The Children of the King

giero, stopping at last and looking back

He was not tall enough to see

hurt my hands on his nose," he added, though

her. "He will remember us. Co

Are we going

else can we eat? Don Antonino

ested Sebastiano, looking u

tree before it has rained you will have pain. But i

business, and if the peasants saw them, the stones would begin to fly. They knew their way about, however, and reached an open footpath without any adventure, so that in half an hour they were on the mule track to Scalea. They walked much faster than a grown peasant would have done, and they knew the road. Instead of turning to the left after going down the hill beyond t

long beach and began to

e do to-morrow?"

that he was not tired nor afraid of anything. At the que

a," he said, after a

osition, but he remained in deep thought for some moments,

h to be married yet,"

admitted Ruggi

o penniless. Generally within a week, and always within a fortnight, he emigrates alone, taking all his wife's money with him and leaving her to work for her own living with her parents. He goes to Buenos Ayres or Monte Video. If, at the end of four, five or six years he has managed to increase the money so as to yield a small income, and if his wife behaves herself during

true," Ruggi

stiano, who knew by experien

his morning. It is true that the plate was not full, and there were two of us. I wish we were l

iano. "Health to us!" he

not eat. Who knows? I should, I am sure. Is he dead? I did not know

southern sun in September, but the Children of the King had been used to bearing worse hardships than hea

much bigger and richer than Diamante. There are always a good many fishing boats hauled up on the beach, but you will not often see a cargo boat excepting in the autumn. Don Antonino keeps the cook-sh

ve. He has a white beard like a friar, and wears a worsted cap. His skin, having lost at last the tan of thirty years, is like the rough side of light brown sole leather-a sort of yellowish, grey, dea

followed them as they came up the beach. But he did not turn his head, nor move hand or foot, even when they were close to him. He looked so solid and determined to stand still where he was, in the door of his shop, that you might have taken hi

ristian before?" he inqui

d them, though he did not move. Sebastiano looked up at him uneasily from time to time, but Ruggiero gazed steadily at the sea with the affectation of pr

to him?" asked Sebastiano o

understand us he would be ang

where he had stood so long, and seemed about to become absorbed in the contemplation of the empty fishing boats lying in the sun. Sebastiano watched him with h

said lac

bread and cheese from his hand. He nodded gravely, which was his way of explaining that

e said solemnly,

her little tin bucket and rope in her hand. The public well is not fifty yards from Antonino's house, up the brook and on

d Don Antonino, as the boys

gnifies negation in the south. He knew it was of little use t

u doing here?" a

oe and the old man bent over sideways, much as a h

" bawled the boy in

shouted at the deaf old man, and at the same moment little Sebasti

etro Casale, and so we have

ghted himself and stood up again. Very deliberately he went into the sho

said, holdin

ps and each raised the jug respectful

said, and Antoni

duty to do and set it on the table. When he came back he stood beside h

old man. "Afterw

e boys lay down beside the house and having eaten and drunk their fill

longer at the door, and the sound of several men's voices came from within

a syllable and called again, "O-è!" Little Sebastiano woke

ed?" he inquired

n, we have drunk and we have slep

overed with straw, of which the lower part rested on the counter. Antonino held a quart jug to be filled while she lowered the mouth, and he poured the measure each time into a barrel through a black tin funnel. They both counted the measures in audible tones, checking each other as it were. The wine was very dark and strong and the smell filled the low room and came out through the door. Half-a-dozen men sat at the tables, mostly eating ship biscuit of their own and goat's-milk cheese which they bought with their wine. They were rough-looking fellows, generally in checked flannel shirts, and home-spun trousers. But they all

e the door, but went quietly on with his work, measuring

y it for him," said Ruggiero, "

gether," suggested Se

oys were not quite sure whether he was watching them or not, for it was already dusk. His wife lit a small German petroleum lamp and hung it i

ingane at San Ni

ad slowly to the speak

ontinued the ma

ith her?" inquir

ten put in to the small natural harbours to wait for the night

ld sailor's stolid face did not betray the slightest intelligence. He turned away and deliberately took half-a-dozen salted sprats from a keg behind the counter and laid them in

fish. The two boys offered to do it for him, but he shoo

a final rinsing of water into the dish. "Sleep in the sand under

glance, and then laid one huge finger against his lips

softly. "Let us find the b

ry convenient for hanging nets upon. It was almost dark by this time, but the boys saw that she was black as compared with the other boats on both sides of her. She was quite empty and lay

eak of his fishing?"

s he tells us he will give

ery good

eated him last year. I saw the cottonseed oil he

ested little Sebastiano, curling himself up

them with his big foot. They sprang up wide awake and saw in the s

ks from behind and put them in

he beach again for the boys to get in. They stood above their knees in the warm water and handed him the chocks before they got on board. He nodded as though satisfied, but said nothing as he pulled away towards the rocky point. The lads sat silently in the stern, wondering whither he was taking them. He certainly had brought no fishing tackle with him. There was not even a torch and harpoon aboard for spearing the fish. He pulled rapidly and steadily as though he were going on an errand and were in a hurry, keeping close under the high rocks as soon as he was clear of the reefs at the cape

ained stationary for a while. Antonino stood up in his boat so as to lessen the distance and make himself more easily recognisable. Then a hand appeared beside the head and made a gesture, then dived down and came up again with the end o

high out of water unless very heavily laden. She has one stout mast, cross-trees, and a light topmast. She has an enormous yard, much longer than herself, on which is bent the high peaked mainsail. She carri

the shadowy rigging. They were certainly not imaginative boys, but they could not help wondering where the great dark thing had been and whither she might be going. They did not know what going to sea meant, nor what real deep-sea vessels were like

n of the little boat, and neatly hitched round from end to end with spun-yarn, so as to be about the shape of an enormous sausage. The two men lowered it without much caution; it was heavy but rather limp. Then c

r from the sea, a man could get well out of reach of the breakers. He went ashore, taking the end of his own coil of rope with him. He made it fast in the dark shadow, and he must h

pe and let it run into the sea. Then run up the ledge there, and climb the rock, the faster the better. There is a way up. But keep out of sight when it is day, by lying flat in the ho

could, he let them both down gently into the water, and pulled away, leaving the Children of the King alone on the ledge. He had managed to bring the rope do

like dead men," sai

wered Ruggiero confiden

rich. He smug

ortune," remarked the younger boy. "He would give

hall

he hours were very long and it was very hot, and they had nothing to eat or drink. Then all at once they saw what seemed to them the most beautiful vision they could remember. A big felucca shot round the rocks, still under way from the br

der. In a moment the dingy was launched and a sailor came ashore. He jumped nimbly out, holding the painter of his boat in one hand, glanced at the boys, who stood up as soon as they saw that

iero after him, as he

now you," h

Antonino," said Sebasti

le," replie

e dingy came rapidly back and the sailor sterned her to the rock for the boys to get in. In a few minutes they were over the

one jib. She is sometimes quite open, sometimes half-decked, and sometimes fully decked, according to her size. She carries generally from ten to thirty tons of cargo, and is much used in the coa

ughly, but he looked them over

aid Ruggiero, "and, mor

way from Verbicaro, and

master. "Land folk, then.

are strong a

ill find work there. I am short-handed.

o take a couple of starving lads on board out of charity. But he did not look at all such a man as those awkward, gaudily dressed, unsteady fellows the boys had seen in Antonino's shop on the previous night. He looked a seaman, every inch of him, and they instin

pick beans for d

For to sea they went and turned out seamen in due time, as good as the master

s on board of a Sorrento felucca, being quite alone in the world, and now I will te