FINCHES. 41 



mine is of a different mould, and wheels this way, and that, 

 taking " snips " with his teeth at the trousers of the by- 

 standers, and discharging sundry kicks that enlarged the 

 circle of spectators with remarkable quickness. So I wait 

 till he settles down for a minute, then rush into close 

 quarters, and before he can move a leg, I am safely "on 

 board " with every intention of staying there. Then away 

 we go, our two men, with the guns and a couple of dogs, 

 following behind as fast as they may, our steeds cantering 

 along down the narrow village street, scattering the old 

 women and children on every side, and creating a vast panic 

 amongst the long-necked chickens. 



Once we get clear of the little Corsican capital the blue 

 Gulf of Ajaccio bursts on us, brilliant as a sapphire fresh 

 clipped from its mother rock ; here and there are feluccas 

 stealing about its calm surface with long white sails fishing 

 perhaps, or off to the coral grounds at the head of the gulf. 

 On both sides of the lovely bay the land slopes upwards, 

 terraced with dark-f oliaged lemon groves, or left unreclaimed 

 in the wild dominion of prickly pears and cactus, giving the 

 hill-sides a strangely mottled appearance, as cultivation and 

 Nature thus struggle side by side. Far away to the north- 

 west, where the blue water ends, Monte Botondo rears high 

 over the valleys and plateaus, its head still crowned with 

 heavy snows, the remnants of last winter's storms. Not 

 only was the view fine, but the air was delightful after the 

 rain, and the bright sun overhead seemed to put new life 

 into the small birds along the roadside, and I could not help 

 lingering behind the others, occasionally, as the road turned 

 about amongst glorious gardens of orange trees, every twig 

 of the forest of dark-leaved trees heavy with green or golden 

 fruit, each leaf and blade wet with dew and rain that flashed 

 in a hundred colours as the sunlight glanced down from 

 above. An orange garden has always been a wonderful 

 sight to me ! 



Half-an-hour's riding brought us to a branch road, down 



