AN AMBUSCADE.
"The others will have the laugh at us when they come back," Sarto said.
"That will in no way trouble me," Frank said. "It has given us a couple
of hours' work, and it has passed the time away. If all has gone well,
we shall hear the firing very soon; we may be sure that they won't be
able to go fast through the wood, especially as they will have to be
careful not to make any noise. Of course, it is all up hill too, and
will be as dark as pitch under the trees; they will have almost to crawl
along the last mile. I should not be surprised if it were another hour
before they are in position to attack. And now that we are prepared to
repel any attack upon us, and to hold out, if necessary, for three days
or even more on the provisions we have got, we ought to consider another
alternative."
"What other alternative can there be?" Maffio asked.
"Let us suppose--and it is as well to suppose the worst--that Rubini
falls into an ambush. It makes no difference whether the woman leads him
into one, or whether she has been trapped and the ambush laid without
her knowledge. Suppose that they are ambushed and that none of them get
back here?"
An exclamation broke from the others.
"I said that we will suppose the worst," Frank went on. "This man
Prato, who is an old hand at such matters, would not improbably, if he
expected that Rubini would come to attack him, have at once sent off to
another band, or to men who sometimes act with him, and instead of their
meeting thirty-eight men, they may meet sixty. In that case we might
calculate that a third of Rubini's force would fall at the first volley;
there they would be in the forest, without a guide, in the dark,
surrounded by twice their number of men well acquainted with the place,
and accustomed to traversing it at night. Now I ask you frankly, do you
think that many of them, or, indeed, any of them, would be likely to get
back here? They might not all be killed; some might hide in the woods,
and make their way down the mountain to-morrow, but the chance of any of
them returning here seems to me to be small indeed, if things turn out
as I have been saying."
"But you don't think, you can't think, Percival----" Sarto said, in a
tone of horror.
"I don't say that I think so, Sarto. I only say that it seems to me to
be possible; and, situated as we are, it is always as well to see what,
if even the most unlikely thing takes place, could be done. Let us
suppose that the detachment has been cut to pieces: what is our look-out
here? We can defend the place, or rather we can defend ourselves, for
three or four days; but what would be the benefit of that? If the news
got down to Bronte, it would be necessary to send two or three companies
up here to rescue us. If, as is very probable, no news got down there,
we should have to surrender; and we know what that would mean,
especially as, assuredly, we should have killed a good many of the
brigands in the course of the fighting. Thus, then, nothing would be
gained by our resistance. I was appointed to command that portion of
troops left here, in case of Rubini going away in pursuit of brigands
with the rest. I do not suppose that it was ever contemplated that only
five men would be left behind, still that does not alter the case. The
idea was, that the village might be attacked during the absence of part
of the force, and that those here should maintain themselves until
Rubini returned. But in the event of such a disaster as we are
supposing, so far from there being any advantage in holding this church,
it would be a serious disadvantage; for we should risk our lives without
any point whatever in our doing so."
"That is certainly true; but in that case, why should we have made these
preparations for defence?"
"Simply because we hope, and have every reason to hope, that Rubini will
return, and we are prepared to hold out until he does so. But, once
assured that the detachment will not come back, the whole matter is
changed."
"But how are we to be assured?"
"Ah! that is a very difficult question to answer. As long as there is
the slightest possibility of any part, however small, of the detachment
returning, we are bound to hold on here. But, when can we feel certain
that this will not be the case, our duty would be to consult our own
safety by retreating if possible to Bronte."
At this moment the sentry on the campanile ran in.
"I heard a sudden outburst of firing, Captain Percival, and it is
continuing."
Followed by all the others, Frank ran up to the top of the tower. There
was no doubt that a tough fight was going on: the reports of the muskets
came in quick succession; sometimes there would be a short pause, and
then half a dozen shots would ring out close together.
For three or four minutes not a word was spoken; then, as the reports
became less frequent, Sarto exclaimed, "It is nearly over: Rubini has
done his work."
Frank was silent, and Sarto added, "Do you not think so, Percival?"
"I hope so," Frank replied, "but I am very much afraid that it is not
so. Had Rubini taken the brigands completely by surprise, there would
have been one crashing volley, then he would have rushed in with the
bayonet, and it would have been all over in two minutes. Some of the
brigands might have escaped, but there can have been no pursuit, for in
the darkness in the forest there would have been no chance whatever of
overtaking men perfectly familiar with it. No, I think that they have
failed in taking them by surprise, and if they did fail to do so, the
brigands would either have moved off, in which case there would have
been no fight at all, or have laid an ambush for our party, which would
account for the heavy firing we have heard. Whether the ambush was
successful, or whether Rubini has beaten his assailants off, is
uncertain."
