An artist in Italy . pageant, namely, thecar surmounted by the * Palio. Four horses in capari-sons of brocaded velvet draw the car with its covetedtrophy. The arms of the Commune and of the Republicare on each side, as well as the banners of the Terzi ofthe city and those of the seventeen contrade. Groups of men-at-arms, arquebusiers, halberdiers,bowmen, bailiffs and sheriffs close the magnificentpageant. As each group has circled the course it takes itsplace in a staged enclosure immediately in front of themunicipal palace. The length of the cortege is esti-mated to be more than half a mile,
An artist in Italy . pageant, namely, thecar surmounted by the * Palio. Four horses in capari-sons of brocaded velvet draw the car with its covetedtrophy. The arms of the Commune and of the Republicare on each side, as well as the banners of the Terzi ofthe city and those of the seventeen contrade. Groups of men-at-arms, arquebusiers, halberdiers,bowmen, bailiffs and sheriffs close the magnificentpageant. As each group has circled the course it takes itsplace in a staged enclosure immediately in front of themunicipal palace. The length of the cortege is esti-mated to be more than half a mile, and the number ofperformers reaches a thousand. The horses are ledback to the palace cortile, where the jockeys doff theirgorgeous parade apparel and don a dress similar tothose usually worn, with the exception of the iron head-piece, and in all probability some padding as a protectionagainst the blows they give each other with those terriblethongs they carry instead of whips. 140 THE HOUSE OF ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA. THE PALIO OF SIENA The impatience of the spectators is somewhat relievedby a dog having strayed into the course. The poorcreature gets frightened and starts running, the noiseincreases to a roar, which only ceases after the dog hasgone more than half round the course, and is happilycaught by some carabinieri and carried beyond thecordon of people who block the exits from the appearance of the horses awakens a babel of sound,in which we can just distinguish the names of thewards—* Caterpillar! Giraffe! Snail! Tortoise !etc., as ifthe contents of a Noahs Ark had been loosed. Fromwhere I sat the dense crowd kept changing in aspect,as the thousands of heads turned round to follow thehorses course to the starting-point. At first a flesh-coloured mass, when the faces were all turned our way,then a broken series of tints when the heads were inprofile, and as the horses reached the further end of theCampo the crowd became a pale yellow dotted withblack. We then
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1913
