the morning by ten or twelve men, preceded by a band; the last three are the sultan, with a vizier on either hand: these, I was particularly desired to observe, never smile, to represent Saracenic gravity. A train of men walk before them in pairs, one a Christian, the other a Mahometan. Every few minutes the procession stops, and a fight ensues, in which I need not say the Christians are victorious, the whole reminding one of the mummers and Old Father Christmas of one’s childish days. When the fight is over, the Christians advance and make low bows to the sultan, which are returned with due gravity. Both the priest and our host told me this was meant to represent the unsuccessful opposition offered by the Mahometans to the Christians’ efforts to obtain the Cross; and the flourish of drums, and the profound bows interchanged between the Sultan and the Christians, were in memory of the rejoicings at Constantinople when the news of the victory arrived there, and of the liberation of several Mahometan slaves in honour of such a triumph. I had always understood that the discovery of the Cross took place in 326, and that Mahomet did not promulgate his religion till the seventh century, but I made no comment on the apparent anachronism.
We now sallied forth into the main street, and after having encountered several times our fighting friends, we were taken to the house of an acquaintance of our host’s, from whence we had a full view of the procession which was to close the day’s proceedings. It consisted of men and boys mounted upon every horse and mule that could by any means be obtained in Casteltermine or its environs; and, as custom obliges every one to contribute the whole of his stud upon this occasion, we heard that ours were the only horses in the place that were spared. The cavalcade was preceded and followed by bands of music, and men and animals were decked out in every variety of ribbon and tinsel; they ascended a hill near the town, on the other side of which was a small chapel; here the Cross was delivered with all due solemnity to their leader, and they then returned by torchlight. When all had passed, we walked for some time in the town among booths and all the usual accompaniments of a festa, in addition to which almost every one we met was attired either in uniform, or some kind of fancy dress. We then beguiled our leisure by paying sundry visits, till it grew quite dark, when chairs were placed for us in a balcony from whence we watched the re-appearance of the horsemen. The scene below was most animated: the street was lighted with coloured lamps, and the booths and portable cuisines were surrounded with men, women, and children, talking, laughing, quarrelling, and gesticulating, with all the vehemence of the far south; while now and then the crowd opened to make a passage for the sultan and his attendants. At last, a few torches were descried blazing over the ridge of the hill, and the rest gradually hove into sight. At one time the whole descent seemed one stream of light, only occasionally interrupted by the broken ground and the turns of the road; there was no moon, the weather was very threatening, and this immense number of dancing lights in long array against the dark sky, had a wild, poetical effect. We watched them till they had all again disappeared. Ices were then handed round, an impromptu concert and then dancing were got up for our amusement: but I must describe the place of our entertainment. The staircase, which was of stone, and broken away in several places, was more like a step-ladder than anything else; it led to the door of a small ante-room, unfurnished beyond a few chairs placed against the wall; on the left hand was the kitchen, and on the right the drawing-room, with a large balcony overhanging the street. Chairs and a couple of tables formed its ameublement, with the addition of a very respectable piano; the floor was so uneven that it was only by dint of jumping and clinging most affectionately to my partner, that I managed during my tour de valse to preserve the erect attitude which is the attribute of man, while an unfortunate young person, though “to the pavement born,” contrived to forfeit his. The company sat in two lines opposite to each other,—those nearest the window being the élite; then came four or five evidently below the salt. The ante-room contained a still lower grade; while the vista was closed by the kitchen, crammed with the great unwashed, watching our proceedings with as much curiosity as we had their festa.
The announcement was next made that the procession, which had gone round the walls, was coming down the street. We rushed to the balcony, and in another minute it was seen advancing, the leader holding on high the Cross; those who were mounted on stupid horses trying to make them caper, while others, particularly the mule cavaliers, had evidently much ado to keep on their saddles, and occasionally to make their montures advance, even with the aid of the torch-bearers by their sides; but it was a pretty sight, the horsemen in their fantastic attire, the flags waving, the trampling of so many animals, the eager crowd also in every variety of costume, the whole illuminated by the flashing and yet uncertain light of the torches, and canopied by a sky so stormy as to appear almost black; the white houses and the balconies crowded with spectators, now in a blaze of light, now in darkness, as the passing flambeaux streamed upon them or not. The procession was closed by the bishop and his attendants in their accustomed rich dresses, a train of monks, and, lastly, by the sultan and the viziers, looking grimmer than ever. The Cross was deposited in a church hard-by, and the assistants dispersed, while we bade adieu to our entertainers after numerous mutual assurances of the honour each party had conferred on the other, mixed with entreaties from the ladies that I would take care going down the stairs, a request not more easily fulfilled from the attempts of the gentlemen to assist me; had any one slipped, we must all have gone down like a house of cards, and Heaven help the vanguard!
Saint worship, or saint superstition, as it may more correctly be called, is carried to the utmost extent in Sicily. The Feste or saints’ days are innumerable, and many of those dedicated to the Virgin are celebrated on succeeding days by the different churches or parishes. Processions and