"It has not rained yet, and if you eat figs from the tree before it has
rained you will have pain. But if we are very hungry we will eat them,
all the same."
Little Sebastiano yielded rather reluctantly before his brother's
superior wisdom. Besides, Padre Michele had given them a little cold
bean porridge at the monastery early in the morning. So they went on
their way cautiously, and looking about them at every step now that
there was no more need of haste. For they had got amongst the vineyards
and orchards where they had no business, and if the peasants saw them,
the stones would begin to fly. They knew their way about, however, and
reached an open footpath without any adventure, so that in half an hour
they were on the mule track to Scalea. They walked much faster than a
grown peasant would have done, and they knew the road. Instead of
turning to the left after going down the hill beyond the tower, they
took the right hand path to the Scalea river, and as it had not rained
they got across without getting very wet. But that road is not so good
as the one to Diamante, because the river is sometimes swollen, and
people with laden mules have to wait even as much as three days before
they can try the ford, and moreover there is bad air there, which
brings fever.
Pages:
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37