In one of the fields I saw a countryman ploughing, while his little infant child lay under a tree; the mother, I suppose, had run off to gossip. Nothing can look more droll than one of these little things in swaddling-clothes. They wind long bandages of cloth tightly round the child from head to foot, so that it looks very like an Egyptian mummy, without being able to kick, wince, or sprawl, but may be rolled about like a stick of wood. This little fellow was stuck up against a tree, as stiff as a turkey skewered and spitted for roasting, his eyes rolling upward to the sky, and winking like a toad in the sunshine. I could not help bursting into a roar of laughter at the sight. The man stopped his oxen and looked round, intending, as I thought, to give me some rude greeting; but seeing me so convulsed with merriment, he joined in, and laughed as heartily as I did. I asked him if the children did not suffer from this tight swathing. He said no, but, on the contrary, they were very fond of it. I told him I doubted this very strongly; but he assured me the children never complained of it, and that was proof enough. I afterwards found this practice was common throughout all Italy.
I did not see a cow during the whole journey; horses too were of rare occurrence. The country people hardly ever own these animals; but, instead of them, use goats and asses, which are much cheaper. Pasturage for cows and horses is expensive; but the goats can clamber among the rocks and nibble the herbage that grows beyond the reach of man. The asses feed upon thistles, and any sort of coarse vegetation. The multitude of these animals makes the landscape look exceedingly picturesque to the eyes of an American. Nothing can be more diverting than the frolics and caperings of the little kids, as they gallop round their mothers while feeding. The young donkeys look very comically; they are ragged, scraggy and wild, and I have been many times startled by their uncouth appearance when I have met with them browsing among the lonely mouldering ruins. If it were not for their long ears, they might be taken for young lions.
I continued to pass rich cultivated fields and immense groves of olives. About the middle of the afternoon I came in sight of a wide extent of the coast of Calabria on the opposite side of the straits. The land was black, craggy and mountainous, with steep and rugged chasms. Nearly opposite, I could discern the white walls of Reggio. The sky, which had hitherto been clear and serene, now became obscured, and dark clouds gathered in the north-east. Presently I observed great heavy, spongy masses of cloud rolling down the Calabrian mountains toward the sea, looking very ragged and wild. I judged that a squall was about to burst upon us, for this narrow strait, hemmed in by mountains on each side, is particularly subject to sudden and violent gusts. The sky continued to grow blacker, and presently the wind came down the strait with a most furious blast, lashing the sea up into a perfect foam. There were twelve or fifteen vessels in sight, standing up the strait, when the squall came on. Among them were a Neapolitan sloop of war and an English merchant brig. The rest were small vessels with latine sails. All except the Englishman took in sail at the first appearance of the squall; they were familiar with these parts, and knew what was coming. The Englishman, thinking there could be no danger, kept all his canvass spread, when, in an instant, the blast struck him with such force that both masts snapped off like pipe-stems, and the vessel lay a mere hulk on the water. A heavy shower of rain came pouring down the next moment, which drove me into a house for shelter, and when the sky cleared up, there were no vessels to be seen. I continued my journey, and just after sunset arrived at Messina.
(To be continued.)
There is sense in truth, and truth in virtue.
A friend should bear his friend’s infirmities.
The Oak and the Reed.
A FABLE.