"The words of Alba revealed to me the horrible crime that had been
perpetrated. I raised her fainting form, and laid her upon my pallet,
for my parents were both dead, and I dwelt alone. Now I could, for the
first time, realize the full and sweet beauty of my heart's love. The
sight of this lovely creature almost lessened my aversion to the vile
fratricide and his unlawful passion. Alba had never related to me
what had passed on that night, and as I did not wish to awaken painful
recollections, I had always avoided interrogating her upon the subject,
so that I knew nothing of the dispute and murder. But the priest,
supposing me aware of his misdeeds, and jealous of my love for Alba,
schemed, as only a fiend could, to annihilate me through his own
crime, though not daring to accuse me openly. He had hinted to his most
intimate friends that I was his brother's murderer, and offered all he
possessed to certain bravos if they would undertake to kill me.
"You can still perceive, in spite of my age, and the troubles that have
weighed me down, that I was agile when a youth, and that I was capable
of taking care of myself against ten priests. Well, Alba had come to
tell me of her father's death and the priest's calumnies. And this
scoundrel had me waylaid, as she warned me, so that I ran a narrow
escape of losing my life. He had paid several cut-throats handsomely to
destroy me. I was always, however, on my guard, and seldom went out of
the house without my carbine; and my faithful little dog Lion could hear
the movement of a small bird a hundred paces off, and would wag his tail
and prick up his ears at the slightest sound. My poor, poor dog! he was
a victim to his love for me."
And here the sensitive heart of the old chief, Gasparo, obliged him to
pause a moment.
"Yes, those devils, daring one of my walks to S------, contrived to
poison him.
"From S------ to my forest-home several thick places in the cover had
to be passed. Here the bravos had hidden themselves once or twice, but,
frustrated by my vigilance, and frightened at my carbine, they made
their retreat as soon as I appeared, and informed the priest that they
should give up the enterprise. Father Giacomo did not understand this,
and finally persuaded them, after offering a higher sum, and regaling
them abundantly with food and wine, to make another attempt, in which he
himself was to accompany them. With his three highwaymen, he took up a
position one evening near my little house, concealing themselves behind
a large bush that grew by the side of the narrow path which led to it,
and which they knew I should be obliged to pass.
"My poor Lion was dead, and on this occasion, in spite of all my
precautions, I was taken by surprise. Four almost simultaneous shots
were fired upon me from the bush, and a furious cry of 'Die' was
uttered by the would-be assassins, who rushed upon me expecting to' find
me mortally wounded. But not so, for I was saved as by a miracle. All
four balls struck me, and three of them slightly wounded me, the most
serious hurt being caused by the first shot, which carried off, as you
see, a piece of my left ear; the second struck against my leathern belt,
smashing only a few of my cartridges; the third pierced my hat, grazing
my head; and the fourth grazed my right shoulder, occasioning a slight
scratch.
"The first person who approached me was the priest, holding a carbine in
his left hand and a poniard in the right. He was like a demon to behold,
for rage and hatred; but my shot was more effective than his, and in one
moment he was rolling at my feet, uttering frightful groans. I knocked
over one of the bravos with my second discharge, whereupon the other
two, seeing the figure their companions had cut, and noting the pistols
still left in my belt, took to their heels and fled. This was the first
time I had shed blood, and I felt some remorse as I regarded the dead
bodies of the priest and his tool. In any other country I might have
escaped unpunished by pleading the law of self-defense; for though I had
no witnesses, the case was clear, and the rancor which the priest bore
to me was so well known that it would not have been difficult to prove
my innocence. But under the priestly government it is another matter,
and the destroyer of one of their body would have no chance of escape;
so I thought it best to flee the country.
"Then began the eventful history of my so-called brigandage; and I swear
to you that amongst all the agents sent out of this world by my hand,
there has not been one who did not first attempt my life. Many young
men, persecuted like me by the clergy, followed me to my place of
retreat; and very soon I had organized so formidable a band, that
the Papal Government treated with me almost as with an equal power.
Assassins or thieves by profession I never would receive into my
company. The unfortunate of all grades were aided by me, and if the
authorities of the priesthood were sometimes assaulted, it was only to
warn them to cease their acts of injustice and infamy.
"In this manner I passed many years, in reality more of a ruler over the
Roman country than he who sits in the Quirinal, until the creatures of
that cunning court, seeing they could do nothing with me by force,
had recourse to treachery. That bright jewel of holiness, my relative,
Cardinal A--------, whom may God reward! contributed more than any one
else to my capture. I had the weakness to trust his specious promises,
and remained, in consequence, fourteen years in irons, in a miserable
prison. But the justice of God will at last find out those evil doers
and punish them, for they are verily the scourge of humanity.
"When in the Papal galleys I heard of you, Orazio, and of your
courageous resistance to the tools of the Vatican, and I assure you I
prayed; Heaven that I might become before I died your assistant and
companion. My prayer was heard, and I only desire to devote the short
remainder of my life to the cause defended by you and your noble
comrades."
Julia was interested in the narrative of the famous bandit, and after
sympathizing with him, was about to ask Orazio to relate some passages
of his career, when, looking around at the company, she perceived
from their looks that repose after the fatigues of the day had become
necessary; and, as the hour was late, she abandoned the idea, and
watched with curiosity the preparations for sleeping in the open air.
Fresh branches from the trees were strewn upon the most level portions
of the ground, under some of the gigantic oaks of the wood, and thus
a magnificent sylvan couch was spread apart for the women, who were
to rest together, covered with the cloaks of their beloved ones. Muzio
offered his to Julia, with a beseeching look, and paid her with a glance
of the deepest gratitude when she graciously accepted it. In the mean
time Orazio and his friends placed guards and sentinels around, and gave
orders to sound the _reveille_ at dawn.
There, under the trees, extended on the turf, slept those upon whom the
hopes of all true Romans hung. For Rome, after eighteen centuries of
lethargy and shame, was beginning to awake and claim again a place of
honor on the earth for her who was once its mistress.