Trunks were turned inside out, and all the
finery and the frippery of the Popkins family scattered about the road.
Such a chaos of Venice beads and Roman mosaics; and Paris bonnets of
the young ladies, mingled with the alderman's night-caps and lamb's
wool stockings, and the dandy's hair-brushes, stays, and starched
cravats.
The gentlemen were eased of their purses and their watches; the ladies
of their jewels, and the whole party were on the point of being carried
up into the mountain, when fortunately the appearance of soldiery at a
distance obliged the robbers to make off with the spoils they had
secured, and leave the Popkins family to gather together the remnants
of their effects, and make the best of their way to Fondi.
When safe arrived, the alderman made a terrible blustering at the inn;
threatened to complain to the ambassador at Naples, and was ready to
shake his cane at the whole country. The dandy had many stories to tell
of his scuffles with the brigands, who overpowered him merely by
numbers. As to the Misses Popkins, they were quite delighted with the
adventure, and were occupied the whole evening in writing it in their
journals. They declared the captain of the band to be a most
romantic-looking man; they dared to say some unfortunate lover, or
exiled nobleman:
