g from the heart of the lofty grove. Along the mountain sides
the smoke curled from the lonely huts of shepherds, and now and then
we came upon one of those melancholy refuges which are built in
the hills for such travellers as are belated in their ways, or are
overtaken there by storms.

The road for the most part winds by the brink of precipices,--walled
in with masonry of small stones, where Nature has not shored it up
with vast monoliths,--and is paved with limestone. It is, of course,
merely a mule-path, and it was curious to see, and thrilling to
experience, how the mules, vain of the safety of their foothold, kept
as near the border of the precipices as possible. For my own part, I
abandoned to my beast the entire responsibility involved by this line
of conduct; let the halter hang loose upon his neck, and gave him no
aid except such slight service as was occasionally to be rendered
by shutting my eyes and holding my breath. The mule of the fairer
traveller behind me was not only ambitious of peril like my own, but
was envious of my beast's captaincy, and continually tried to pass him
on the outside of the path, to the great dismay of the gentle rider;
while half-suppressed wails of terror from the second lady in the
train gave evidence of equal vanity and daring in her mule. Count
Giovanni strode stolidly before, the Cimbrian came behind, and we
had little coherent conversation until we stopped under a spreading
haw-tree, half-way up the mountain, to breathe our adventurous beasts.

Here two of us dismounted, and while one of the ladies sketched the
other in her novel attitude of cavalier, I listened to the talk of
Count Giovanni and the Cimbrian. This Cimbrian's name in Italian
was Lazzaretti, and in his own tongue Brueck, which, pronouncing less
regularly, we made Brick, in compliment to his qualities of good
fellowship. His broad, honest visage was bordered by a hedge of red
beard, and a light of dry humor shone upon it: he looked, we thought,
like a Cornishman, and the contrast between him and the _viso sciolto,
pensieri stretti_ expression of Count Giovanni was curious enough.

Concerning his people, he knew little; but the Capo-gente of Fozza
could tell me everything. Various traditions of their origin were
believed among them; Brick himself held to one that they had first
come from Denmark. As we sat there under the spreading haw-tree,
Count Giovanni and I made him give us the Cimbrian equivalent of som