CHAPTER XIV.
A DISCOVERY.
At one o'clock one of the men on the look-out brought to Frank the newsthat he could make out two steamers approaching. Frank ran down to theshore. The man's eyesight had not deceived him: two steamers werecertainly making their way towards Melito, and, from the direction oftheir course, they had almost certainly come from some port in Sicily,and did not belong to the Neapolitan squadron that were constantlyparading the straits. These, indeed, were for the most part lying twentymiles away, while some were anchored off Reggio. Demonstrations had beenmade for some days both at Messina and the Cape of Faro, in order toattract their attention, and lead to the belief that it was intended toland near the spot where Missori had disembarked, or at some point northof the entrance to the straits.
Stores had been ostentatiously placed on board steamers at Messina andFaro; men had embarked in considerable numbers every evening, and smokepouring from the funnels showed that steam was being got up. Thesepreparations were keenly watched by the Neapolitans, and served theirpurpose by concentrating all their attention upon these points.Garibaldi, on arriving from Sardinia with the troops which had beencollected there, had despatched the _Torino_ and _Franklin_, carrying athousand of these men, round the island with instructions to them toput in at Giardini, the port of Taormina. He himself proceeded toMessina, and then, after seeing that all was going on well there, rodedown to the port, having previously sent forward seven hundred men.
This detachment was so small that its departure attracted littleattention, and it was supposed that it had only gone down to reinforceBixio's brigade; thus Messina was as ignorant of the fact that anexpedition was about to start from Giardini as were the Neapolitancommanders. On arrival at Giardini, on the evening of August 18th,Garibaldi found that Bixio had already embarked a thousand men on boardthe _Torino_, which was a steamer of seven hundred tons, and that he wasprepared to send another thousand on board. The _Franklin_ was a smallpaddle steamer of two hundred tons, and she was reported to be leakingso badly that no troops had been embarked on her. Garibaldi at once wenton board with his staff, and found that she was making water fast. Theleak could not be discovered, but Garibaldi, as an old sea captain, knewwhat should be done to check the inrush of water, at least for a time,as it was all-important that she should be able to carry her complementof men across the sixteen miles of water between Giardini and Melito.Several of his officers could swim, and he ordered these to diveoverboard, and to find, if possible, the position of the leaks.
In the meantime, he sent ashore for a boat-load of a mixture of manureand chopped straw. When this arrived, lumps were thrust down at the endof poles, to the points where leaks had been discovered; particles ofthe composition were drawn into the leaks by the inrush of water, and ina short time the leakage almost entirely ceased, and the work ofembarkation recommenced. Three thousand men were carried by the_Torino_, and twelve hundred on the _Franklin_, where Garibaldi himselftook his place, while Bixio commanded on the _Torino_. Both vessels werecrowded to a dangerous extent; men were packed on deck as closely asthey could stand, and were even clustered on the shrouds. Had there beenany wind, it would have been dangerous in the extreme to put to seaoverloaded as they were, but fortunately there was not a breath of air,and the water was perfectly calm. At ten o'clock the two vessels startedon their eventful voyage, but owing to the difficulties caused by thestrong currents, they did not arrive off Melito until two in themorning.
As soon as Frank had assured himself that the approaching vessels werethose he expected, he sent off one of his two men to fetch down theparty that had for twelve hours been lying outside the place, while hedespatched the other to the huts of the leaders of the three parties offishermen not engaged in watching the roads, to tell them to call up alltheir men as quietly as possible and to get their boats in the water. Ina short time, therefore, after the _Franklin's_ anchor had been dropped,Frank arrived alongside the _Torino_ with half a dozen fishing boats: hehad rowed to her both as being the larger craft and being nearest to theshore, and thought that Garibaldi would be on board her. On reaching herhe found Bixio. Several lanterns had been placed near the gangway, andthe general at once recognised him.
