Out with Garibaldi: A story of the liberation of Italy

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER VIII.

  PALERMO.

  Frank's heart beat fast with the excitement of the moment. Save himself,there was not one of Garibaldi's own men but was accustomed to the soundof artillery, and he could scarcely restrain himself from starting whenon a sudden the Neapolitan batteries opened fire, and their missilesstruck rocks and walls round him, or burst overhead.

  "It is not so bad as it looks," Rubini, whom he joined as he ranforward, said with a laugh.

  "It is fortunate that it is not," Frank replied; "it certainly soundsbad enough, but, as I don't think they can see us at all, it can only bea random fire."

  He soon shook off the feeling of uneasiness which he could not at firstrepress, and presently quitted his friend and pushed forward on his ownaccount, keeping close to the road and abreast of Garibaldi, so that hecould run up and receive any orders that might be given. It was not longbefore the enemy opened a musketry fire. The guns had been followingGaribaldi, and he now superintended them as they were run into position,three on either side of the road. They were not placed at regulardistances, but each was posted where the men would, while loading, besheltered behind walls, from which the guns could be run out, wheeledround and fired, and then withdrawn. Frank was not long in joining theGaribaldian line, which was lying in shelter at the foot of thedeclivity.

  In front of them was a level space of ground with a few littlefarmhouses dotted here and there. On the opposite side of this the hillsrose much more steeply. Near the summit were the main body of theNeapolitans, who were altogether about two thousand strong; an advancedguard of some five or six hundred had descended into the valley, andwere moving across it; they had guns with them, which were now at work,as were others with the main body.

  When Garibaldi joined his troops he at once ordered the Genoese companyto attack the advancing enemy and if possible to capture the guns theyhad with them. Followed by a party of the Sicilians, and by Frank andseveral other officers who had no special duties to perform, they dashedforward. At the same moment a number of the peasants, who had made theirway round on either flank unobserved, opened fire upon the Neapolitans,who at the order of the officer in command began to fall back. TheGaribaldians hurled themselves upon them, and hastened the movement. Theguard had no idea of making a frontal attack upon an enemy so stronglyposted, and had, as Frank had heard him say before he dismounted,intended to compel them to fall back by flank attacks. He was notsurprised, therefore, to hear the trumpet sounding the recall.

  The summons was, however, unheard, or at any rate unheeded, by theGenoese, who continued to press hotly upon the Neapolitans; the latterhad now been joined by their supporting line, and Garibaldi saw that thesmall party, who were now almost surrounded, must be destroyed, unlesshe advanced to their assistance. The trumpet accordingly sounded thecharge, and the men sprang to their feet and dashed forward at fullspeed. The fighting had been hand to hand, and the Garibaldians had onlygained the advantage so far from the fact that they were accustomed tofight each for himself, and were individually more powerful men; it wasindeed their habit, in all their fights, to rely on the bayonet, andthey still pressed forward. Frank was now as cool and collected as hewould have been in a football match, and had several times tocongratulate himself on the training he had received in the use of hissword, having two combats with Neapolitan officers, and each time comingoff victorious.

  Presently, in front of him, he saw one of the Neapolitan standards. Inthe confusion it had been left almost unguarded; and calling to three orfour of the men around him, he dashed at it. There was a short, sharpfight: the men standing between him and the flag fell before thebayonets of the Garibaldians. Frank engaged in a tough encounter withthe officer who held the flag, and finally cutting him down, seized thestaff and carried it back into the Garibaldian ranks.

  "Well done, well done, Percival!" He turned and saw Garibaldi himself,who, at the head of his main body, had that instant arrived.

