THE SURPRISE ATTACK
Without turning his head, the beggar picked up a stone and tossed it
into the river. He repeated this twice.
Lucia watched, fascinated. The soldiers left their hiding-place and
came down to the road. The beggar took something out of the pocket of
his coat, handed it to one of the soldiers, and shuffled off in the
opposite direction.
Lucia waited to see what the soldiers would do. She expected them to
return, but instead they waited until the beggar was out of sight, and
then hurried across the foot-bridge and plunged hurriedly into the
mountains opposite.
Lucia caught sight of their shining helmets every now and then as they
climbed higher and higher, and finally disappeared. She was undecided
what to do, but after a little hesitation she determined to follow the
beggar. Now that the Austrians were out of sight there was no need for
her to avoid the open path, and she hurried to it and ran quickly in
the direction that the man had taken. She did not know where she was,
or how far she would have to go before she reached Cellino. She had
seen nothing of the town from the mountains, and she guessed that it
was much farther away than she had at first supposed.
She walked on as fast as she could, keeping a sharp lookout for the
beggar, but he had apparently disappeared, for she could not find him
or any trace of him.
It was late in the afternoon when she reached a part of the river that
was familiar to her, and with a start she realized that she was still a
good three miles from Cellino. She was very tired and very hungry, but
she sat down to consider the best plan to follow. She knew nothing of
what had passed between the men at the bridge, but she had sense enough
to realize that whatever it was, it was not for the good of the Italian
forces.
Some one must be warned, and soon, for the speed of the Austrian
soldiers made her feel that the danger was imminent.
"I will go on to town and warn them," she said aloud to Garibaldi,
"that is the best plan, and then I can find something to eat."
She jumped up and started off with renewed energy. At a little path
that turned to the right she left the river and came out on the broad
road at the foot of a valley. It was not long after that, when she saw
the little white cottage ahead. The sight of it gave her courage.
There, at any rate, would be a human being to talk to, and bread to
eat. She ran the rest of the way, and did not pause until she was in
the little room.
The sight that met her eyes sent a sudden damper over her spirits.
Everything was upside down. The green bed was stripped of its sheets,
and all the familiar ornaments had gone. Lucia stood dumbfounded
trying to realize that Nana had really gone. A feeling of loneliness
and despair made the tears come to her eyes.
She clenched her fists and tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but
without success, the tears came in spite of her and in her
disappointment she threw herself down on the bed and sobbed. Fear got
the better of her, and in an agony of mind she imagined every possible
harm to Beppi.
But she was not allowed to stay long in that state of mind, for
suddenly the guns broke into a terrible roar. The air was black with
smoke and the house trembled and rocked under her.
She jumped up and ran to the window. Great volumes of smoke arose to
the east, and higher geysers of dirt and rock flew up into the air.
"The Austrians!" Lucia did not stop to think in her fear. She dashed
out of the house and down the road in the opposite direction from the
town. Without realizing the personal danger to herself, she ran as
fast as she could. Fear and the noise of the exploding shells sent her
plunging ahead regardless of direction.
Instinctively she took the path to the right at the foot of the village
and climbed up to the little plateau. She was directly under the fire
of her own guns, but the noise from both sides was so great that she
did not know it, and she forged ahead, shouting. In all the tumult she
could not even hear her own voice, but to shout relieved her nerves of
the terrible strain.
When she reached the plateau she climbed on up, choosing the spot
where, earlier in the day, the Italian soldiers had come from, and
slipping and sliding, but always goaded on by fear, and the knowledge
that she must tell some one about the beggar, she kept on her way.
She did not know how long she ran, or when it was that she stumbled,
but suddenly everything was black before her eyes, and the noise of the
guns was blotted out by the awful ringing in her ears. Then came
oblivion.
When she next realized anything, she was conscious of some one bending
over her and holding a water bottle to her lips. She drank gratefully
and opened her eyes. The Italian soldier was beside her, and another
man was lying on the ground near her.
"Give me something to eat," she said, trying to sit up, "or I will go
away again." Going away was the only way she knew of, to express the
sensation of fainting.
The Italian took something out of his knapsack and gave it to her.
Lucia ate ravenously, and the queer feeling at the pit of her stomach
disappeared.
"How did you escape?" he asked.
The question brought back a sudden wave of memory, and Lucia jumped up
excitedly.
"By the river road--two Austrians and a beggar--they met by the
foot-bridge, over there where the noise comes from; I saw them." She
recalled the facts jerkily.
"Go on!" the Italian's eyes flashed.
"The beggar gave the Austrians a paper, and they left with it and
climbed up into the mountains across the river. I could not follow
without being seen, and when I tried to find the beggar he had
disappeared. The river runs right under the wall."
"Oh, look!" She stopped abruptly and put her hand over her eyes.
A great cloud of fire followed a terrific report, and from the distance
of the hill it looked as if the whole town of Cellino was in flames.
The Italian snatched a field glass that lay on the ground beside the
wounded man, and put it to his eyes. Then without a word he dashed
off. Lucia followed him. A giant tree grew between two huge rocks a
little further up the mountain, and the Italian climbed up it.
Lucia watched him, and for the first time she noticed that several
wires were strung along and ended high up in its branches. She heard
the Italian calling some directions, and knew that a telephone must be
hidden somewhere in the tree. She could make nothing of the orders;
they were mostly numbers, and she waited impatiently until he returned
to her.
"Stay here," he said quickly, "and lie down flat--don't move. The
Austrians are advancing on the other side of the river, and Cellino
will fall if the bridge is not blown up."
"But who can get to it?" Lucia demanded.
"I can; it is mined. If I can reach it we may drive them back."
He did not wait to say more.
Lucia watched him impatiently as he stumbled and slid clumsily down the
rough trail below her. The shells were coming nearer and nearer, and
the air was filled with brilliant fire.
She watched the man every second, afraid to lose track of him. At the
base of the rock he fell. She caught her breath and shouted aloud when
he picked himself up and stumbled on. He reached the road and was just
starting across the little path that led to the river, when a shell
exploded so near him that the smoke hid him completely from view.