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294 neighbourhood and, as usual, some of the citizens, who had probably heard of the advent of English travellers; one of them a local medico, an antiquarian and a scholar, glad to find visitors interested in the classical memories of Termini. He invited us to his house to see the valuable antiquities he had collected. He was a linguist after a fashion, so that we managed conversation fairly well, in which he began by offering us a choice: "Veech veel you 'ave, French, Inkleesh, or Italiano?" Another, a parish priest, a man of culture and education, finding that I was well up in the story of the Roman Pro-consul Verres, who made himself famous by plundering Termini of many of its works of art, brought a copy of the Verrine Orations in which Cicero denounced Verres so successfully before the Roman Senate, and secured the restitution of the spoils. He was quite astonished when I told him that at school and at Oxford these Orations were text books which we all studied. As a rule priests in Italy and Sicily know little Latin beyond their breviary.

Our South Austrian friend proposed an expedition to a property he held on the slopes of Monte Calogero, a fine hill of four thousand feet, which overhangs the town. We were a party of six on horseback. Starting from one of the gates of the city, which is walled, I noticed quite a crowd of onlookers who seemed much interested in our expedition. The road was a mountain track, a mere climb, through rocks and olive trees. Two of the Guardia Civile with carbines came with us, and the boys who were in charge of the horses. Every now and then, in amongst the trees, I noticed soldiers with rifles apparently patrolling the hill side. On returning and making enquiries I discovered the reason of this. A short time ago the neighbourhood