The others saw the justness of his reasoning, and remained silent. An
occasional shot was still heard.
"What do you think that means?" Maffio asked--for both he and Sarto were
beginning to feel a profound respect for the opinion of their companion.
"It means, of course, that one party or the other is pursuing fugitives,
and I am afraid that it is a bad sign, for, as I have just said, our men
would hardly try and chase these brigands through the wood they know
very well."
They waited another five minutes. Still shots were occasionally heard.
The conviction that Frank's worst anticipations had been but too surely
verified, forced itself upon the others.
"Will you stay here a short time longer?" Frank said to the others; "I
will go down into the church. I should like to think over quietly what
we had best do."
He walked up and down the church. It was a tremendous responsibility for
a lad not yet seventeen to bear. Some of Rubini's party had escaped, and
might be making their way back in hopes of finding shelter and safety.
What would be their feelings if they arrived and found the party gone?
On the other hand, defend themselves as well as they might, six men must
finally succumb before a determined attack by a large party of ruffians
exulting over their victory and thirsting for complete vengeance. But by
the time his companions returned from above he had made up his mind as
to the plan that had best be adopted.
"We will take a middle course," he said. "We will leave the church, and
conceal ourselves within a short distance of the door into the vestry.
One of us must hide close to it, so that if any of our comrades come up
and knock at the door for admission, he can bring them to us. We can
then learn what has happened. If even eight or ten have escaped, we will
return to the church and hold it; if only one or two, we will, when the
brigands arrive and there is no chance of others coming, start for
Bronte."
"That is a capital plan," Sarto exclaimed; and a murmur from the others
showed that they too warmly approved.
"There is no hurry," Frank went on. "We will eat a good meal before we
start, then there will be no occasion to burden ourselves with
provisions. Before leaving, we will light fresh candles: there are four
or five pounds in the vestry. We will leave four alight in each floor of
the tower, and the rest in different parts of the church, so that, when
the brigands do arrive, they will think that we are watchful and well
prepared for them. It is not likely they will know exactly what strength
Rubini had with him, but will think that we have at least ten or twelve
men with us, and will be sure to hesitate a little before they make an
attack. They will take some little time to burst in the great doors; and
even the door of the vestry is strong enough to bear a good deal of
battering before they break that in, so that we shall get a good long
start of them. Of course they may pursue, but we can keep on the road
for the first half-mile, and then turn off and make our way through the
forest. We can't go very far wrong, as it is always a descent; besides,
for aught they will know, we may have been gone a couple of hours before
they get here. I think in that way we shall have done our duty to our
comrades, and at the same time secured our own safety, for we have no
right to throw away our lives when we can still do some work for Italy."
"It could not be better," Maffio said. "In that way we shall have the
consolation of knowing that none of our friends, who have been wounded,
have dragged themselves here after we had left only to find that they
were deserted; while on the other hand it does away with the necessity
of our throwing away our lives altogether uselessly. I revert to my
former idea, Percival. If ever I have sons, I will send them to one of
your great schools in England. It is clear that the life there and your
rough games make men of you."
They first sat down and ate a hearty meal of bread and wine, and then
fresh candles were lighted and placed as Frank had directed. Then they
left the church, locking the vestry door behind them. Sarto lay down
behind a tombstone ten yards from the door, and the others took their
places behind the low wall that ran round the church-yard. After waiting
an hour Frank returned to Sarto.
"I am going," he said, "to conceal myself at the end of the village,
close enough to the road to hear anything that is said by people coming
along. If, as I hope, they may be some of our men, I will join them and
bring them on here, if not I will make my way here at once, and will
give a low whistle. Directly you hear me, retire and join us. It will
give us a few minutes' extra time, for you may be sure that when they
see the church lighted up, those who first arrive will wait for the rest
before running the risk of a shot from the tower. When all are gathered
no doubt there will be a good deal of talk as to how they had best
attack it."
Leaving Sarto, Frank made his way through the gardens until he arrived
at the end of the village, and then sat down behind a low wall, close to
the road. In half an hour he heard footsteps, and judged that six or
eight men were coming from the forest.
"There is no doubt they are on the watch there," one of them said; "the
windows in the tower are lit up,--we shall have some work to do before
we finish with them. They fought bravely--I will say that for them; and
although half their number fell at our first volley, they killed eight
or ten of our men, and wounded as many more, before, when there were
only about half a dozen of them left, they broke through us and ran. It
was lucky that Phillipo's band arrived in time, for notwithstanding the
surprise, I doubt whether we should have beaten them, had we been alone.
