Greek Captain

the Greek captain

The Greek Captain is a smuggler of long standing, seasoned in the Greek War of Independence, and carries the salt of that trade in his manner. He keeps a warm rapport with Rufus Dimitrious — the easy camaraderie of men who have known and trusted one another — and he trafficks in the black market through a contact named Janus the Cut, a fellow versed in the illicit commerce of Constantinople. The Captain counsels Rufus to keep his dealings with Janus well apart from his association with Osman Hamdi Bey, for the Ottoman authority looks with no forgiving eye upon looting and the carrying-off of antiquities.

Conversing with Rufus aboard the ship, he lets fall that he had looked for goods out of an excavation which never came to hand. For his own part he holds in plain disdain those who would strip the Empire of its relics, being a man of some feeling for the preservation of its history; and in all his dealings he shows the practical, cautious temper of one who must thread the tangled business of smuggling and keep his footing throughout.