Having left Palermo on our bicycles, we were nearing Messina after having knocked off 250 kilometres across country marvellous from every point of view except for bicycles and gendarmes.
Pushing our machines painfully before us, we had just climbed on foot and -side by side the five kilometres of a road cut out of the rock which leads to the foot of Gesso, a little village at an altitude of 450 metres. With our faces slapped by the frightful sirocco which was blowing terribly that day, our eyes blinded by the white dust which it raised in enormous whirls, our cheeks scarified by the stones which drove in our faces, we had at last realised the joy of the descent, so sweet to hope for, so delightful to attain.
Slight at first, but growing more and more decided, a kindly slope was drawing us along with a speed which was pleasant but anxious for Papillaud.
"No danger," said Leroy to him, Besides, keep your eyo on me, I'll go in front, you follow me boldly, I'll shout out if there's anything wrong." He started off so rapidly, that at a turn of the road he had lost sight goons afverimirds by the, guilder appar. of Papillaud, loss made up to him a few
tion of two big Italian Carbineers mounted on umbrageous horses which set to work to greet the bicycle by a haute ecole movement very uncomfortable for their riders.
Leroy saw their predicament, and, with 'a natural compassion—the valley which the road skirted being uncommonly deep,—did not lose a woment in jumping from his machine at the risk of killing bim-self: of killing himself for two Pandours who, with a splendid ingratitude, said to him in Italian "Have you not a companion, and are you not French?" 'Then, as Leroy answered, Yes." ''Then stop there and give us' everything you have on you; our orders are to search and arrest you."
Here's an adventure, says Leroy to him-celt, and he questions. the two carbineers with-his eyes with.a doubt inspired by the Yecollection of something he had read the night before. in fact, some pages of Keeping us under arrest. for having taken a book by M. Bazin, in. which the author the bearings of Ttalinn forts, among; oon mentioned a certain traditional dodge of German chiromos, we saw two framed pho. Sicilian brigands, the transforming themselves into gendarmes, by the aid of which fogrephs representing—guess what-—the forts of a French town, the forts of the bandits, with a success easily under-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.