THE WAR OF GREEK INDEPENDENCE 1821 TO 1833 BY W.ALISON PHILLIPS 1897

142 THE WAR OF GREEK INDEPENDENCE
death;
deliberation.
and Byron went to meet his fate with a certain
He had openly expressed his willingness
to surrender his life for the cause of Greece, and, perhaps,
he felt that this could be better served by his
death than by his life. He regarded himself, to use his
waves that must
own simile, as but one of the many
break and die upon the shore, before the tide they help
to advance can reach its full mark.
The voyage to
Missolonghi
was not without its
adventures, and twice the military career of the erratic
genius was nearly cut short. Once,
during a sea fog,
the Greek brig which carried him nearly collided with
a Turkish frigate;
and, but for the fact that the latter
took it for a fire-ship, and sheered off in alarm, he must
have been captured. A day or two later he was all but
wrecked on the coast of Acarnania, the vessel having
the rocks. However, in due
twice actually run upon
course he arrived safely at Missolonghi;
though the
vessel containing his money and stores was captured
by the Turks, and towed into Patras. Here it was detained
for a few days, but ultimately very generously
restored
1
by Yussuf Pasha to its owner.
i
Byron himself affected that the Turks had done no more
than they were compelled to do in restoring his ship, which
was sailing under the English flag. But it was notoriously
laden with stores and money to be used against the Turks;
and these at any rate they would have been justified in re-