form exhibited the greatest marks of muscular strength, advanced a few paces before the rest, and addressed Abellino as follows:

"Hear me, comrade. In Venice there exist but five banditti; you see them before you: wilt thou be the sixth? doubt not, thou wilt find sufficient employment. My name is Matteo, and I am the father of the band: that sturdy fellow with the red locks is called Baluzzo; he, whose eyes twinkle like a cat's, is Thomaso, an arch knave I promise you! 'T was Pietrino whose bones you handled so roughly to-night; and yon thick-lipped Colossus, who stands next to Cinthia, is named Struzza. Now, then, you know us all; and since you are a penniless devil, we are willing to incorporate you in our society; but we must first be assured that you mean honestly by us."

Abellino smiled, or rather grinned, and murmured hoarsely, "I am starving!"

66 Answer, fellow ! Dost thou mean honestly by us?"

"That must the event decide."

"Mark me, knave; the first suspicion of treachery costs you your life. Take shelter in the doge's palace, and girdle yourself round with all the power of the republicthough clasped in the doge's arms, and protected by a hundred cannons, still would we murder you! Fly to the high altar; press the crucifix to your bosom; and even at mid-day, still would we murder you! Think on this well, fellow, and forget not, we are banditti!"

at

"You need not tell me that. But give me some food, and then I'll prate with you as long as you please present I am starving! Four and twenty hours have elapsed since I last tasted nourishment."

Cinthia now covered a small table with her best provi sions, and filled several silver goblets with delicious wine. "If one could but look at him without disgust!" murmured Cinthia; "if he had but the appearance of something human! Satan must certainly have appeared to his mother, while she was big with him, and thence came her child into the world with such a frightful countenance !

Ugh! It's an absolute mask, only that I never saw a mask so hideous!"

Abellino heeded her not: he placed himself at the table, and ate and drank as if he would have satisfied himself for the next six months. The banditti eyed him with looks of satisfaction, and congratulated each other on such a valuable acquisition.

If the reader is curious to know what this same Abellino was like, he must picture to himself a young stout fellow, whose limbs, perhaps, might have been thought not ill-formed, had not the most horrible countenance that ever was invented by a caricaturist, or that Milton could have adapted to the ugliest of his fallen angels, entirely marred the advantages of his person. Black and shining, but long and straight, his hair flew wildly about his brown neck and yellow face. His mouth was so wide, that his gums and discoloured teeth were visible, and a kind of convulsive twist, which scarcely ever was at rest, had formed its expression into an eternal grin. His eye (for he had but one) was sunk deep in his head, and little more than the white of it was visible; and even that little was overshadowed by the protrusion of his dark and bushy eyebrow. In the union of his features were found collected in one hideous assemblage all the most coarse and uncouth traits which ever had been exhibited singly in wooden cuts; and the observer was left in doubt, whether this repulsive physiognomy expressed stupidity of intellect, or maliciousness of heart, or whether it implied them both together.

Now, then, I am satisfied," roared Abellino, and dashed the still full goblet upon the ground. "Speak! what would you know of me? I am ready to give you answers."

"The first thing," replied Matteo," the first thing necessary is to give us a proof of your strength, for this is of material importance in our undertakings. Are you good at wrestling?"

"I know not: try me."

66

Cinthia, remove the table. Now then, Abellino, which of us will you undertake? Whom among us, dost think,

thou canst knock down as easy as yon poor dabbler in the art, Pietrino?"

"Which of you?" cried Abellino ; "all of you together, and half a dozen more such pitiful scoundrels!" And he sprang from his seat, threw his sword on the table, and measured the strength of his antagonists with his single eye.

The banditti burst into a loud fit of laughter.

66

"Now then," cried Abellino, fiercely; now then for the trial! Why come you not on?"

"Fellow,” replied Matteo, “ take my advice; try first, what you can do with me alone, and learn what sort of men you have to manage. Think you, we are marrowless

boys, or delicate signors?"

