CHAPTER XXIII. THE LIBERATOR
Clelia's liberator, who had arrived so opportunely on the scene ofviolence, was by no means a giant, being not more than an inch ortwo above the ordinary height; but the erectness of his person, theamplitude of his chest, and the squareness of his shoulders, showed himto be a man of extraordinary strength.
As soon as this opportune hero who had come to the rescue of the weak,had stricken down the chief by a blow of his gun-butt upon the robber'sskull, he levelled the barrel at the brigand who held Manlio in hisgrasp and shot him dead. Then, without waiting long to see the effect ofhis bullet--for this hunter of the wild boar had a sure eye--he turnedto the direction pointed out by Clelia. She was still much agitated; butwhen she perceived her champion so far successful, she cried-
"Avanti! go after Julia, and rescue her. Oh, go!"
With the fleetness of the deer the young man sped away in pursuit ofJulia's ravishers, and, to Clelia's instant relief, the English girlsoon reappeared with their preserver; Julia's captors having taken toflight upon hearing the shots.
Reloading his gun, the stranger handed it to Manlio, and proceededto appropriate to his own use those arms which he found upon the deadbodies of the brigands.
They then returned to the carriage, and found the horses grazingcontentedly on the young grass that bordered the road. For a littlewhile no one found a voice. They stood absorbed in thoughts of joy,agitation, and gratitude; the women regarding the figure of the strangerwith fervent admiration. How beautiful is valor, particularly when shownin the defense of honor and loveliness in woman, whose appreciation ofcourage is a deep instinct of her nature. Be a lover bold and fearless,as well as spotless, a despiser of death, as well as graceful in life,and you will not fail to win both praise and love from beauty.
This sympathy of the fair sex with lofty qualities in the sex of actionhas been the chief promoter of human civilization and social happiness.
For woman's love alone man has gradually put aside his masculinecoarseness, and contempt for outward appearances, becoming docile,refined, and elegant, while his rougher virtue of courage was softenedinto chivalry.
So far from being his "inferior," woman was appointed the instructressof man, and designed by the Creator to mould and educate his moralnature.
We have said our fair travellers gazed with admiration at the fineperson of the brigand--for "brigand" we must unwillingly confess theirdeliverer to be--and as they gazed, the younger members of the party, itmay be acknowledged, imported into their glance a little more gratitudethan the absent lovers, Attilio and Muzio, would perhaps have wished.But admiration gave place to _surprise_, when the brigand, takingSilvia's hand, kissed it, with tears, saying-
"You do not remember me, Signora? Look at my left eye: had it not beenfor your maternal care, the accident to it would have cost me my life."
"Orazio! Orazio!" cried the matron, embracing him. "Yes, it is indeedthe son of my old friend."
"Yes, I am Orazio, whom you received in a dying condition, and nursedback to life; the poor orphan whom you nourished and fed when left inabsolute need," he replied, as he returned her embrace tenderly.
After exchanging these words of recognition, and receiving othersof ardent gratitude from the party, Orazio explained how he had beenhunting in the neighborhood, when he saw the attack, and came to do whathe could for the ladies. He advised Manlio to put them into the carriageagain, and depart with all speed; "for," said he, "two of these banditshave escaped, and may possibly return with several of their band." Then,ascertaining the name of the port from which they intended sailing, heoffered to become their charioteer, and, mounting the box, drove offrapidly in the direction of Porto d'Anzo.
Arrived there without further adventure, the freshness of the sea airseemed to put new life and spirits into our jaded travellers, and theeffect upon the beautiful Julia in particular was perfectly marvellous.A daughter of the Queen of the Ocean, she, like almost all her children,was enamored of the sea, and pined for it when at a distance.
The sons of Britain scent the salt air wherever they live; they areislanders with the ocean always near. They can understand the feelingof Xenophon's 1000 Greeks, when they again beheld the ocean after theirlong and dangerous Anabasis, and how they fell upon their knees, withjoyful shouts of "Thalassa! Thalassa!" and saluted the green and silverAmphitrite as their mother, friend, and tutelary divinity.