One bright morning he was watching the little fleet of Italian
fishing-boats hovering in the bay. This was always a picturesque
spectacle, perhaps the only one that relieved the general monotony of
his outlook. The quaint lateen sails of dull red, or yellow, showing
against the sparkling waters, and the red caps or handkerchiefs of the
fishermen, might have attracted even a more abstracted man. Suddenly one
of the larger boats tacked, and made directly for the little cove
where his weekly plunger used to land. In an instant he was alert
and suspicious. But a close examination of the boat through his glass
satisfied him that it contained, in addition to the crew, only two or
three women, apparently the family of the fishermen. As it ran up on
the beach and the entire party disembarked he could see it was merely
a careless, peaceable invasion, and he thought no more about it. The
strangers wandered about the sands, gesticulating and laughing; they
brought a pot ashore, built a fire, and cooked a homely meal.
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