Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-12-09

,nree days afterwards on hearing of the rob-
ping OF the diligence. Bankers and tradesmen
knew MIN well, but a sacred pledge and per
h"IS dire warning imposed upon them the
oDIlgauon Of perfect secrecy. The bandits are
recognized by people of all classes at Rome
put woe unto him who should venture to dis
close their whereabouts and will not net in
unison with them. The very peasant Won sa W
put yesterday, as you left the Falls Of Terni
! engaged IN the peaceful occupation Of plouob
lhS MS held, may have been connected with the
rOobery the day before which had 80 increased
your own uneaslness Aud it is scarcely a
I nia'Ier Oh astOnlshment that such a state of
things should exist when we consider the act,oi
condition of the people of the Panal States
o'eTtaxed without hope Of regeneration. In
no part OF the world are the intIictions of a
country and ITS people so thrown upon the sur
lace ot every day life as in this country. 1t is
Sad TACT that peasants not unfreauently be-
come bandits purely for the reason that the
hungry mouths Of their families NAV be filled
and an actual starvation prevented man
VINO cannot live by honest means will live bv
foul INV y
thank those gentlemen that they never con-
descended to- disturb me. In continuous ram
pies through various parts of Italy, never
had the pleasure of being in anywise noticed
by them. L remember once. however, in a
IittIe hy-way village, to have thought I dis
covered IN the harsh features of n certain man
VINO seemed to be absorbed in his own refiee-
t"nS, real, living bandit. | imagine my ap-
pearance and that of my friends three pcdps-
tFian excurslonists did not betoken a lone
purse II any purse at all, and so we were left in
peace. another suspicious individual took Oc-
caSlon to feel the weight of my stick and was
apparently gratifed to find it loaded with lead
anu therefore not a little capable of PRODUCING
very striking results if necessary Gentle
reader you must not think we were at all
alarmed, for an absolute contempt of italian
courage did not permit of it, In the hole. how
ever, where the landlord confessed himself con-
strained to stow Us, with spiders as bic az your
list looking down upon US from the corners of
the ceiling and the tops of ed-posts we held
serio-comico consultation 1t ended in tight
ly barring our doors, for the locks were broken,
and a four hours attempt to go to sleep Rising
long before daylight, We crept noiselessly out
OF the house, and soon
Our thong hts as boundless and our soul as free
A the glad waters of the dark blue sea
we were approaching Bologna, with it's leaning
towers and famed museum, and the seat of 50
much learning
think L was once most ridiculously fooled
by smart pOst-boy, who might have been a
bandit himself. and who had the cuteness to
turn the alarm that had lately spread through
the country to his own pecuniary advantage.
We were about TO leave Naples. The young
"
troduce word about bandits-what ferocious-
boxing individuals they were, how they carried
oh pretty women to the mountains (makinp
the color disappear from my fair companions
Cheek and how they murdered the men. which
made me uneasy IN turn, as the custom house
had pOcketed my Colts. The wine-crops had
Of course failed; 80 that they were more nu-
merUus and more desperate than ever Not a
day passed. but that some unlucky diligence
was relieved OF Its baggage, to say nothing of
LIS inmates; and a. to private carriages they
had not Of late been known to miss falling into
unpleasant hands The time when an Italian
Is amusing!y eloquent is when bandits and
danger are about; for he never attempt to per-
sJniIy Cesar when the Roman Emperor said
Danger knows full well
That tassaT il more dangerous than he.
And a. l myself did not feel in a humor to be
tcinerari"Gs. 1t occurred to lie that a cOmpro-
mise might be effected with the position whom
L Judged 10 be lntlmating at some designs OF
which lac had knOwlodge, but whose honor ia
the matter could be easily purchased. The dan
gerous passes on the road were pointed out
the fellow knew them we'll. So / barganed
that If he carried me safely by them. his reward
should be an amount Of silver not inc0nsidera-
bic in his eyes. Thus we started The farce
must be played out and the rider certainly
acted his part. When necessary. trepidation
was easily feigned; and then he whipped his
horses as If St. MichaeIS dragon were at their
feet. Al times he would rise in his saddle and
surrey the country; never failing. in so doing
TO see a bandit somewhere. And thus appa-
renty with infinite delight on his part, we
reached Rome in safety. The rogue! There
was ut least one satisfaction remaining to me-
which was, that he had fairly earned bis money
and could look at Angeles Last Judgment
without bunged eyes OF broken head