St. Landry democrat., 1888-04-21
THE GAY GONDOLiER,
Delight of a Night Ride with Two Intoxi.
Gated Venetian Boatmen.

Delight of a Night Ride with Two Intoxi.
Gated Venetian Boatmen.
At Venice I had my first experien ce
in gondola. after arriving late at
night. 1t was certainly q new sensa-
ton to walk from the station down
wide slippery steps to embark in a
funeral-looking craft, the covered
center of which looked for all the
world like coffin. The gondolas are
covered with black and the central
portion is studded with old-fashioned
coffin mails. Any thing more IN COM
Portable than these covered compart-
ments it would be hard to find. Pr
haps upon a pleasant evening one
could recline upon pile of rugs and
by lying perfectly fiat get his head low
enough to be able to get view out of
the window. But in the practical
riding of every day life yonr head is
in the top of the root fully foot above
the topline of the window. 1t is so
cramped that person can not sit up
right. shall never forget my
departure from Venice the fol-
lowing night. During the day
had taken short ride in
one of the open gondolas. and found
that fairly comfortable way of going
about. But when night came again it
rained in perfect torrents. The hour
of starting was late. The two boat
men in charge of the gond ola chartered
to take me to the station had been
drinking and were much excited by it.
They were in dripping oil skins. I
climbed into my coffin compartment
with young English friend and, our
luggage beng placed in front of us.
filled the box up completely. Then
the gay gondoliers started off with us
and made short cuts down through the
darkest of side canals where there was
not single light. I could see nothing
except the narrow line Of dim light
cleaning from the black waters
through the narrow window The
gopdoliers sang and chanted uproari-
Gus songs and cries whenever they
reached corner or bend in the
canal, so as to warn approaching
boats against collision. The two gon-
doliers tried to outrow each other, by
way of variety. and succeeded by their
muscular and furious struggles in MAX
ing the boat wabble to the right and
left in way that threatened every
moment to upset our funeral
craft Every time the boat would
lurch in the widest possible way the
boatmen would roar with laughter,
as if they had an idea that the occu-
pants of the coffin were there by
paralyzed with terror They evident.
~ labored to produce that disagrcea-
BILE i'm preston upon the people whom
they were called upon to carry
through such storm at such late
hour at night. But no remonstrance
came from the coffin. Neither the
representative of England nor of the
United States felt Ike showing any
nervousness. Our silence and COM
posure were construed in compli-
me ntary way for when we filed out
at the station after our ride the boat
men saluted us and said ':Amer-
icanos' as we passed. The peculiar
eature Of the gondoliers is the way
they demand their pourboires. They
never wait until they get to the end
of their journey. When hey are near
port they cease rowing, lay dow their
oars. and demand their drink money
with the ferocious air of brigands,
leaving it to be inferred that if it is
not promptly forthcoming the passen-
gers will never reach the shore.
Florence Letter.