"Welcome, Captain Percival!" he said heartily, as he shook hands withhim. "We were glad indeed when we saw the boats putting off, and knewthat a detachment of Missori's men must be there. Have you more boatscoming out?"
"Yes, sir; there will be a dozen more off in a few minutes. I set offas soon as I had assembled a sufficient number of fishermen to man thosealongside."
"I am sorry to say," Bixio said, "that we have run aground, and I fearbadly. I have just sent a boat to the _Franklin_, where Garibaldi is, totell him what has happened. You had better go at once and report to him.What force have you?"
"Only fifty men, sir. The colonel sent only a small party, as he wasafraid that, were he to come with all his force, he would bring theenemy down here at once."
"There is no fear of trouble in the town?"
"No, sir; I have arranged all that. You will be entirely unopposed;there are no Neapolitans nearer than Reggio, and they have no suspicionsof our being here."
Frank at once returned to the boat in which he had come off, and rowedto the _Franklin_.
"Ah, it is you, Percival!" Garibaldi exclaimed when he saw him. "Thenall is well. We will begin to land at once, and you can tell me as we goashore what Missori has been doing. How many boats have you with you?"
"I have brought six, sir; but there will be at least a dozen more in afew minutes."
Garibaldi descended into the boat, and was followed by as many men ascould be crowded into her.
"Now, first about the state of things here. Is there any chance of ourbeing disturbed before the men are all ashore?"
"I should think not, sir. With the exception of the fishermen, whom Ihave roused to man the boats, no one in the place knows anything of whatis going on. The great bulk of the people are in your favour. The syndicand all the authorities are prisoners in their houses, and even if theywere conscious of your landing, they could not send the news to Reggio,as I have armed parties on all the roads. You have therefore certainlysix or eight hours before there is any chance of interruption."
"That is good news. Indeed, everything has gone well with us so far,except this misfortune of Bixio's steamer running aground. Unless we cansucceed in getting her off, I fear that the Neapolitans will captureher. However, that is a minor matter. Now, what can you tell me aboutthe position of the enemy?"
"There are about thirty thousand men under General Viale in and aroundMonteleone; there are twelve thousand at Bagnara, and the towns betweenit and Reggio, where there are but fifteen hundred men under GeneralGalotta; eighteen hundred men are in Aspromonte, in pursuit of Missori,who has now about eight hundred men with him."
"They could hardly be disposed better for our purpose," Garibaldiremarked. "We shall take Reggio before supports can arrive to thegarrison, and our success there will be worth ten thousand men to us."
Garibaldi remained on shore watching the disembarkation of the men.Every boatman in Melito was soon employed in the work, and, by fouro'clock the whole of the troops were on the shore. While thedisembarkation had been going on, Garibaldi had sent for the syndic andother authorities, and had informed them that they must now considerthemselves under his authority, and obey promptly all orders that hegave them; that he should require bread, meat, and wine, for a day'sconsumption for the whole of his force; that he was prepared to pay forthe food, but that they must obtain it from the inhabitants.
Except among the fishermen, the arrival of the force was regarded withan appearance of apathy. The townspeople had been told by theauthorities that there was no fear whatever of Garibaldi and hisfreebooters coming near them, and believing that he must speedily becrushed, they regarded his arrival with fear rather than pleasure. Therewere many there who were well-wishers of the cause, but they feared toexhibit any sign of their friendship, lest the
y should suffer terriblyfor it when he and his followers had been destroyed by the troops. InSicily there had been previous insurrections and risings, and the peoplehad long hoped that some day they would shake off the yoke of Naples;but no such hope had been entertained on the mainland, where the reignof oppression had been so long unbroken that no thought that it couldever be thrown off had entered the minds of the great majority of theignorant people. At daybreak the war-vessels at Reggio could be seengetting up steam, and the greatest efforts were made to get the _Torino_afloat again.
