gave laws to the maritime states of Italy, is now nothing more than a paltry station for fishermen.

The Albergo, if such it could be called, which had more the appearance of a poor lodging house than of a public inn, to which we were directed, was not in its exterior more inviting than the other houses of the town, and in its interior bore every mark of extreme discomfort. Our hostess was a tall, gaunt, masculine-featured woman, the dirty disordered state of whose attire was in perfect unison with the appearance of her dwelling; and our host presented an appearance by no means more prepossessing. He was a strong muscular man, with the dark eye and prominent nose of the Italian countenance; a red woollen cap was drawn over his brows, and a long undressed beard and moustache covered the lower part of his face.

Sullen and disobliging as persons of this class in poverty generally are, it was with difficulty that we could prevail on either of these sinister individuals to attend to our wants. The hostess moved sluggishly about, arranging, or rather disarranging, the mean articles of furniture which the ill-appointed kitchen contained; and her husband, for such we presumed him to be, did not even deign to notice our entrance, or interrupt for a moment his occupation of burnishing the lock of an old rusty musket. It was only after many fair words and entreaties, that we at last procured some fish and eggs, which, as our hostess did not seem inclined to dress, I was obliged to exert my own talents in the culinary art, and turned cook for the party. With the assistance of a little pepper, salt, and bread, I accordingly contrived to procure a very savoury mess, on which we supped, with a hearty appetite, washing down the whole as we best could with some miserable vin ordinaire and worse acquadente. After this frugal repast, we bathed our feet and the aching joints of our limbs in warm oil-certainly the best remedy in all similar cases of fatigue-and prepared to retire

to rest.

The room to which our hostess conducted us, was a large, unfurnished, empty-looking apartment, on the floor of which were spread three miserable pallets, which she told us were our

beds. As we had already seen that remonstrance with this worthy personage was in vain, we made no objections to such wretched accommodation, but having wished her a good night, began to dispose of ourselves with as much regard to comfort as we could.

When we looked round upon the bare floor, and empty walls, and barred casement of our dismal apartment, through which a solitary lamp, standing on a small decrepit table, spread a sombre and uncertain light, we could not help recalling all the stories that had been so carefully repeated to us, of murders, and robberies, and bauditti; recollections which the sour visage and gaunt form of our hostess, together with the sullen conduct of the host, and the constant passing in and out of sundry ill-favoured fellows, whom we had seen prowling about the kitchen during supper, were by no means calculated to dispel. My companions were the first to hint their suspicions that all was not right, and I confess I was a good deal confirmed in the same opinion, when, on proceeding to secure the door, I found that it was furnished with neither lock nor bolt. However it was now too late to retreat, so we determined to make such provision for our safety as our situation would admit, and wait the result, whatever it might be.

Having accordingly carefully loaded our fire-arms with ball, we agreed, as the best arrangement, that one of us should watch while the others slept, each undertaking the duty of guard alternately. The bed opposite the door was fixed on as that to be occupied by the sentry for the time, who, being armed with the double-gun, we thought could in this position more effectually range the entrance, in case of any hostile intrusion. Lots were then drawn to determine who should first discharge the duties of watch; and these arrangements being completed, we retired at last to our miserable pallets.

But alas! we might have saved ourselves the trouble of appointing a watch, for, drowsy though we were, not an individual of the party could close an eye. No sooner was the light extinguished, than myriads of those insect-dispellers of sleep, generally known by a more familiar epithet, issued from their lurking places, and proceeded to feast so ravenously on our blood, that

they promised to leave but little to be drawn by the banditti. To sleep, or even to remain in bed, was impossible; so, after tossing about till we had almost fretted ourselves into a fever, we rose, rekindled our lamp, and commenced to solace ourselves with cigars and what cognac still remained in our travelling canteen. This amusement lasted till past midnight, when our fatigue at last became so excessive, that we could no longer resist it; and accordingly, after having fumigated our beds with tobacco-smoke, which we found a most specific exorcisor of our insect guests, we once more retired to bed. It was now my turn to watch; but not trusting altogether to my powers of wakefulness, I took the precaution of placing upon a chair which I set up against the door the large brazen caldron in which we had performed our ablutions the previous evening, in such a manner that no one could enter without arousing me, should I chance to be asleep. The gun I carefully disposed of by my side in bed, with the muzzle pointed in the direction of the door; and in order to prevent being taken unawares, my hand upon the lock.

