The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1888-11-16
APT TX.
THE roCsrN.

PteIO accompanied M0S3niello some dis
t21ce along tho road leading to the place
where his men were waiting for him.
SWELL" said the young fisherman, ''since
yen wish to be useful, take your aflance6
with you to tho Abbey Of Santa Chiara,
which I nave supplied with fish for the last
two years, and the abbess Of which will not
refuse to tako my sister in. II we are van
quished, Jeanne, while there, will escape the
brutality Of our murderers, and my mind
viii 10 at rest about her"
II will" SAID tho ~smuggler; "what nextr'
"As soon as Jeanne is In safety, 20 to the
gate of the Marina, and keep an eye on Cor
dHli and his band. ! mistrnst this man.
There is, or / greatly mistake, some fatal
project hidden beneath his profSered SER
vices"
"Good," said Pietro, and they shook hands
and separated.
Two hours after, a curious scene occurred
place, and before tho very office of the GUS
toms, which had been reduced to ruins.
The collector and his officers, who had been
driven away the day before, returned early
in the morning to resume their functions,
escorted by a company of lansqucnets, WHO
had been sent on purpose to protect and de
fend them.
The officers, visibly uneasy. set about pre-
pairing to receive the market dues.
IN about an hour, a number of men, WALL.
ing two and two, were observed coming
along, with the greatest regularity. Each
man who carried q basket of fruit had ut his
eide a companion who carried nothing, but
whose right hand, buried in his bosom,
seemed to clasp IN offensive arm.
The head of the cortege stopped before tho
custom house.
+" The collector called on the man who came
first to pay his dues. He pretended to s,Sb-
init his basket of watermelons to the inspec.
tion Of the officer, but the latter, on ap-
preaching, suddenly felt his throat touched
BY the sharp point Of a dagger.
The companion of the mar carrying the
basket had just drawn his hand from be-
meath his jacket, and cried out, in u voice of
thunder:
"Back with youi from today the people
pay no more market dues"
The officer drew back, terrified.
Then came a basket of figs, and the figs
passed like the Internationally the aid of
the dagger.
The whole cortege went by in the same
manner.
At the first sign of violence the custom
0OacO oiAiOCio hhd CAiiCu I'LL bhC OOilBdul VI
~lansquenets for aid and protection; but the
facetious Germans were so amused Mt the
scene passing before them, that they ex-
tinguished their matches, shouldered their
muskets and began clapping their hands, like
che market women standing around, and
laughed heartily ut the disconnected appear
ance of the collector, at the fright Of his sub
alterns and at the imperturbability with
which the insurgents followed the example
Of their leader. For it was Masaniello who
opened the procession.
Having stopped tho peasants along the
road and at the gates of the city, he had no
difficulty in inducing them to refuse to pay
the market dues.
Maddened by the conduct of the lansque-
nets, the collector rushed through the narrow
streets that surrounded the place, and soon
reappeared with a squadron Of r~eiters, q
grotesque kind OF horsemen, whose isordered
costume and reckless appearance made them
look like so many beggars on horseback. and
who can only be compared to the Cossacks Of
the present day.
Masaniello saw them issue forth from the
streets leading to the vicaria.
Lazaroni, mariners, porters and peasants
all had their eyes bent on Masaniello, and
were ready to obey his nod and rush to death
on a single sign from him. Every fruit seller
had orders to remain perfectly quiet, by the
side OF his baskets and his companion, whose
dagger was again hidden beneath his rags.
Masaniello kept his eye constantly fxed on
q dark edifcc, which might nave been taken
for a fortress IL a tapering spire had not tow
cred above It's ramparts. This was the con-
vent Of the reverend Franciscan fathers, fur
nished with battlements and bastions, like
that Of the monks of st. Benedict. Twenty
stalwart men had been sent through the back
streets, and before tho inmates of the con.
vent could receive an alarm had forced an
entrance, and taken possession Of tho belfry.
Masaniello saw n red flag floating out of
n Of the tower windows.
"My men arc there" said he.
Three other bands, sent in different dircc-
tions, had also made themselves masters of
the bells of Santo Filippo di Neri, of Santo
Domenico. and Of tho cathedral.
At the first signal the tocsin was to be