Pagina 335 de 1118

they have left it to the dogs; surely, a Christian may take

advantage of it; and if the owner should come, I can pay him at

any rate." So saying, he put in one pocket that which he had in

his hand, took a second, and put it in the other, and a third,

which he began to eat, and resumed his way, full of wonder at the

strangeness of the incident. As he moved on he saw people

approaching from the interior of the city; and his attention was

drawn to those who appeared first; a man, a woman, and a boy,

each with a load which seemed beyond their strength, and

exhibiting each a grotesque appearance. Their clothes, or rather

their rags, powdered with meal, their faces the same, and

excessively heated; they walked, not only as if overcome by the

weight, but as if their limbs had been beaten and bruised. The

man supported with difficulty a great bag of flour, which having

holes here and there, scattered its contents at every unequal

movement.