nd many others. This lasts about six months
and ends with the defeat and death of Orlando and the paladins at
Roncisvalle. It is followed by--

II. _The Story of the Sons of the Paladins_ with Palmerino d'Oliva,
Tarquasso, Scolimmaro and the crusades. This lasts about three months
and is followed by--

III. _The Story of Balocco_ with the valiant Paladins Trufaldino, Nitto,
Vanni Caccas, Pietro Fazio, Mimico Alicata and the giant Surchianespole.
This lasts about six months, and is followed by--

IV. _The Story of Michele_, Emperor of Belgium, against the Saracens.
This lasts about three months and ends with the death of Guido Santo.

I had come on the last night and if I had come a few nights before, I
might have happened upon the Palermitan version of what I had seen at
Catania.

Among all this, which by itself would last over a year and a half, they
celebrate certain anniversaries by interpolating other plays, each of
which lasts one, two, or three days. Thus, at Christmas they do the
Nativity, at Easter the Passion, at Midsummer the story of S. Giovanni
Battista; on the 11th of May, the day Garibaldi landed at Marsala, they
do the Sicilian episodes from his life; on the anniversary of the day
that Musolino, the famous brigand, was arrested, they do his life and on
the proper day they commemorate the execution of Anna Bonanno, la
Velenatrice, detta la Vecchia dell' Aceto, who sold poisoned vinegar.
There is no regular day for _Samson_; they do it whenever they feel
inclined, that is whenever they want a few more soldi than usual, for
they look upon the paladins as the pane quotidiano and on the
interpolations, for which they charge extra, as feasts.

They also occasionally give a kind of music-hall entertainment and I was
so fortunate as to see one.

PICCOLA SERATA BALLABILE

1. Passo a due eseguito da due ballerini di rango Francese, viz.
Miss Ella e Monsieur Canguiu.

2. Dansa del Gran Turco, fumatore di pipa.

3. L'Ubbriaco. Scena buffa.

In private life, that is behind the scenes, the ballerini are called Miss
Helvet and Monsieur Mastropinnuzza. Miss Helvet first danced alone; she
had six strings and two wires, not rods, and was dressed like the
conventional ballet-girl with a red bodice and a diamond necklace, and
she wriggled her white muslin skirts and waved a broad green ribbon.
Monsieur Canguiu then danced alone; he was slightly less complicated, and
kissed his ha