Now came one of the four enclosing gangs, organized by Neil Mackay, a canny Scot, king of carpenters they called him. There were fifty men in each enclosing gang, with one of their own number for leader, who was made responsible for the tools. At seven every morning each gang was given its tool-box; a close tally of the contents was kept, and at night the precious tools must be returned intact. The enclosing gang made more of a showing than the others. They took a skeleton house and clothed it with clapboards and floors; so that the roofers--who came next with their Sicilian _capo_ (boss), Ferrara--found something that looked a good deal like a house. After the roofers had put on the roof, the finishers came. They hung the doors, fitted and glazed the windows, put on locks and fastenings, added the steps. When the carpenters were done with the house, the bricklayers and masons took hold and built the famous kitchen, putting in a stovepipe to make all complete, and in their turn making room for the painters. These men gave each cottage two coats of white paint, green doors and trimmings and dark neutral-colored base, “so that the mud splashed up by the rain would not show.” When Mr. Griscom had seen the different gangs at work, he went to inspect the foundations of the hotel. While he was admiring the neat brick arches, the royal automobile whizzed up to take the Ambassador, Belknap and J. to the Villaggio Regina Elena, to meet the Queen. Having seen and approved the plans for the hospital and houses the Ambassador had promised to build in the American quarter of her model village, she wished to see the site the buildings would occupy. They found the Queen already there; in spite of the torrential “earthquake rain,” she was determined to see every detail of her village. The Ambassador walked with her and Captain Bignami; the others fell in behind and followed with the lady-in-waiting, Brofferio and the Italian officers. “This is the bakery!” said the Captain. “This is the baker; he himself built his oven. Your Majesty can see how light the bread is!” Her Majesty said something kind to the baker, then crossed the street to the butcher’s shop, neat as wax, with all the latest sanitary contrivances; next to the school, then to the church, last of all to the industrial school,--a busy hive of working women and girls. “The Queen was perfectly delighted,” writes [Illustration: THE KING, ESCORTED BY BUCHANAN, BROFFERIO AND ELLIOTT, VISITS AMERICAN VILLAGE, MESSINA. _Page 436._] [Illustration: MESSINA. PAINTING THE AMERICAN COTTAGES. _Page 439._] [Illustration: CHURCH OF SANTA CROCE, AMERICAN VILLAGE, MESSINA. _Page 451._]