e--two--three. In unison--RECITE!"

It was fine. In one noble volume of sound of all the fifty-seven
Haves in the Italian language burst forth in an exalting and splendid
confusion. Then came commands:

"About--face! Eyes--front! Helm alee--hard aport! Forward--march!" and
the drums let go again.

When the last Termination had disappeared, the commander said the
instruction drill would now begin, and asked for suggestions. I said:

"They say I HAVE, THOU HAST, HE HAS, and so on, but they don't say WHAT.
It will be better, and more definite, if they have something to have;
just an object, you know, a something--anything will do; anything
that will give the listener a sort of personal as well as grammatical
interest in their joys and complaints, you see."

He said:

"It is a good point. Would a dog do?"

I said I did not know, but we could try a dog and see. So he sent out an
aide-de-camp to give the order to add the dog.

The six privates of the Present Tense now filed in, in charge of
Sergeant AVERE (TO HAVE), and displaying their banner. They formed in
line of battle, and recited, one at a time, thus:

"IO HO UN CANE, I have a dog."

"TU HAI UN CANE, thou hast a dog."

"EGLI HA UN CANE, he has a dog."

"NOI ABBIAMO UN CANE, we have a dog."

"VOI AVETE UN CANE, you have a dog."

"EGLINO HANNO UN CANE, they have a dog."

No comment followed. They returned to camp, and I reflected a while. The
commander said:

"I fear you are disappointed."

"Yes," I said; "they are too monotonous, too singsong, to
dead-and-alive; they have no expression, no elocution. It isn't natural;
it could never happen in real life. A person who had just acquired a dog
is either blame' glad or blame' sorry. He is not on the fence. I never
saw a case. What the nation do you suppose is the matter with these
people?"

He thought maybe the trouble was with the dog. He said:

"These are CONTADINI, you know, and they have a prejudice against
dogs--that is, against marimane. Marimana dogs stand guard over people's
vines and olives, you know, and are very savage, and thereby a grief and
an inconvenience to persons who want other people's things at night. In
my judgment they have taken this dog for a marimana, and have soured on
him."

I saw that the dog was a mistake, and not functionable: we must try
something else; something, if possible, that could evoke sentiment,
interest, feeling.

"What is cat, in Italian?" I asked.