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In the 'tween deck there was nothing to show of what the main portion of her cargo had consisted everything had been removed, and only great piles of dunnage remained, and I came to the conclusion that the Agostino Rombo of Leghorn had been bound from some Australian port to China with a general cargo, when her incapable skipper ran her ashore to Bully Hayes's satisfaction and benefit.
As it turned out I did not see him, owing to the stress of weather which constrained me to go directly to Maluco whence I sent Antonio Rombo Dacosta and Baltesar de Sousa in two caracoas to visit his grace, and ascertain from him what he needed from our fleet, offering him most willingly everything that it contained.
"I, William Henry Hayes, master and owner of the brig Leonora, of Shanghai, hereby notify all and sundry that the barque Agostino Rombo, of Leghorn, as she now lies on this reef, has been purchased by me from Captain Pasquale Lucchesi, and any person attempting to remove any of her deck-houses, spars, anchors, or cables, or certain nickel ore in the lower hold, are liable to be indicted for piracy.
And hearing from Antonio Rombo that there was great need of many things, through lack of which much hardship was suffered, I left Maluco again on the thirteenth of October one thousand five hundred and sixty-seven, in search of his grace, very well provided with everything necessary for his aid no inconsiderable amount at the cost of his highness and of his captains.
The panelling of the main cabin was painted in white and gold, and presented a very handsome appearance, and on the door of every stateroom was an exceedingly well-painted picture of some saint renowned in history evidently the owners of the Agostino Rombo were of pious minds. Underneath one of these pictures, that of St. Margaret of Hungary, was scribbled in pencil, "Maggie is my fancy.
Most of her copper had been stripped off by Hayes, but later on I found all I wanted by crawling under the bilge, and prizing off a few undamaged sheets. "Let us find out her name before we go on board," I said to my companion. "She's a foreigner, I'm sure." Walking round to her stern we looked up and saw her name, Agostino Rombo, Livorno, painted in white letters.
And the crowd stood desolate and forsaken in the cold, upper afternoon. Then there was a sudden rugged 'Evviva, Evviva! from the people, the band stopped playing, somebody valiantly broke into a line of the song: Tripoli, sara italiana, Sara italiana al rombo del cannon'.
Of his successor I never heard any evil sung, though I remember once hearing a great crowd of soldiers and civilians at Genoa shouting monotonously. "Viva, viva il Generale Dia!" The refrain of the stornelli was onomatopoeic, and was intended to represent the sound of gunfire. "Bim Bim Bom, Bim Bim Bom, Al rombo del cannon." What a theatrical country Italy is!
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