They lifted the corpse into their boat, and laid it on the prow, the head resting on the arm. The little boy was watching for them; and when he saw the seventh man, he thought he was some other fisherman who had fallen asleep after his night of work.
He cheerily called out, "Breakfast is ready; come along!" and ran to the hut to see that all was right.
When the six were seated at the table, the boy asked, "Where is the other man? Will he not have breakfast too?"
"Why, isn't he here? You had better run and call him," answered one of the men.
The boy ran to the canal and called out loudly, "Breakfast is ready, and there is enough for you. Why do you not come?" Getting no answer, the boy went again to the hut, saying, "What ails him? He will not speak."
"Ah," said another, "the old fool is deaf. You must shout at him and swear a little."
Again the boy went down and shouted, "The others wait for you. Come along, old fool!" But again the man moved not.
The third time back to the hut ran the boy, saying, "Come, one of you! He will not wake for me." But they only laughed and said, "Go shake his leg, and say we cannot wait till doomsday for him."
The boy did as he was bid, and clambered into the boat, and shook the man, who then sat up on the prow and said, "Go back and tell them I am coming." Then the boy hastened back, and found the men all laughing and joking, and he cried out, "It is all right now, and he is coming."
Suddenly the laughter ceased, and the six men turned ashy pale. They heard the footsteps approaching, and soon the dead man came in and sat in the boy's place. The eyes of the others were fixed on him, and they could neither eat nor speak. They could not turn their eyes from the stranger's face, and their blood was gradually chilled in their veins; and when the sun was risen, seven dead men sat around the table, and the poor little boy was alone. It is from this event that the valle is called the Valle dei Sette Morti.