all, blinding rays of light glinted on piles of
earthenware--saucepans, jugs, cups and saucers, coloured crockery lamps,
rough basins glazed green inside, heaped up in stacks and protected from
one another by straw. There were hanks of rope, fans of hawks' feathers
for blowing the fire, palm-leaf brooms and oil-jars big enough for
thieves. There were horns on the walls to keep off the evil eye, prints
of the Madonna, some with sprigs of camomile stuck into the frame, a
cheapissimo coloured lithograph of S. Giuseppe with the Bambino, and in
front of it on a little bracket, in half a tumbler of oil, floated a
burning wick. In a corner was the landlord putting his whole soul into
the turning about of a sieve full of coffee beans which he had roasted
and was now cooling. And everything was covered with a grey dust like
the bloom on a plum or like Cicciu.

Our table was spread in a clearing among the pottery in the front part of
the room and everything was ready on a clean white cloth, wine and all.
Besides the landlord and his wife there were two men in uniform, one a
corporal of the coastguards and the other a policeman. There was also a
third man in ordinary clothes--I did not find out what he was, but they
were all, including the landlord, friends of Angelo who, in his capacity
of padrone, invited them to join us at lunch. We were just about to
begin when I missed Cicciu. Angelo said we need not wait for him, he had
only gone to the sea to wash his feet. So we sat down without him and
presently he returned saying he had washed all over, but he looked just
as dusty as before his bath.

There must be something in the air of Selinunte that encourages bathing,
for they told me that in a few days an annual festa was to take place
there, the pilgrims arriving the evening before and spending the whole
night bathing in the sea, the men in one part and the women in another;
at dawn they would come out of the water, dress and attend to their
religious duties. I said I should like very much to see it, whereupon
the corporal, who sat next me and clinked glasses with me every time he
drank, invited me to stay--there would be plenty of room in the caserma
and they could make me comfortable for as long as I would remain. I had,
however, made appointments elsewhere, so I told him it was unfortunate,
but I could not alter my plans and was sorry I must decline his
invitation.

After lunch by general consent we all went strolli