The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 93: what you’re looking at

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

i OE Ee eee THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI'S YOUNG CAPTAIN. 87 “‘T have made all my plans. The latest news you sent me is worth any money. Fly on the instant you read this, aud join me at the spot I have pointed ont before, This night seals the fate of Frank Ford and the whole band. ** Your friend, “* JOEL.”’ “‘Dastard !” growled Mark, | = Vile treachery is at work all around us,” said Dick, ‘How lucky we fell in, with this mes- sen er ?”’ In a few moments the Austrian prisoner was escorted back to the camp by two or three of the Boy Band, who had orders to handcuff Moss and Leyi on the spot, and wait till the whole company returned | eg * * * * * “No time is to be lost, lads!’ said Mark ; ‘we must hasten to Val Verde, storm an entrance, and rescue Frank. There ean be no doubt now that Joel has had paid spies among us, but they shall suffer for it when we return; we will hang them to the limb of a tree, and let vultures feed on their living bodies. Forward !” This strange and startling episode only seemed to nerve the Boy Soldiers more and more, and each one swore to be revenged on Joel, and his con- federates Levi and Moss. Onwards they sped at dead of night and in pro- found darkness, | After several hours Di¢k led his brave eom- panions to the mouth of the mountain gorge. Instead of perceiving but a few soldiers on guard they discovered a half battalion drawn up, and guns loaded, ready for instant use. How was this? Joel had learned all about the intended movement from the note sent by Moss and Levi. He galloped away on the instant towards Val Verde, and when the Boy Soldiers entered the ‘village, and even called at his own inn in search of horses for the expedition, he had gone! “They seem well prepared for us,” said Mark, as, fo a mile off, he surveyed the spot with his class. ‘* Have they any cavalry, I wonder?’’ said Dick. The words were scarcely spoken, when a squadron of hussars were perceived galloping towards them at the charge. “ In an instant Mark gaye the order to counter charge. _ The brave youths dug their spurs deep into the flanks of their horses, and, with a loud shout, galloped forward. The two bodies of horsemen met. The shock was awful, A terrible fight ensued fora few moments; but the boys “peppered ’’ them so vigorouly with their pistols and reyolyers that the enemy retreated quickly and in the wildest confusion. They were pursued some distance, even up to the cannons in the gorge. This Mark did not desire. ; “You have exposed your Garibaldian uniforms,” said Dick ; and, I fear, if we attempt to approach them again they will know us, and we shall all be cut to pieces,” ‘* Never mind,” said Mark, “never mind, lads, we will play them a trick.” Each one was ordered to strip the dead and wounded hussars of their clothing and head gear. This was quickly dene. “They won’t know us now,” said Mark. “We will approach the enemy at a walk, untilwe get oes ap to the guns, and then charge them like the e . This trick proved an excellent one. The Austrians were surprised that so few of their hussars had returned, and were on the: look out for the stragglers. When, therefore, Mark and his followers were perceived approaching the gorge in the darkness, and attired like their missing men, they took, no notice, The Boy Soldiers were about twa hundred yards away, and, as it seemed, on the point of riding in unchallenged, when an English yoice was heard to shout out among the Austrians, : “Fire, men, fire ! They are Garibaldians ! I know them well! It is all a trick to deceive you !”’ The speaker was Joel Flint. _The words had scarce escaped hig lips, when the Austrians prepared for a stubborn resistance, and fired rapidly from canoon and musket. They had fired but one volley, however, when the English Boys raised a wild hurrah, and dashed into the mouth of the gorge, sword in hand. Foremost of them all was the handsome form of “Mark Tilton, the foster brother.* CHAPTER XXXII. LOTS ARE CAST BY FOUR AUSTRIAN SOLDIERS ' FOR THE REWARD OFFERED FOR FRANK DBAD OR ALIVE—THE QUARREL—THE FIGHT—PHE BANDIT’S GAMD, THE treacherous guide, as we have seen in another chapter, well deserved the fate which he met with at the hands of Dick Fellows. ee re ney eee What had become of Hugh Tracy in ‘his terrible fall down the cliff side we shall shortly see ; but, for the present, turn to the changing fortunes and ad- venturous straights in which Captain Frank Ford found himself. It will be remembered that he had been captured on the battle field, wounded, and disabled, . His Austrian guards carried him away from the ground across the river, and did not bestow a moment’s consideration on the dying old hag who was shot beside him, and lay weltering in her ore, i ‘This is a brave youth,” said one of the Aus- trians, as they carried Frank away. “And the ad- venturous young devil has given us much trouble, but, from the look of the wourd hisin foretead, I doubt much if he'll be able to lead on his intrepid young band again in a hurry,” ' With much care, and great show of humanity, his captors bore him away. They had not gone very far on their journey to head-quarters, when events took a sudden change, as we shall see, 1 Frank had been left in the care of four mounted men, their officer and the surgeon haying gone to camp before them. ‘There is a gi eat reward offered for this youth,” said one; ‘‘do you know it?” ‘““Of course we do,” a second replied, Archduke, in his last order, spoke of this young man, which, from his description and appearance, I take to be the captain of the young Garibaldians.” | * How much is the reward, then?” ‘<A thousand florins, I hear.” ~ “ Yes, and a fine day’s work it has turned out for me,” said the first. * For you 7” * See Illustration in last week’s Number. LEO MIICLOO© S me ee “The ~ Conn »