He then approached the threshold alone with
noiseless steps. He examined the outside of the door very narrowly, and
then returning precipitately, made a sign for the troop to continue its
march in silence. It has since been ascertained that this was one of
those infamous inns which are the secret resorts of banditti. The
innkeeper had an understanding with the captain, as he most probably
had with the chiefs of the different bands. When any of the patroles
and gens d'armes were quartered at his house, the brigands were warned
of it by a preconcerted signal on the door; when there was no such
signal, they might enter with safety and be sure of welcome. Many an
isolated inn among the lonely parts of the Roman territories, and
especially on the skirts of the mountains, have the same dangerous and
suspicious character. They are places where the banditti gather
information; where they concert their plans, and where the unwary
traveller, remote from hearing or assistance, is sometimes betrayed to
the stiletto of the midnight murderer.
After pursuing our road a little farther, we struck off towards the
Woody mountains which envelope Rocca Priori. Our march was long and
painful, with many circuits and windings; at length we clambered a
steep ascent, covered with a thick forest, and when we had reached the
centre, I was told to seat myself on the earth. No sooner had I done
so, than at a sign from their chief, the robbers surrounded me, and
spreading their great cloaks from one to the other, formed a kind of
pavilion of mantles, to which their bodies might be said to seem as
columns. The captain then struck a light, and a flambeau was lit
immediately. The mantles were extended to prevent the light of the
flambeau from being seen through the forest. Anxious as was my
situation, I could not look round upon this screen of dusky drapery,
relieved by the bright colors of the robbers' under-dresses, the
gleaming of their weapons, and the variety of strong-marked
countenances, lit up by the flambeau, without admiring the picturesque
effect of the scene. It was quite theatrical.
The captain now held an ink-horn, and giving me pen and paper, ordered
me to write what he should dictate. I obeyed. It was a demand, couched
in the style of robber eloquence, "that the prince should send three
thousand dollars for my ransom, or that my death should be the
consequence of a refusal."
I knew enough of the desperate character of these beings to feel
assured this was not an idle menace. Their only mode of insuring
attention to their demands, is to make the infliction of the penalty
inevitable. I saw at once, however, that the demand was preposterous,
and made in improper language.
I told the captain so, and assured him, that so extravagant a sum would
never be granted; that I was neither friend or relative of the prince,
but a mere artist, employed to execute certain paintings. That I had
nothing to offer as a ransom but the price of my labors; if this were
not sufficient, my life was at their disposal: it was a thing on which
I sat but little value.
I was the more hardy in my reply, because I saw that coolness and
hardihood had an effect upon the robbers. It is true, as I finished
speaking the captain laid his hand upon his stiletto, but he restrained
himself, and snatching the letter, folded it, and ordered me, in a
peremptory tone, to address it to the prince. He then despatched one of
the laborers with it to Tusculum, who promised to return with all
possible speed.
The robbers now prepared themselves for sleep, and I was told that I
might do the same. They spread their great cloaks on the ground, and
lay down around me. One was stationed at a little distance to keep
watch, and was relieved every two hours. The strangeness and wildness
of this mountain bivouac, among lawless beings whose hands seemed ever
ready to grasp the stiletto, and with whom life was so trivial and
insecure, was enough to banish repose. The coldness of the earth and of
the dew, however, had a still greater effect than mental causes in
disturbing my rest. The airs wafted to these mountains from the distant
Mediterranean diffused a great chilliness as the night advanced. An
expedient suggested itself. I called one of my fellow prisoners, the
laborers, and made him lie down beside me. Whenever one of my limbs
became chilled I approached it to the robust limb of my neighbor, and
borrowed some of his warmth. In this way I was able to obtain a little
sleep.
Day at length dawned, and I was roused from my slumber by the voice of
the chieftain. He desired me to rise and follow him. I obeyed. On
considering his physiognomy attentively, it appeared a little softened.
He even assisted me in scrambling up the steep forest among rocks and
brambles. Habit had made him a vigorous mountaineer; but I found it
excessively toilsome to climb those rugged heights. We arrived at
length at the summit of the mountain.
Here it was that I felt all the enthusiasm of my art suddenly awakened;
and I forgot, in an instant, all perils and fatigues at this
magnificent view of the sunrise in the midst of the mountains of
Abruzzi. It was on these heights that Hannibal first pitched his camp,
and pointed out Rome to his followers. The eye embraces a vast extent
of country. The minor height of Tusculum, with its villas, and its
sacred ruins, lie below; the Sabine hills and the Albanian mountains
stretch on either hand, and beyond Tusculum and Frescati spreads out
the immense Campagna, with its line of tombs, and here and there a
broken aqueduct stretching across it, and the towers and domes of the
eternal city in the midst.
