A Tatter of Scarlet: Adventurous Episodes of the Commune in the Midi 1871Crockett, S. R. (Samuel Rutherford)
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A Tatter of Scarlet: Adventurous Episodes of the Commune in the Midi 1871
Crockett, S. R. (Samuel Rutherford)
Adventure stories; Franco-Prussian War, 1870-1871 -- Fiction; Scots -- France -- Fiction
An officer in the red cloak of the Italian corps pushed a door open,
spoke an order in imperfect French, and the next moment we found
ourselves in an apartment where two men were sitting rolling cigarettes
at opposite sides of a long table. They were both tall, dark-bearded men
with swarthy faces, clad in uniforms much the worse for wear. I knew
them by instinct to be Menotti and Ricciotti Garibaldi. Both had a look
of the common lithograph portraits of their father, but perhaps no more
than one weather-beaten shepherd on a Scottish hill resembles his
comrade on the next.
We stood at attention after the English manner instilled into us by Jack
Jaikes and the numerous old soldiers who by Dennis Deventer's orders had
taken us for drill during vacation time at the works.
The two grave men looked at one another and smiled. "We have seen
something like this when the English lads came to us in Sicily eleven
years ago, eh, brother? Tell us your names, little ones! Can you speak
Italian?"
We could, and that made us, if not of the "children," at least something
very different from the dull peasants whom Gambetta's conscription
supplied, or the innumerable company of ne'er-do-weels who appeared from
nowhere in particular, drawn by the mere sound of Garibaldi's name.
Hugh Deventer did not much like to be called a "little one," but the
Italian speech is not like our English, which lends itself more easily
to oaths and cursing than to the "little language" and the expression of
emotion.
We presented the letters with which we had been furnished--one a
personal epistle to Ricciotti from Dennis Deventer--the others for the
most part addressed to the General himself.
That, however, made no difference. His sons opened them all without
hesitation or apology. Indeed, we soon learned that, excepting the
conduct of the campaign, Father Garibaldi was not allowed to concern
himself with anything.
"Ah, Dennis Deventer," said Ricciotti, starting up and embracing Hugh on
both cheeks. "I owe much to your father, more than I am likely to pay
for some while. He took our word for it that the chassepots for the new
troops would be paid for, even though he knows that the Government is
likely to fall into the hands of those who hate us. Also the new
twelve-pounders--Menotti, brother, what shall we do for this man's son?"
"I must stay with my comrade, Angus Cawdor," put in Hugh Deventer. "He
is far more clever than I am, and I should be lost without him. I am
only a boy, but he----"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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