Unfortunately the reduction effected in her draught of water by theremoval of her passengers and a certain amount of stores had beencounteracted by the force of the current, which, as fast as she waslightened, carried her up higher on the shoal. The little _Franklin_,which was an American vessel chartered for the occasion, hoisted thestars and stripes as soon as the Garibaldians had landed, and steamedacross to the island. The _Torino's_ Italian flag remained flying untilthree Neapolitan steamers came up and opened fire upon the Garibaldianson shore. Three men were wounded by a shell; when the rest, forming up,marched out of the town, taking the path (it could scarcely be called aroad) towards Reggio.
Four men had, soon after the landing had been effected, been sent toMissori with orders that he should join at Reggio. As soon as theGaribaldians were out of range, the Neapolitan commanders turned theirguns on the _Torino_, and after keeping up a heavy fire upon her forsome hours, they sent parties in boats to board her and set her on fire.
The first part of the march towards Reggio was an extremely toilsomeone. For the first eight miles, from Melito to Cape D'Armi, the slopesof the mountains extend to the very edge of the water, and the troopswere continually mounting the steep spurs or descending into ravines.They had with them four mountain guns, and as the path could only betraversed by the men in single file, the difficulty of taking the gunsalong was immense.
The men were in the highest spirits. The fact that, in case of disaster,the destruction of the _Torino_ had cut off all means of return toSicily, in no way troubled them. Similarly they had thrown themselves onshore at Marsala, and the ships in which they had come had been capturedby the enemy. Their confidence in Garibaldi was absolute, and no thoughtof disaster was for a moment entertained. Once past the Cape, theyhalted. It was already evening, and although the distance in miles hadbeen short, the fatigue had been very great, and none had closed an eyeon the previous night. It was therefore impossible to go farther. Theywere received with enthusiasm by the people of the villages scatteredhere and there on the mountain-side. A Greek colony had very many yearsbefore settled there, and retained many of their own customs, and eventheir own language; but although conversation with the North ItalianGaribaldians was difficult, and often impossible, there could be nomistake as to the heartiness of their welcome.
Everything in the way of provisions was given to the soldiers, and eachcottage took in as many men as it could hold; and from the moment,indeed, when the Garibaldians set foot in Calabria, they met with a fardeeper and heartier welcome than had been the case in Sicily. In thelatter they had been joined by a comparatively small body of volunteers,and the people had contented themselves with shouting and cheering, buthad given little else; and even in Messina the appeals of Garibaldi foraid in the hospitals, and lint and bandages for the wounded, had metwith little response: the Sicilians had, in fact, fallen to the level ofthe Neapolitans. In Calabria, on the other hand, the population wasmanly, hardy, and hospitable--possessing the virtues of mountaineers inall countries; and as the news of Garibaldi's landing spread, the wholepopulation took up arms.
Here communications were received from Missori, who stated that he waspushing forward with all haste; but that, from the ruggedness of themountains along which he was travelling, he could not hope to be atReggio until late the following evening. The next day the Garibaldiansadvanced along the mountain-side; a detachment sent out from Reggioretiring along the road as they advanced. The force halted for the nightsix miles from the town. A messenger from Missori announced that, inspite of his efforts, he was still far distant; Garibaldi, therefore,determined to attack the next morning without waiting for him.Communications had been opened with the townsfolk, and a message wassent back that the national guard would support him.
Few towns are more beautifully situated than Reggio. It lies on thelowest slope of a spur of Aspromonte. Behind it rises the castle, withits guns commanding the town, whose scattered suburbs and gardensstretch far away up the mountain-side; while across the straits lies theBay of Catania, with numerous towns and villages up the slopes of Etna,which forms a background, with wreaths of smoke ascending from thevolcano on its summit. Away to the right lies Messina, and the coaststretching along to Cape Faro. The intervening strait is dotted withshipping: steamers on their way to the East, or returning to Italy andFrance; sailing-ships flying the flags of many nations, fishing-androwing-boats.
