, 1873-02-16
NICE.
The "Shepherd His Appear
ance and Capacities.
How He Conveyed a Party on a
Mediterranean Steamer,
The Beauty of Nice---A Fit Home
of Tenderness and Fancy.
Amusements Of the, Place---An Old
Woman in Command Of
Body Of Soldiers.

1 -
Woman in Command Of
Body Of Soldiers.
From Our 0,rn Correspondent.
| GENOA, jan. Is, 1873.
We call our courier the Shepherd, " and Their
Is deep Significance in the name. He watches
that We TO not 60 astray; he directs Us from ont
resting place to another; he sees that We are
properly fed and cared for, and we'll folded a
night But he does not look like shepherd
| We always think OF shepherd az man OF
rather benignant expression, to whose counter,
ance habitual thought for the creatures under
his care has given d look Of mild unselfshness.
Our courier's expression is very like that Of
"A SCOTCH TERRIER.
His face is round, and surrounded as it ia By
rough gray whiskers and curly gray hair, it i
not at all unlike our canine friend from Scotland
| The Shepherd is short and stocky, and his
| chunky little figure has q good-natured, frisky
sort Of look, as he trots ahead Of us on our ex.
cursfons, and unerringly leads the way. Ho ia
| very near-sighted, and wears curious-looking
| round eyeglass stuck in one eye There is some
thing about this eyoglass which gives him 4
peculiarly knowing look. He seems penetrating
and Irresistible when he gets it in his eye, and
appears to be perpetually saying to all parties,
and oticials, and landlords, aud drivers, and all
the rest Of the traveller-pi11agin tribe, "You
can't get round me. It ia not the least use. I
SOC through and through you. detect
and scan all your tricks and your mannors. II
But the Shepherd, though small in stature, ia
great in soul. A more resolute, determined,
gamy little man in combat with portera md dri-
vers, it would be difficult to find. He does it all
without the least noise or fuss, too. There is
something in his very presence, in the fiery soul
that shines out from his eyes through the round
eyeglass, TINT seems to
AWE AND sUBDUE
the most noisy OF porters at once. He entcrn q
@owd Of yelling porters, surveys them calmly
for an instant, then selects one. invariably the
best Of the whole crowd, and the rest sink of,
feeling humi1inted that his choice has passed
them by. He is little, very little; but there
never was better man in crowd. Everything
seems to give way before him. No one ventures
to impede him think enc reason Of this is,
that he has not particle Of reverence in his
composition. He would jost1e King with IS
little ceremony as ho would q porter. The su-
preme consideration with him is to get his flock
in safety wherever he may be leading them No
one under his charge ia ever late for q train.
He never leavee an umbrella or pocket-hand
kerchief He never loses baggage; never
8 hotel without finding good accommoda-
MATTER or UTTER HDHfEaEscE
to the Shepherd. mean he speaks one tongue
a. well as another. French, Italian, German,
English, and know not how many more, he has
at his tongues end, and never seems At q loss
for word in either.
Was particularly struck with the Shepherds
powers Of management in making the voyage
from Nice to Genoa; The Mediterranean steam
ers have pleasant little way Of moving of from
the dock just before starting, and not coming
up to it at all at the journeys end, so that pas
scngers are obliged to embark and deba1k in
little rowboats. The only possible motive for
such conduct on the steamers part seems to be
to give vast number of boatmen job for
theee boatmen must Of course be psid, and,
were the steamer to Lie quietly By the dock until
she started, their occupation would be gone.
There is not 60 much difficulty about getting on
there is no crowding; but the debarkation is
different matter. A little while before We
reached Genoa, the Shepherd disappeared. On
looking for him, he was discovered
MOUNTING GUARD
over his pile Of baggage with tho mir of General
preparing for action. As VIC entered the port,
the crowd OF excited tourists and furried cour-
iers about tho baggage grow larger and larger.
We stood upon the deck above, and watched the
Shepherds demeanor. TRANQUILITY, and filed
baggage. The crowd RACES about him, and al
most conceas his small person from view; but it
soon recedes like waves from rock, and there
he is again, steady as ever. The swarm Of boat
mon approach and flash about the ships side,
with yells and vociferations in Itaian. One in !
stant the Shepherd leaves his baggage. His lit |
tie head has bobbed up over the bulwarks. His |
eyeglaas has selected the best boat. By some |
mysterious sign he has got it alongside. Tour |
lists and every one else arc striving for boats. |
No ono got any until the Shepherd |
HAD SECURED MS. |
ue turns from the bulw1rks. He has seized q |
porter. Half-n-dozen other men have got hold |
of the game porter. How could they hope to vie |
in lis own hands, and placed it in the porter's
grasp, and com manded him to lower it over the
,ide. The porter is soon working for dear life
1nder the Shepherda oye, and continues to work
1ntl every piece OF tho Shepherds baggage is in
.he boat, while other tourists stand by and wait.
This done, the Shepherd makes US signal. We
descend, and in q moment We are safely en-
,conced in our boat, aud off for shore long be-
ore any one else, We go Immediately to our
,otel where fine rooms good dinner, and
leFd appears with the baggage, which he has
got through the Custom House.
4e is an Invaluable fellow, this gamy, terrier.Gko
title Shepherd of ours, and scarce know how
70 should travel WITHOUT Qlm. /
He has. now brought Us to beautiful Italy, the
unny land Of poetry. hy last letter WAS writ
On from Berlin, under the dark md rainy
hes of that cold, northern city. It is indeed
most grateful change to gaze upon the b1uoskies
Il the south, aud feel tho warm breezes Of 4
outhe1n clime. For some time ne staid at
NICE.
I do not wonder that it il q fayorito winter re-
ort. It is beautiful town, situated in the
siviara, between the mountains and the Sea
q appearance, manners, and customs, and in
he language OF the peasant1y. though pre-
Id part of Nice is built with those curious. mar
ow, winding streets peculiar to italian
eparated from each ether By. only very
arrow cleft, and it seems as it it would be quite
ossible to shake hands across the street from |
ne window to another. OF course it is dark,
nd damp, and iu-smelling in these places but
ever mind, that does not alter their p1ctur-
squeness, and odd, uncommon appearance.
What detracts most, perhapa, from the romance
I these narrow streets and lofty houses, is to
ee such vast numbers of fresh1y-washed gar-
rents, Of all co1ors, eizes, sorts, and shapes,
4,j 1oSr &.,+r |