The Portland daily press., 1886-06-16

make off on her track to Capri. We waved
handkerchiefs frantically, not doubling the
Italian good-nature, if we could only attract
the captains notice. Soon we saw the steam
er slacken her speed, and boat manned by
four native fishermen rowing toward us. In
few moments, amidst the greatest Jabber-
ing, they came alongside the wharf, picked
us up and put off, shouting and cheering to
urge each other on. When half way across,
silver piece was laid on the bench; it
caught the eye of one old salt, who, in 1u-
bilant tone, proclaimed the good fortune,
when all four with herculean strokes soon
brought the boat to the steamer, where there
arose deafening babel as to the best ways
and means of hoisting the sonora on board !;
but it was accomplished without harm to any
or unlading of the ship, and we were off on
one of the best good times we have yet had.
CAPRI.
The view of the bay was enchanting, as
we glided over the blue sea, streaked with
green and purple currents. An hours sail
brought us to the Marina, harbor of Cap
ri. Boats from the shore, manned by pri-
mary school boys, met the steamer, and took
us safely to land. If one wants so see out
landish sights and queer-looking human be-
ings, he must stand on the shore of Capri.
The beach swarmed with women holding
donkeys by the ears, OF wheeling them round
by their tails to show their good points, who
plead with sweet voices, and pathetic looks
from their dark dropping eyes, for us all TO
ride. The little folks were beseeching youto
buy flowers. while in the background the
fishermen were unloading their fish, painting
their boats, or mending nets. The Marina
is little curve between two rocky Cliffs
The town sits on plateau, halfway up these
heights, stretching around the semicircle.
Here the post ingenious fraud we have met,
to extort money, was played upon us. On
going to the hotel for lunch, a waiter stepped
up, and politely giving us seats, asked if we
would take some ''fne Capri oysters" Look
ing out from the steep cliffs into the clear
sea, we thought we should enjoy the oysters,
and assented The flavor disappointed us,
but we were hardened to poor fare, and made
no remark. We finished our simple repast,
paid the landlord, and hurried away to climb
the terrace, to take view of the ''Skeenery, y
which one of walters, who made great dis
play of his English, told us was the proper
thing to do. Suddenly the fellow who wait
ed upon us rushed from another hotel and ac-
costing us abruptly, said, 81 want my pay for
those oysters" When we demanded an ex-
PLANTATION, he had the impudence to say he
made business of bringing oysters from
Naples This was little too much. We had
to retrace our steps to the hotel to adjust the
matter. The landlord owned he had taken
pay for the oysters, and handed over some
money to the fellow; but he was not salts
fed with half the plunder. After long
harangue in Italian on one side, and some
growing in English on the other, it ended as
usual in our paying twice for the oysters
and one of us being seriously i'll in conse-
quence of eating them. Everybody is eau
toned against eating Naples oysters, as the
drainage of that filthy city runs into the beds.
Capri is the home of the goats: and truly
you would think it ought to have been left to
those nimbe-footed creatures; but the old
emperors never counted the outlay of wealth
or slave muscle, for they scarcely regarded
| their subjects as human beings, when they
foresaw any glory or elf-aggrandizement to
| be achieved by overcoming either natural
obstacles OF subjugating pastoral people.
| This island was favorite resort of the Ro-
mans and to-day are to be seen here the re-
| mains of their stupendous works. They
| brought peasants to till the land, and arti-
sans to construct palaces; and when once
people in these southern climes takes root,
even amid the most obdurate conditions of
| life, it takes an earthquake, like that at Is
| CHA, or a Pompeian burial to move them.
| 1t would seem as if one such lesson in the
| history of place or the wedding out of one
seasons cholera, would strike such panic
| in the hearts of the inhabitants that these
| lands would become depopulated; but peo-
| pie of sluggish temperaments, and lacking in
| religious zeal live ON from day to day in the
| old ruts, doggedly resigned to what may
| come. 1t is the people grown strong in COM
| batting northern storms, and whose souls are
| valiant with vital faith in God, that have
| successfully battled with the untried perils
| of.new worlds. The slow progress of Chris
| tianity in this part of the world has amelio-
| rated very much the condition of the lower
classes; allowing for this, we could easily
| depict how abiect must have been the deg
| radiation and seryitude of their ancestors.
| After hunting about for some little time,
| we secured the stylish vehicle of Capri 1t
was unique affair, but was suited to our
purpose, if it did not come to the sad end o1
the one horse shay; and in it we started tc
| make a tour of the island We passed long
line of women toiling up the mountain
some carrying two boulders apiece on theil
heads, weighing 75 or 100 pounds, to lay 9
| wall; some bearing baskets of cobble stones
L l.. nd Of nor in
soil for gardens which they had scraped
from inches in the lodges and along the
shore. Four especially attracted our atten
tion. as they bore down the steep cliff OF
their heads the largest Saratoga trunk
They had to brace backwards, and take eacf
step most cautiously, calling constantly to
each other to take care lest a mis-ster
should swing the weight on one side and
bring the trunk down with deadly crust
on the spine of either sister. Yet an eye
witness when these women started, told us
they actually quarrelled with the men serv
ants at the hotel to get the job, so anxious
are they to get few centimes. The trav
eller who owned this load of Paris confec-
tions, and the porters-exotics from Switzer
land-rode leisurely down the path. W.
made friends with our yetturino, who wa
disposed to be very communicative, and b.
means of jumble of poor Proyencal Frencl
and low italian, a curious medley of speecl
common in Southern Italy, he contriyed tt
point out the prominent features of Capri
such as the ruins Of Tiberius's castle on th'
eastern promontory, the forts built by Bona
parte, the monastery and the English GENE
terry AS we drove along, we remarked hov
often the history of this island had been re
peated, in its general features, all over Chris
tian Europe: first, a pagan reign OF terror
destroyed by its own presumptuous folly
and spiritual darkness; and then the occu
pancy of its ruins, both material and moral
by the church of the Middle Ages, which ha
held despotic sway over the people for cen
turies; but change has come here as il
northern lands, for the papal power is yield
ing its sceptre to the progressive administra
tion of the benefcent king OF re-unite'
Italy.
We were rejoiced to learn that the conven
tual estates, which have absorbed so mucl
of the wealth of the country, are being de
voted to educational and charitable pun
poses, and that many monasteries and nun
| neriaS are filled with Destitute children,