40 Tales of the Dead. [JULY, 



tons; his hair tastefully braided, and kept together by some fair maiden's 

 riband; his pistols and his trusty stiletto stuck in a rich silk girdle; 

 an enormous sabre trailing behind him with a formidable rattle ; a well- 

 burnished carbine slung across his shoulders ; only fancy a knight of the 

 road armed thus at all points, posted on the summit of a rock, bidding 

 bold defiance to the abyss beneath ; singing and fighting, fighting and 

 singing ; making alliance one day with the Pope, the next with the Em- 

 peror ; receiving ransom for the strangers that fall into his hands as for 

 so many slaves; drinking his delicious rosolio; ruling the roast at taverns ; 

 throwing the handkerchief to village beauties ; and always sure of dying 

 on a bed of state, or swinging from a gibbet. Picture to yourself, if you 

 can, such a charming life, and then judge what I have lost." 



" Lost, say you ? And yet, if I may judge, you must have been rather 

 a shy bird to catch. If you have given up the trade, I suppose it was 

 with your own free consent." 



" Indeed !" replied the bandit. " You little know how matters stand. 

 But if you had been hanged, like me ." 



" You hanged ?" And I involuntarily started back. 



" Ay, hanged ! and all owing to an excess of devotion. You must 

 know, that on a certain beauteous evening I was snugly concealed in 

 one of those impenetrable defiles that border Terracina and, sinner that 

 I was, as I gazed upon the moon, that rose so brilliant and looked so 

 lovely, I recollected that for a long time I had not made an offering of 

 the tithe of my booty to the Madonna. By a singular coincidence, it 

 happened that on that very day was celebrated the fete of the Virgin, 

 all Italy had already resounded with the homage paid to the blessed 

 shrine ; I alone, unworthy pagan ! had not even muttered an ave-maria ! 

 Determined, however, to make up for lost time, I descended towards the 

 valley with rapid strides, and, as I went along, poetically admired the soft 

 silvery reflexion of the stars in the broad lake. I arrived at Terracina 

 at the moment when the moon shone brightest ; and, wholly bent on my 

 devotion to the Madonna, I boldly traversed a crowd of Italian peasants, 

 who were enjoying the cool evening air at the threshold of their doors. 

 Never once reflecting that every eye was fixed on me, I arrived at the 

 church porch. Only one of the folding doors was open ; on the other 

 was posted a large placard, which contained a most flattering description 

 of my person, and agreeably tickled my vanity by informing me that a 

 high price was set upon my head. Nothing daunted, I entered the 

 church, an Italian church too, with its fretwork arches, its aerial dome, 

 its altar of white marble, its delicious perfume of incense, and the last 

 lingering sounds of the organ that died upon the breeze. The sainted 

 image of the Madonna was encircled with flowers. I prostrated myself 

 before her, and offered her a handsome share of my booty, a diamond 

 cross that had been worn by a young Sicilian beauty, and a small English 

 box of elaborate workmanship. The Virgin appeared satisfied with my 

 pious homage. I arose with confidence, and was preparing to depart in 

 peace for my mountain, when, just at the church-door, I was seized from 

 behind, and dragged by a set of ill-favoured police blood-hounds to a 

 dungeon, whence there was no escape, for not a petticoat was to be seen 

 in the place ; and as I had not a pistole in the world the jailor was 

 inexorable." 



" And so you were hanged, my honest fellow ?" 



" By the Virgin, the very next morning ! Great pains were taken to 



