"You are still idle, zhentlemen?" he said one day. "Zere is a shortage of aircraft, I hear. How provoking!" "It gives us time to get acclimatised," said Burton. "Zat is true. It is very fine air. You like ze wine of ze country? It is very fine. You know, of course, zat here came ze fleet from my country for ze siege of Troy. Ah! we Greeks were ten years taking Troy, and I zink you will be ten years taking Constantinople." "Let’s hope not," said Burton. "Your ancestors hadn’t aeroplanes, you see. Our planes will be even more useful than the Wooden Horse." "Perhaps. And when do you expect to get to work?" "All in good time." "You will go to Enos, perhaps?" "We shall go wherever we are sent. You’ll go back to Athens in the _Elpinike_ to-morrow, I suppose?" "No. My business keeps me here. I am a very busy man." He went on to describe some of his activities, and the Englishmen, breaking away at last, made but a cool response to his genial "Au revoir, zhentlemen." It was ten days before their seaplane arrived. The engine required very little tuning up. They made a few trial trips, to accustom themselves to the atmospheric conditions of the Ægean Sea, and looked forward to an early call to action. On returning to their quarters one night, they were surprised to see a British sentry at the door of the house where Mr. Christopoulos lodged. "What’s up?" asked Hunter, stopping. "Got orders to guard this house, sir," replied the man. "What for?" "A party of us was sent to arrest the chap that lives here, sir--the fat Greek Christopoulos. Don’t know what he’s been doing; swindling somebody, perhaps." "Did you get him?" "No, sir. He can’t be found." They passed on, and, after changing, went to the restaurant for their evening meal. There they learnt that Mr. Christopoulos was suspected of spying. It appeared that he must have got wind of the order for his arrest, and had decamped; but his disappearance was a mystery, for no vessel had left the island since the morning, with the exception of a small country sailing-boat. It was conjectured that he had left on one of the small craft engaged in bringing provisions to the base; but though several of these had been overhauled at sea by fast despatch boats, no trace of the fugitive was discovered. Two days later the airmen were summoned to headquarters. "Your machine is in order?" asked the staff-officer. "Yes, sir--ready for anything," Burton replied. "Then you’ll ship on board the ----." He named a cruiser lying in the harbour. "There are rumours of a large Turkish concentration at Keshan. You’ll find out if they are true. The cruiser will take you up to the Gulf of Saros, and you will start your flight from the neighbourhood of the coast somewhere south of Enos. The cruiser will await your return."