The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-04-27

hut, hamlet, villa and every manner of en-
closure, glorious with vines and flowers.
But where we rode no living thing grew
save withered heath No stream coursed
across our way; no fountain murmured by
the roadside. The radiation of the sun
from the lava-road gave heat intense and
sutfocating, while the dust from the pow
dered scoriw at times seemed almost intol-
cradle. Nearing Aderno rich masses of In
dian fig and olive began shutting out the
hldeous lava-beds, and the immediate sur
roundings of the weird old place are as lux
uriant as can be found on the southern
slopes of Cuba. One can hardly discover
another queer old spot like this in all Eu-
rope. 1t is simply a solid mass of converts
and nunneries. on the site of the ancient
Sikelian city of Hadranum, the religious
houses, founded 74O years ago by Roger l.,
being supported by immense landed es-
tates. Over one half of the II, 600 souls are
inmates of, or are in some way attached to
these institutions; while all the remainder,
excepting the nobility and few comforta-
BILE merchants, are mere dependents. IRE
mendous grated structures rise errace-llke
above each other; and with prisons and old
Norman keeps, comprise all there is of the
city save the huts of the lowly clustered be-
meath their walls and the burrows of the
lazzaroni reeking with filth and disease.
There is not an inn in the place an average
American would utilize as a pig-sty. Foul
vapors hang like fetid whispers of death
within its streets. The place choked me.
could not remain within it. And so. as
we had now reached the old Roman road
Leading from Catania to Palermo. battled
with Balbino so valorously that at last we
set forth late at night, with a vicious, jeer.
ing rabble at our heels, which followed us
until we had passed the gates: and some
time after midnight, being halted by the
government guards stationed at the west
ern approach to the bridge across the Sim
eto river to intercept mountaineer brigands,
by the proper application of Sicilian coin,
secured good lettering and grazing for our
| Jaded animals and excellent shelter in some
spare hunks belonging to the carbineers
themselves.
The distance from the Simeto river to Pa
lermo Is about l2O miles. We travelled this
on our excellent donkeys in four DAYS, with
time to spare for brief excursions from the
main highway to objects of special interest
The face of the country is mountainous
| save where now and then infreGuent level
plains intervene. The mountainous districts
recall some of the sterile and forbidding
heights of Spain. The plains, though ex-
ceedingly fertile seem uninhabited and as if
deserted by some former people who might
have possessed them years ago. Italy and
Sicily are ':sunny" enough; cereals, fruits
and flowers are almost tropically luxariant:
but how can the humane traveller rave over
the glorles of pagan ruins, the massiyeness
drals and fortresses, or the dazzling palaces
| of the nobility of to-day, when almost the
| entire people of Il land are the serfs of few;
when the lowly comprise all but the no.
bllty, the governing classes and ecclesias-
| tics: and when doubtless 100000 souls out
of Sicllys ., 5S4 ,099 inhabitants are as am
bitlonless, ignorant and sodden as swine.
An infinite compassion fires ones heart for
| the hopelessness of such a people: and when
| interest IN tremendous natural phenomena,
classic regions and old-age remains. lessons,
| the pltlable and pathetic side of life in such
a land begins to possess and hurt you. Any
| land Boosting no progressive farming pop
| ulatlon masters of the soil they till, with
| out fairly contented peasantry possessing
secure and well-detined rights in their hold
inss. is doomed to desertion and decay.
| piled Balbino with all manner of ques-
tioning as to where were the farmhouses
| the peasartry's cabins, even the cottiers
huts of Sicily. The little old innkeeper OF
! Catania seemed almost unable to compre-
! bend my meaning. In all the distance
| from Etna to Palermo and to the right and
left as far as the eye could reach
| but seven "farmhouses" had been seen
| These were not farmhouses as VT
| know them. Each was a desolatt
stone structure, inhabited by the famil,
| of some sopratendente or overseer, wher,
tools are stored, and in the busiest sea
sons OF labor gang of wolfsh-face mel
and women are ted on slops. and herded a
night on stone benches for sleep. TIT
| montanaro or mountaineer, the atore o.
plou9hman. the pecorajo or shepherd. tn
| vignaJo or vine dresser, the vandemmiator'
or grape -Ratherer, the miltets OF reaper