It was a good thought of Prato to send young Vico to follow that woman,
and that he saw her talking to the officer."
Frank could hear no more, but rising quietly, he retraced his steps at a
run, and as soon as he joined his companions gave a low whistle, which
in a minute brought Sarto to his side.
"It is as I feared," he said: "they laid an ambush for Rubini, and shot
down half his men at once; the rest kept together and fought till all
but six or seven were killed, and these burst through them and took to
flight; and I am afraid that those shots we heard told that some even of
these were overtaken and killed. Now let us be going; there were only
about eight men in the party who first came along, and we may be sure
that nothing will be attempted until the rest arrive. The men had
noticed our lights in the tower, and evidently expected that we should
sell our lives dearly; at any rate, we can calculate upon at least half
an hour before they break into the church and find that we have left."
They were obliged to go cautiously before they gained the road beyond
the village, and then they broke into a trot.
"Half an hour will mean something like four miles," Frank said; "and as
it is not likely that they can run much faster than we are going, we may
safely calculate that they will not overtake us for over an hour after
they do start, and by that time we shall be well within five miles of
Bronte. Indeed, with the slope in our favour, I am not sure that we may
not calculate upon reaching the town itself; they certainly ought not to
be able to run fifteen miles while we are running eleven."
"If they do we should deserve to be caught," Maffio said; "but I should
think that they would not follow us far, as, for anything they can tell,
we may have left the church a couple of hours ago."
There were few words spoken as they ran steadily along. The thought of
the slaughter of so many of their friends oppressed them all, and the
fact that they had personally escaped was, at present, a small
consolation. Frank had not been long enough with the company to make the
acquaintance of many of the men, but he felt the loss of Rubini
extremely. At Genoa, during the voyage, and on the march to Palermo,
they had been constantly together, and the older man had treated him
with as much cordiality and kindness as if he had been a young brother.
Frank regretted now that he had not even more strongly urged his doubts
as to the expediency of the expedition, though he felt that, even had he
done so, his remonstrances would have been unavailing, so convinced were
Rubini and Zippo of the sincerity and good faith of the woman. As it
seemed, in this respect they had been right, and he had not pressed more
strongly upon them the probability of her being followed when she left
the brigands after the murder of her husband. It was so natural a thing
that this should be so, that he wondered it had not struck him at once.
Had he urged the point, Rubini might have listened to him, and his fatal
expedition might not have taken place.
It seemed to him a heartbreaking affair, and as he ran he wiped away
more than one tear that ran down his cheeks. After keeping on at the
same speed for three or four miles, Frank heard, by the hard breathing
of his companions, that their powers were failing; he himself was
running quite easily, his school training being of good service to him,
and after the long runs at hare and hounds across country, four miles
down hill was a trifle to him. He had, too, the advantage of not having
to carry a musket and ammunition.
"We had better walk for a few hundred yards and get our breath again,"
he said. And the order was thankfully obeyed.
"Are you ready to trot on?" he asked, five minutes later; and on a
general assent being given, they again broke into a run.
The more he thought of it, the more persuaded Frank was that no pursuit
would be set on foot. Doubtless, the first step of the brigands would be
to surround the church, and to place strong parties at both doors; they
would therefore know that the church must have been deserted for at
least half an hour before they obtained an entry, while possibly it
might have been two or three hours before; so on finding the place empty
their impulse would be to go to the wine-shops and celebrate their
victory, rather than to start upon a pursuit which offered small
prospects indeed of success. Every few minutes they halted for a moment
to listen for the sound of pursuing feet, but everything was still and
quiet; and so confident did they become as to their safety, that the
last three or four miles down into Bronte were performed at a walk.
"I must go and report to Bixio," Frank said, as they entered the town.
"You had better find a shelter somewhere."
"There is no occasion for that," Maffio replied. "The sky has been
getting lighter for some little time, and it must be nearly five
o'clock. It was past two when we started."
"I will wait for another half-hour," Frank said, "before I rouse Bixio;
he is always out by six, and bad news will keep."
Shortly before that hour he went to the general's quarters. The house
was already astir.
"The general will be down in a few minutes, captain," an orderly said.
"I called him a quarter of an hour ago."
In two or three minutes Bixio came down.
"Have you any news?" he asked hastily, when he saw Frank, whose downcast
face struck him at once.
"Yes, general; and very bad news."