Abellino answered him by a scornful laugh. Matteo became furious: his companions shouted aloud, and clapped their hands,

"To business!" said Abellino; "I'm now in a right humour for sport! Look to yourselves, my lads!" And in the same instant he collected his forces together, threw the gigantic Matteo over his head as if he had been an infant, knocked Struzza down on the right hand, and Pietrino on the left, tumbled Thomaso to the end of the room head over heels, and stretched Baluzzo without animation upon the neighbouring benches.

Three minutes elapsed, ere the subdued bravos could recover themselves; loud shouted Abellino, while the astonished Cinthia gazed and trembled at the terrible exhibition.

"By the blood of St. Januarius," cried Matteo at length, rubbing his battered joints, "the fellow is our master. Cinthia, take care to give him our best chamber."

"He must have made a compact with the devil!" grumbled Thomaso, and forced his dislocated wrist back into its socket.

No one seemed inclined to hazard a second trial of strength.

The night was far advanced, or rather the grey of morning already was visible over the sea. The banditti separ

ated, and each retired to his chamber.

CHAPTER IV.

THE DAGGERS.

ABELLINO, this Italian Hercules, all terrible as he appeared to be, was not long a member of this society, before his companions felt towards him sentiments of the most unbounded esteem. All loved, all valued him for his extraordinary talents for a bravo's trade, to which he seemed peculiarly adapted, not only by his wonderful strength of body, but by the readiness of his wit, and his never-failing presence of mind. Even Cinthia was inclined to feel some little affection for him, but he really was too ugly.

Matteo (as Abellino was soon given to understand) was the captain of this dangerous troop. He was one who carried villany to the highest pitch of refinement: he was incapable of fear, quick and crafty, and troubled with less conscience than a French financier. The booty and price of blood, which his associates brought in daily, were always delivered up to him: he gave each man his share, and retained no larger portion for himself than was allotted to the others. The catalogue of those whom he had despatched into the other world was already too long for him to have repeated it: many names had slipped his memory; but his greatest pleasure in his hours of relaxation was to relate such of these murderous anecdotes as he still remembered, in the benevolent intention of inspiring his hearers with a desire to follow his example. His weapons were kept separate from the rest, and occupied a whole apartHere were to be found daggers of a thousand different fashions, with guards and without them; two three, and four edged. Here were stored air-guns, pistols, and blunderbusses; poisons of various kinds, all operating in various ways; garments fit for every possible disguise, whether to personate the monk, the Jew, or the mendicant, the soldier, the senator, or the gondolier.

ment.

One day he summoned Abellino to attend him in this armoury.

"Mark me," said he; "thou wilt turn out a brave fellow, that I can see already. It is now time that you should earn that bread for yourself, which hitherto you have owed to our bounty. Look! here hast thou a dagger of the finest steel; you must charge for its use by the inch. If you plunge it only one inch deep into the bosom of his foe, your employer must reward you with only one sequin: if two inches, with ten sequins; if three, with twenty; if the whole dagger, you may then name your own price. Here is next a glass poniard; whomever this pierces, that man's death is certain. As soon as the

blow is given, you must break the dagger in the wound; the flesh will close over the point which has been broken off, and which will keep its quarters till the day of resurrection! Lastly, observe this metallic dagger; its cavity conceals a subtile poison, which, whenever you touch this spring, will immediately infuse death into the veins of him whom the weapon's point hath wounded. Take these daggers; in giving them I present you with a capital, capable of bringing home to you most heavy and most precious interest."

Abellino received the instruments of death, but his hand shook as it grasped them.

"Possessed of such unfailing weapons, of what immense sums must your robberies have made you master !”

66

"Scoundrel!" interrupted Matteo, frowning and offended, among us robbery is unknown. What? Dost take us for common plunderers, for mere thieves, cutpurses, housebreakers, and villains of that low miserable stamp ?"

66

Perhaps what you wish me to take you for is something worse; for to speak openly, Matteo, villains of that stamp are contented with plundering a purse or a casket, which can easily be filled again; but that which we take from others is a jewel, which a man never has but once, and which once stolen can never be replaced. Are we not then a thousand times more atrocious plunderers?"