It was settled that Bixio with his brigade was to enter the town by themain road, and effect a junction with the national guard in the piazzalying below the castle; and that, when the junction was made, abattalion was to descend to the shore and attack a small fort near themarina.
As soon as the news of Garibaldi's landing had reached the town, theprincipal people and the officers of the national guard had called uponGallotta, and begged him, if he intended to fight Garibaldi, to gooutside the town to do so, and so save the place from the injury thatwould be effected by a desperate struggle in the streets. The requestwas a strange one; but the general, who no doubt considered that hewould do better in a fight in the open than in the streets, wherepossibly the inhabitants might take part against him, agreed to do this,and on Garibaldi's approach marched out of the fortress with eighthundred men in two detachments, one of which took post at the bridgejust outside Reggio, while, strangely enough, the other four hundred mentook up a position on the opposite side of the town.
In order to confuse the Italian troops, who would be marching from allthe towns on the coast towards Reggio, Garibaldi had sent orders toCosenz to cross during the night from Cape Faro with twelve hundred menin boats, and to land near Bagnara. Expecting some hard fighting, theGaribaldians moved on at midnight. When they approached the town thescouts went forward, and found to their surprise that the bridge wasunoccupied. Bixio at once crossed it; and, reaching the piazza, joinedthe national guard there without a shot having been fired. Similarly,Garibaldi with the rest of the force entered the suburbs. They came upona small outpost, which was at once driven back; and Gallotta, who, notdreaming of a night attack, had withdrawn most of his troops into thecastle, now beat a hasty retreat with the remainder, and a cannonade wasat once opened by its guns upon the town.
The Neapolitan force on the other side of Reggio retreated at once,fearing that they would not be able to enter the castle, and retiredalong the road, hoping to meet General Braganti, who was advancing witha column to reinforce the garrison. Bixio's battalion took the littlefort on the marina without difficulty. Barricades were at once thrown upacross all the streets leading to the castle, in order to prevent thegarrison from making a sortie, or any relieving force reaching it. Itwas daylight now, and Missori and his column arrived, as arranged, uponthe hill-side above the castle, and at once opened so heavy a musketryfire upon its defenders, that the artillery were unable to serve theguns. Feeling that the castle could not hold out long, Garibaldidespatched a battalion to hold the relieving column in check; butBraganti had already heard from the fugitives that the town and seasidefort were in the hands of the Garibaldians, and the castle invested uponall sides: he therefore fell back to await further reinforcements, beingignorant of the force under Garibaldi's command.
At twelve o'clock a loud cheer broke from the Garibaldians round thecastle, for the white flag of surrender was hoisted. The general grantedthe same terms that were given to Bosco's force at Milazzo--namely, thatthe garrison might march down to the shore, and there embark on boardthe Neapolitan war-ships for conveya
nce to Naples, leaving all munitionsof war, money, and all prisoners who might be confined there, behindthem. Thus, with the loss of only seven men killed and wounded, a castlewhich had been considered capable of resisting a long siege wascaptured, and the first blow struck at the Bourbon dynasty of Naples.The success in itself was a striking one; its consequences werefar-reaching. The news that Reggio had been captured by theGaribaldians, almost without fighting, spread like wild-fire. Cosenz'slanding had also been successful; and this, added to the news that allsouthern Calabria had risen in arms, created such consternation amongthe commanders of the various bodies of troops in the towns facing thestraits, that all prepared to march at once to join the main force atMonteleone.
As soon as the castle surrendered, Garibaldi despatched boats across thestraits, with orders to the troops at Messina and Cape Faro to cross atonce in any craft they could get hold of. No advance from Reggio wasmade that afternoon, as the troops required some rest after theirexertions. As evening came on the scene was a striking one; every townand village on the other side of the straits from Cape Faro to Giardinibeing illuminated. The lights twinkled, and bonfires blazed, far up thesides of Etna.