"Come in here," Bixio said, opening the door of a sitting-room. "Now,
what is it?"
"I grieve to have to report, sir, that I have arrived here with only
Sarto, Maffio, and three other men of the detachment, and that I fear
Captain Rubini and the whole of the rest of the men have been killed."
Bixio started. "All killed!" he repeated, almost incredulously. "I trust
that you are mistaken. What has happened?"
Frank briefly related the circumstances.
"This is sad indeed--terrible," the general said, when he had brought
his story to a conclusion. "Rubini's loss is a grievous one; he was a
good officer, and was greatly liked and trusted by us all; there were
good men, too, among his company. He had fifteen men of the thousand
among them. And you say this woman did not betray them?"
"No; the men I overheard, distinctly said that she was a traitress, and
as soon as she was missed by them she was followed, and her meeting with
the officer observed."
"But what took you out beyond the village, Captain Percival? You have
told me the main facts of this most unfortunate expedition: please give
me the full details of what you did after they had left, and how you
came to escape."
"I felt uneasy from the first," Frank said. "Directly Rubini told me
about the woman, I suggested that she might be merely acting a part, in
order to lead them into an ambuscade; but both Rubini and Zippo, who was
with him when he met her, were absolutely convinced of her good faith.
"I also suggested that, even if they were right, the woman might
possibly have been followed. Her disappearance after the murder of her
husband would be almost certain to excite suspicion that she intended to
avenge herself by bringing our detachment down upon them. I communicated
this suspicion to Sarto and Maffio, and we at once set to work to make
the church defensible."
He then related in detail the measures they had taken, and how he became
convinced, by the sound of the distant conflict, that Rubini and his
party had fallen into the ambuscade and been destroyed.
"For some time I could not make up my mind what course to adopt, sir: we
might have defended the tower for two or three days; but it was by no
means certain--in fact, it was very improbable--that anything of what
was going on would reach your ears. On the other hand, I could not
withdraw my little party, as, even if my worst suspicions were correct,
some of Rubini's men might have escaped and might make their way back to
the church." He then proceeded to explain the plan he had adopted, and
how it had been carried out. "I do not know whether I have acted
rightly," he concluded. "It was a terrible responsibility, but I can
only say that I consulted with Sarto and Maffio, who have had far more
experience than I, and that they both approved of my plan. I hope,
general, you do not think that I was wrong."
"Certainly not--certainly not. Your position was a most difficult one,
and your preparations for defence were excellent; the alternatives that
you had to choose between when you became convinced that Rubini had been
defeated were equally painful. If you stayed and defended the place, I
may almost say you would have thrown away the lives of yourself and the
five men with you. If you went, any wounded men straggling back from the
forest would have found neither friends nor refuge. The middle course
you adopted was admirable. You would at once have saved any poor fellows
who might arrive, while you ensured the safety of your little party. By
illuminating the church you secured for yourself a long start; and by
going out so as to overhear the conversation of the first party of
brigands who entered the village, you were able to assure yourself that
it was useless staying longer in hopes of any survivors of the
expedition coming in.
"I have received a message from Garibaldi, ordering me to move to
Taormina, on the sea-coast. He has defeated Bosco at Milazzo; and the
Neapolitan general and his troops have been permitted to take ship for
Naples. He said that if I had not concluded my work here I could remain
for another week, as it would probably be a considerable time before the
preparations made for invading Calabria were completed. I was intending
to send off some messengers this morning to recall all the outlying
detachments. That I shall do still; but I shall certainly remain here
three or four days longer, in the hope that some of Rubini's party may
have escaped. If I thought there was the smallest chance of laying hands
on this scoundrel Prato and his band, I would march with a couple of
hundred men into the mountains. But we may be sure that he did not stop
more than an hour or two at the village, after he learned that your
party had escaped; and by to-morrow morning they may be fifty miles
away, on the other side of Etna. However, as soon as our affair is
over, I shall urge upon Garibaldi the necessity for sending a strong
force into the mountains to put down brigandage, and especially to
destroy Prato's band."
The disaster that had befallen Rubini's column cast a great gloom over
the brigade: not a man but would gladly have undergone any amount of
fatigue to avenge his comrades; but all felt the impossibility of
searching the great tract of forest which extended over the larger part
of the slopes of Etna. Bixio however, determined to send off a strong
party to find and bury the dead, and two hours later a detachment a
hundred strong left Bronte. Their orders were to attack the brigands if
they found them in the village; if they had left, however, they were not
to pursue. They were to sleep there, and in the morning to compel two or
three of the villagers to guide them to the scene of conflict, where
they were to find and bury the dead. Every precaution was to be
observed, although it was regarded as certain that the brigands would
not have remained so near the village, but would only stop there a few
hours, and then place as great a distance as possible between it and
them.
