I Sprang Into
The Midst Of A Clamorous Conflict; Half A Dozen Men Were Quarreling
For Possession Of Me.
No sooner was my luggage on shore than they
flung themselves upon it.
By what force of authority I know not, one
of the fellows triumphed; he turned to me with a satisfied smile,
and - presented his wife.
"Mia sposa, signore!"
Wondering, and trying to look pleased, I saw the woman seize the
portmanteau (a frightful weight), fling it on to her head, and march
away at a good speed. The crowd and I followed to the dogana,
close by, where as vigorous a search was made as I have ever had to
undergo. I puzzled the people; my arrival was an unwonted thing, and
they felt sure I was a trader of some sort. Dismissed under
suspicion, I allowed the lady to whom I had been introduced to guide
me townwards. Again she bore the portmanteau on her head, and
evidently thought it a trifle, but as the climbing road lengthened,
and as I myself began to perspire in the warm sunshine, I looked at
my attendant with uncomfortable feelings. It was a long and winding
way, but the woman continued to talk and laugh so cheerfully that I
tried to forget her toil. At length we reached a cabin where the
dazio (town dues) officer presented himself, and this
conscientious person insisted on making a fresh examination of my
baggage; again I explained myself, again I was eyed suspiciously;
but he released me, and on we went. I had bidden my guide take me to
the best inn; it was the Leone, a little place which looked from
the outside like an ill-kept stable, but was decent enough within.
The room into which they showed me had a delightful prospect. Deep
beneath the window lay a wild, leafy garden, and lower on the
hillside a lemon orchard shining with yellow fruit; beyond, the
broad pebbly beach, far seen to north and south, with its white foam
edging the blue expanse of sea. There I descried the steamer from
which I had landed, just under way for Sicily. The beauty of this
view, and the calm splendour of the early morning, put me into
happiest mood. After little delay a tolerable breakfast was set
before me, with a good rough wine; I ate and drank by the window,
exulting in what I saw and all I hoped to see.
Guide-books had informed me that the corriere (mail-diligence)
from Paola to Cosenza corresponded with the arrival of the Naples
steamer, and, after the combat on the beach, my first care was to
inquire about this. All and sundry made eager reply that the
corriere had long since gone; that it started, in fact, at 5 A.M.,
and that the only possible mode of reaching Cosenza that day was to
hire a vehicle. Experience of Italian travel made me suspicious, but
it afterwards appeared that I had been told the truth. Clearly, if I
wished to proceed at once, I must open negotiations at my inn, and,
after a leisurely meal, I did so. Very soon a man presented himself
who was willing to drive me over the mountains - at a charge which
I saw to be absurd; the twinkle in his eye as he named the sum
sufficiently enlightened me. By the book it was no more than a
journey of four hours; my driver declared that it would take from
seven to eight. After a little discussion he accepted half the
original demand, and went off very cheerfully to put in his horses.
For an hour I rambled about the town's one street, very picturesque
and rich in colour, with rushing fountains where women drew fair
water in jugs and jars of antique beauty. Whilst I was thus
loitering in the sunshine, two well-dressed men approached me, and
with somewhat excessive courtesy began conversation. They understood
that I was about to drive to Cosenza. A delightful day, and a
magnificent country! They too thought of journeying to Cosenza, and,
in short, would I allow them to share my carriage? Now this was
annoying; I much preferred to be alone with my thoughts; but it
seemed ungracious to refuse. After a glance at their smiling faces,
I answered that whatever room remained in the vehicle was at their
service - on the natural understanding that they shared the
expense; and to this, with the best grace in the world, they at once
agreed. We took momentary leave of each other, with much bowing and
flourishing of hats, and the amusing thing was that I never beheld
those gentlemen again.
Fortunately - as the carriage proved to be a very small one, and
the sun was getting very hot; with two companions I should have had
an uncomfortable day. In front of the Leone a considerable number
of loafers had assembled to see me off, and of these some half-dozen
were persevering mendicants. It disappointed me that I saw no
interesting costume; all wore the common, colourless garb of our
destroying age. The only vivid memory of these people which remains
with me is the cadence of their speech. Whilst I was breakfasting,
two women stood at gossip on a near balcony, and their utterance was
a curious exaggeration of the Neapolitan accent; every sentence rose
to a high note, and fell away in a long curve of sound, sometimes a
musical wail, more often a mere whining. The protraction of the last
word or two was really astonishing; again and again I fancied that
the speaker had broken into song. I cannot say that the effect was
altogether pleasant; in the end such talk would tell severely on
civilized nerves, but it harmonized with the coloured houses, the
luxuriant vegetation, the strange odours, the romantic landscape.
In front of the vehicle were three little horses; behind it was
hitched an old shabby two-wheeled thing, which we were to leave
somewhere for repairs.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 3 of 40
Words from 2081 to 3086
of 40398
