The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 347: what you’re looking at

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

THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDIS YOUNG CAPTAIN. that they do not, and will faithful to those who. have proved unfaithful to every compact and every instrument, “And they are right) What can the thonsands of Mexicans do? “‘Ts not the country overrun: by all the villains and spies the French can control or hire ? ‘“‘* Are the masses armed? “Can they organize? : ae “*Can, they, without shackles, boldly declare their sentiments or wishes to.a civilized world ? “What would you havethem do? pe: Can they escape across. the borders or the rivers into the United States? . | oo CALL, the ,railroads,and., boats -are in French hands, and you,cannot; travel ten miles round your birth-place; without, a, ‘“pass,” in, your pocket, or be dodged or accompanied by. an,armed spy., f8Can we® even pray: in’ our churches? unre: iptra ined tovoisiw, inow.; ewolls “No; severalministcrs are now already in gail, — ~notfor denouncing Maximilian in publi@or private, but simply from being suspected of cherishing ideas antagonistic to th:se of the French. ey “«What must the people do?mor ved oV ‘** Without @ legislature oftheir own freeschoice ; ~ without’ civil’ tribunals‘of ‘common justice,) with no appeal’ to °higher authority thansthe willief*the’ | Brench ;"without implements: of war; resources, or / place of mecting—what wouldwe have them ds ? “«Rise like taying, warmed fools, td be’ merci-- lessly butchered by trdined bands of hirelings— the offscourings of the earth CeOBetter‘agitag) easoixe od Wie ©oTis now a game of ‘diamond cut diamond ’— play hypocrite with hypoerites;0*% Vou» ‘““€ But ‘the day will’ come when the" true ‘senti- ments of Mexicans willbe fully: known? cod “* Yes, that’s all very geod, Sam’;~ no one ‘dis- putes it. ‘We know that the Mexicans ‘are “sound” enough, but take a drink out‘of the count’s eantcen prime) old! Rye; too—and sgo- on avith your trip,’ said one, who;was yawning, and wanted something exciting to keepshim,awakeediiy, ott hon, * “Well, boys,’-continnued Sam, refilling ,his pipe, ‘one of my scouting trips is much like all of them, and not very interesting ; buf to go, on,’ «When we approached ..the city Ltold the, boys. wwe had. better separate, and,-meet..as strangers at ‘one of the hotels...) Oohnyel od e | re ») “OWe did ‘soyand \asothe! guard was: noto over vigilant around, or in town,’l: got‘along veryiwell, and met several, friends—but; ayoidedsome ac- » quaintance from foreboding suspicion, “« Waving stabled' my mare‘at an/out-of-the-way place, E\called on amiold.friend, and was/surprised to find him) giving a;party to some .dezen,;French officers. (+) mo nr ary A you~ | “He lauched, and introduced me ‘as a) friend, and before long we passed the ‘bottle freely, ‘and got along swimmingly,, I bore, out, my, character as a Yankee admirably, and spoke splendidly, about the Empire,;and a, hundred other bygone catch- lines, and was put dojyn by the French as a ‘regular 121375 AGA earn inSip $ : 47 did-not).drink: much, but danced with, the girls, condoled with»them on, the trials and. priva- tions of the times, and procured a,large amount of information, dropped in scraps from the half-in- toxicated,.French,, nearly all pertaining to the number and disposition .of their troops, and. sJept at my friend’s house that night. not, consider themselves | A a a a 541 ‘** According to promise, I called on one of the French next morning, and as he was officer of the day we walked arm-in-arm oyer the fortifications, everything being explained to me, and by well-put questions I extracted all the information possible, and by comparing statements arrived at pretty accurate facts and figures. “*From a friend I obtained the ‘‘sign” and “countersign,’ by which regularly initiated Mexi- cans might detect each| other, and by this means Spent several days very agreeably in the city, “«T was surprised, however, to find so many be- longing to the secret Mexican organisation, for I could’ not bein any ‘assembly’ long ere signs were exchanged; and I* have’ ‘not’ unfrequently heard staunch members-of the’ Club speaking very loudly in favour of Max in ‘the-presence ‘of the ‘French, when at ‘the same momént signs’ to the contrary were frequently passed between:us, | ‘“<« Phey:managé this thing well in’ Mexico city, and have'plenty-of funds to‘assist our needy sym- pathisers who come under ‘their notice. “<Constant correspondence is maintained with Juarez, and semi+weekly ‘dispatches! sent to them can! never discover. “But of all the Mexicans, the women are the ‘most ardent and “open in’ the°expression’ of feel- by ways and méans"which the French ‘authorities _ “When officers ask them to play or sing, they usually comply by performing’ the most rebellious kinds of music, in. the most modest and artless manner, causing the visitors to sit uneasy in their seats, and look very serio-comic. » {Not that all such things can be done with im- punity, by amymeans. et «*T know. some and haye heard of other instances where our female friends have been taken up and put into gaol for speaking or singing seditious sentiments,~ or eausing excitement by wearing “party colours upon the stage ‘or in-the streets, The theatres, however, being organs of public _ taste, were under the protection and guidance of the French, and nightly crowded by soldiers, who sat hour after hour applauding clap-trap pieces, in “Gvhich° French soldiers “accomplished miracles of héroism ; or when dyin’, did-so wrapped up in the red, white and blue flag,’ with ‘a flourish of trumpets. “Tt strikes me that the Frenchman proper may be truthfully termed a theatrical and imaginative being, and be wrought tipon by “effect.” “= “«<#rom ‘childhood they are“ ‘supplied with a multitude of books of equivocal taste and morality. «Their historians are partial; their swarms of “novelists persons of fervid: imaginations reared in all ‘forms of atheism; and decidedly unreal in all things 200Siit id OF DIO AGH OIBIGS) ¥ “épheir theatres, also, are the public expounders of prejudice and bad taste, “< |. ayOL “Until of late all battle-pieces had for subject the wars with Great Britain, and we know that one Frenchman was always considered equal to a dozen Englishman, and on the stage, like Samson, they slew their thousands with Joud applause, and ended “with a Jarge expenditure of “blue fire,” anda waving of banners.’ , “That is all very good, Sam,’ broke in a fat old captain ; ‘ but go on with the narrative, ‘taps’ will sound presently, and J must be off to my guard.’ ‘When our party had sufficiently enjoyed them- selyes, and effected the purposes intended, we met and deyised plans for the return, ————— GomiGeoools CO | | | |