The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI’S YOUNG CAPTAIN. 69 into the mountains among a lot of desperate and bloodthirsty brigands ! None of them, he guessed, understood English, so he spoke a few words to the boys, télling them of what he thought and what he intended to do. ““ Leave the matter to me,” he said, “and all will yet go well with us.” Then, addressing his guide, he said in Italian, “‘ Basil, we knew from the beginning that you were no friar, but a brigand chief, and that we relied on your honesty and honour is plain, otherwise we might have killed you, and continued our journey unmolested and uninterruptedly.” “Well! Now that you do know whol am, you cannot get out of the scrape without paying heavy ransom for yourself and followers,” said Basil, ‘ If you knew I was a brigand chief why were you so silly as to follow me hither, boy ?” “ Boy !” said Frank, proudly, “’tis true lama boy, and so are all here present among my fol- lowers, but we are men in action.” ‘“*Pshaw, mad youth, what are you mouthing at? You are entrapped, and there’s an end ofit. Ha, ha! hear how bravely this baby prattles, ha, ha !” “You will find I prattle, as you call it, to some purpose when you hear me out.” ‘Hear you out! what means the bold boy ?” “T mean this. It is you who are entrapped, not us.” “Me! Basil, chief of the Black Banditti, King of the Mountain !” said the chief, surprised, ‘ what mean ye? Speak, quickly; if Ido but move my finger, every one of your followers shall lie helpless at my feet in their blood.” Frank mustered up his courage as he said, “Yes, you, and all your band, are entrapped if you do not follow my advice.” “ Your advice! Oh, oh! Why I and my men have been well paid to capture you by a rich young Englishman. I did think that some of the band I sent to your camps had done the job for me long ago, but I see they haven’t.” Then those with whom we fought and duelled were part of this band,” thought Frank. ‘‘ Listen to me, Basil,” he said, aloud; ‘‘ we, boys as we are, are freebooters, like yourself and the black banditti you command,” ‘Ha! rivals, eh ?” “ Rivals, but only in friendship, let me tell you, and to night we have learned that a large Austrian force would cross the river and attack you here in your mountain home.” ‘The lad is dreaming,” said Basil. ‘“No, Basil, I am not; but knowing you were true Italians at heart, and mot the bloodthirsty scoundrels report speaks of you, I beat back part of the Austrians, who mistook our party for some of yours.” This was false, of course, but the plain, truth-like manner of Frank perfectly ‘isarmed the brigand chief, who looked astonished. “This cannot be.” ‘But it istrue. To prove it I can describe to a nicety the very man who paid you to look out for us and entrap us,” pals ig hg “Yes, and his name, too, if necessary. Think you, if we did not mean honour and friendship to you and the Black Banditti, that we should have been foolish enough to have selected the very road that led to your mountain home?” said Frank, warming up. ‘And let me tell you more, Basil; the very young Englishman who hired you to murder us this very night hada long conference with the Austrian general in command across the river. He telegraphed the statement to the Arch- duke Albrecht at Verona, Your whereabouts and number were minutely described, and the latest order which the Archduke signed was for the pur- pose of ordering a large force to cross over to-night and surround you.” “Impossible !” said Basil, ‘‘the young English- man could not have been such a cowardly traitor !” ** But he is, and I can prove it.” “The proof, then,” said Basil, ‘‘ and at once.” Among the papers Frank captured was an order very similar in purport to what he had now stated. He found it, and in triumph handed it to Basil the bandit chief, who, as he supposed, could not read, ‘‘My eyesight is not good, young man; read it for me,”’ said the sullen and angry chief. Frank did so aloud, and added much more to the order than the archduke said, or ever thought of saying. When Basil heard the contents of the order he raved like a madman to think that one who had employed him should thus turn informer. ‘“FHnough! you are right, young man, Your hand. I find you are true friends, and will treat you as such,” At a sign from Basil his dusky followers lowered their weapons, and retired. ‘“ Follow me!’ said the bandit chief. Frank did so. In a short time the Boy Soldiers found themselves in an immense cave, which contained many pas- sages of great width, and intricate windings. It looked more like an immense magazine of goods and fire-arms than anything else, but was excellently furnished. Basil, with the pride of a bold bandit, took Frank here and there, in all manner of out-of-the-way places in this mountain cave, and showed him his various treasures. The interior of the mountain seemed as if it had been hollowed out by nature for the home of some bold robber, for, except the small gateway through which they had entered, no other means of ingress or effress was discernible. As Basil walked in front with a torch in hand, taking pride in displaying all his illgotten treasures, Frank perceived a dim ray of mconlight streaming into the cave at an immense distance from where they then were. But he did not pretend to notice it. ‘You see we can defy all the armies in the world here,” said Basil. ‘No one can harm a single hair of mine while the front entrance in blocked up, and as to finding us, ha! ha!” laughed the grim chief, “‘that is impossible, for the forest road is so full of pitfalls and intricacies that it would puzzle the very devil to discover again the winding forest path by which I just brought you. Ha! hal no fear of taking Basil either dead or alive. What think you, my bold Jad?” “You are perfectly correct, Signor Basil. I pity the Austrians who dare attack you in this strong- hold.” “ T don’t pity °em; let’em come, I could show you our skull chamber where we have dozens of skulls arranged on the walls that were on Austrain or Italian shoulders once, and we mean to keep adding to the number, too, as long as they won't let us alone. What care I for Austrians or Italians? Not a bit, I treat ’em all alike; it’s all fish that comes to my net, and if you and your boy followers hadn’t proved yourselves friends you would have been all shot before morning, I can tell you; but what of that; it’s nothing tome, What care J for oO MICLOO (S© <SHIGO I ER“ EEE ——————E——————— ele