Adventure Magazine Cover — page 155: what you’re looking at

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

THE WAY OF SINNERS when that was disbanded; we went into Tuscany over four hundred strong, and with a piece of artillery to boot—a wooden thing banded with iron, and slung between two horses, and as like to shoot backward as forward, but excellent to mention when bargaining for pay. “Twas Uccello who bargained, being more tolerant of princes than I; but it was I that gave him the where- withal for his negotiations; as witness, the forcing of all our men to grow beards except those that had good sightly wounds on the jaws; it made them look more veteran; and as witness again, the painting of an imagi- nary coat-of-arms on their breastplates, and then the battering of it off and the denting of the armor, with the edges of the men’s own swords. Thus, while still we were un- known, we gained ourselves a reputation as the former army of a prince, and as old war-dogs. After the Tuscan business (I came out of it with the gash across my forehead which still itches in rainy weather, and with the place of lieutenant) old war-dogs we were; we had four iron guns, moreover, with carriages for the same; twice as many horse, well armed; and a good company of infan- try, which I commanded. Now Scarlatti was anxious for a union— he had passed a very bad year about Milan, where his infantry had suffered badly from artillery, and worse from fever; and he had not been able to recruit his horse in the north. He had not force enough to sell in Romagna, where a new war was brewing; and as we started thither, he sent us a most piteous letter; the which we returned him, after Uccellohad— But no matter for that; what I would say is that in two years, we had become so prosperous that we needed no alliance with any one. God, it is hard to hold my pen to the paper, and say these cold words! ‘‘We had become so prosperous!” quotha! What did any of us care for prosperity? It was life we sought; and with what relish did we snatch it out of the jaws of death! I close my eyes, and I see the regiment now, making, perhaps, a forced march (we excelled in those, especially in the summer; by the simple means of having a little wagon, drawn by the gun-horses in addition to their load, on which the men piled their hot armor). The blue sky stretched over the brown-green plain, like a bowl turned upside-down on pillars that were mountains; 153 the sun blazing down out of the middle of it; the white road leading to more adventure; the gaping folk in their fields, or at the doors of their cottages, peering out at us from be- side great cypresses; the wine and the cheese of the countryside, which we drank and ate marching, and between snatches of songs; at the very head, Pietro Uccello and myself, followed by our flag; then the infantry, sweating and garlanded with vine-leaves to save their brains from frying; a great white cloud of dust; the cavalry; jingling and singing with the guns in their midst, and behind them another great white wake of dust, settling slowly to the road a mile be- hind— No matter, no matter; it is all past; that, and the rush of the charge. It was in a charge that Pietro Uccello was killed in the last battle of the Romagna business. I became commander of the troop. CHAPTER XI OF MY FAMILY eee) URING this time of our rise “a; {rom the state of ragged banditti to that of first-class mercenaries with a flag of our own, I had had little time to think of Stella; though often my thoughts would turn toward my child; wondering whether it were a boy or a girl; what they had named it, and whether it could crawl yet. Whiles, in my mind’s eye, I would perceive a small lad much like me, staggering about the Olivieri kitchen, or pulling at Antonio’s leather apron as the old man hammered blades; and at such times my heart would contract with the desire to see the baby; play with him; show him his face reflected in my breastplate, and amuse him with such fooleries as [saw my men em- ploy with the village children on our way. But ever it was patent that the price of re- turn to Rometia would be a broken neck if the duke were unforgiving; or, if it suited him to be merciful, a life of that muddy dishonor I had known before. Therefore, during the three years, I had sent Stella, by each messenger that offered, the half of what money I had; and of the other half, saved what was possible against the day when I could send for her and my son to join me. It was a slow business, for I must keep my armor in repair—and armor COMICOOOKS Cc (C@