Presently a drove of cattle made its appearance on the bridge, and then
the uproar and confusion became terrible indeed; horses, as well as
foot-passengers, were frightened, and tried to run away from danger,
requiring all the strength of their drivers to restrain them. Soon after
that excitement was over a detachment of soldiers came marching along,
with drums beating and colours flying, and everybody had to make way for
the valiant sons of Mars, no matter at what inconvenience to themselves.
And so it went on, one thing after another--a constant scene of bustle,
hurry, and commotion. As de Sigognac and the tyrant strolled
slowly along they were beset by beggars, more or less impudent and
pertinacious, and by all sorts of odd characters, plying various
extraordinary vocations for the amusement of the passers-by, for
which they seemed to be liberally enough remunerated. Here was an
improvisatore, singing, not unmelodiously, his rather clever verses;
there a blind man, led by a stout, jolly-looking old woman, who recited
his dolorous history in a whining voice, and appealed to the charity of
the ever-changing multitude; farther on a charlatan, loudly claiming
to be able to cure "all the ills that flesh is heir to" by his magical
compound--and finding plenty of dupes; and next to him a man with a
monkey, whose funny tricks caused much merriment.
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