  The Neapolitans, although also reinforced, fell back up the hill. Theface of the ascent was composed of a series of natural terraces, and asthey retreated up these, a storm of fire from the reserve at the top ofthe hill and the cannon there, was poured upon the Garibaldians. Thegeneral halted his men for a minute or two at the foot of the lowerterrace, where they were sheltered by the slope from the missiles of theenemy; they were re-formed, and then re-commenced the ascent. It washot work; the ground was very steep, and swept by the enemy's fire. Aseach terrace was gained, the men rushed across the level ground andthrew themselves down panting at the foot of the next slope, where theywere to some extent sheltered. Two or three minutes, and they made theirnext rush. But little return to the enemy's fire was attempted, for thewretched muskets with which they had been supplied at Genoa werepractically useless, and only the Genoese, who had brought their owncarbines, and were excellent shots, did much execution.

  Several times the Neapolitans attempted to make a stand, but were asoften driven back. On this occasion, however, they fought well andsteadily; the terror of Garibaldi's name had ceased to have its effectduring the twelve years that had elapsed since Ferdinand's army had fledbefore him, but the desire to wipe out that disgrace no doubt inspiredthem, and Garibaldi afterwards gave them full credit for the obstinacywith which they had contested his advance. At last the uppermost terracewas reached; there was one more halt for breath, and then theGaribaldians went forward with a cheer. The resistance was comparativelyslight: the Neapolitan troops at first engaged had already exhaustedtheir ammunition, and had become disheartened at their failure to arrestthe impetuous assault of their enemies; and when the Garibaldiansreached the summit of the hill, they found that the enemy were in fullretreat.

  Exhausted by their efforts, and having suffered heavy loss, they made ashort halt; the horses of the general and his staff were brought up bythe small party who had been left with the guns, and who had advancedacross the plain at some little distance in the rear of the fightingline. As soon as they arrived the advance continued until the littlearmy halted at Calatafimi, some miles from the scene of battle. TheGaribaldians had captured only one cannon, a few rifles, and a score ortwo of prisoners, for the most part wounded; but by the defeat of theenemy they had gained an enormous advantage, for, as the news spreadthroughout the country, its dimensions growing as it flew, it createdgreat enthusiasm, and from every town and village men poured down tojoin the army of liberation.

  The Neapolitan governor had indeed made a fatal mistake in not placing amuch larger force in the field for the first engagement. The troopsfought bravely, and though beaten, were by no means disgraced; and hadthey been supported by powerful artillery, and by a couple of regimentsof cavalry, which could have charged the Garibaldians in the plain, thebattle would have had a very different result.

  At Calatafimi the Garibaldians halted. The Neapolitan wounded had beenleft here; their own had, when the fighting ceased, been sent back toVita. The inhabitants vied with each other in hospitality to them, andalthough saddened by the loss of many of their bravest comrades, allregarded the victory they had won as an augury of future success.Already the country had risen; the Neapolitans in their retreat had beenharassed, and numbers of them killed by the peasants; every hour swelledthe force, and next morning they set out in the highest spirits, andwith a conviction that success would attend them. And yet there weregrave difficulties to be met, for ten thousand Neapolitans were massedin two formidable positions on the road by which it was believed thatthe Garibaldians must advance, and twelve thousand remained in garrisonat Palermo. That evening they reached Alcamo, a large town, where theywere received with enthusiasm. The excitement was even more lively whenthe next day they entered Partinico, where the inhabitants, who had beenbrutally treated by the Neapolitans in their advance, had risen whenthey passed through as fugitives, and massacred numbers of them, andpursued them a considerable distance along the road to Palermo. At thispoint the Garibaldians left the road, and ascended to the plateau ofRenne, and thence looked dow
n on the rich plain in which Palermo stands,and on the city itself. Here two days of tremendous rain preventedfarther movement.

  "You are now seeing the rough side of campaigning, Percival," Rubinisaid, with a laugh, as the four friends sat together in a little arbourthey had erected, and over the top of which were thrown two of theirblankets.

  "It is not very pleasant, certainly," Frank agreed; "but it might be agood deal worse; it is wet, but it is not cold, and we are not fasting;we each of us laid in a good stock of provisions when at Partinico, butI certainly never anticipated that we should have to rely upon telegraphpoles for a supply of fuel: it is lucky that the wires run across here,for we should certainly have had to eat our meat raw, or go without, ifit hadn't been for them."