My companions were now fast asleep, snoring away in most harmonious concert; and it was not long till I too yielded to the influence of extreme fatigue, and sunk into a state of dozing slumber. It was a disturbed and feverish sleep. Terrific visions of blood and horror flitted in appalling succession before my wandering fancy. At one time I thought myself in the woods, surrounded by dark-visaged men, in long floating cloaks, my pistols missing fire whenever I attempted to discharge them, and when I fled, stumbled and fell at every step I took. Then I supposed myself asleep in a hut among the mountains; an approaching footstep seemed to arouse me; a tall man, with a lanthorn and bare dagger, leant over my couch, and when I tried to call for assistance my tongue refused utterance. Sometimes again I was at sea in an open boat, overtaken and surprised by pirates, observing the carnage of companions, and every stroke of my sabre missing its aim. Convulsive starts changed from time to time the subject of these horrible imaginings; but blood and assassination were still the theme.

At length my dreams reverted to my present situation; the supper scene passed before my imagination with many additional circumstances of suspicion, the manner in which I had barricaded the door, my present position in bed, the gun at my side, all was faithfully represented to my dreaming fancy. I then thought I heard a rustling noise in the apartment, but when I attempted to grasp my weapon my fingers refused to move. loud sound as of something falling heavily on the floor rung in my ear. I started up instinctively in bed, and was in an instant wide awake. Nothing stirred; everything in the apartment was dark and silent, and yet I could have sworn that I heard the noise that awoke me.

Then a

"Did you hear nothing?" I whispered to my companions; but they were both fast asleep, and answered me only with a disturbed groan.

I continued for some time to listen eagerly, and presently I thought I could distinguish a footstep treading lightly in the next apartment. By degrees the sound became more distinct, and I could plainly hear some one stealing gently along the passage towards the door of our apartment. In an instant I put my gun on cock and raised it to my shoulder, determined to fire as soon as the intruder apprized me of his entrance by the overturn of the chair and brazen basin. The steps ceased; a hand lifted the latch my finger was on the trigger; the slightest additional pressure, and the gun would be discharged.

"Who's there?" I exclaimed, in a loud, and perhaps somewhat agitated voice.

"It is I, signor," replied the gruff voice of our landlord: "the day is breaking, and the boat is ready to convey you to Salerno. I have brought you a light," he continued, as he pushed open the door, and the chair and basin rolled into the middle of the apartment. The gun dropped in an instant from my hands; a cold perspiration ran over my frame, and I sunk back upon my pallet.

The noise occasioned by the falling chair speedily awoke my companions, who now sprung from their beds, each with a pistol in his hand, ready for action. The host, whose face bore the

expression of utter astonishment at this warlike array, stood in the middle of the floor, holding forward his lamp, as if anxious to ascertain the meaning of such suspicious movements. It was an excellent scene for the comic pencil of Cruikshank; so ridiculous, indeed, that I had no sooner explained the affair than my two friends dropped their weapons and burst out into an incontrollable fit of laughter. For my own part, I confess I could not at the time contemplate the circumstance in a ludicrous point of view. How nearly had I become a murderer!

Scarcely had the sun appeared in the horizon when we were once more afloat, running with a fine breeze up the Gulf towards Salerno. The scenery here is so totally different from that in the Bay of Naples, that it would be in vain to compare the two. The coast of the latter, if we except the precipitous rocks near Miseno and Sorrento, rises for the most part with a comparatively gentle slope from the water's edge, displaying generally a smiling border of turf or vineyards. In the Gulf of Salerno, on the contrary-at least on the side of Amalfi, for towards Pesto there is nothing but a vast unbroken plain, backed by a range of undulating mountains-the shore is bold and prominent, rising at once with a steep ascent from the sea, and covered to the very top with the most luxuriant verdure. Deep craggy ravines, through which brawling mountain torrents discharge themselves into the gulf, intersect the mountain-ridge in different directions; while towering rocks, generally crowned by a church or a convent, and in the more immediate foreground naked beetling promontories, break the uniformity which the extended mass of foliage might otherwise produce. Along the shore, a succession of towns and villages present themselves perched, as it were, upon platforms of the abrupt rock, at the very font of the mountains, and far up even on the very brows of the huge rocks, houses and churches are occasionally seen, hanging dizzily over the water. Orange groves, vineyards, and gardens, skirting round villas and convents, give an appearance of cultivation to a coast otherwise so wild and unsubdued.

