In his opinion the
physical change had resulted from the destruction of forests, which
brought with it a diminution of the rainfall. "At Cotrone," he said,
"we have practically no rain. A shower now and then, but never a
wholesome downpour." He had no doubt that, in ancient times, all the
hills of the coast were wooded, as Sila still is, and all the rivers
abundantly supplied with water. To-day there was scarce a healthy
man in Cotrone: no one had strength to resist a serious illness.
This state of things he took very philosophically; I noticed once
more the frankly mediaeval spirit in which he regarded the populace.
Talking on, he interested me by enlarging upon the difference
between southern Italians and those of the north. Beyond Rome a
Calabrian never cared to go; he found himself in a foreign country,
where his tongue betrayed him, and where his manners were too
noticeably at variance with those prevailing. Italian unity, I am
sure, meant little to the good Doctor, and appealed but coldly to
his imagination.
I declared to him at length that I could endure no longer this
dreary life of the sick-room; I must get into the open air, and, if
no harm came of the experiment, I should leave for Catanzaro.
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