Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the GospelYeardley, John
Religion
Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the Gospel
Yeardley, John
Clergy -- United States -- Biography; Quakers -- Biography; Yeardley, John, 1786-1858
5_th_.--Being, says John Yeardley, on the contrary side of the gulf,
and thus deprived of helping ourselves by means of horses, we gave up all
hope of reaching Athens, and thought we must of necessity return to
Patras. We therefore inquired for a vessel to take us thither; but never
shall I forget my feelings of horror while trying to contract with a man
for a boat. I said in my heart, O that I might be permitted to try the
fleece once more in turning our faces towards Athens. The man was
exorbitant in his demands, and it was too late to reach Patras without
risking the night on the sea. To stay where we were was next to impossible
without serious injury, especially to my dear Martha. Strong indeed was
our united prayer for direction and help in this time of distress, and
ever-blessed be the name of our adorable Lord who heard and answered our
prayer. Out of the depths of distress a little light sprung up, and we
thought if we could take a boat and cross over to Scala, a little port on
the opposite side of the creek, we might then take mules to [Castri the
ancient] Delphi, and if not able to proceed further on our way, the change
we hoped would be use to M.Y. We did make the effort, and were favored to
get to Scala, where we found only a few scattered mud houses; but on
landing, there was a change of feeling immediately experienced. We were
rescued from ship-builders and sailors, the vilest of the vile, and placed
among a simple country people.
The master of the custom-house, to whom we had a few lines of
recommendation, invited us to his house and gave us coffee. He provided us
with four mules; three for the interpreter and ourselves, and the fourth
for the baggage. It was about eight miles, or two and a half hours' ride,
to Delphi; and no sooner had we begun to feel the mountain air than my
dear M. began to revive. We had to climb precipices where nothing but
mules could have carried us. At the foot of the mountain we came in
company with two camels, which was a new sight to us.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account