  None of the men appeared to mind the discomfort; the supply of wood wastoo precious to be used except for cooking purposes, and indeed it wouldbe of no use for the men to attempt to dry their clothes until thedownpour ceased. Two days later, the enemy having sent out a strongreconnoitring party, Garibaldi determined to cross the mountains andcome down upon the main southern road from Palermo. Officers had beensent to the various towns on that road to summon all true men to join.The force started in the evening and performed a tremendous march; theguns were lashed to poles and carried on the men's shoulders, the boxesof ammunition were conveyed in the same manner. The rain continuedincessantly, and there was a thick fog which added greatly to thedifficulties. It was not until daylight that the head of the columnbegan to straggle into Parco, on the southern road.

  They at once seized some commanding positions round the place, and beganto throw up entrenchments, but as Parco was commanded by hills, it couldnot be defended against a determined attack. Two days later two strongcolumns marched out from Palermo. The first advanced by the road thatcrossed the valley, and threatened the Garibaldian rear by the passagethrough the hills known as the pass of Piana dei Greci. Garibaldi atonce sent off his artillery and baggage by the road, and with a companyof his cacciatori and a body of the new levies, who were known aspicciotti, hurried to the pass, which they reached before theNeapolitans arrived there. On their opening fire, the Neapolitans,thinking that they had the whole Garibaldian force in front of them inan extremely strong position, retired at once. Finding that the freedomof his movements would be embarrassed by his cannon, which under themost advantageous circumstances could not contend against those of theenemy, he sent them away along the southern road, while he withdrew hisforce from Parco, and for a short time followed the guns; he then turnedoff into the mountains and directed his march to Misilmeri, a few milesfrom Palermo, having completely thrown the enemy off his track. Thepursuing column, believing that the whole Garibaldian force wasretreating with its guns, pushed on rapidly, while Garibaldi hadalready turned the strong position of Monreale, and was preparing toattack the town.

  His force had here been increased by the volunteers who had arrived fromthe southern villages. The Neapolitan general, Lanza, soon obtainedinformation as to the invader's position, and prepared with absoluteconfidence to meet his attack, which must, he believed, be made by thecoast road. On the evening of the 26th Garibaldi moved across thecountry by a little-frequented track, and the next morning appeared onthe road entering the town at the Termini gate. The twelve thousandNeapolitan troops who still remained in the town had no suspicion thattheir foe was near. The day before, the commander of the column that hadpassed through Parco had sent in the news that he was in hot pursuit ofthe Garibaldians, who were flying in all directions, and the governorhad given a banquet in honour of the rout of the brigands. The militarybands had played on the promenade, and the official portion of thepopulation had been wild with joy.

  On the other hand, messages had passed constantly between Garibaldi'sagents and the leaders of the patriotic party in the town, who hadpromised that the population would rise as soon as he entered the city.It was upon this promise that the general based his hopes of success;for that three thousand badly armed men could hope to overcome twelvethousand troops, well supported by artillery, and defending the townstreet by street, seemed impossible even to so hopeful a spirit. No timewas lost. The Garibaldians rushed forward, drove in at once an outpoststationed beyond the barriers at the gate, and carried the barricades,before the troops could muster in sufficient force to offer any seriousresistance.

  But beyond this the opposition became obstinate and fierce; thecacciatori pressed forward by the principal street, the bands ofpicciotti distracted the attention of the enemy by advancing by parallelstreets, and, although the cannon of the Castello Mare thundered,pouring shot and shell broadcast into the quarter through which theGaribaldians were advancing, and though from the large convent of SanAntonio, held by a battalion of bersaglieri, a terrible fire wasmaintained upon the flank of the cacciatori at a distance of a couple ofhundred yards, they nevertheless pressed on, clearing the street of thetroops who opposed their advance, until they reached the square in thecentre of the city.

