Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-07-15
0uR GONDGLlER.

comfort, 1t is advisable to do as Rome anu
the other capitals do, one is not bound to it
by any necessities of circumstances and
surroundings. But at Venice it is other
wise. One must 90 as Venice does or sim
ply exist without moving, or seeing, or leiGn-
ing-by which we mean that it is absol olute1y
necessary for every one who wishes tVi go
about the city to use the gondola. =
Of course one may walk if one choosee-
that is to say, if one prefers the stencil, and
the crowd, and the heat, and the noise OF
the narrow lanes, called by courtesy streets,
to the swift, easy motion of the gondola; bpt
after one or two walks the visitor gets
surfeit of Venetian land progression, M
less he confines himself to the immediate
neiehborhood of St. Marks, and gladly
enough halls the friendly craft with the
steel barbed PROV.
As a rule it is the best plan to engage. a
man at so much day-fye francs is not
out of the way-and he is entirely at the
hirer's disposition at any time, The Vslie-
tian gondoliers are, generally, apeisil, hon
est and intelligent race, and i'll choosing
among them one is not running such risk
as if one were to hire London cabby upon
the same principle.
Well, nearly twenty years ago we found
ourselves in Venice for the first time.
The city was then under the Austrian
dominion, so that we saw her under some
what peculiar circumstances. A physically
degenerate people iinbued with great deal
of their ancient pride and patriotism, goad-
ed to silent fury by the continual presence
and swagger of an invader, who showed
himself as aggressive and insulting an &C.
cupier as he had been brutal and callous
enemy; VIII uniforms and blue legs every
where; the harsh gutturals Of the Teuton
bursting in it every moment, like spllen
thunder, amid the soft, liquid patter of the
native italian. Here the victors-gay, ,ju-
bilant, supreme; there the vanquished-
morose, depressed, sulleh and scowling;
and the gayety which long survived the
setting of the sun of Venice had fled under
the iron rule or the double-headed eagle.
The military band played on soft summer
nights in the square of St. Mark, but no
native would be seen listening to it,. half
the curiO shops in the Piazetta were shut
up, people spoke secretly and moved 81
lently; Austrian officers monopolized the
little tables in front of the FlOrian, the
Aurora and the Quadri; Austrian Soldiers
hung out their linen over curiously carved
balconies which could speak OF many d
scene of romance and chivalry, and smoked
their long pipes in gilded saloons hung with
the portraits of the greatest and noblest
names in Venetian history. One did not
live in dying city, as is usually the i'm
preston produced by Venice, but in a city
that was dead.
Still we resolved to make the most of the
few days at our disposal, and our first duty
was to secure good gondolier for the pc
riod of our stay.
Beppo was presented to us, and we took
him chiefly, l verify believe; for bis per-
sonal appearance. Visitors without num-
Der have remarked how much more fre-
quently the noble type Of Italian face and
| figure that is, the type of the grand old
pictures-is found among the lower classes
than among the higher. Beppo's was an
ideal Italian face-a face that might have
pressed the cold lips of Juliet in the lonely
Verona tomb; the face we see in those III
tians and Tintorettos too often hidden be
hind curtains in dusky Italian churcheS-
| face Of an hero, not of a huntbte gondolier.
AS he stood poised on the slope of the gon-
| dola behind US, his long hair streaming in
the breeze, his limbs working gracefully
and harmoniously i'll the mott poetic OF
motions, he might have posed for demi-
god. Nor were we disappointed when we
| became better acquainted will the man
himself. He was quiet-sadly quiet, we
thought, for he never smiled during oul
ten days acquaintance with him. He was
respected without being in the smallest de-
gree servile, and, what was val liable to us,
he spoke little English. He apparently
had the history and romance Of Venice by
heart-not by heart in the orthodox licensed
guide style, but thoroughly as a man whe
loves his subject. Sometimes IS he alluded
to some glorious bit of old Venetian history
such as the war of Chioggia o. the deeds
of Vittorio Pisani and Carlo Zeno, his eyes
would flash, his bare chest heaFe; he would
raise one hand from the oar and shake the
fist with fierce energy at the distant white
uniforms suddenly to drop it and to shake
his head sadly, and despondently. This wa:
no we'll concerted piece of acting on hi
part: he was too consistent in his manner
to be showing what he did notfeel. Some
times we came upon him unavares at th'
traghetto Or landing place, apart from hi
fellow craftsmen, who would be laughing
and gesticulatiDg and playing mora unde
the very noses of the victors, sitting mood
ily with his head in his hands, his eye
fixed or the rippling water, and when WI
| addressed him, would start as from
dream.
| We mover wearied Of floating gently dow
the Grand Canal, listening to Beppo as h
enlarged upon the various buildings W
passed on our way, telling us about th'
Ferry palace. popularity known as Desde
mona's: of the Casa Doro; of the Giusti
ami: of the Palace Moceniji, where livet
By1on; of the Foscari, with its 365 win
doWs. then a barrack for the Austrian sol
diery: of the magnificent Pesaro; and s.
u under the Rialto Arch to where nov
sta nds the railroad station.
put there was one exquisite little palac
whic,S had attracted our notice from th
yerv f. .~st, and about which Beppo was al
ways silent. Indeed, after half-a-dozel
trinsnUe found that he never looked at it
and. in spite of our drawing his attention t
it. and asking him about it, 1esolutel.
turned his head toward the opposite side Q
the canal.
At length we became so importunate tia
he answered us: -,
sThat palace. gentlemen, is held by tn
greatest nips among all the Austrian pigs
The colonel of the army of occupation. Nc
gentlemen. do not think of landing there
| nrav you: there is nothiug to be seen i
it. Nothing nothing at all.
And, before we could insist, few rapl
strokes had carried us away, and Bepp
wa $ explaining something else With NOR
yolu bility than usual. ;.
Ore of us sketched the little place, wit
its nu amt arabesque arches and deep palct
MES IFS escutcheons and its gaudily palnte
moorine, posts, but under Beppo's guidanc
we could get no farther.
One evening our gondola came alongsiu
with another man in it. Beppo was lil' al
sent a subst itute in his stead.
It was beautiful evening-one OF tnos
evenings typieally known as Venetlan-
still. dark. calm. and deep blue sky aoov
absolutely bright with stars, a n moo 20
shining SO brightly that one seemed 10 81
far behind it, the still blackness Oh cne We
ter alone broken by the deep refec1lohS
the light on shore. -, ,,,uo hoo
| Ordinarily the water would navG a. oee =
alive with gliding gondolas ana tne ID d
light with laughter and distant music, VI
not even the beauty of the nlght g. cou, !,
tempt those abroad who were kspO III
the presence of the hated invader. ,,oa
| .Down the Grand Canal, . we saiieo IL
usual. And the man bent to ms oar, pa
the Doges palace with it's sentlnei nast colp4 ~
of ST. Theodore and St. Mark; past u
hotels, silent and deserted, altnoagn ~ W. W.
midsummer; past palaces 1or Inc NUS, m", pa
&x,ry