No one came forward to save what remained of the map.
'Being more padre than parricide, whensoever Ciacconio (or one of his acquaintances) finds a matter not to his approbriation, he avails himself of his mandibles.'
We were confounded. The map (of which we had only now learned the importance) had been devoured by Ciacconio who, according to his colleague, was in the habit of swallowing whatever was disagreeable to himself or to his acquaintances. The precious drawing, now almost digested, was lost forever.
'But what else does he eat?' I asked, appalled.
'Gfrrrlubh,' said Ciacconio, shrugging his shoulders, and indicating that he really did not care too much what crossed the threshold of his jaws.
Ciacconio informed us that the second bifurcation, the one which at first resembled a little grotto and turned off to the right, certainly led up to the surface, but the way was rather long. Atto decided that it would be worth exploring the first turning, which led to the left. We turned back and entered the gallery. We had walked only a few score yards when Ugonio caught Atto's attention by pulling hard at his sleeve.
'Ciacconio has scented a presence in the galleria.'
'The two monsters think that there is someone in the vicinity,' murmured Atto.
'Gfrrrlubh,' confirmed Ciacconio, pointing to the tunnel from which we had emerged.
'Perhaps we are being followed. I and Ciacconio shall wait here, in the dark,' decided Abbot Melani. 'You two, however, will proceed slowly with both lanterns lit. Thus, we shall be able to intercept him when he follows your light.'
I did not welcome the prospect of remaining alone with Ugonio, but we all obeyed without a murmur. Melani and Ciacconio stayed hidden in the dark. Suddenly, I felt my heart beating harder, while my breath became shorter.
Ugonio and I advanced for twenty or thirty paces, then we stopped and listened intently. Nothing.
'Ciacconio has scented a presence and a foliage,' Ugonio muttered to me.
'Do you mean to say a leaf?'
Ugonio nodded in affirmation.
A figure could be vaguely discerned in the gallery. I tensed all my muscles for I knew not what: to attack, to face an attacker; more probably, to flee.
It was Atto. He gestured that we should join him.
'The stranger was not following us,' he announced as soon as we had rejoined him. 'He is proceeding alone, and he has taken the main gallery, that which goes straight, after the narrow hole. It is we who shall follow him. We must make haste, or we may lose him.'
We caught up with Ciacconio, who was waiting for us, motionless as a statue, leaning forward into the darkness with the tip of his nose.
'Gfrrrlubh.'
'Mascular, juvenilious, robustious, scarified,' pronounced Ugonio.
'Male, youthful, in good health, frightened,' translated Atto under his breath. 'I cannot bear them, those two.'
We turned to the left, again taking the main conduit and keeping a single lantern lit with as small a flame as possible. After advancing for a few minutes, we at last glimpsed before us a faint and distant glimmer. It was the lamp borne by our prey. Atto gestured to me to extinguish our own lantern. We walked on tiptoe, striving to move noiselessly.
For a good stretch, we followed the mysterious traveller, without, however, being able to catch sight of him, because the gallery curved slightly to the right. If we were to move too far forward he in turn might catch sight of us, in which case there was a risk that he might flee.
Suddenly, from under my foot there came a slight crackling. I had trodden on a dry leaf.
We halted with bated breath. The individual stopped, too. Absolute silence enveloped the gallery. We heard a rhythmic rustling grow steadily nearer. A shadow cast by the light of the man we were following stretched out towards us. We prepared for a clash. The two corpisantari remained motionless, impenetrable behind their cowls. In the penumbra, I descried a faint gleam in Atto's hand. Despite my fear, I managed a smile: it was surely his pipe. Then, where the gallery curved, came the revelation.
We had been following a monster. On the left-hand side of the cavity, the light of the stranger's lantern revealed the shadow of a horrible hooked arm. There followed a pointed, oblong cranium, from which sprouted disgustingly thick and robust fur. The body was formless and out of proportion. An infernal being, which we had imagined we could surprise, crawled forward menacingly as it approached our little group. We stood as though frozen. The silhouette of the monster took one, two, three paces forward. It was on the point of appearing round the corner of the gallery. It stopped.
'Go away!'
We all gave a start, and I felt my strength drain away from me. The shadow on the wall became enormous, deformed beyond any logical expectation. Then it shrank, regaining normal proportions, while the being itself appeared before our eyes in flesh and blood.
It was a rat the size of a little dog, with a clumsy, uncertain gait. Instead of springing away rapidly upon seeing us (like the sewer rat which I and Atto had run into during the course of our first incursion into the subterranean world), the big creature advanced laboriously, indifferent to our presence. The lantern had projected its silhouette onto the wall of the gallery, magnifying it enormously.
'Disgusting brute, you frightened me!' said the voice again. The light began to move away from us again. Before darkness descended upon us once more, I exchanged a glance with Atto. Like me, he had no difficulty in recognising the voice of Stilone Priaso.
Having left the dying rat behind us, we patiently continued on our way. The surprising revelation had provoked in me a turmoil of suppositions and suspicions. I knew very little about Stilone Priaso, beyond what he had let slip. He called himself a poet, yet it was clear that he did not live by verse alone. His clothing, although not luxurious, revealed a degree of affluence far beyond that of a mere poetaster of circumstance. I had immediately suspected that the true source of his income must be very different. And now, his inexplicable presence in those underground passages rekindled my every doubt.
We followed him for another stretch, to a stairway which led upwards and which suddenly became narrow and suffocating. We were now in darkness. We moved in single file, led by Ciacconio, who had no difficulty in following in the tracks of Stilone Priaso. At the same time, he sensed the variations in the terrain and communicated them to me, who came second in the group, by means of rapid taps on my shoulder.
Suddenly, Ciacconio halted, then moved on again. The steps had come to an end. I felt a new air caressing my face. From the faint echo of our footfalls, I surmised that the space we had entered was quite vast. Ciacconio hesitated. Atto asked me to light the lantern.
Great was my confusion when, half-blinded by the light, we looked around us. We were in an enormous artificial cavity, the walls of which were entirely covered with frescoes. In the middle, there stood a great marble object, which I was unable as yet to distinguish clearly. Ugonio and Ciacconio too seemed out of their element in this unknown place.
'Gfrrrlubh,' complained Ciacconio.
'The malodour conceals the presence,' explained Ugonio.
He referred to the strong odour of stale urine which reigned in this room. Atto stared transfixed at the paintings which looked down on us. One could distinguish birds, the faces of women, athletes, rich floral decorations and everywhere a gay abundance of ornamentation.
'We have no time,' said he, immediately breaking the spell. 'He cannot just disappear like this.'
We quickly found two exits. Ciacconio had regained his composure and showed us which, judging by his nose, was the right one to take. He guided us at a frenetic pace through a maze of other rooms, which we were unable to take in, because of our haste and the weak light of our lantern. The absence of windows, of fresh air and of any human presence proved that we were, however, still under the ground.
'These are Roman ruins,' said Atto with a hint of excitement. 'We may be under the Palace of the Chancellery.'
'Have you ever been in there?'
'But of course. I knew the Vice-Chancellor, Cardinal Barberini, very well; he requested a number of favours of