Having landed about two miles

beyond Salerno, we dismissed our boat, and set out for Eboli, where we intended to spend another night before proceeding to Pæstum. The country through which we passed during our walk was extremely beautiful, consisting of rich cultivated fields and clumps of fine trees, with the lofty peaks of the Apennines and the rugged brow of the towering Alburnus in the background. Groups of peasants in the picturesque costumes which the works of Salvator Rosa have rendered so celebrated, were employed in tilling the ground, or regaling themselves during the heat of the day in little arbours erected close on the side of the road. The whole presented a scene on which the eye of the traveller loves to linger,and so frequent and prolonged were the various halts we made to admire the landscape or converse with the peasantry, that it was evening before we arrived at Eboli. Our accommodation in this pretty little town was every way superior to what it was at Amalfi; and it was not long till our obliging hostess set before us an excellent dinner, consisting of such substantial fare as our whettened appetites rendered extremely acceptable. A bottle of what had once been rum, but was now so strongly impregnated with cinnamon and other spices as to be little better than liquid fire, furnished a glass of grog, with which, in sailor fashion, our repast was concluded; and we retired to bed in high spirits, determined to pursue our journey early in the morning.

Notwithstanding all our good resolutions, however, and owing probably to the rum having proved a rather over powerful sleeping potion, the sun was already high in the heavens before we left our beds. To go to Pæstum on foot, and return before sunset, as we had originally intended, was therefore now impossible; and our hostess did all in her power to persuade us to postpone our journey till the succeeding day. She assured us that the country was perfectly infected by banditti, who had of late committed many daring outrages; and that wilfully to allow ourselves to be benighted between Pæstum and Eboli was little better than suicide. However, as our leave was limited, we determined to run all risk of these formidable marauders rather than waste another day;

and accordingly, trusting a good deal to our fire-arms and the little prospect of plunder which three solitary pedestrians afforded, we ordered our careful landlady to have a good supper ready for us on our return, and started.

The route from Eboli to Pæstum presents nothing particularly interesting. A vast heathy plain, covered at intervals with thickets of brushwood and clumps of trees, intersected by the waters of the Silaro, and grazed by vast herds of buffaloes, form the most striking features of the landscape. The road at first traversed the royal chase of Persano, which abounds in game of all sorts, and is said to afford occupation for two hundred keepers; it then crossed the Silaro by a very handsome bridge, and continued to pass over the same uninteresting moorland, till we arrived at a patch of cultivated ground fenced round with pretty hedges of wild vine. Here all at once the architraves and columns of three beautiful Doric temples burst upon the view. It was Pæstum. On a smooth green level turf, unbroken save by a few thickets of brushwood, and here and there a solitary tree, with brambles and other creeping shrubs clinging round their columns, these splendid ruins stand, commanding a magnificent prospect of the Gulf of Salerno, the promontory of Sorrento, and those beautiful islands once the fabled abode of the Syrens. All around was silence and solitude; and we wandered among these sad remnants the glory of the Sybarites with feelings once of admiration and regret.

We were seated beside the fragment of a broken column within the area of the Temple of Neptune, when a stranger stepped in between the distant pillars, and stood for a moment contemplating

us.

He was a tall, athletic, finely formed man, with a dark sallow face and fiery eye; a large slouch hat shaded his brows, and a short cloak hung gracefully down from his left shoulder. Round his waist he wore a broad belt, in which were fastened a hunting knife and brace of pistols, and under his arm he carried a long singlebarrelled gun.

Having invited him to partake of the contents of our canteen, we inquired if we could procure a lodging for the night any where in the neighbourhood.

"There is no lodging to be had in the neighbourhood," he replied; "but I can conduct you to Eboli through a by-path much shorter than the main road."

"Are the banditti numerous on the way?" I inquired.

Numerous enough," was the reply; "more than can well live by their calling."

"Do you know their haunts?" "Some of them, certainly. I am a hunter, and come in frequent collision with them. You are an Englishman; why are you travelling on foot?"

Because it suits our pleasure,” I

replied.

Enough! I even thought as much. I am ready to conduct you on the way."

What!" said I, "before you stipulate your reward ?"

I leave it to yourselves: you can pay me at Eboli. But let us proceed; the sun will soon go down, and the path is swampy and difficult to traverse in the dark."

