The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 189: what you’re looking at

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

we tL THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI’S YOUNG CAPTAIN, 183) from one another, and then gave Us a lecture on ‘setting-up’ drill. ‘““How our chests ‘were to be expanded, and’ the body leaning a little forward, standing well upon the ball of tine foot, with our ‘hands extended, our little fingers touching the seam of our trousers, heads well up, eyes firmly fixed in front, and so on, “ His ‘ style’ was too much for me, I began to laugh. “But a voice behind soon sobered me. “© You will turn out to drill to-morrow morning, sir, for unsteadiness in the ranks.’ “ It came from the officer on duty, “ This sentence had a good effect upon us all, and the sergeant having finished his harangue, set to work to try and reduce our round shoulders, and make us hold up our heads. ‘First we were to move our arms round and round like windmills, “Then to place both of our fists under our chins, and jerk our arms backwards, as if to try and put them out of joint ; then stretch over without bend- ing our knees till we touched our toes with the tips of our gloves, causing our tunics to creep up under our arms, and buttons to fly, and seams ee crack, in every direction, “ At last we all looked as if we were going to oreak a blood-vessel, or have a fit of apoplexy. “ So our instructor had pity upon us, and gave the order to ‘stand at ease.’ “Tt seemed to me a most uneasy attitude, one foot behind the other, and our hands clasped in front, as if we were.all struck with pensive thought at something he had said to us. ‘Take it all together, my brave lads, the life of a cadet is one of labour, love and frolic. “Tf you are not studying hard you are making love hard to some pretty damsel, and may get a bullet through you next morning for your pains, ‘‘ My friends and relations never gave me too much money to spend, you may depend upon it, “Yet, what little they did send, I had the good sense to make a proper use of. “So that when I had passed four years or more in hard work, I passed my examination rather creditably, and was appointed a year after to a lieutenancy in the army of Charles Albert, King of Piedmont, the brave father of the present King Victor Emannuel. “T received several wounds, though, ‘in duels with my fellow students, through love affairs, and I can tell you more than one sound thrashing at fisticuffs from long-armed rustics, whose sweethearts Ihave attempted to dance with at fairs and the like.” ‘‘But what matter,” said the old count, laughing, “war always accompanies love, and always will, I suppose.’ ‘But what was the severest “battle you~ were ever in,’”’ asked Frank, sf Well, that’s hard to say, because one battle is much like another, as far as soldiers are individually concerned, for whether the battle be big or little in its results, you are fired at all the same.’ “ And Thave learned that bullets thrown at one’s head are not very nice compliments,” said Tom. “‘True, my lad, It’s all very fine being dressed up in fine clothes, and marching behind splendid bands, but that is not the thing. “ Tt is when one regiment stands before another, firing five thousand shots a minute at each other, or when you are marching to the point of an enemy’s bayonet, that’s the tfme when the real duty of a soldier takes place.” “But about the battle of Novara, count,” said Tom: “JT have always heard that it was the severest fight ever. fought ‘by the Italiane pgainat the Austrians,” ““So-it was, my brave lads: and for this reagon, “King Charles Albert was the! only one,of the Italian kings or’ powers’ who had. the jcourage to throw defiance i in the face of Austria,: and strike for’ liberty. a7 yt “When his army first marched out doaien Mar: shal Radetzki, the Austrian leader, they carried everything before them. “But no other state came to his aabiabiriots and the result was, that instead of marching ‘on’! to Vienna we had to fall back towards Novara. ©! ~ “During our retreat, the fighting’ between’ our rear guard and the Austrian. advanced guarel becaare very hot and sanguinary. © © “In truth, long after we had taken up ‘our position to fight on the morrow, our pickets ‘fired incessantly, and drove the Austrians some’ distance back, through a long field of standing corn?! te “As morning approached, many of our men sallied forth eo. the standing corn, to° ‘despoil the Austrian dead, and this being perceived, brought out the enemy’s pickets, who opened a brisk and lively fire. “Tt must be. confessed the. audacity of our men in this proceeding was beyond all precedent, for, n the hills immediately beyond, the enemy were in imposing force, and certainly flushed with their success of the previous day, “A constant picket-firing on our left gave warn- ing that the action would soon open. “Our troops rose long befoge day, and the most provident cooked themselves breakfast; and, smok- ing their pipes, sat in groups, chattin g | sociably, not knowing at what moment all would be Summoned to ‘fall in,’ “Soon, simple picket- firing was succeeded by. the roar of musketry. “Whole volleys continually broke upon the ear at different points of the line, which, together with the occasional roar of howitzers and rifled pieces, was more than enough to rouse the entire army. ‘“‘Commanders were busily engaged,;.and rode from place to place with a business-like manner ‘“‘'No hurry or confusion was visible, . , ‘ All seemed to look upon the matter, with, nate ference and cheerfulness. “Our troops had smelt powder long before, and they simply said, ‘ Another.day’s work is,before us,’ and tightly buckled their, straps and belts, .as, if bound for a march, or along, fatiguing drill, ;,; ‘“* Fichting on our left now commenced in earnest. Troops which had been prowling about fields front- ing the standing corn, were seen to hasten,their fovements, and on came Ene Austrian dine-tS-pattle in good order. “Observing: our clouds ‘of iririatah ats aptaly withdrawing from their front, and disappearing ‘in the'corn fields, they gave loud cheers, and thought that little resistance would be offered until they had arrived at the top of the hill, where some’‘of ‘our trcops were posted; ‘or’ had found Bays itt the woods, “Their mistake was a grievous one. ‘As the Austrian’line-of-battle reached the fence up rose our men from their place of concealment among the corn, and delivered several volleys right in the faces of their foes, who; surprised’ and staggering with loss, retreated /over the open ground, and were cut up fearfully by our batteries, which now opened with rapidity from our rear. “So accurate was the artillery fire that-whole | MICLOOOLK coe Conn)