SARDINIA AND ITS WILD SHEEP 9 



(Vliasira \viiu>, of" which the hilU'.vof/ thai we ami oui' 

 followers liad (liiiiik six hiiiidrcMl liottlcs! ImiI it was 

 only twopence a bottle, so a lig toi' the expense! 



The next niornini'', beinir Sunihix', the whole male 

 [)Opulation were on the little Piazza, 'i'he women seem 

 to lu' kej)t ill ahiiost ( )rifiital seclusion. Thf national 

 costume is peculiar. It has the a}ipearan<-e ol l<eing too 

 hot aliove the waist and too chilly below it. A heavy 

 Phrygian ca]\ t'ur waistcoat, ami the universal hooderl 

 capote, constitute the upper part, while lielow there is 

 nothing but a short linen petticoat and gaiters. Nearly 

 all wore a lica\\- knife, fullv two feet lonir, across the 

 stomach: this is used indiflerently to chop woo<l, sli('e a 

 sausage, or avenge a (piarrel. \ ai'ied and st rongl\"-marked 

 features seem to tlenote that ever\- coiKiuerinii' nation of 

 the ^lediterranean has set its seal on the physiognomi(^s of 

 the island. Spaniards, Greeks, Moors, Arabs, ami Jews 

 reproduce, after many generations, their respective types, 

 distinct, and apparently unmixed. Notwithstanding the 

 very predatory appearance of some of these gentry, we 

 foun<l them uiii\ersall\- ci\ il. though we were advised not 

 to cari\' a larire sum of ni<»nc\ with us, and it would 

 probably be rash to go into the wilder parts tiiianned. 

 The islaml is well pati-olleil bv j)olicc, and these earabinieri 

 were, as wc ihouuht, needlessly sojii'iious about our safety. 

 The onh' approach lo iiiar,iudiii'4 habits which we experi- 

 enced was on one occasion when one of our part\' was 

 walking, alone and unarnieil. on the hill, when three 

 sportsmen whistled to him to halt, and approaching with 

 their guns [)ointed at him li-om the hip, demanded cigars, 

 and then money. lie turned out his purse, which con- 



