It was Easter Eve. Every thing in the antique monument was in readiness
for the siege, and those of the band who were not on duty were assembled
with Orazio and the ladies in the spacious dining-hall. After a truly
Homeric supper, which was enlivened by some patriotic toasts, Emilio
the antiquary, who desired to put them on their guard against any
contretemps that might arise, asked permission of his commander to speak
a few words. Consent being given, Emilio began thus:-
"As we shall soon have to take refuge in the subterranean passages, I
wish, by way of precaution, to narrate a circumstance that happened to
me a few years ago in the vicinity of Rome. You all remember the superb
mausoleum of Cecilia Metella, erected by a Roman patrician in honor of
his daughter, who died in her twelfth year.
"You know, too, that that mausoleum is beautiful among all our ruins,
and, like the Pantheon, one of the best preserved. But what you do
not, perhaps, know, is that under it is the opening to a subterranean
passage, leading no one knows whither. One day I determined to
investigate this dark place, and as, in my youthful folly and pride,
I thought I should not have so much merit if I were accompanied by any
one, I resolved to go alone. Providing myself with an immense ball of
twine, so large that I could scarcely grasp it, and a bundle of tapers,
some bread, and a flask of wine, I ventured out very early in the
morning, descended into the bowels of the earth, having previously
secured the end of my twine at the entrance to the tunnel, and commenced
my mysterious journey. Onward, onward I went under the gloomy arches,
and the farther I went the more my curiosity was excited. It appeared
truly astounding to me that any human being destined by God to dwell
upon the earth, and enjoy the fruits and blessed light of the sun,
should ever have condemned himself to perpetual darkness, or have
worked so hard, like the mole, to construct such a secure but fearful
habitation. Wretched, and bitterly terrified, although rich, must have
been those who, at the cost of so much labor, excavated these gigantic
works for hiding-places.
"While such thoughts were passing through my mind, I continued to walk,
lighted by my taper, unrolling my ball at the same time, and endeavoring
to follow in a direction originally indicated by the narrow passage at
the entrance; but I discovered that the gloomy lane gradually widened,
and was supported by columns of clay, from between which opened various
alleys, spreading out in all directions. These were fantastically and
unsymmetrically arranged, as if the architect had wished to involve
any trespassers in an inextricable labyrinth. The observations I made
troubled me somewhat, and I speak frankly when I say that I occasionally
felt my courage failing me, and was several times on the point of
turning back, but Pride cried, 'Of what use were these preparations if
your expedition is to be a failure?'
"I felt ashamed of myself for my terror; besides, had I not my guiding
thread that would lead me back to security? Onward I went again,
unwinding my twine, and lighting, from time to time, a fresh taper, as
each became consumed. At last I came to the end of my twine, and, much
to my discontent, I had encountered nothing but a profound solitude. I
was tired and rather discouraged at having such a long road to retrace.
While I stood contemplating my position, and holding the end of the
thread firmly, lest I should lose it, and anxiously regarding my last
taper, which I feared every moment would be extinguished, I heard a
rustling, as of a woman's dress, behind me, and, while turning round to
discover the cause, a breath blew out my light, some one tore the thread
violently out of my fingers, and my arms were seized with such force
that the very bones seemed to crack, while a cloth was thrown over my
head, completely blinding me.
"A presentiment of danger is oft times harder to bear than the danger
itself. I had felt very much terrified when I first heard the footsteps
approaching me, but now that I was being led by the hand like a child,
my fear fled: I had to do with flesh and blood. I walked boldly along.
Although I was blinded, I was conscious another light had been struck,
and that the touch and footsteps near me were those of living beings,
and not of spirits. In this manner I proceeded for some minutes, and
then the veil or bandage was removed from my eyes, and, to my amazement,
I found myself in a small room, brilliantly illuminated, with a table in
the centre splendidly laid out, around which sat twenty hearty fellows
feasting merrily."
During the antiquary's narrative, a smile had passed over Gasparo's face
from time to time; now he rose, and extending his hand to Emilio, said,
with some motion-
"Ah, my friend, were you then that incautious explorer? I dwelt in the
catacombs in those days with my band; and the emissaries of Rome, before
venturing into them, generally made their wills, if prudent. The woman
who blew out your light, and who afterwards showed you so much kindness
was my Alba, who died a short time since from grief on account of my
sufferings and imprisonment."
"Oh!" exclaimed the antiquary, "was it you who sat at the head of the
table, and received as much homage from your men as if you had been in
reality a sovereign?"
"Yes, it was I," replied the bandit, somewhat mournfully, noting
Emilio's surprise; "years and the irons and cruelties of those wretched
men calling themselves ministers of God have wrinkled my forehead and
silvered these hairs. But my conscience is pure. I have treated every
unhappy creature kindly, and you know whether you received any harm
from us, or if even a hair of your head were touched. I wished only to
humiliate those proud voluptuaries who live in luxury and vice at the
expense of suffering humanity; and with God's help and yours, although I
am old, I yet hope to see my country freed from their monstrous yoke."
"Yes," answered the antiquary affectionately, "I received the greatest
kindness from you and your lady. I shall never forget it as long as I
live."
And then turning to the company, he continued his recital:
"I was much shaken by my solitary exploration, and a little, too, by
my unexpected encounter; and was so feverish inconsequence, that I was
compelled to remain two days in the subterranean abode; and during
that time I received, as you have heard, the greatest care and the most
delicate attentions from the amiable Alba, who not only provided me with
every necessary, but watched assiduously by my pillow. Having regained
my strength at the end of the two days, I requested to be allowed to
depart, and was conducted by a new and shorter road into the light of
the sun, which I had thought never to see again. Upon giving my word
of honor not to betray the secret of their existence, two of the band
pointed out the road to Rome, and left me to pursue my way."