by 10 A.M. to 38° C. = 100° 4 F.

I had taken ten workmen with me from Beiramich, each of whom had to receive to gros = 1s. 9d. a day. Pickaxes, shovels, and baskets, I had brought with me from Hissarlik. I shall give in the subsequent pages the result of my researches on Kurshunlu Tepeh, as well as of those I made immediately afterwards on Mount Chali Dagh, the site of the ancient city of Cebrené.

I terminated the excavations at Hissarlik by the end of July, but a week before I had caught the malaria fever. I got rid of it by means of quinine and black coffee, but it soon returned, and continued to torment me for nearly four months afterwards.