Having Ascended One Side, And
Descended The Other, Of The Mountain Called Braus, Which Took Up
Four Hours, Though The Road Is Not Bad, We At Six Reached The
Village Of Sospello, Which Is Agreeably Situated In A Small
Valley, Surrounded By Prodigious High And Barren Mountains.
This
little plain is pretty fertile, and being watered by a pleasant
stream, forms a delightful contrast with the hideous rocks that
surround it.
Having reposed myself and my mules two hours at this
place, we continued our journey over the second mountain, called
Brovis, which is rather more considerable than the first, and in
four hours arrived at La Giandola, a tolerable inn situated
betwixt the high road and a small river, about a gunshot from the
town of Brieglie, which we leave on the right. As we jogged along
in the grey of the morning, I was a little startled at two
figures which I saw before me, and began to put my pistols in
order. It must be observed that these mountains are infested with
contrabandiers, a set of smuggling peasants, very bold and
desperate, who make a traffic of selling tobacco, salt, and other
merchandize, which have not payed duty, and sometimes lay
travellers under contribution. I did not doubt but there was a
gang of these free-booters at hand; but as no more than two
persons appeared, I resolved to let them know we were prepared
for defence, and fired one of my pistols, in hope that the report
of it, echoed from the surrounding rocks, would produce a proper
effect:
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 489 of 535
Words from 131113 to 131376
of 143308
