Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-26

Stops, and herded at night on stone
benches for sleep. The montanaro or
mountaineer, the atore or ploughman,
the pecorajo or shepherd, the vigna-
10 or vine-dresser, the vendemmistore or
grape-gather, the miltere or reaper, and
every manner of human animal that
labors with fiocks or in vineyard or field,
is in fact contadino or villager, living
IN low and poisonous novels in cities or
hamlets, from out of which, as we saw
on several occasions, the hoIlow-eyed
crowds pour before daylight, munching
their food as they dragged themselves to
their f1ocks in the mountains or their toll
in the vineyards and fields. 1t is very
picturesque and poetic, no doubt. But
some of the scales are dropping from my
own eyes regarding these
MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES.
The poet that can sing here to-day save
against the curse OF power and human
enslavement, has a towards heart
and sycophant's tongue; and
those echoes of the stately
classics sounding through the centu-
ries in the ears of one before whose tear
stained eyes these Nineteenth century
serf-chattels pass and repass in vilest
bondage, become the loathsome and
hat eful mookeries of wronged and out
ragged race.
1t is no wonder that brigandage still
f1ourlshes in such lands, and that the
Iowly. who are too spiritless to become
brigands, hold a deep though secret
sympathy for this class of the population.
1 am sure l should organize, or become
member, of such q band, were L COM
PEELED to live in Sicily. They
are not murderoUs fellows like their
brethren of the Italian peninsula, or of
Spain. They simply courteously relieve
you of your lighter belongings, such as
coin and jewelry, wish you good voyage,
and return to their mountain homes, be-
slowing gifts among the poor and at
roadside chapels as they go. Balbino
gave me his word for it that they are the
noblest dispensers of charity in the whole
island; oftentimes succorlng the deserted
and starving; are not altogether in
disfayor with the poorer clergy from
their frequent timely munific-
ences; and at death are duly
shriven and occasionally mourned.
They certainly infest the entire way be-
tween Catanla and Palermo; and my
of the humber caste for a companion
was more than once proven. Between
this class of landlords and tho brigands
the best of understanding prevails; for
without their custom innkeeping away
from the larger cities would be sorry
vocation IN Sicily. They are harbOred in
the little alberghettos as priced guests.
Here they gain knowledge of the move
ments of parties worth plundering, and
communicate the same to their comrades
IN different parts of the island. Even the
carbiners who are occasionally detailed
as escorts to travelling parties are
familiar with their faces and
and preserve a discreet
silence to the authorities, unless inter
fered with themselves. At every road
side inn from Aderno to Palermo we
found these fellows enjoying themselves
and, on two occasions at
Leonforte and Misilmeri they were hob
nobing over their pipes and wine in q
most delightful fashion with detaoh-
ments Of soldIery. Nor were BalbinO
and myself ever shut out from this pecu-
liar companlonship. But the highest
test of mutual trust and kindness was
shown at Misilmeri. Here, as / had Of
fered Balbino the privilege of returning
by steamer to Catania, he accepted my
offer and informed me that his "frieEds'
would pass both our dOnkeys and their
hire back along the way IN safety to their
owner at Giardini; after which pleasant
we descended the noun
tains by diligence to the beautiful city of
Palermo by the sea.
EDGAR L. WAKEMAN.