Marimana dogs stand guard over people's vines and olives, you know, and are very savage, and thereby a grief and an inconvenience to persons who want other people's things at night.

In my judgment they have taken this dog for a marimana, and have soured on him." I saw that the dog was a mistake, and not functionable: we must try something else; something, if possible, that could evoke sentiment, interest, feeling.
"What is cat, in Italian ?" I asked.
"Gatto." "Is it a gentleman cat, or a lady ?" "Gentleman cat." "How are these people as regards that animal ?" "We-ll, they--they--" "You hesitate: that is enough.

How are they about chickens ?" He tilted his eyes toward heaven in mute ecstasy.

I understood.
"What is chicken, in Italian ?" I asked.
"Pollo, PODERE." (Podere is Italian for master.

It is a title of courtesy, and conveys reverence and admiration.) "Pollo is one chicken by itself; when there are enough present to constitute a plural, it is POLLI." "Very well, polli will do.