The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 50: what you’re looking at

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

| EE ee 44 The perspiration poured off me, and I puffed and looped -twEll like Fatty, when he pulled his head out of the tub of soap fat.” : ‘None o’ your chaff, Master Buttons,” said Fatty, not at all pleased with the allusion. “After about ten minutes the centre bar got shaky, and all at once it gave way, and both Teresa and‘I fell right on the prison floor, both of us still having old of the bar. “T jumped to my feet in a moment, for I heard tlie footsteps of some one approaching up the stone irs. ai ‘Qh, Mother of Heaven!’ sighed Teresa, ‘we are discovered! we are lost! It is the goaler !” ©‘ Hush |!’ said I, ‘do not weep!’ “‘But you are but a boy,’ she said, ‘What can you do with a big soldier like he is 14 “Well, you shall see.” If I am a boy, I’m an English boy,’ said J, ‘and a match any day in the week for any tivo Austrians,’” «“ There’s cheek 1 he ain’t got no small opinion of his little self,” said Fatty, “has he?” * Order !” ‘‘ Silence !” “Turn him out !” said several. “Well, when I heard him coming to the door, I saw the light of his lantern through the keyhole, and had a peep at him, and a big, ferocious-looking devil he was, “‘ He is suspicious,’ said Teresa ; ‘he has visited me twice to-night. We are lost; you will be killed ! “* Shall I 2said I. not.’ ‘T laid hold of the iron bar, and held it over my shoulder ready. to give him ‘what for,’ when he came in. “J stood behind the door, and, as he ovened it, I hid behind, ‘He came in, and, just as he did so, I gave him such an awful bang across his long legs, and over he went sprawling on the floor. ‘‘T stood over him with the iron bar, and threat- ened to kill him. : ‘‘ He drew his sword like lightning, and was about to give mea dig, but I gave him agentle tapon the head and knocked him senseless. ‘‘T took the keys from him, locked the door, and descended the stairs, but not before I had coiled up the rope, for I knew that we dursn’t go into the court-yard, “ As we went below, I espied an empty room, and went into it. ‘‘ The window was without bars of any kind, and looked into a garden outside the walls of the Fort, “Tying one end of the rope to a fire grate, I showed Teresa how to escape, ‘‘She was all game, and slipped down the rope like as if she had been Blondin, “T saw her run off towards the ravine, and felt happy I had rescued her, But all was not done yet. ‘¢*T must have satisfaction out of these Austrians,’ I thought, and not knowing how the fight was going on, made up my mind to blow up the whole place before I went !” ‘Game as a pebble he is,” said Fatty, in a soft voice, ‘'Here’s his health ;’ at the same time seizing Buttons’ bottle of wine, and taking a long drink ere it could be taken from him again, “‘T boldly went down stairs to the kitchen and got some lucifer matches and a picce of rag burn- ing in the ashes, ‘You’ll see whether I am or THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI’S YOUNG CAPTAIN. ‘This will do the trick,’ I says, so creeps out into the court-yard towards the magazine, = “The place was very large, and soldiers inside. were working in the dark. “They were lugging out boxes of cartridges and — placing them on the parade ground, ‘‘When the fourth man had gone out with a box I slipped in and hid myself. “JT placed the smouldering rag under a case of loose cartridges, put the matches near it, and near them put a handful of cartridges. “T knew that the rag would take a full quarter of an hour in burning before it reached the matches, and the lucifers, once touched by the heat, would fire the cartridges, and then all was up. “All this didn’t take me a minute todo; and, like a lamplighter, I retraced my steps to the kitchen, siezed a roast fowl and a string of Bologna sausages, and slipped down the rope into the garden. ‘‘You may be sure I ran as fast as my heels would let me until I reached the ravine, where I . met Teresa, who was there waiting for me, “T sat down for a moment or two out of breath, | and began to think the soldiers had discovered the burning rag and put it out. “But in case they hadn’t, and fearful any of the stone-work might be blown near us, I looked ont for a place of safety. ‘‘T soon found a large, low, projecting rock, and there I placed Teresa and myself. ‘‘T was just on the point of having a drink of wine out of my canteen when a sudden flash of light rushed up into the sky like a pillar of fire, and next moment was followed by a terrific explosion which shook the whole ravine. “The Fort was blown up into the air, and cannon balls, shells, wheels, boxes, swords, muskets, and a thousand other things came down in a shower near where we sat, “T never saw such a fine sight in all my life; and. | here I am safe.” This story of Buttons’ adventures was listened to with great delight by all who heard it, and at its conclusion three hearty cheers were given for “ Garibaldi’s Young Soldiers—long life to them !" Fatty, though, when he had helped to finish the page’s bottle of wine, lolled back and was soundly snoring, while two of the boys, with tar and brush, were very quietly painting a pair of moustaches and: whiskers on his round pudding face, CHAPTER XXI, REJOICINGS OVER FRANES VICTORIES—ANCONA MAKES HOLIDAY TO MEET THE ENGLISH VOLUNTEERS—GARIBALDI. VISITS THEM—THE PLACE OF HONOUR IN THE ARMY BESTOWED ON THE ENGLISH BOYS—JOEL FLINT’S EMIS- SARIES BEGIN: TO WORK—THE PLOT AND PLAN. THE sight of a yacht approaching the harbour of Ancona—a vessel which was well known to have belonged, if, as the Italians thought, it did not’ then belong, to an Austrian admiral—excited the suspicions of various men-of-war that were cruising off that port. They steamed out to meet it; but, before they could fire a shot, Frank hoisted his ensign, and soon signalled to the Italian guard-ships h stood on board, g ps how matters GEomicboo <SHiGO) -_