Part 1 (1/2)

Aands

by Jae Land--A Citadel of Trunks--Besieged--Retreat in good Order--A most tremendous Uproar--Kicks! Thueneral Row!--The Cry for Help!--The Voice of David!--The Revelation of the Darkness!--The fiery Eyes!--The Unseen!--The Revelation of the Mystery--A general Fight_

Mr Moses V Sprole had passed the greater part of his life in his native village, and being anxious to see the world, resolved upon a tour in Europe As he did not care to go alone, he offered to take with hireat favorites with their bachelor uncle, and his chief associates This offerassent from their parents, who fully believed that a tour of this description would be of immense benefit to them This brief explanation will serve to account for the appearance of Uncle Moses in Naples, where he landed on a mellow day in February, _en route_ for Switzerland, bowed doith the responsibility of several heavy trunks, and the still heavier responsibility of four fine lumps of boys, of whose troubles, trials, tribulations, and manifold adventures, he seemed, on the present occasion, to have a an at once; for scarcely had they landed when they found themselves surrounded by the lazzaroni, and the air was filled with a babel of exclano!_” ”_Moosoo!_” ”_Meestaire!_” ”_Sare!_” ”_Carra ze baggage!_” ”_Tek ze loggage!_” ”_Show ze hotel!_” ”_Hotel della Europa!_” ”_Hotel dell' Inghelterra!_” ”_Hotel dell' Aood, naisy, rosbif, you co!_” ”_Hurrah!_” ”_Bravo!_” ”_O, yais_” ”_Ver nais_” ”_O, yais You know me American Meestaire!_”

All this, and ever so ether with scraps of French, Geres which the lazzaroni had picked up for the purpose of ners They surrounded Uncle Moses and his four boys in a dense crowd--grinning, chattering, gesticulating, dancing, pushi+ng, ju, as only Neapolitan lazzaroni can; and they tried to get hold of the luggage that lay upon the wharf

Bagged, hatless, shi+rtless, blessed with but one pair of trousers per ood-natured withal; the lazzaroni produced a startling effect upon the newly arrived travellers

Uncle Moses soon grew utterly bewildered by the noise and disorder

One idea, however, was proe He had heard of Italian brigands At the sight of this crowd, all that he had beard on that subject caand book, which had been the delight of his childhood, now stood out clear in his recollection

The lazzaroni seemed to be a crowd of bandits, filled with but one purpose, and that was to seize the luggage The efforts of the lazzaroni to get the trunks roused hi forward, he struck their hands aith a forether in a pile Three lay in a row, and one was on the top of these The pile was a small pyramid

”Here, boys,” he cried; ”you keep by et the trunks Sit down on 'e this, Uncle Moses put the two Clark boys on a trunk on one side, and the two Wil hilared defiantly at the enereeted by the lazzaroni with a burst of laughter and a shout of,--

”Br-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-ra-vo!”

To which Uncle Moses and the boys made no reply In fact, it would have been a little difficult for theuage spoken a; but constituting thearrison, they intrenched themselves within their citadel, and bade defiance to the foe

The foe, on the other hand, pressed round thelish, broken French, and broken German, and sometimes made an assault upon the trunks

Ti their own At length they all becary It was very evident that this kind of thing could not last er

Meanwhile Uncle Moses had recovered his presence of mind He was naturally cool and self-possessed, and afterthe boys about hierly around to find soht be extricated from his difficulty

At last a way appeared

Around hient, as patient, and as aggressive as ever, with their offers of assistance Beyond these were people passing up and down the wharf, all of ere foreigners, and therefore inaccessible

Beyond these again was a wide space, and in the distance a busy street, with carriages driving to and fro

Uncle Moses looked for a long ti like a cab In vain They all seemed to him to be ”one-hoss shays,” and orse, all seeoin' to make a o an hunt up one of them one-hoss shays There ain't nothin' else that I can do Hold on now, hard and fast, till I come back”

With these words off went Uncle Moses, and the boys re set of boys they were too

There was Frank Wile, tall, stout, with fine, frank face, and crisp, curly hair