Lerici is a small fishing town on the Gulf of Spezia.  Here I met with an adventure which with a little exaggeration and embellishment, such as no real story-teller ever spares, would make an admirable morceau for a quarto tourist; but, in simple truth, was briefly thus.

While some of our party were at breakfast, and the servants and sailors were embarking the carriages and baggage, I sat down to sketch the old grey fort on the cliff above the town; but every time I looked up, the scene was so inexpressibly gay and lovely, it was with difficulty and reluctance I could turn my eyes down to my paper again; and soon I gave up the attempt, and threw away both paper and pencil.  It struck me that the view from the castle itself must be a thousand times finer than the view of the castle from below, and without loss of time I proceeded to explore the path leading to it.  With some fatigue and difficulty, and after losing myself once or twice, I reached the top of the rock, and there a wicket opened into a walled passage cut into steps to ease the ascent.  I knocked at the wicket with three strokes, that being the orthodox style of demanding entrance into the court of an enchanted castle, using my parasol instead of a dagger,[Z] and no one appearing, I entered, and in a few moments reached a small paved terrace in front of the fortress, defended towards the sea by a low parapet wall.  The massy portal was closed, and instead of a bugle horn hanging at the gate I found only the handle and fragments of an old birch-broom, which base utensil I presently applied to the purpose of a horn, viz. sounding an alarm, and knocked and knocked—­but no hoary-headed seneschal nor armed warder appeared at my summons.  After a moment’s hesitation, I gave the door a push with all my strength:  it yielded, creaking on its hinges, and I stepped over the raised threshold.  I found myself in a low dark vaulted hall which appeared at first to have no communication with any other chamber:  but on advancing cautiously to the end I found a low door in the side, which had once been defended by a strong iron grating of which some part remained:  it led to a flight of stone stairs, which I began to ascend slowly, stopping every moment to listen; but all was still as the grave.  On each side of this winding staircase I peeped into several chambers, all solitary and ruinous:  more and more surprised, I continued to ascend till I put my head unexpectedly through a trap-door, and found myself on the roof on the tower:  it was spacious, defended by battlements, and contained the only signs of warlike preparation I had met with; videlicet, two cannons, or culverins, as they are called, and a pyramidal heap of balls, rusted by the sea air.