torrent would
certainly have fallen. It may have been north to south--my thoughts had
wandered again to the Tower of Siloam. Turiddu, however, had a reason
for not being killed in the earthquake; he is naturally lucky because he
was born with a caul; he keeps most of it at home and speaks of it as his
cammisedda, which is Sicilian for camicetta, his little shirt. He
carries a small piece of it in his watch-case, and offered to give it to
me as a ricordo, but I thought he had better keep it all; it cannot be
lucky to give away any of one's luck.

While Turiddu was with Giovanni and the company touring in North Italy,
he wrote, by desire of his professor, a sort of holiday task about the
earthquake. He gave it to me afterwards, when I saw him in Naples, and I
have translated it. The passages in square brackets are additions I have
made from information the family gave me in Naples.

SUBJECT

Describe all that you saw before and after the earthquake.

DESCRIPTION

It was an ugly winter evening and the last day of the Christmas
holidays. I was playing with nuts with my companions. About six
o'clock we dined and, after we had finished, we began to play at
Sette e Mezzo Reale [a game of cards]. We re-charged the acetylene
lamps, for we intended to sit up late. The professor opened [the
window and went out on] the balcony to see what the weather was like;
observing that the sky was frightful and of a reddish colour, he said
to his wife:

"My dear Nunzia, listen to these few words and bear them in mind:
This is a fatal night, it is a horrible night."

His wife asked, "What are you saying?"

Then the professor replied, "Either we shall have some kind of storm
or there will be a great earthquake or a deluge." To these words we
paid no attention, but went on with our game.

At one o'clock after midnight we extinguished the acetylene gas and
went to bed, where we immediately fell asleep.

At half-past five after midnight there came a great earthquake. I
and my companions began to cry and recommend ourselves to God who can
save from every calamity.

After the earthquake was over we dressed in haste and frenzy and went
out [into the courtyard], but we could not pass the front door [into
the street] because it was blocked with ruins. Presently our
p