THE BRIGANDS OF APULIA. 563 



brigands. He is a man six feet high, strong as Hercules, but quiet 

 as a lamb. Already informed of the object of my journey, he was 

 eager to gratify my curiosity ; but I shall allow him to speak foj 

 himself. 



The Vardarelli were not novices in the work of assassination; for 

 they had been carrying on a system of rapine and murder for ten 

 years. Reinforced by the royalists and the Carbonari, leagued 

 against the French, who were then masters of the capital. Such S3 

 they were under the French, were they under the legitimate king, 

 burning and murdering as before : they burnt farms, they seques- 

 tered and ransomed the proprietors^ as the receiver-general has 

 doubtless told you ; for stopped by them in the Val de Bovino, he 

 was carried into the woods, and obliged to pny 5,600 ducats for his 

 ransom. 



The government sent out against them a captain at the head of a 

 company of 120 men, the whole of which fell into the hands of the 

 Varodelli. The soldiers were sent back by them with all the honours 

 of war, and a piaster a-head ; but their commander was treated with 

 the greatest ignominy. 



" It is here that ray part in the drama commenced. Some time 

 afterwards they assassinated my father," and he twice repeated these 

 words with terrible energy, while his large dark eyes flashed fire, - 

 " they assassinated my father, sir ! and our maxim is, that blood 

 must be washed out by blood ' vangue lava sangue.' My cause was 

 mine own. I did not refer it to justice ; that would have been a 

 baseness ; besides, what would such a course have availed me ? I 

 mounted my horse, and traversed the public square, crying aloud 

 ' they have murdered my father ! revenge !' Several people followed 

 me we commenced our march. 



" This time the band had not to do with Lazaroni, and were afraid. 

 We beat for a length of time the woods to no purpose. The bandits 

 fled before us, and carefully concealed themselves. But revenge was 

 my object : I was resolved to shed their blood who had shed mine. 

 One night we came up with them, but they escaped in the darkness 

 of the forest. Being thus unable to overtake them, we resolved to 

 lay an ambush for them ; we in consequence concerted with the in- 

 habitants of Ururi, who had suffered considerably from their depre- 

 dations. Our cause was theirs, and they eagerly joined us for the 

 purpose of exterminating them. 



" This was in the month of April, 1818. We concealed ourselves 

 one very dark night in the village, and the Ururais enticed them 

 into the place. The band arrived on horseback, and dismounted in 

 the square. We immediately surrounded them ; the fire commenced 

 amid the darkness : the fusilade was kept up on both sides for some 

 time, but growing impatient, we rushed upon them with our knives. 

 Soon the very women'and children of the place took part in the com- 

 bat. We fought all night knife to knife; and in the morning I 

 pursued the miserable wrecks of the band to the extremity of La 

 Pugilia. The square was strewn with the bodies of the slain I had 

 enough of blood ! 



