The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-05-22
Hunting
Cicero's Villa
By WILLIAM

l was very green when l went to
Italy-that is, about Italy. I had been
used to going anywhere in America
without thought of injury, unless late
ut night in certain parts of great cities.
20 l supposed l would be as safe in
Italy. have always been fond OF
walking, and when in Rome instead
Of going about among the environs in
q trolley or other vehicle I tramped.
A man may walk all over Italy and
not be injured, but there are certain
chances that he will be robbed or muir
dered or kidnapped.
l was bunting for one Of the many
ruins Of Cicero's villa. The site in
Italy is like what General Washing
toms body servant was half a century
ago. The old negro expired every few
years until he got beyond a possible
age. then took his final leave. l had
heard of one of CicerO's dwellings be-
yond the Campagna in a southeasterly
direction and resolved to visit it. |
hunted all day, finally finding a few
stones, which might have once been
q part Of a villa OF a wall inclosing a
pasture. 1t was too late to return to
Rome that night, so l looked about me
for q place to spend the night. Seeing
a house on a hill e by, l went there
and found q stone structure that might
once have been a villa. but was now
occupied by the lowest grade Of Ital-
ians.
! was told by a surly Italian man
that couldn't stay ~there-they had NJ
room to spare. This surprised me. for
they were evidently very poor. and
one Of this class would usually sleep
o0t IN the cold himself for a few lire.
I asked If there was any conveyance
at hand, and when he said no l told
him that l was going to stay in the
house whether made welcome or not.
The man, a bag and a younger WON
an consulted angrily in Italian with
each other. Not understanding their
language, l did not know what they
said. but finally they consented to let
me remain. They gave me some black
bread-all they had for supper-and l
smoked before going to bed. Two
more men came in while l was eating
and on seeing me looked very much
disgruntled. 1t occurred to me that If
they wished to murder me they would
be pleased to have m stay with them.
Consequently I was in no danger. But
I could not make out why they con-
sidered me an intruder.
On being shown to my room, not be-
ing pleased with the looks OF, the bed.
/ spread my %overcoat on 1t and lay
down on the coat without undressing.
] hadn't lain there long before l heard
q tapping on the wall beside me-. I
was not long in understanding that
some n was rapping by the telegraph
code. But the language was not Eng
lish. / had picked up the telegraph
code some years before while station
agent on a railroad, but l knew no
other language than English. l under
stood a few words Of French and knew
that the rapper was talking In that
language. ! concluded to try English
and asked who was rapping.
A reply came In English, mixed with
little French. The person FIRST ask
Cd me who l vas and on my replying
that I was an American. stopping in
the house for the night, raped back
that he was q French amateur ar
ohaeologist. that he had been hunting
bor Cicero's villa and that while doing
- had been surrounded BY several
men, brought to the house and held fOI
ransom. he had sent to Rome foE
10000 lire $4,000 and was AWAITING
~ i..ee
/.