As soon as Garibaldi had entered the castle, he said to Frank, who hadbeen near him all day: "Take ten men and search the castle thoroughly,and release all political prisoners. There are sure to be many here."
Frank obeyed the order eagerly. At Palermo he had not expected to findany prisoners from the mainland; and he had read through the list ofthose found and released at Messina without emotion--for there, as atPalermo, all were men, for the most part of good family, belonging tothe city; but now he was on the mainland, and prisoners taken in anypart of the Neapolitan dominions might be found here. First he obtainedthe list of those detained from the officer in special charge of them.No familiar name met his eye as he glanced hastily down it.
"You are sure that this is the entire list?" he asked the officer.
"There are none others," the latter replied; "but if you are searchingfor a friend you may find him here, though bearing another name. Themajority of the prisoners are registered under their real names, but insome cases, where there are particular reasons for secrecy, another nameis given when they are brought here, and I myself am ignorant of whattheir real designations may be."
"You had better accompany me round, sir," Frank said, "and see that thejailors open all the doors and give me every facility."
The officer willingly assented: he felt that his appointment under theNeapolitan government was at an end, and was anxious to please those whowere likely to be his masters in the future. As a rule some fifteen ortwenty men were confined together; these were first visited, but nofamiliar face was found among them.
"Those you have seen," the officer said, "are, I believe, all confinedhere under their own names; as you see, a number are kept together. Allare allowed at certain hours of the day to go out into the courtyard andto converse with each other freely. There are four prisoners who arekept apart from the rest, and each other; these are the four who bear, Ibelieve, other names than those given on the list. They go out for fouror five hours at a time on to the walls, but each has his separate placefor exercise, and they can hold no communication with each other, orwith the rest of the prisoners. In all other respects they have the samefood and treatment."
The scene in each of the rooms that he had hitherto entered had beenvery painful; the prisoners had heard the sound of firing, but were inignorance of what it meant. No news from the outside world ever reachedthem; they had heard nothing of the events in Sicily, and the onlyexplanation that they could imagine for the firing was that there hadbeen a revolution in the province, and that the castle had been attackedby a party of insurgents. Their hopes had fallen when the firing ceased;and during the hour that had passed while the negotiations were beingcarried on, had altogether faded away. They had heard no cannon fromwithout; and that a body of insurgents should have captured the fortressseemed out of the question. There had been an attack, but the assailantshad evidently fallen back. When, therefore, Frank entered, attended bytheir chief and followed by eight men in red shirts, broad-brimmed hats,and carrying muskets, they were too astonished even to guess at thetruth until Frank said:
"Gentlemen, in the name of General Garibaldi, who has captured thiscastle, I have the pleasure to announce to you that from this moment youare free men."
For the most part the announcement was received in silence. They couldscarce believe the possibility of what he said. The name of Garibaldiwas known to all. It was he who had commanded at the defence of Rome; itwas he who, as those who had been longest there had learned fromcomparatively late comers, had done such signal service in the Alps withhis volunteers, when, by the aid of France, Milan and part of Lombardywas wrested from the Austrians. They looked at one another almostincredulously; then, as the meaning of Frank's words dawned upon them,some fell into each others' arms, murmuring incoherent words, othersburst into tears, while some again dropped on their knees to thank Godfor their deliverance. Frank had to wait for a few minutes in each roomuntil they had recovered themselves a little, and then sent out eachbatch with two of his soldiers to see for themselves that they werereally free, and to thank Garibaldi for their rescue.
"Now, signor," the officer said, when they had left the last of thelarge rooms, "there are only the four special prisoners to visit."
The first of these was a man in the prime of life, although with longunkempt hair and beard. As Frank repeated the words he had used before,the man looked at him with an unmeaning smile. Again and again he spoketo him, but a low childish laugh was the only answer. Frank turnedangrily to the officer.
"The poor fellow's mind has gone," he said. "How long has he been aprisoner here?"
