The Romany Rye

  CHAPTER VII

  THE FESTIVAL--THE GYPSY SONG--PIRAMUS OF ROME--THE SCOTCHMAN--GYPSY NAMES

  On the following day there was much feasting amongst the Romany chals ofMr. Petulengro's party. Throughout the forenoon the Romany chies didscarcely anything but cook flesh, and the flesh which they cooked wasswine's flesh. About two o'clock, the chals and chies dividingthemselves into various parties sat down and partook of the fare, whichwas partly roasted, partly sodden. I dined that day with Mr. Petulengro,and his wife and family, Ursula, Mr. and Mrs. Chikno, and Sylvester andhis two children. Sylvester, it will be as well to say; was a widower,and had consequently no one to cook his victuals for him, supposing hehad any, which was not always the case, Sylvester's affairs being seldomin a prosperous state. He was noted for his bad success in trafficking,notwithstanding the many hints which he received from Jasper, under whoseprotection he had placed himself, even as Tawno Chikno had done, whohimself, as the reader has heard on a former occasion, was anything but awealthy subject, though he was at all times better off than Sylvester,the Lazarus of the Romany tribe.

  All our party ate with a good appetite, except myself, who, feelingrather melancholy that day, had little desire to eat. I did not, likethe others, partake of the pork, but got my dinner entirely off the bodyof a squirrel which had been shot the day before by a chal {43a} of thename of Piramus, who, besides being a good shot, was celebrated for hisskill in playing on the fiddle. During the dinner a horn filled with alepassed frequently around; I drank of it more than once, and feltinspirited by the draughts. The repast concluded, Sylvester and hischildren departed to their tent, and Mr. Petulengro, Tawno, and myselfgetting up, went and lay down under a shady hedge, where Mr. Petulengro,lighting his pipe, began to smoke, and where Tawno presently fell asleep.I was about to fall asleep also, when I heard the sound of music andsong. Piramus was playing on the fiddle, whilst Mrs. Chikno, who had avoice of her own, was singing in tones sharp enough, but of great power,a gypsy song: