144 EEMINISCENCES OF A SPORTSMAN. 



of which had lived in perpetual feud (vendetta) for up- 

 wards of a century. " What makes this event most sin- 

 gular is, that it has been brought about by a notorious 

 bandit named Pietro Manas, a native of Perfugas, who 

 has been the terror of the country for the last twenty- 

 two years. He obtained a safe conduct from the 

 Grovernment, in order to be present at the ceremony of 

 reconciliation, and it was intimated to him that if he 

 would constitute himself a prisoner and submit to a 

 trial, he would obtain a pardon, in consideration of the 

 important service he had rendered to his country ; but 

 he refused and returned to the woods immediately after 

 the banquet which closed the proceedings, saying that 

 *' birds like the forest better than a cage." 



The most dangerous robbers are about the east coast, 

 where the passes are so difficult that troops cannot act 

 with success against them. An Englishman who was mak- 

 ing an excursion was met in one of these passes by four of 

 them, but finding he was an Englishman, they requested 

 only some gunpowder, and withdrew peaceably on the 

 request being complied with. One would scarcely 

 have imagined them to be outlaws of the savage cha- 

 racter which they bore, though this gentleman's guide 

 was dreadfully alarmed at the rencontre. When he 

 found himself in safety he devoutly crossed himself, and 

 then gave his tongue unbridled license in their abuse. 

 Their guns are extremely long in the barrel, with a 

 very narrow bore, like those of the Spanish guerillas. 

 The bullets are of course very small, and carry to a con- 

 siderable distance. But since I was in the island in 

 1810, the revocation of the privilege of sanctuary, and 

 the prohibition of the lower classes having firearms in 

 their possession, must certainly have diminished the 