"About eight years, signor; for some time his mind has been gettingweaker."
"The brutes!" Frank exclaimed passionately. "Here, men, take this poorfellow out to the courtyard, and remain with him: I will ask the generalpresently what had best be done with him. Are the others like this?" heasked the officer, with a thrill of fear that overpowered the hope thathe had lately been feeling.
"One of them is silent, and seldom speaks, but he is, I believe, quitesensible; the other two are well. The man we shall next see is perfectlyso; he never speaks to us, but when alone here, or when upon the wallfor exercise, he talks incessantly to himself: sometimes in Italian;sometimes, as one of the officers who understands that language says, inEnglish; sometimes in what I have heard our priests say is Latin;sometimes in other languages."
"Before you open the door, tell me what age he is," Frank asked, in alow strained voice.
"I should say that he was about sixty, signor; he has been here nearlythree years," the man said.
"Now open the door."
Frank entered almost timidly. A tall man rose from a palette, which wasthe sole article of furniture in the room.
"Is it treason, lieutenant," he asked quietly, "to ask what has beengoing on?"
Frank with an exclamation of joy stepped forward: "Grandfather," hesaid, "thank God I have found you!"
The prisoner started, looked at him searchingly, and exclaimed, "Frank!yes, it is Frank: is this a miracle, or am I dreaming?"
"Neither, grandfather. Garibaldi has landed; we have taken the castle,and, thank God, you are free."
The professor sank back on his bed and sat for a minute or two with hisface buried in his hands; then he rose, put his hands upon Frank'sshoulders, and then clasped him in his arms, bursting as he did so intotears, while Frank's own cheeks were wet. The professor was the first torecover himself.
"I had fancied, Frank," he said, "that I was a philosopher, but I see Iam not; I thought that all emotion for me was over, but I feel now likea child. And can I really go out?"
"Yes," Frank said; "but I have two more doors to open, and then I willgo with you."
"I will wait here for you, Frank: I shall be glad to be for a fewminutes alone, to persuade myself that
this is not a dream, and to thankGod for His mercy. One moment, though, before you leave me: is my wifealive and well, and my daughter?"
"Both are well," Frank said; "it is five months since I saw them, but Ihad letters from both four days ago." Then he left the cell.
"This is the silent man," the officer said, as he opened the next door.Frank repeated his usual speech to the dark-bearded man who faced himwhen he entered.
"You are young to lie, sir," the man said sternly. "This, I suppose, isa fresh trick to see whether I still hate the accursed government thathas sent me here."
"It is no lie, signor," Frank said quietly. "I am an officer of GeneralGaribaldi's. He has conquered all Sicily, and with some four thousandmen crossed the straits three days ago to Melito, and has now capturedthis place."
The man burst into a wild fit of laughter, and then, with another cry of"You lie!" he sprang upon Frank, and had it not been for the officer andthe two Garibaldian soldiers, who still accompanied them, wouldassuredly have strangled him; for, strong as he was, Frank was but aninfant in the man's hands. After a desperate struggle, he was pulledoff, and forced down on his bed.
"Leave him," Frank said: "he will be quiet now.--Signor, I canunderstand your feelings; you think what I have said is impossible. Youwill soon see that it is not. As soon as you calm yourself, one of mymen will accompany you to the courtyard, which is, you will find, fullof Garibaldians; and the general himself will assure you that you are afree man, and can, if you choose, quit this place immediately."
The man's mood changed. "I am calm," he said, rising to his feet."Perhaps this man will take me out to execution, but it will be welcometo me. I have prayed for death so long that I can only rejoice if it hascome." Then he quietly walked out of the cell, followed by one of thesoldiers, who, being by no means satisfied that the prisoner had ceasedto be dangerous, slipped his bayonet on to his musket before followinghim.
The fourth prisoner was very feeble, but he received the news withtranquillity. "It does not make much difference to me now," he said;"but it will be some satisfaction to know that I shall be buried outsidethe prison."