  All this time the guns of the Neapolitan ships-of-war had been pouring afierce fire into the town, with the apparent object of deterring thepopulace from rising, for it was upon private houses that the damage wascommitted, and was, so far as the Garibaldians were concerned,innoxious. For a short time the object was attained: so terrible was thefire that swept the principal streets leading down to the water, soalarming the din of exploding shells and falling walls, that for a shorttime the populace dared not venture from their houses; but furysucceeded to alarm, and it was not long before the inhabitants flockedout into the streets, and under the direction of Colonel Acerbi, one ofthe most distinguished officers of the thousand, began to erectbarricades. These sprang up with marvellous rapidity; carts were wheeledout from the courtyards and overturned, men laboured with pickaxes andcrowbars tearing up the pavements, women threw out mattresses from thewindows; all worked with enthusiasm.

  Garibaldi established himself at the Pretorio Palace, the central pointof the city; and here the members of the revolutionary committee joinedhim. His staff were sent off in all directions to order all the bandsscattered throughout the city to assemble there. The people of Palermowere wholly without firearms, as all weapons of the kind had beenconfiscated by the authorities; but armed with hatchets, axes, knivesfastened to the end of sticks and poles to act as pikes, long spits andother improvised weapons, they prepared to defend the barricades. A few,indeed, brought out muskets which had been hidden away when all thehouses had been searched for weapons, but the greatest difficulty wasexperienced from the want of powder.

  Garibaldi now stationed his forces so as to intercept all communicationsbetween the various points where the Neapolitan troops wereconcentrated. Lanza himself, who was at once commander-in-chief andviceroy, was with several regiments at the royal palace.

  The Castello Mare was held by a strong force, and there were someregiments at the palace of finance. These points they had only reachedafter hard fighting; but once there they were isolated from each other,and to join hands they would have to pass along streets blocked bybarricades, and defended by a desperate population, and exposed to thefire of the Garibaldians from every window and roof.

  That night hundreds of men and women were set to work to grind charcoal,sulphur, and saltpetre, to mix them together to form a rough gunpowder,and then to make it up into cartridges. Such a compound would have beenuseless for ordinary purposes, but would have sufficient strength forstreet fighting, where it was but necessary to send a bullet some twentyor thirty yards with sufficient force to kill.

  The fire of the fleet, Castello Mare, and the palace was maintained allday. The town was on fire in many places. A whole district a thousandyards in length and a hundred yards wide had been laid in ashes,convents and churches had been crushed by shells, and a large number ofthe inhabitants had been killed by grape and cannister; but after fourhours' fighting there was a lull in the musketry fire: the Neapolitanswere gathered in their three strong places, and were virtually besiegedthere. In spite of
the continued cannonade, the populace thronged thestreets which were not in the direct line of fire, the bells of thechurches pealed out triumphantly; bright curtains, cloths and flags werehung out from the balconies, friends embraced each other with tears ofjoy; while numbers continued to labour at the barricades, the monks andclergy joining in the work, all classes being wild with joy at theirdeliverance from the long and crushing tyranny to which they had beensubjected.

  Frank had entered the city with the chosen band, who had led the attackon the Termini gate, and advanced with them into the heart of the city.In the wild excitement of the fight he had lost all sense of danger; hesaw others fall around him, his cheek had been deeply gashed by abullet, but he had scarce felt the pain, and was almost surprised when aman close to him offered to bind up his wound with his sash. One of thefirst orders that Garibaldi gave, after establishing himself at thePretorio Palace was to send for him.

  "Lieutenant Percival," he said, "I commit to you the honour of leading aparty to the prisons, and liberating all the political prisoners youfind there. You have won that distinction by having, in the first place,captured the flag of the tyrants at Calatafimi, and also by the gallantmanner in which you have fought in the first rank to-day. I marked yourconduct, and it was worthy of your brave father. I can give it no higherpraise."

