Horace ascended the shrouds, and sitting on the cap of the mainmast examined the shore.
"There are half a dozen horsemen riding about, a short distance from the shore, sir," he called down, "but I can see no signs of troops anywhere."
"Then it is evident they don't mean to fight," Martyn said to the first lieutenant. "Between ourselves, Miller, I am very glad they are not here to oppose a landing; for if they had been, no doubt the chief would have wanted to fire a few shots to help cover the operations, and I should be sorry to lift even a finger to help in this wretched business. It is like a landing from one of the old buccaneer fleets on the Spanish Main. They used to pretend they went to attack the Spaniards, while in reality they simply fought for plunder. Still, those fellows had courage--plenty of it, which is more, I fancy, than these Greeks are likely to exhibit when they once get in front of the Turks."
Lykourgos, with his twenty-five hundred men, marched without opposition into the town of Chios, where they burnt the custom-houses, destroyed two mosques, and plundered generally the houses of the inhabitants. They occupied the houses nearest the citadel, and placing riflemen in them opened fire, while a party began to throw up a battery on a commanding position known as Turloti.
The following morning Mr. Beveridge landed, and, accompanied by Miller and Horace, and a party of twenty sailors armed with rifle, cutlass, and pistol, proceeded to Chios. He found the streets of the town in disorder, the troops--or rather the armed men, for they were under neither discipline nor control--were wandering about, occasionally going within sight of the citadel, and discharging their muskets two or three times in that direction. They looked with surprise at the orderly little party of British sailors; but as they supposed these had come to help them, they received them with exclamations of good-will. They visited Turloti, where a score or two of men were working lazily, and then went down to the port, where another battery had also been begun.
"What on earth are they putting up a battery here for?" Miller said. "At this distance they might as well fire potatoes at the citadel. Ask that officer, Horace, what they are up to?"