"You must not look at it in that light, signor," Frank said. "No doubtyou will pick up health and strength when you rejoin your friends, andfind that the tyranny and oppression you struggled against are at anend."
Leaving the last of his men to give the poor fellow his arm and lead himout, Frank returned to Professor Forli. The latter rose briskly as hecame in.
"I am myself again," he said. "Your coming here so strangely, and thenews you brought, were so great a surprise, that everything seemedconfused, and I was unable to grasp the fact. I have heard that a goodswimmer, if he falls suddenly into deep water, behaves for a few momentslike one who is ignorant of the art, striking out wildly, swallowingmuch water before he fairly grasps the situation and his skill returnsto him. So it was with me: my equanimity has never been shaken since Iwas first seized. I perceived at once that what was to come wasinevitable. I reflected that I was vastly better off than most; that mymind was stored with knowledge accumulated by the great thinkers of allages, and that, so fortified, I could afford to be indifferent toimprisonment or persecution. But you see the suddenness of the knowledgethat I was free, did what captivity, even as hopeless as mine, hadfailed to do. Now, Frank, let us go out: you shall take me down to thesea-shore, and then tell me by what marvel you come to be here. If ithad been your father, I should not have been so surprised; but that you,whom I had thought of as a boy at Harrow, should throw open myprison-door, is past my understanding at present. Of course, your fatheris here with you?"
"I am sorry to say that he is not," Frank said quietly; "but I will tellyou all about it when we get down to the shore. I must, before we start,tell the general that all the prisoners have been freed, and that I havefound you, and ask if he will require me just at present."
Going into the courtyard, Frank left his grandfather to look on at ascene so novel to him, and went into the room where Garibaldi and Bixiowere examining, with the syndic, a map of the district. He stood at thedoor till the general looked round.
"Pardon me, sir, for interrupting you, but I wish to report to you thatamong the other prisoners I have found Signor Forli, and that he is ingood health."
Garibaldi rose from his seat, and holding out both hands grasped thoseof Frank.
"I am glad--I am glad indeed, lad," he said with deep feeling, "that myold friend is rescued; glad that the sacrifice that your mother made inparting with you has not been in vain, and that your own bravery andgood conduct have been thus rewarded. I pray God that that other thatyou are seeking for, still nearer and more loved, may also be found."
"Excuse me," he said to Bixio and the syndic: "I must shake Signor Forliby the hand before I go farther into this."
As he hurried out, Frank said,--"I have not told him about my fatheryet, sir. He suggested himself that we should go down together to thesea-shore, where we could talk matters over quietly; and I came inpartly to ask you if you would require my services for the next hour ortwo?"
"Certainly not, Percival. Yes, I will be careful; it would be a shock tohim to be told suddenly that your father had lost his life in his searchfor him."
Led by Frank, he hurried to the spot where the professor was standing,quietly regarding the Garibaldians laughing and chatting, and the groupsof the Neapolitan troops, who, now disarmed, were standing talkingtogether with disheartened and sombre faces.
"Ah, professor," he exclaimed, as he came up to him; "glad indeed am Ithat you have been found and rescued. Your friends were right in notdespairing of you. It seems an age since we parted twelve years ago atRome. You are little changed. I feared that if found you would be likeso many of the others whose prison doors we have opened--mere wrecks ofthemselves."
"Nor have you changed much," Signor Forli said, as he stood holding thegeneral's hand; "a line or two on the forehead, but that is all. And soyou have taken up again the work that seemed postponed for anothercentury at Rome?"
"Yes; and this time I hope that all Italy will be freed. Now, oldfriend, you must excuse me for the present--I am full of business; thisevening we must have a long talk together; much has happened in thethree years that have passed since you disappeared. You can keep thisyoungster with you. He has well earned a day's holiday." So saying,Garibaldi hurried off.