  Taking twenty men with him, Frank went to the prisons. On entering each,he demanded from the officials a list of all prisoners confined, and theoffences with which they were charged, so that no criminals should bereleased with the political prisoners. He hardly needed the list,however, for the criminals were but few in number, the Neapolitanauthorities not having troubled themselves with such trifles asrobberies and assassinations, but the prisons were crowded with men ofthe best blood in the city and the surrounding country, who had beenarrested upon the suspicion of holding liberal opinions, and who weretreated with very much greater severity than were the worst malefactors.The thunder of the guns had already informed them that a terribleconflict was going on, but it was not until Frank and his men arrivedthat the prisoners knew who were the parties engaged, and their joy andgratitude was unbounded when they learned that they were free, now andfor ever, from the power of their persecutors.

  As they marched to the prison, several of the men had shouted to thecrowd, "We are going to free the captives." The news had spread likewildfire, and as the prisoners issued from the jail they were met bytheir friends and relatives, and the most affecting scenes took place.Although Frank considered it unlikely in the extreme that personsarrested on the mainland would be carried across to the island, heinsisted on the warders accompanying him over the whole prison andunlocking every door, in spite of their protestations that the cellswere empty. Having satisfied himself on this head, he went to the otherprisons, where similar scenes took place.

  The fire of the Neapolitan ships was kept up until nightfall, and thenceased, rather from the exhaustion of the gunners, who had been twelvehours at work, than from any difficulty in sighting their guns; for inPalermo it was almost as light as day, the whole city being lit up bythe tremendous conflagration, and in addition every house save thosefacing the port was illuminated, candles burning at every window.Throughout the night work was carried on, fresh barricades were erected,and others greatly strengthened. It was all-important that the threebodies of troops, isolated from each other, should not effect ajunction. Boats were sent off to the merchant ships in the harbour inorder to purchase powder, but none could be obtained; however, bymorning so much had been manufactured that with what still remained inthe Garibaldian pouches there was enough for the day's fighting.

  At Garibaldi's headquarters there was no sleep that night: therevolutionary committee received orders from the general where the armedcitizens were to take their posts at the barricades, and how their menwere to be divided into sections. They were to impress upon all that,though the fighting must be desperate, it could not last long. At theroyal palace there were no provisions of any kind for the troopsstationed there, nor were there any in the palace of finance; so that ifthe struggle could be maintained for another day or two at the most, thetroops would be driven to surrender by starvation.

  Frank had time, after he returned from the prisons, to have his wounddressed, and he then received the congratulations of his three friends,all of whom were more or less severely wounded.

  "You have come out of it rather the best of us, Percival," Maffio said:"I have a bullet through the arm, Rubini has lost two of the fingers ofhis left hand, and Sarto will limp for some time, for he has been shotthrough the calf of his leg; so we shall have no scars that we can show,while you will have one that will be as good as a medal of honour."

  "I am sure I hope not," Frank said; "I can assure you that, honourableas it may be, it would be a nuisance indeed, for I should be constantlyasked where I got it, and when I answered, should be bothered intotelling the whole story over and over again. However, I think we can allcongratulate each other on having come out of it comparatively unhurt; Icertainly never expected to do so,--the row was almost bewildering."

  "It was almost as bad as one of your football tussles," Sarto laughed.

  "You may laugh, but it was very much the same feeling," Frank replied."I have felt nearly as much excited in a football scrimmage as I wasto-day; I can tell you that when two sides are evenly matched, and eachfellow is straining every nerve, the thrill of satisfaction when onefinds that one's own side is gaining ground is about as keen as anythingone is ever likely to feel."

  The next day the fighting recommenced, the Neapolitan troops makingdesperate efforts to concentrate. The fighting in the streets was for atime furious. At no point did the enemy make any material progress,although they gained possession of some houses round the palace andfinance offices. The barricades were desperately defended by the armedcitizens and the picciotti, and from time to time, when the Neapolitansseemed to be gaining ground, the men of Garibaldi's thousand flungthemselves upon them with the bayonet. That morning, under thesuperintendence of skilled engineers, powder mills were established, andthe supply of gunpowder was improved both in quantity and quality, menand women filling the cartridges as fast as the powder was turned out.Fighting and work continued throughout the night, and all next day.