Among the Brigands

Rags, some in Tags, and some in a tattered Gown!-A pleasant Meditation on a classic Past very rudely, unexpect

d look at the boys, moved slowly away, leaving the occupants of the standing there in their

estion, till at length it w

he, "ef I didn't go an

" cri

ast night; so when you went to bed, I jest left that door open

from house to house. At other times they saw goats in their own hotel. They were hoisted up to the various stories, milked, and left to find their way down themselves. The fashion of using goat's milk was universal,

said Frank. "If it hadn'

it of a pedant, and dealt largely in classic

ight, and let

ll, though Jove

Moses; "but who's goin to pay for al

gravely, "there's a gre

look of concern in his mild fac

n interpreter, and they had a long and somewhat exciting interview. It ended in the landlord's recoverin

, and Uncle Moses was quite willing to gratify them in any way. So they hired a carriage, found a gu

he mighty Grotto of Posilipo. Through this they drove, looking in astonishment at its vast dimensions, and also at the crowds of people who were passing through it, on foo

hem, in spite of the remonstrances of the guide. Clive's sensitive nature shuddered at the spectacle. Frank tried to speak a few words of Italian to th

k! The dog

come t

ags, some

a tatter

s they could, and when they left t

em at the crater of the ex

d them at the g

to of the C

ro's

Lucri

Bai

Mis

t ever

re they proposed to dine. Here the beggars beset them, in fresh crowds, till Uncle Hoses was compelled to close his purse, and tear himself away from his clamorous visitants

For my part, I want to get to some place where I can sit down, and

and poetic," said Clive,

lace which projected into th

les! How intensely blue the water is! How intensely blue the sky is! And look a

Lucrine, which Virgil sings about. On that side is Misenum, where the Roman navy lay. There is Caligula's Bridge. What a glorious place! Everything that we have ever read of in classic story gathers about us here. Cicero, Caesar, Horace,

ori, per l'amor di Dio.

those miserable beggars. Two of them were old men, whose bleary eyes and stooping frames indicated extreme age. One was a woman on, crutches. Number Four was a thin, consumptive

no, signori, per

hook hi

bile," said

derstand,"

fame," sai

who had learned that much I

ori nobi

don't understan

co," repea

, with a sinister gleam in his eye

"let's go back. Dinner mu

y turne

r Five and Number Six pla

of them seized a boy by the arm. The boys t

avid, "or it will be

an to shout for help. At this the other beggars came forward menacingly, and Number Five and Number Six put their arms round the boys, and their

ere ragged. They had the boys at their mercy. The place was sufficiently far from the town to be out of hearing; and though the road was near, ye

effort, David tore his head loose, dashed his fist into the face

le he caught him by the throat. But though thus overpowered, David still struggled, and

away, and rolled over on his back. A firm grasp was fixed on his throat, and a tremendous blow descended on his head from a stout stick, which was wielded by the

umber Five and Number Six on the field to themselves and the four boys. Number Six groaned with pain, and struggled furiously. He wrenched himself from beneath his

and before Bob or Clive could close with him again, darted off without attempting to help Number Six, and ran for his life. Cowardly by nature, the beggars did not think of the size of their assailants; their fears magnified the boys to men; an

ssessed of bull-dog tenacity and high-strung courage, and was strenuously assisted by the other three; so that the union of all their forces formed something to which one

sitting on his shoulders, "f

im down by sitting on his legs, while David sat on his neck. Frank now asked for their hand, kerchiefs, twisted them, tied them together, and then direc

disposed that it was not possible for him to get rid of them, and Frank watched all his attempted movements so vigilantly, that every ef

"let's give the rasca

assailants, at least, was no Lilliputian, for in brawn, and sinew, and solid muscle, Frank, boy though he might be, was not very much, if at all, his inferior. As he struggled, and stared, and rolled about, the boys looked on; and Frank watched him carefully, ready to spring

d David, "what

know," sa

Moses," said Bob,

nt up a policem

irst. You go, Bob; and be quick, or else those

e scene, he looked around in wonder, and seemed utterly bewildered. Had he found his beloved boys captured by bandits, he would have been shocked, but not very much surprised-for that was the one terror of his life; but to find the tables turned, and a bandit captured by

ession, and then at their silent and sulky captive, "and so you railly a

nd for some time stood in silence

id Frank, at last, "wha

th a captured bandit was, very naturally, a somewhat perplexing one to answer. He stood, therefore, with his head bent forward, his right hand supporting his left elbow, and his left

ently, "what, are we to do with him? We must do something,-and

t I'm beginnin to think, that the very best thing you can do is to take your handkerchees back, and come back with me to the inn, and get some di

ent at Uncle Moses, not knowing w

about our handkerchiefs, when we'

ome you may as well bring yer handkerchees

e to untie th

ses, dryly; "that follers

oice, "untie him? Let him go? And afte

s. "They seem to me jest now to be oncommon spry-arter it all. They don't look very nigh death,

looked ineff

th him? We can't take him back with us in the coach. We can't keep him and feed him at the hotel like a pet animule. I don't know whar the lock-up is, an hain't seen a policeman in the whole place. Besides, if we do hand this bandit over to the _po_lice, do you think it's goin to end there? No, sir. Not it. If this man's arrested, we'll be arrested too. We'll have to be witnesses ag

called "bother." Besides, he had no vengeful feelings against the Italian, nor had Bob. As for David and Clive, they were the only ones who had been really wronged by the fellow; but they were the

all around, and then, with a bound, he sprang away, and running towards the road, soon disappeared. The rest did not delay much lon

y had hastened to the spot, and reached it in time to be of service. The adventure might have been most serious to David and Clive; but as it happened, the results were of no very grave character. They

ing this adventure, and when he heard of it, he was very anxious to have them