We had passed halfway towards the remains of Ephesus, leaving behind us the more fertile environs of Smyrna, and were entering upon that wild and tenantless tract through the marshes and defiles which lead to the few huts yet lingering over the broken columns of Diana — the roofless walls of expelled Christianity, and the still more recent but complete desolation of abandoned mosques — when the sudden and rapid illness of my companion obliged us to halt at a Turkish cemetery, the turbaned tombstones of which were the sole indication that human life had ever been a sojourner in this wilderness. The only caravansera we had seen was left some hours behind us, not a vestige of a town or even cottage was within sight or hope, and this 'city of the dead' appeared to be the sole refuge of my unfortunate friend, who seemed on the verge of becoming the last of its inhabitants.

It is interesting to read this little fragment in contrast with Polidori's [b:The Vampyre: A Tale|472966|The Vampyre A Tale|John William Polidori|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347792075s/472966.jpg|461235], which was based on it. Byron's version makes much more sense in plot and is unafraid to assign agency to the young narrator. It is a pleasure rather than a chore to read. One only regrets that he decided not to finish it.

Edited to add: Available free online here: http://www.sff.net/people/doylemacdonald/l_frag.htm ( )