the
brigands are men who have placed themselves beyond the law by some
hideous crime,--or misfortune, as they would call it in Naples,--and in
other cases they are idle ruffians, who have taken to robbery because
they like it. They generally look forward to a time when, having placed
a sufficient amount of money at interest, they can surrender themselves
to the authorities, pass a few comfortable years in prison, and issue
forth ornaments to society. To be sure, this scheme is subject to
chances. They are hunted by the soldiers, day and night, like wild
beasts; and, if taken under arms, are shot without trial. Half the time
they are without food, and suffer the agonies of hunger and thirst; and
they are always without shelter, except such as trees or caverns can
give. When they have anything, they "eat their bread with carefulness,
and drink their water with astonishment,"--quarrelling over it a good
deal, and trying to steal from one another. When they have nothing, they
buckle their belts tighter, and bear it as best they may.

Mr. Moens, who fared no better than the rest, does not seem to have
fared much worse. Indeed, he was much more comfortably situated than the
ladies of the band, who, being dressed as men, were armed and obliged to
fight like their comrades, and yet had no share of the spoils, but
received many more cuffs and hard words than we, who have only seen
them in pictures, can well associate with the idea of brigandesses.

Being poor ignorant peasants originally, and being afterwards poor
ignorant robbers, the brigands inflicted little unnecessary suffering
upon their prisoner. Occasionally, to be sure, they struck him; but this
was in hot blood, and he was allowed to strike back and restore the
balance of justice. These wretched creatures, imbruted and stained with
innumerable murders, seem to have had very little idea of the usages of
civilized people in regard to captives; and any one who will compare the
story of Mr. Moens with the narratives of the prisoners given in Mr.
Abbott's book, will see how absurdly the bandits neglected their
advantages. After all, it is your high-toned Southern gentleman, compact
of the best blood of the Cavaliers and the Huguenots, and presenting in
this unhappy hemisphere the finest reflection of the English nobleman's
character, who understands best how to use a prisoner. There is nothing
like having in your power from childhood a number of helpless human
beings, to t