The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1888-04-19
THE oAv ooNooL,ea.

Delight Of Might Ride With Two lntsx1.
Gated Venetian Doatmsn.
At Venice had my first experience
in gondolA after arriving late at
night. 1t was certainly new sensa-
ton to walk from the station down
wide slippery steps to embark in .
funeral looking craft the covered
center Of which looked for all the
world like coffin. The gondolas are
covered with black and tho central
portion is studded with old.fashioned
coffin.nails. Any thing more uncom-
Portable than these covered compare
ments It would be hard TO find. Per.
haps upon o pleasant evening one
could recline upon pile Of rugs and
by lying perfectly fat get his head low
enough to be able to get view out Of
the window. But in the practical
riding Of every day life your head is
in the top Of the root fully foot above
the topline Of the. window. 1t is so
cramped that a person can not cit up-
right. / shall never forget my
departure from Venice the fol-
lowing night During the day
I had taken short ride In
one Of the open gondolas, and found
that fairly comfortable way Of going
about But when night came again Il
rained in perfect torrents. The hour
of starting was late The two boat
men IN EkSrge Of the gondola chartered
to take me to the station had been
drinking and we're much excited by IL
They were in dripping oil skins I
climbed into my coffin compartment
with q young English friend and. our
luggage being placed in front of us.
filled the box up completely. Then
the gay gondoliers started of with US
and made short cuts down through the
darkest of side canals where there was
not o single light I could see nothing
except the narrow line Of dim light
cleaning from the black waters
through the narrow window The
gondoliers sang and chanted uproari.
Gus songs and cries whenever they
reached a corner or bend In the
canal, SO as to warn approaching z
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 maxi
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 Iwould roar with laughter.
as il they had on idea that the occu-
pants Of the coffin were thereby
paralysed with terror They evident.
ly labored to produce that disagreea-
BILE impression upon the people whom
they were called upon 10 carry
through such u storm at such late
hour at night. Bat no remonstrance
came from the coffin. Neither the
representative Of England nor Of the
United States felt like showing any
nervousness. Our silence and conl>
posure were construed in compli-
me ntarY way for when we filed on.
at the station after our ride tho boat
men salutsd us and said "Amer-
icanos'' rs we passed. The peculiar
feature Of the gondoliers is the way
they demand their pourboires They
neve r Wilt until they get to the end
Of their Journey. When they are nea,
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 II 1t IL
not promptly forthcoming the passen
gers will never reach the shore. :
| Florence Letter.