Here they were beset by beggars. The sight of this produced strange effects upon the little party. Uncle Moses, filled with pity, lavished money upon them, in spite of the remonstrances of the guide. Clive's sensitive nature shuddered at the spectacle. Frank tried to speak a few words of Italian to them, which he had caught from Michael Angelo. David muttered something about the ancient Romans, while Bob kept humming to himself these elegant verses:—
"Hark! hark! The dogs do bark!
Beggars come to town,
Some in rags, some in tags,
Some in a tattered gown!"
The beggars followed them as far as they could, and when they left them, reinforcements always arrived.
Thus they were beset by them at the crater of the extinct volcano of Solfatura.
They encountered them at the gateway of Cumae,
At the Grotto of the Comaean Sibyl,
At Nero's Baths,
At the Lucrine Lake,
At Baiae,
At Misenum,