MR LOCK'S TOUR.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12488, 15 March 1909, Page 4

MR LOCK'S TOUR.

A VISIT TO ITALY

It was with a feeling of great relief that I found myself seated .with my , two comrades in the train bound . for •■ Rome. and the trouble and ■ anxiety we had in securing our, tickets was almost •forgotten. All this inconvenience and annoyance would have been avoided had v, ; e acted on our -own: idea, and gone to '.'Cook's Office" instead of depending oh the guide to put us on the right road. Wo were itnable to "secure a sleeping car, therefore had to put up with an ordinary carriage, which accommodated' about forty passengers. Just before.the train started "a- moii camValqiig with a truck load of pillows, and seemed to^be distributing them among the. passengers. We could not * understand what he said, hut he used the familiar word "lire." and _ we concluded' that he wanteel a lire each' fo,r tliein. . We " gave him three lires, and secured a pillow each. My friends thought they had bought them outright for the price given, but knowing something- about pillows, I was satisfied that, it was only the loan of them" we were getting for our money. We made ourselves as comfortable '"as- the circumstances would permit, and endeavoured to. get some sleep, but the Italians, in the carriago kept up a . constant ''jabber, af tor about a couple: 6%hours we gave up all hope. -The time "then, according to the Italian reckoningjWas about "fourteen o'clock." Tjnay mention just here for those who jnay not have heard it, that the Italians, instead of counting- the time from one to twelve," as we do, count fr,om one to, twentyfour, thus 5 o'clock in the afternoon would be '"l 7 o'clock." - So, instead of retiring to rest at 9 o'clock, they would say "21 o'clock." We had some ■fun over this-bqtwee.il ourselves. No one in our carriage besides ourselves coiild speak a word of English, but we believed a good deal of the Italian conversation had some reference to burselves, as they kept staring and pointing to us. .... At..last "seyeJral. of them came up,; and endeavoured to get into a conversation -with us. They seemed kindly disposed, but the' antics they cut in 'to make us understand were most comical. We also took a "turn" in the pantomime,- and at last made them understand' that we could do with a drink and. some tobacco. They were thoroughly enjoying themselves at our expense, . some of them doubling themselves up ..with fits of laughter. One of them, with his f aco . Beaming, showed us a jar of and another offered cigarettes, etc., and this sign and dummy show was keptgoiiig with short intervals until aboufr 3 o'clock iv the morning. As it now became light enough to" see the country we were passing through, this engrossed my attention, as I was anxious to see what it was like, and as the train was anything but a, "flyer,'' I was afforded a fair opportunity of doing so. 1 We called at a number of stations; some of ' which had almost unpronouncable names. ■ At some of the stations I noticed women with a very poverty-stricken appearance on the platforms selling bottles of ''goat's milk." As a number of the passengers invested in this milk, and apparently enjoyed the drink, I secured a bottle, • but I was unable to drink it, the taste being very peculiar. As daylight apr approached I managed to get as good a view as possible through the carriage window. A fairly high mountain range formed a back-ground, with well-culti-vated undulating Hills and level land .in the fore. I''or many miles we travelled past continuous gardensof vines — r fancy seeing miles of vineyards — then clumps of trees which looked like bluegunis and poplars. As we proceeded, the country became much rougher for some and. covered with thick serub^ occasionally some fruit and vegetable gardens, and olive and oraiige groves were passed, while here ancl there were some picturesque valleys,, producing, very healthy-look-ing grain crops, but thoy did not appear anything like as heavy as the ordinary crops of oats and wheat we get in New Zealand. Potatoes were well cultivated, alsp: other vegetables. As .far as I could judge^the-country on the whole was attractive, the large extent of vineyards and orange groves on the gentle, slopes, were in themselves an interesting sight. Most or the cultivation of the soil, including tlk- grain crops, was done by women, who'evinced great industry.' Asearly ; as 4.30 in the morning numbers or women could be seen walking along the very narrow roads to the plantations, most of them carrying baskets on their heads, and implements in their hands. I saw many women actually at work as early as five o'clock in the morning. The people had a primitive" style of working the landno up-to-date reapers, binders, cultivators or drills met the eye. Teams, of oxen were drawing antedeluviari* ploughs, which I think were made of wood, whilst the harrows used were for a certainty made of wood, and women were using reap hooks, the whole scene reminding- nio of .illustrations of farming as carried on jn Biblical times. As. we were nearing Rome the country was of a somewhat rougher character. I noticed^ many small homesteads on the hillsides and gullies, also an occasional old castle ruin. The -weather was remarkably fine, with an almost clear blue sky,' such as we boast of in "Sunny Nelson;" ■ During my sojourn in Italy, I experienced the same fine Weather throughout; and the climate : seemed all that one could desire. Nearing Rome, on the. outskirts of th£ city, I noticed a considerable quantity _: of ruins, ranging from a few straggling blocks ;of ■ stone to almost complete structures. . A massive .wall, '.which-: was apparently miles in length, atetracted my attention. -, It had- big arches at regular intervals the whole distance. This, I afterwards^]earne.d, was the remains of the great aqueduct by. which water was conveyed to Rome in ancient times. Our train reached its destination early in the morning. My 'first outlook, which' took in huge stone buildings, churches and fountains, together with . a number of ruins, left no doubt in my mind :that this was Rome. As we had practically no luggage to' detain us, we at once maelo our way roxuid to what appeared to us the pidiicipal streets of the city, our ■firsfc.object being to obtain an >arly brealSast, in. order to. waste no .imp, as we wanted: it ;;all for sight-.-v?u!S.:''. We were all very, hungry, and -.ot kri.o'ving'the language, we were a _-mc:derablo'. time before we could : ,tiii:o anything hi the shape of a Ijroakfast. We were glad to secure a ",uu ox iiot milk coffee^(which was der licious) and two rolls without butter. We ; had visited a drinking house instead of an ordinary cafe, this could be seen from the number, of fouutai^sy on the cotihter f rpni wliich people were procuring "drinks? -Our appetites not" being - appeased, we entered a fruit shop, where tho proprietor,. for a small consideration, allowed us to partake of .as much fruit as we required. -Before we had gone far we' were met by a horde of. -boys and undersized men, who "tugged"^ us to invest in their wares, which consisted of post-cards, mosaic-brooches, sticks, etc. Others were wanting to- clean pur boots. :. Un reaching .an olevat^cl position, 1 was at' once- struck with tl}e grandeur of the city, so imposing and so different to- anything I had yet seen. .: Grand stone buildings' with magnificent figures and sculptures on them. : : Great fountains Avith immense s statues in marbie or'Tirbiize, arches.' obelisks and many other: evidences of a_ former, arsathess could bb. seen. On evei-y hand one.could bohold ruins of such a character "as to convince him that they had been the work of master minds in the "days of an advanced civilisation. There were „ many monuments' of classical art, but. - so much hasten /sai^ and written -.- about this=city,as"the: first ot the Ro.r man civilisation and Empire, and afterwards vasSthat of the great Papal Dominion, 3hak.T can ."'Han|ly hope to interest your feltders to the 'same extent a&'the ; ma#* r able,^writers who have from time to time; so eloquently portrayed the places of interest in this, the "Eternal Gity;'' ... ' ' ? ■ T9 be Continued.7