The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 40: what you’re looking at

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34 THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI’S YOUNG CAPTAIN. and then threw them at his opponents’ heads, until | the Austrians began to imagine the fat boy was no less than the devil himself, Vaulting on tothe horse behind his foster brother Frank, Mark Tilton rose up, and, like an acrobat, jumped right into the middle of the combatants, and seized the flag. A dozen swords were levelled at his head in a moment, He slipped down to avoid them, and the next moment the flag was his! The fight that now ensued was horrible. “Surrender !” shouted Frank. ‘Surrender, and quarter will be given,’’ “Throw down your arms!” roared Fatty, puffing and blowing; “throw ’em down this instant, you thick-headed foola, Do you think you ean fight against English boys, eh? Not you, you tallow-faced hounds; you must eat more roast beef and plum pudding first, eh, lads? Put down your arms, I tell you, or, by the Lord Harry, we’ll spifflicate you all, and turn you into German sausages,” This speech from the “fire devil,” as the Aus- trians called Fatty, as he stood blood-stained and furious before them, had the proper effect, “Surrender !” shouted Frank. “ We do! We do!” was the sullen answer, asthe prisoners threw down their arms, In a few moments the firing had ceased on both sides, Groans and and cries were heard on all sides, but these were drowned by the shouts and cheers of the triumphant young Garibaldians, At that moment a bright flash swept upwards towards the sky, | A terrific explosion followed like the concentrated energy of a dozen earthquakés, it shook the ground s0 violently that every one fell in amazement and horror. The truth was quickly known. Hissinig shells went screaming through the air, and legs and arms flying in all directions | Lhe Fort had blonn up! CHAPTER XVII, AFTER THE BATTLE—FATE OF YOUNG BUTTONS —THE SPOIL AND PRISONERS—THE RUINED FORT=THE UNKNOWN SPY—THE- ALARM—Joy- FUL MEETING—RESCUE OF TERESA, FoRa moment the young Garibaldians stood aghast and looked appalled at the frightful explosion which had shaken the earth. They knew not what to think or how to act. _ They had valiantly yanquished the Austrians, it 1s true, in this severe night encounter, but their hearts were sad at the extraordinary fate of poor Buttons, The Italian seathen, who, a moment before, were loud in shouts, cutting and slashing at the Austrians, looked grim and sorrowful. ‘‘ Poor Teresa!” they sighed, “ Alas! she deserved a better fate ; she was one of Garibaldi’s chief spies, and was worth more than her own weight in dia- monds to the Italian cause of liberty.” Bloodstained and wounded as many of them were, they shed bitter tears for poor Teresa’s luckless end, ~ The Fat Boy was in a frightful rage at the event, and he swore to be revenged on somebody for the page’s death. It was as much as Frank, Hugh, and Mark could do to keep him from shedding the blood of a black- looking Austrian officer, who sat near by, grinning at the awful occurrence. ‘Poor Buttons |” said Fatty, sobbing and crying, “T’d ’a give anything rather than he should have been hurt—and so brave, too! The little beggar, he was a good sort, and no mistake; he’d always divide his grub with a fellar as wanted it. But he’s gone now. What shall I do? what shall I do?' Poor Job!” : Up to the moment of the explosion, no one of the young Garibaldians had given a thought to the worth, the bravery, or the laughter-making, frolic- some Buttons, but now that he was blown up in the fort while engaged in a dangerous enterprise, every one was loud in their praises of the poor friendless boy. No one seemed more cut up than Mark, Frank’s - hardy foster-brother. . He did not speak, but as he sat down in the shade, out of the bright moonlight, tears flowed down. his cheeks, “Ah! Frank, I would rather have sacrificed an arm or a leg than have lost Job Parsons, He was the life and soul of the expedition, and a braver boy never stepped in shoe-leather than that same care-killing, laughter-loving page. | Frank and others had their own feelings about the matter, They knew well that Job Parsons was a good- hearted, harum-scarum fellow, and they felt great sorrow for his loss, But how could it be prevented ? x It was not their fault that he had shoved himself forward, and volunteered on that hazardous enter- rise, : They had endeavoured time and again to curb his wild, reckless doings, but it could not be done, He ould do this and that, despite all that might be said to the contrary, and if nothing else was to be done on board, he would clamber about the rig- ging of the yacht, like a nimble young monkey as he was, playing all sorts of tricks. Now that he was gone his good qualities were discovered ; but no one seemed more down-hcarted about his unhappy fate than thé Fat Boy and the ~ foster-brother Mark, “He could sing, dance, and fight,” said one. : “Yes, and he could cook, wash, and tell a good story,” said another, and as they lamented the fate of “poor little Buttons,” as they now termed him, ey ae deep and sincere sorrow for his sudden eath, But what must the young Garibaldians now do? They had fought well, and were victorious. | They had a number of officers and privates pri- Boners ; but the fort was blown up, and the true object of their mission—namely, the rescue of Teresa, the Italian spy—had failed, ‘We must not remain here long,” whispered an Italian seaman in Frank's ear; “ we must not long remain here,” he repeated, ina very solemn, and rather ominous tone. ‘You don’é know these Austrians as well as I do,” : ‘‘ What do you mean, Pedro ?” Frank asked, “I mean this, my young captain, The Austrians have a splendid code of signals,” ‘Well, what of that ?” / | Comicbooksrzeom