There was something in the swarthy scowling features and froward speech of this man which was certainly anything but prepossessing; and I would have hesitated to accept his services, had I not considered that there was less danger in accepting than refusing them. His suspicious appearance seemed also to have attracted the notice of my companions; and as we were passing out of the ruin, to commence our route, one of them came up to me, and whispered in my ear

"Mind your weather-eye, Ned!Shoot that villain dead the moment he attempts any treachery."

Determined accordingly to keep a cautious watch upon the fellow's movements, I took my station close by his side. As far as the banks of the Silaro he conducted us by the same road as we had followed in the morning; but after passing the river he diverged considerably to the left, and led the way through a wet marshy tract, covered with tall brushwood and straggling trees. The path was so extremely bad, from the wet and slimy soil, that we made but slow progress, and it was not long till we were overtaken by the dim twilight.

We had proceeded in this manner long enough, as I thought, to bring us

to our destination, and I began to grow extremely impatient. I had inquired several times at the guide if we were near the town, and his answer invariably was, "We shall reach it presently;" so my amazement may be conceived when I at last caught a glimpse of the lights of Eboli far distant on the right, and became sensible that the course we were pursuing, instead of bringing us nearer, was carrying us in a totally different direction. No sooner had I satisfied myself of the correctness of this observation than I sprung suddenly forward, seized the treacherous guide by the collar, and presenting my pistol at his head, accused him of a design to betray us.

"You are over hasty, signor," he replied, without allowing himself to be at all disturbed by the violence of my manner; "you are not acquainted with the path; I am."

"Are not yonder lights those of Eboli ?" I demanded, still holding my pistol in his face?

66

They are."

"And are we not pursuing a course directly opposite ?”

"The path diverges in this direction, signor, to avoid a morass; before we have gone another hundred paces it turns to the right, and leads direct to the town."

"If I find you have deceived us," I exclaimed, "it were better for you that we had never met! Lead on! and see verify your words."

Having loosened my hold, we again advanced; and I still kept close to the Italian, determined to shoot him on the first alarm. We had not, however, proceeded far in this manner, when he stopped, and asked me in a sneering tone, if I still thought he deceived us.

Satisfy yourself, signor, he said; you see the path diverges here to the right."

I turned slightly round to look in the direction he indicated, when before I was aware of his intention, he darted like lightning from my side, and in an instant was lost among the tall brushwood and mimosa by which we were surrounded. A ball from my pistol followed speedily in the direction he had taken, but without the effect of arresting his progress.

Our situation now became extremely critical. The condnct of our guide

left no doubt with regard to his purposes; and should his companions be anywhere in the neighbourhood, they could not fail soon to overtake us. Our only alternative, therefore, was to set off with all our speed; and shaping our course as nearly as possible in the direction of the lights of Eboli, endeavoured to escape by swiftness of foot. Accordingly having reloaded the pistol I had discharged, we commenced our march at a rapid pace; and after toiling through deep marshy ground and entangled thickets for nearly two hours, we had at last the satisfaction of finding ourselves in the streets of Eboli. Towards ten o'clock we entered our inn, to the no small astonishment of our hostess, who had made up her mind that we should be murdered, and was apparently not a little chagrined that her predictions had not been verified. There cannot be a doubt that we owed our safety to the speed we exerted; for had we proceeded at our usual pace, the villains, who were certainly in pursuit, could not have failed to overtake us.

But this excursion was doomed to be an eventful one.

We were proceeding next day on our return to Salerno, and had diverged a little from the road in search of small birds, which we were shooting for the cabinet of a brother officer who was a great collector of natural curiosities. On a tempting grassy knoll which formed a sort of open glade in the surrounding wood, we determined to rest for a little during the heat of the day; and we had scarcely seated ourselves for the purpose, when a tall finelooking man emerged from among the trees and advanced towards us.

Predisposed as we were to consider every one of doubtful appearance as more or less connected with the banditti, who abound in this neighbourhood more than in almost any other corner of Italy, the looks of the stranger certainly did not tend to lull our suspicions. He was a tall muscular fellow, with a short rifle slung at his back, a most formidable moustache upon his lip, and a peculiarly fierce expression about his eye. Whoever he was, however, he was alone; and having therefore no cause of alarm, we quietly awaited his approach.

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Gentlemen," he said, in a very civil