The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 84: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

78 THE BOY. SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI’S ‘YOUNG CAPTAIN. Directly he saw the. upraised dagger about to | shouted, . ‘‘ Here’s descend, he fired. ) The bullet struck her to the heart. (KO Sam fell to the earth again, prostrate from fatigue and pain, * f 3 CHAPTER AX VI. Coo * THE TREACHEROUS GUIDE—ADVENTURES IN THE, MOUNTAINS IN SEARCH: OF FRANK AND SAM . BENNET—THE TRAITOR’S SHOT—THE TERRIBLE’ FALL INTO THE PREGIPICE, FHE unexpected ‘shot, and the old hag’s piercing scream as she fell dead, caused the cloaked villain. to tremble with fear, » ; He hastily turned, and looked about him rightand ' |: left. - , No one was visible. In terror he fled hastily away. He would have stayed, perhaps, to accomplish his desperate purpose. id - But at that moment several Austrian horsemen galloped on the field. The craven-hearted scoundrel, whoever he was, seemed surprised at the sudden appearance of the Austrian horsemen tipon thé field, and he vanished ’ in the darkness, Several of the soldiers dismounted, and one proved to be a surgeon. He looked here and there, and attended to more than one poor wounded fellow, who had been thus’ long neglected. After a time, the moans of Frank arrested his attention. He hastened to the spot, and was much struck by the handsome features of the disabled youth. “Why, how comes this)?” said thé kind-hearted man. “Surely our men couldn’t have been fighting with a band of boys last night ?”’ ‘Boys, eh, sir?” said oné, grimly smiling ; “if you'd only seen how they fought you wouldn’t think them boys ; they assailed us like young demons.” For some time the surgeon couldn’t realise the fact that the Garibaldians were mere boys, and listened with amazement to the various adventurous stories told about them. “ And who can this:youth be ?” he asked. “IT should think that this youth must be some officer among them, judging by his appearance ; perhaps it may be the young captain himself, for all we know.” ‘“ If so, you have made a lucky prize, then,” said the surgeon. ‘There, bear him off the field, I have dressed his wound ; a little rest and good hospital care will soon revive him.” Fovr men, with.a portable stretcher of canvas, gently lifted Frank from the ground, and bore him away towards the river, where a boat was moored ready to bear him across, In about half-an-hour, and after tending and catrying away a few of their own men who were disabled, the Austrians were about to depart. Sam Bennet saw all that passed, but was not aware who the youth was he had seen carried away on the canvas stretcher, He was afraid of being discovered himself. He had more than once heard of the dreadful loathsome dungeons into which prisoners were cast. But just when he thought they had misséd him, a man stood by his side, ' ee Hullo, young ’un,” said the gruff soldier ; “we nearly missed you—hullo, comrades ; hullo!” he Fa gota bins * See illustration No. 7. another young Garabaldian here.” : 3 a DG Sam was sadly disappointed at thus being diss covered, Me _. But there was no help for it. --I¢- was useless to offer resistance, and in less than five minutes he was surrounded, and the sur- geon very busy probing his thigh for the bullet. This was a very painful operation, but Sam did not flinch. : 1 He kept his countenance, and even smiled at some good-humoured remarks made by the docter. “You stand all this probing manly, my lad,” said the man of medicine, with a smile. c ““Do 12: La, that’s nothing. I never felt it.’’ _. Didn't you 2?” fo : “No, not a bit. We English boys can stand any amount of suffering without grumbling, when we lykes” “I wish our soldiers could then ; but I suppose you English are made of different stuff to other people ?” - “Yes,” said Sam ; ‘made out of a mixture of — leather, cast-iron, and gun-metal! Our captain is made up of solid steel.” The docter could not afford to be out-witted by ‘such a mere youth, and so ordered him off to the boat, whither he was quickly carried. Judge of his surprise when he discovered his young captain on board also. | We will now follow the hasty footsteps of the villain who fled from the battle-field:when the sol- diers arrived, He was foiled and defeated in his purpose. He retired to a neighbouring wood. A horse was tied up there. In a few moments he was galloping away as hard as possible in the direction the boy band had taken when they retreated. He had not gone far when he perceived in the distance the approach of two mounted youths, dressed like Garibaldians.* They were Hugh Tracy and Dick Fellows. In a moment the black villain threw off his long cloak, and other disguises, and appeared in a red shirt, and in every way equipped like a true Gari- baldian, “ Halt !” said he, to the two approaching youths, cocking a pistol, * “Who cries halt !’?; said Hugh and Dick, m a challenging tone. ‘Who and what are you, that you thus dare obstruct our pathway ?” ; ‘ Ae I'am a Garibaldian, and have special business ere.s -“A Garibaldian ! well, then, so are we.” “That remains to be proved; before I allow you to pass. Iam on guard here.” “Well, then, we are ‘two officers of the Boy Band, and are returning to the battle-field at the risk of our lives, to search for——” “Your young captain, I suppose ?” ‘Yes ; but how came you to know that?” “Me? Ha!ha! my friends, you are but children yet in the art of war. I not only know him but can tell you more.. He is in the hands of the Austrians—a prisoner !? “A prisoner !” _ “Yes; and is at this moment confined in a pass in the mountains yonder.” ‘Impossible ! how came ‘you to know this?” “I have been to the battle-field since the fight, by the special orders of General Garibaldi, to see that none of you were left behind, and also to spy out the strength and position of the Austrian camp SS tee tH fe eee Gomicbooks (©) 7