Will's doubts were set at rest at once, for one of the figures whispered to him to bring in his men quickly and quietly, and Will passed the word. Once in there, every man was provided with a long black robe from the neck to the heels, a short black mantle and a black hood, with piercings for the eyes and mouth like the two who had met Will on the threshold. On the backs of the mantles there was certain colouring, which we could not distinguish in the dim light. These were, Will was informed, the dresses of one of the burial guilds common in Naples; and the Church of S. Ferdinando, to which we were going, was a favourite one for such processions to stop at while prayers were read over the corpse. The men were ordered to draw their cutlasses and carry them closely concealed under the short cloaks or mantles, and to hold themselves at Will's command. He would get the signal from the taller of the two who met us. Each man was given a long unlit taper to carry in his right hand, the cutlass being held in the left ready to grasp. Our two leaders carried crosses. Arrived at the portico of S. Ferdinando, we halted. Another figure in black was standing just inside the door, with the heavy leather curtain drawn back a chink to watch. He came out bearing a huge silver cross studded with purple jewels, and, placing himself at our head, marched us across to the Palace, which we entered. There a strange scene awaited us, for in front of a side door was a large coffin with a pall spread over it, surrounded by six bearers carrying tapers like ourselves, but lighted. But the strange thing was that the rest of the courtyard was quite full of wine carters with enormously long two-wheeled carts drawn each by three beasts, in the selection of which there was the strangest medley. I cannot remember that any one of them had all its three beasts of burden of the same sort: there were a great many bulls; and a bull and a horse and an ass, or a bull, a horse, and a mule, made perhaps the favourite combination. The horses had scarlet tassels and nets on their heads, and a great deal of scarlet about their reins, and huge collars surmounted by a brass erection sometimes two or three feet high, hung with charms against the evil eye. I do not think the bulls were decorated. It was a wonderful sight, all these great tumbrils piled high with wine casks, and the scarlet of their trappings and the brass of the horse collars glittering in the brilliantly lit courtyard. They were all ready and awaiting the signal to depart. The King, it appeared, was sending a large present of wine--an entire vintage, which he thought well of, or had confiscated--to the Ambassador's wife, whose hospitalities were famous; and in the midst of it lay the body of some poor fellow in the King's household, as likely as not killed in faithful service.