Frank had offered to accompany the party, but Bixio refused to allow him
to do so.
"You have had a sleepless night, and the anxiety you have suffered is
quite sufficient excitement for a convalescent. You could do no good by
going there, and had best lie down and take a few hours' sleep."
Before the party started Frank asked the captain in command to see if
his horse had been carried off. "It was in a shed adjoining the priest's
house," he said; "and it may still be there. The brigands would not be
likely to make many inquiries; and when they discovered that we had
gone, probably made off directly they had eaten their supper; for had
we, as might have been the case so far as they knew, started for Bronte
soon after Rubini left, it would have been possible for reinforcements
to reach the village within an hour of daybreak. Even if one of the
villagers told them that the horse was there--which is not likely, for
the whole place must have been in a ferment at the news--the brigands
may not have cared to carry it off, as it would be useless to them in a
journey over ground covered with forest and broken up by ravines and
gorges."
The detachment returned two days later, bringing with it, to Frank's
satisfaction, his horse and saddlery. They had been to the scene of the
conflict, and had found and buried all the bodies with the exception of
a few, who must either have escaped or have been killed at a
considerable distance from the spot where they were attacked. The
brigands had, as Frank had expected, left the village before daybreak.
They had on arriving opened fire at the windows of the church; and a
quarter of an hour later, finding that no reply was made, had
endeavoured to force an entry. The great door, however, had defied their
efforts, and when at last they obtained access by breaking in the door
of the vestry, more than an hour had been wasted. The discovery that the
church was untenanted had greatly disappointed and disquieted them, and
after carousing for a short time they hastily left.
Early on the day after the return of Frank and his comrades, one of the
missing party reached the town: he was utterly worn out and broken down,
having apparently wandered for thirty-six hours in the forest in a state
of semi-delirium. He had at last quite accidentally stumbled upon a
small village, and after being fed and cared for, had been brought down
to Bronte in a cart. He was, he said, convinced that he was the only
survivor of the fight. The party had arrived within, as they believed, a
quarter of a mile of the brigands' lurking-place, when a whistle was
heard, and from the trees on both sides of the narrow path a volley was
fired, and half at least of the party dropped. Rubini, he believed, was
among those who fell; at least he did not hear his voice afterwards.
Zippo had rallied the men, who, gathering together, endeavoured to fight
their way through their assailants.
What the effect of their fire was, he could not tell, but his comrades
dropped fast, and when there were but a few left, they threw down their
muskets and rushed headlong into the forest. They scattered in various
directions, but were hotly pursued; several shots were fired at him, but
they all missed. After running for half an hour he flung himself down in
a clump of undergrowth. He had heard, as he ran, other shots, and had no
doubt that his companions were all killed. He lay where he was until
morning, and then tried to find his way down to Bronte, but he had no
distinct recollection of what had happened after he left the bushes,
until he found that wine was being poured down his throat, and that he
was surrounded by a group of pitying women.
The fury of the Garibaldians, on their arrival from the various villages
at which they had been posted, when they heard of the slaughter of their
friends, was extreme; and many of the officers begged the general to
allow them to make one effort to find and punish the brigands, but Bixio
refused.
"We have a far greater business on our hands," he said. "Italy has to
be freed. The first blow has been struck, and must be followed up at
once; brigandage can wait--it is an old sore, a disgrace to a civilised
country; but Italy once freed, this can be taken in hand. We might spend
weeks, or even months, before we could lay hands on Prato's band; the
villagers and woodmen would keep them informed of every movement we
made, while not only should we gain no information, but all would be
interested in putting us upon the wrong track. It is not to be thought
of. Moreover, I have Garibaldi's orders to march to Taormina, and if we
had lost five hundred men instead of fifty, I should obey that order,
much as I should regret being obliged to march away and leave the
massacre unavenged."
The day after the fugitive had arrived, the force left Bronte. The
mountainous nature of the country to the north prevented a direct march
towards Taormina. They therefore took the road round the foot of Etna,
through Bandazza to Gairre, which lay nearly due east of Bronte, and
then followed the line along the coast to Taormina. Here the troops were
halted, while Bixio, with Frank and a small escort, rode on to Messina,
as the general wished to confer with Garibaldi, and to ascertain how the
preparations for the invasion of Calabria were proceeding.