the rendezvous, I found the landed
proprietor and a friend who was living with him, and about ten minutes
afterwards two other volunteers strolled up. Five was all we could
muster out of 300. It was manifestly useless to attempt anything with so
small a force, and no arguments could induce any of the others to turn
out: so the unhappy gentleman had the satisfaction of knowing that the
brigands had punctually pillaged his place, carrying off all his live
stock on the very day and at the very hour they said they would. As for
the inhabitants venturing any distance from town, except under military
escort, such a thing was unknown, and all communication with Naples was
for some time virtually intercepted. I was regarded as a sort of
monomaniac of recklessness, because I ventured on a solitary walk of a
mile or two in search of a sketch,--an act of no great audacity on my
part, for I had walked through various parts of the country without
seeing a brigand, and found it difficult to realise that there was any
actual danger in strolling a mile from a moderately large town.

Emboldened by impunity, I was tempted one day to follow up a most
romantic glen in search of a sketch, when I came upon a remarkably
handsome peasant girl, driving a donkey before her loaded with wood. My
sudden appearance on the narrow path made the animal shy against a
projecting piece of rock, off which he rebounded to the edge of the path,
which, giving way, precipitated him and his load down the ravine. He was
brought up unhurt against a bush some twenty feet below, the fagots of
wood being scattered in his descent in all directions. For a moment the
girl's large fierce eyes flashed upon me with anger; but the impetuosity
with which I went headlong after the donkey, with a view of repairing my
error, and the absurd attempts I made to reverse the position of his
feet, which were in the air, converted her indignation into a hearty fit
of laughter, as, seeing that the animal was apparently uninjured, she
scrambled down to my assistance. By our united efforts we at last
succeeded in hoisting the donkey up to the path, and then I collected the
wood and helped her to load it again--an operation which involved a
frequent meeting of hands, and of the eyes, which had now lost the
ferocity that had startled me at first, and seemed getting more soft and
beaming every time I glanced at them, till at last, producing my sketch-
book, I ventured to remark, "Ah