I politely ignored all the advice about returning by train, mentioning that I had heard a lot about the beautiful scenery. Since it would probably be a long time before I returned to Macedonia, I preferred to travel by road, especially because it wouldn’t take any longer than taking the train. The official reluctantly agreed and promised to provide me with an escort of four mounted soldiers.
Problems with Horses
Knowing that there would likely be an attempt to stop me by telling me there were no horses available, I quickly went back to the Greek inn and asked my dragoman to find a few horse owners who had vehicles, which were called “landaus.” The owners were willing, especially when they learned about the escort, but they were still cautious. They refused to take me to the nearest railway station, which was a day and a half of fast travel, for the usual price of one and a half lira. Instead, they demanded four lira, which was more than I would pay for a first-class train ticket. Eventually, we agreed on the price of four lira, and I arranged for the vehicle and three horses to be ready at dawn the next day Constant Watch from Soldiers.
A Trouble with the Horses
That night, I had dinner with Mr. Wilkie Young, who was in charge of the British Consulate in Monastir. During dinner, my dragoman sent a message saying there was trouble because all the horses in Monastir seemed to be suddenly lame. I thought this was just an attempt to get a bit more money from me. But when I returned to my inn at midnight, my dragoman came to me, looking worried. He told me that the driver I had arranged with refused to go at all.
The Driver’s Excuses
I was annoyed because I knew the local officials must have told the driver to make things difficult for me. So, I went to the police headquarters and asked for two gendarmes to bring the driver to me. The driver first claimed he had no horses. Then he said his horses were too tired and couldn’t make the journey in less than three days. Finally, he demanded ten lira because he said there were too many “bands” (bandits) in the area. This all happened at two o’clock in the morning private tours bulgaria.
